Last Updated on May 20, 2025 by Ishilta
As I write this, the midterm elections have just concluded here in the Philippines, and once again, I’m struck by the quiet power of spiritual work.
A few years ago, I moved to an island in the Visayas, and the political landscape at the time was far from ideal. The land reeked of dirty politics and long-standing dynasties that had gone unchallenged for decades. The sitting mayor in our municipality came from a family that had held power for generations. Although many had tried to unseat them, all had failed—thanks to their political machinery and dirty tactics, including vote-buying.
Being new to the place, I minded my own business and stayed away from anything political. Besides, I was too busy restarting my life to get involved in anything else. On top of that, I hadn’t yet transferred my voter’s registration from Quezon City, so I didn’t have any voting power to begin with.
My plan to stay detached from politics worked—until one day, we experienced a fly infestation that lasted for weeks. It was horrible, like a scene straight out of a horror movie. We had to eat inside mosquito nets just to keep the flies off our food. To call it disgusting would be an understatement.
I later learned that the flies were coming from a nearby poultry farm owned by the mayor’s family. It was their business. Even more shocking, this infestation happened regularly during harvest season. People had been complaining about it for years, but their concerns fell on deaf ears. What can you expect from political trapos, right? Family business always comes before the needs of the people.
Enduring it for a day or two might be tolerable, but for a week or even a month? That’s another story. I was disgusted and angry, and felt completely powerless at the same time. I wanted to do something so badly, but what could a newbie with no voting power possibly do? My hands were tied.
Around the same time, I had just completed a shamanic training with Sandra Ingerman, one of the leading authorities in the field of core shamanism. One of the practices I learned in the training was how to perform a soul retrieval for the land. I thought to myself, “If I can’t do anything about this in the usual way, maybe I can approach it through ritual and ceremony.” And so, ceremony it is.
In shamanism, everything is alive and has a spirit, including the land. In geography, we refer to it as genius loci, meaning the spirit of a particular place. In many ancient cultures, it is believed that the spirit of the land chooses the leader, and the well-being of the land is deeply connected to the leader’s ability to carry out their duty. The leader is essentially married to the land.
One of the root causes of illness in shamanism is soul loss. Humans may lose parts of their soul in response to trauma, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is actually a coping mechanism designed to help a person survive a traumatic experience. If you’re about to experience something painful, the last place you’d want to be is in your body. So a part of the soul escapes to avoid the full impact of the pain.
The problem is that the soul parts that flee rarely return on their own. They need to be gently guided back into the body; otherwise, the person remains in a dissociated state. This process of calling back lost soul parts is called soul retrieval, and it can only be performed by someone trained in the shamanic arts.
In the same way, the land can also suffer from soul loss through neglect, exploitation, or abuse. Places that remain unresponsive to rehabilitation or regeneration efforts often signal that soul loss has occurred. You can also sense that a place has lost its soul when there is disharmony or the community suffers. In this case, a soul retrieval ceremony for the land is in order.
Another election was coming up, and unsurprisingly, the same mayor was running again. Challenging him almost felt impossible. After so many failed attempts to unseat his family, the people had lost hope. It was mission impossible in every sense of the word. At that point, divine intervention felt like the only hope left.
Despite the odds, I decided to put my shamanic skills to use. The day before the election, I performed a soul retrieval ceremony for the land. I didn’t pray for a specific candidate to win—I simply asked that the right person be elected. I hoped that this simple ceremony might be enough to shift the balance of power and open even a small window for change.
I made offerings to the land spirits, sang my power songs, and sang the land back into wholeness. I spoke to the land and revealed my intentions. Then, I released all attachments to the outcome. I had done my part; the rest was up to Spirit.
The result? The old mayor lost, and the people elected someone new for the first time in decades. I was stunned by the synchronicity. I’m not saying this happened because of the ceremony. As shamanic practitioners, we never take credit for what unfolds after a healing or ritual. We simply serve as conduits, because the true doer is Spirit. I know that might sound cliché, but it’s the truth. Even so, witnessing that synchronicity with my own eyes felt like pure magic.
Something similar happened during the recent election, though this time through a different kind of spiritual work. It never ceases to amaze me how deeply spiritual practice can ripple out into the world and make a difference. It fascinates me, much like the Butterfly Effect, how a simple act of power can trigger massive change.
I witness this often—not only in my own life, but also in the lives of the many clients I’m honored to support through healing work. For instance, I’ve seen my sessions help siblings reconcile, people develop confidence and step into their true power, manifest their dream job or partner, and find themselves on a much better path than before.
I’m sharing this as a reminder: never underestimate the power of spiritual work. Don’t underestimate the power of prayer, ritual, or positive thought. Don’t take for granted all the inner work and healing you’ve been doing. You may not always see the results, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Not all miracles are visible to the naked eye.
We may never fully comprehend the great mysteries of life. Sometimes, the magic unfolds quietly in the background. All we can do is stay open to how and when it will reveal itself in our lives.
