I wrote the poem below after a profound experience of facilitating soul recovery.Through devastating events in her early life, a woman had lost child parts of herself that refused to remain in the body in a world that seemed terribly cruel. I found, not for the first time, that these missing child souls had gone to a safe haven, reminiscent of the place of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, which I was inspired to call the Island of No-Pain.

To persuade these beautiful children to come home to the woman’s adult self, bringing their gifts of energy and imagination, it was necessary to convince them that life in the body would be safe and could be fun. I don’t know whether full soul recovery would have been possible without the fierce and tender intervention of Great Mother Bear. She held the child self and the adult together in her lap, in her tremendous embrace, until the reunion was complete and they fused and became one being.

                                                                                                                                                                            There is an island beyond pain,

Friendly to magic, where children sing

And delight in learning the necessary things:

The language of birds, how wishing is doing,
How to walk on moonlight and swim in the rain.

To get there, you must go off the maps,

Track what rhymes in a day, do magical passes

And go to Raven, Madrona and Orca for remedial classes

In wearing darkness lightly, shedding old skin

And plunging deep. You must travel through the gaps

In the obvious world. The island reaches to you –

How else could you know it? – in your dreams.

One morning you fall awake with the gleam

Of memory of a wise child, whole and beautiful

Who owns herself but is gone from you. 

You long to go through the mist where she has gone

To dance with shamans who heal to entertain

And there is no fear, betrayal or shame.

The red fingers of the tree that binds the shore

Tap in madrona code: “Go, and bring her home.” 

You are off in a heartbeat, a sail unfurled.

Your dream soul is your leader

To the house of rain and red cedar

Where the lovely child flees from you.

She won’t live in your body, won’t breathe in your world. 

You will lose her again. Except for the great white Bear

Who comes to embrace and enfold you

Both, and will not let go, but holds you

Together, till you cannot pull apart.

In the arms of Bear Mother, the unhealed tear

In your being opens the door to your heart

And your child comes in, suspicious of your vows –

“We’ll have fun!” “What’s ours is ours.”
“I’ll never let them hurt you.”
“I’ll stand in my power.” We’ll never be apart.” 

Your double scream of birthing 

Scares the gentle black-tailed deer 

From the orchard, and sows fear

Of miscarriage. But the Bear is with you

And in you, bringing you to a place of birthing. 

You drink apple juice from the tree

And your soul swells and claps her hands.

The wise child looks out of your eyes and understands

You will live your promises, be shaman of your self,

Call souls back in others. You are home, and free.