Medicine of the West: Soul Retrieval Through the Sacred Waters of Transformation
By Rachel Tice, CEO, 200RYT, Breathwork Instructor
Every sunset invites us to turn inward, to breathe, release, and trust the natural rhythm of endings. In the Mesoamerican practice of Curanderismo, as well as in many ancient wisdom traditions, the West is the cardinal space of sacred direction of the setting sun, the element of water, and the gateway of transformation. True liberation happens when we loosen our grip and let ourselves be carried by the current of life. At any moment, the soul asks us to step inward, to honor our inner world releasing the emotional and energetic weight we’ve carried and opening space for our soul to renew itself.
In the modern healing and wellness world, it’s easy to think of healing as a linear process of spiritual elevation. However, the medicine of the West invites us to embrace a deeper truth: healing is cyclical, ever-changing, and calls us to realign with our soul essence and step fully into our divine flow. Just as the sun sets before it rises again, we must honor our times of grief, release, and self-reflection. The West welcomes us into these sacred waters to dissolve old identities, thought patterns, stories, and emotional burdens that no longer serve who we are becoming.
The element of water is central to this direction’s teaching. Water cleanses, nourishes, and reshapes the land — and it does the same within us, as we are made mostly of water. It softens what has grown rigid, like a stone in a stream, gradually breaking away what no longer serves and creating new paths for flow. The West allows emotions to move and energy to circulate freely again. In Curanderismo, this water medicine is honored through limpias (cleansings), sacred baths, and offerings that help wash away stagnant energy. On a practical level, this means embracing our emotions, reflecting with presence, surrendering what weighs us down, and freeing our spirit in the process. It is the science of letting go, uniting the nervous system and spirit in homeostasis. In this way, the ancient and the modern meet perfectly.
The West also holds the realm of the ancestors — those who came before us and whose stories live in our cells. To work with this direction is to honor the sacred past: to thank our ancestors and loved ones, for the gifts and lessons they left behind, while releasing any unhealed patterns that no longer serve our lineage. Whether through an altar, prayer, journaling, or quiet remembrance, we participate in the healing of generations. When we liberate ourselves from inherited heaviness, we open the way for our descendants to walk freely, too.
Through the soul retrieval process, the West becomes a living classroom. Participants will journey through reflective journeys, sound healing, and breathwork to release emotional blocks and reclaim the pieces of self that may have fragmented through pain or fear. This is not about erasing the past — it’s about transforming it into wisdom. The sacred water of the West reminds us that healing is not about flawlessness, but rather about returning to flowing with the waves of change. When the heart is free to feel again, the soul becomes light, fluid, and whole.
As we move through the seasons of life, the West calls us to slow down and honor what is ready to fall away. It invites us to let go of control, trust the unseen process of renewal, and remember that endings are sacred beginnings in disguise. If you feel called to release emotional heaviness, reconnect with your ancestors, and rediscover your inner flow, I invite you to join me for the Soul Liberation workshop, where we will journey into the West — a powerful path of release and rebirth. Step into the sacred waters of transformation and allow your soul to return home to itself.
