Getting to know me : Celebrating my Teachers, Mentors and Inspirational People.
I often will say that my greatest teachers on this path have been the Kin that I stand with each morning at the hedge line of the land I am guardian of. The Wild Rose, the Hawthorn, the Blackthorn, the Yarrow and the Oak and of the Winged Ones who weave their song into my soul each morning as we celebrate the rising of the Sun.
Although, one thing I often forget to talk about is all the amazing training and courses I have undertaken around this work which has opened up so many doors for me. These courses have been led by some amazing Human teachers , mentors and inspirational people, who have each been so important in helping me readjust my steps to guide me back to my true path.
So I am celebrating these wonderful people here in this post.
The calling of the Plant Kin was my first awakened step on this path. I found myself being drawn to plants, to sit and to explore how we could harness and work with them to improve our health and wellbeing.
As this call became more & more intense and my curiosity became stronger and stronger, I found myself being drawn to Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy. Very soon I was knocking on the door at Heartwood College and signed up to the Foundation Year on Herbal Medicine. This was the most awe-inspiring introduction to the how plants could help support and heal us, led by the equally amazing Mary Tassel and Anita Ralph. Very quickly, I found my Soul basking in the unfolding of my journey with Plant kin and a remembering that stirred deeply in my bones.
The course, although deep and rich in plant knowledge lacked my hands being in soil and my feet on the earth which led me to seek a more hands on experience with plants. I was really delighted when I found 2 amazing Herbalists, Edwina Hodkinson and Danielle Kay, who at the time were running a in-person Weeds and Wild Medicine course, near Burnley, Lancashire. Over this year we went out on to the land, examined and explored our Plant Kin and made all sorts of medicines, tinctures, balms and cooked the most amazing wild food . It was here I found my confidence with foraging, handling and being with Plant kin. I vividly recall one day Edwina mentioning ‘ Plant Spirt Medicine’ and that opened a whole new world for me. I decided there and then that I would, as much as possible, only harvest and work with Plants I had grown, tended, known and loved myself and to this today, that is what I do. If you have ever had a tincture, tea or some creation, more often than not the plant kin in there has been nurtured, loved and cherished by me, from the land I am guardian of and always harvested in a sacred an respectful way.
I completed my Crystal Healing diplomas with the lovely Jan from Indigo Soul School. Jan delivers a range of beautiful training and for me this course gave me deep understanding of Chakras, meridian points and energy as whole, as well as really allowing me to understand how to work with Crystals to help, support and heal ourselves, and later the earth.
Weaving in, out and through all this I was working with Ruth Cato, a Shamanic Practitioner, who is not only a very special Teacher and mentor, but is beloved friend. Her magic awoke my magic and I found myself heading out on all sorts of retreats and day long workshops. When Ruth announced that she would be holding her First Year Long Shamanic Initiation….. well Immediately my heart was struck with a YES. Much of my journey from that point until now, I can credit to what began as part of that year and, in particularly my work around Grief, Death and Psychopomp.
As the first year progressed I found myself being called more and more to understand what it mean to be human, not in the Western concept, but actually if we strip back all the ‘I’ stuff and moved towards to the ‘We’ how and who we should we be in the world. I trained in Plant Spirit Medicine more formally with Rachel Corby and through this work I found myself falling more and more into conversations with the land and entering into conversations in the least expected places.
As my relationship with the More than Human World deepened, I found myself left with an unfathomable grief, one so deep I could not find any solace or escape. It did not feel like my grief, but somehow was lodged really deep within me. I began a self-direct apprenticeship with Death and Grief, which led me to the work of Francis Weller. After reading his book –The Wild Edge of Sorrow, I reached out to see if he offered any mentorships or opportunities to further my learning. He directed me to his self-study courses, which seemed appropriate as I was on a ‘ self-directed apprenticeship’ and so I completed the online offerings on his website, which deepened into my understanding on Death and Grief and allowed me to understand what this unfathomable grief that was held deep in my bones was… Soul Grief. If you have never stood at each of the 5 Gates of Grief you really should, it is transformational
With all my training there seems to be a flow, that naturally lead from one place to another and following on from Francis Weller’s work I stumbled across Gabor Mate and after listening to his work on trauma I signed up and completed his Compassionate Inquiry Self Study Course.
Throughout all of this this my guides have consistently held out for me two things….. white sheets and the Ancient Ways, and so when these next two Wise Women crossed my path I knew things were getting serious.
I was blown away to be able to complete my Ancient Ways Training with the phenomenal Suzi Crockford. My training with Suzi was just the most magical and amazing experience. After completing a 5-week Drum journey intensive course which drew on my Drum Journey experience and knowledge my shamanic realms, we spentt the next few months exploring the ways of this land, really deepening into Soul Retrieval Work, the Ancestors, Divination, Sovereignty and Service, Psychopomp, the Seen and the Unseen – All complete magic right here.
And as my time with Suzi began to come to an end Moya McGinley arrived with her Souls Journey home. This was such valuable training for me as in so many ways and cemented my work with Death and Grief. I spent everyday for in conversation with ‘Death’, something which I all think we should do, to this day these have been the most amazing conversation I have ever had. With Moya we explored the Death and Grief rites we had so freely given away and how we could reclaim them. This dovetailed perfectly with the work I had just finished with Suzi around Ancestors, the Dead, Soul Retrieval and Psychopomp.
I still work with ‘Death’ in this way and have a regular practice to connect and be in a space where conversations between us can flow.
As Covid hit and things moved on-line I thought I was the luckiest person ever when a course with Embercombe in Devon that I had longed to do, opened online , making it accessible for me. The course was a Year Long Mentorship into Contemporary Animism, which began with a 3-day masterclass lead by the phenomenal David Abram…. WOWIE. The rest of the year was equally wonderful led by Colin Campbell and Angharad Wynne, who were joined by guests such as Sharon Blackie and Carolyn Hillyer. It felt an utter privilege to be part of this year, surrounded by these wonderful invitations to be out on the land and living as part of the wider and wilder community which allowed me to really explore my relationship with myself and with the More the Human World. It was like a discovering a whole part of life that had long been forgotten. The learnings, practices, and ways of being I learnt and embodied during this time have been the sustaining foundation of my work and are practices I use on a regular basis for myself.
As my work with grief, Death and dying continued to grow and expand I was called to work with Awen Clements and undertook her Earth Priestess Training, to help me start building my work around Celebrancy and how to be able to hold space and walk alongside people in the most honouring way. Awen ‘s offering here is deeply wonderful.
There was a calling to step into my work and even though I had extensive personal and life experience and lots of really deep training, I still struggled to step up and to step into my power. That fear of I am good enough, despite all the work I had done kept sneaking in.
And so, when Animas Valley Institute were offering their Wild Mind Masterclass at Embercome, I was all in! Having read Bill Plotkin’s books I knew the basis of this work, but there is reading the book and then there is doing the work, 2 very different things. This was going to be doing the work. Healing with nature is the most sublime way to do this work for me and this expereince was a defined turning point. With nature alongside me and one foot in the mystery, I began to really unwind the old stories I had been given or had been telling myself for so long. And after finishing this course I quickly signed up to Soulcraft Intensive, which was equally amazing, if not slightly terrifying.
In both these courses the Wonderful Kate Joyner of the Dancing Serpent Mystery school was one of the Animas Valley guides. As I worked through the Soul Craft Intensive what became clear to me was a need to really reclaim my primordial feminine blueprint, something which due to issues around fertility I had long felt something that was not mine to claim. But how wrong I was….. I cannot celebrate Kates work enough. I have worked with Kate fro 3 years now, each sprial taking me deeper into soul.
alongside this I started a year long Mentorship with the wonderful Amaia Dadachanji of the Wild Apothecary. Working with Amaia was been life changing. After starting with the intention of a herbal mentorship it was clear the crossing of our paths was more around ‘ grief work’ something Amaia is just amazing at. Her work as a ‘Grief Tender’ is some of the most astounding I have been privileged to witness and our weekly sessions are ones my Heart and Soul crave to have. it has been a beautiful and nourishing connection and mentorship, again highly recommended.
As I looked at ways to support people during their dying time I undertook my Reiki 1 Training with the fabulous Andi at Barefoot Soul and continued on to Level 2 a so I can deepen my range of healing modalities to support those I work with in their dying time.
I completed my Soul Midwife training with Felicity Warner and have undertaken the Sacred Circle and the year long pilgrim course - Journey to death.
I have trained with Jonathan Weekes at Heron Drums on a 6 months drum making training course to further develop my skills in Dum brithing and was so delighted to be able to particpiate in a Progamme calledl the Old Way. This was such an eye opening course that spans over 6 months teaching us how to live off the land and return to the Hunter Gather ways. It has completely transformed the way I long to live my life. deepening connection and really understanding where our food comes from.
One of my most profound courses was a 8 week Dream work course with Remembering Earth. Dreamwork is something that sits close to my soul this course opened me up to all the magic that is woven into our dream time. It was on this course I met Kirstopher, who I have continue to work with today, 3 years on. Kristopher has been the most important teacher, mentor, Therapist in my life and has supported me endlessly in diving into the depths of my Soul to reclaim those most tender parts of myself. I will be forever grateful to him.
My journey with most of these wonderful people continues in one way or another today. But What an amazing group of people I have been blessed to learn from and with. If you are interested in any of their work, here are the links to their websites or social media pages.
Ruth Cato – www.Ruthcato.com
Amaia Dadachanji – www.wildapothecary.com
Suzi Crockford – www.suzicrockford.com
Dancing Serpent School – Kate Joyner. – www.dancingserpent.org
Embercome -www.embercombe.org
Moya McGinley – Facebook -Tranquil Paths – Cosan Ciuin
Weeds and Wild Medicine -www.weedsandwildmedicine.com
Edwina Hodkinson – Edwinahodkinson.wrodpress.org
Danielle Kay – www.daniellekay.co.uk
Rachel Corby – www.wildgaiansoul.com
Francis Weller- www.francisweller.net
Gabor Mate – www.catalog.pesi.co.uk
Awen Clement – www.Awencelement.com
Indigo Soul School – www.indgioschool.com
Andi – follow Barefoot Soul on Facebook.
Soul Midwives – www.soulmidwives.co.uk
Animas Valley Institute – www.animas.org
Alexandra Derwen – www.journeywithdeath.com
Heartwood College – www.heartwoodeducation.net.