I want to begin this writing in focusing on the New Year. The one that just past. We have gone through the plantings of Spring, germination in the field & forest. Summer has come and gone with her abundance & growth. Now, late fall, harvests are tucked in root cellars, the canning jars are full. Fermentation crocks bubble in the kitchen, while we prep the gardens for winter. It has me coming back to my work with the Ancestors. And HOW we begin healing through the collective ancestors.
Why do I start here, in the middle of the calendar year we know in modern times. I being our journey here, because by addressing this New Year, the Witches’ New Year, I know that the healing we are all in need of lies within it.
October of this Year
This leads me to the beginning of October, the first of two full moons that month. We still had 11 hours of day light for the plants to grow & us to be outside. Now, we are hitting 9 hours and 34 minutes of day light in mid November. Fall has taken hold, and winter is setting in to the high country.
On that 1st Full moon of October this year, I settled into my usual traditions. I welcomed my well ancestors and spirit guides as I have for years. Giving thanks to the seasons of growth that were now behind me. But this year something needed change. I needed to settle into a different kind of tradition. One that was more ancient, one that deliberately would connect my soul to the old times. The before times, when we, of European Heritage had Earth Based practices in tact…
Full Moon time
I sat with that first full moon of October with clear intentions. Invited my well ancestors into my life. Then, invited ALL of my spirit guides in as well. I invited the Gods & Goddesses that I know are leading my clearly through my path. I invited them all in to guide me further. To teach me of the traditions that have been lost. To remind me of what is stuck in my Bones & DNA, those memories that are centuries upon centuries old…
I spent most of October in deep ceremony. Ritualistic prayer & meditation. I burnt plants, lit candles, made offerings of herbs, drinks & foods to the Gods. All with clear, concise intention of opening my body to remembering. Humbly asking for their guidance. Humbly asking to move past the grandparents, & great grandparents, my goal lies deeper than that. Past the inquisition 500 years ago, past the time of Monarchs. Directly to the times of the old ways. When those were still in tact… This is how we begin healing through the collective ancestors.
The Healing Work
It has become clear to me over the past year, that we have a lot of work to do. The imperative nature of the healing that is essential to our survival. Stemming around the phrases & shifts of cultural awareness we are all experiencing; Pandemic, Social Distancing, cultural & spiritual appropriation. Some of these terms hold a deeply traumatic weight. For me, it has come to light, a sense of responsibility to address these terms.
To some of us, our lives have been made to be painfully aware of some of these terms. But others of us, are just beginning to see the harm that lies behind them. Some even still, cannot face what it means to absorb a culture in these ways.
Responsibility of healing through the collective ancestors
I have spent my life owning my responsibility to healing the Earth. Working the soil with my hands. Tending to my gardens & the forest as if it were my garden. Nourishing the plants, animals, trees, rivers & the dirt, pouring most of how I resonate with the ‘healer’ that is in me into the Earth. But I will be the first to admit when I have made a mistake. The mistake I have realized, as of late, is the NOT pouring my healing modalities into the HUMANS upon this Earth.
I separated myself from most humans many years ago. For many reasons. But I now see clearly, how my healing of my own soul can connect to the collective. How we can COMPLETELY break away from what WAS to bring forth what will be. How we BRING TOGETHER the Rainbow People. I have neglected to take the time and energy it takes to heal other people. I have not applied healing modalities to healing the bodies of my peer groups, my grandparents who have passed, even my parents.
This I realize. Is a part of my work as Herbalist shifting… becoming what it was working towards being all along…
Spirit Talk
As you are all beginning to know about me as an Herbalist. My work goes beyond the plants in their physical form. I have always been able to speak with the unseen realms of spirit. Plants & Trees talk to me in pictures that get translated into words. Spirits show them selves to me and speak through their own unique voices. My dreams are alive with wisdom from the realms of ghosts and divine energies. This is how I am beginning to know for certain, that we CAN access the healing and information from the depths of our DNA.
The energies of our past relatives reside still, just beyond the veil. Which is WHY healing through the collective ancestors is VITAL work. The healing work lies there. The map as to how we begin to live together as one entity. Not one over the other.
I believe we have access to the secrets that will allow us to once again live this way on the land. And I KNOW these things because of my experiences in this life.
I was not taught this way of being as a child. We were encouraged to fit the mold, that being what most parents do, fearing failure for their children maybe if they don’t. So we dressed the part, spoke correctly, walked the path of ‘usual’. But that never fit me. I still didn’t fit in. And followed the calling of knowing tere was something different calling me.
I listened to the call, what I now know as my intuition. Followed the whispers of the divine and was led to my work as ‘Herbalist’. It was then that I realized that I was beginning to actually imbody a witch. But that also didn’t fit! I wasn’t a haggered old woman, living in a swamp, with worts & green skin. But this was again what society had told us we were, those who follow the plant path, the poison path, & that of the shamans & healers of energy. A Witch.
What is a Witch
Being drawn to this plant path as I was, not seeking it out, just listening to the pushes and pulls. I was also awakened to what a witch truly WAS. Not IS by modern context. A Witch, or really just a Pagan healer, was one who knew the Earth was powerful, magical & perfect. She knew the language of the plants and held the secrets of the Forests. She was the healer, teacher, mother and creator of what kept these villages alive.
It wasn’t until the age of Monarchs, and then the Inquisition, that the witch became an evil being. One who consorted with the devil. Put spells on people, even brought on the plague. That was the time it all changed.
Over 500 years ago, our existence shifted in a dramatic way.
Our traditions as Healers, Magic workers, dream weavers & spirit talkers was burned from us. Tortured & raped out of us, we were slandered in the medieval times for what only came naturally to our bodies. The pagans who survived ran into the woods to hide & the rest was burned. Lost in time.
The Before Time
Before the trauma, the pain and the hiding. We were communing with the Earth. We were working with the natural rhythms of our Mother the Earth and father Sky. The moon was our guide through time and the stars led us through the year. The animals were signals for planting, harvesting and making medicines. Nature showed us when we needed to store our food for winter, and gather wood for warmth.
Our lives revolved around the sun and we found rhythm from the moon cycles. We understood then, and lived by the understanding that the Earth was sacred, she lived and we lived for her. How could we not? She provided every thing we needed to sustain life.
Connecting to the Ancestors for Answers
This is indeed where it gets tricky. How do we know we can access this information? We can’t, by science standards, put a finger on it. But, if we can access the spirits who have just past. Feeling our grandparents with us as we go through life. I feel that just beyond these energies, we can dig into what used to be. This I know to be, because my deep meditation, ceremony and prayer time of October led to answers. Deeper understandings of my work that did not come from me. Nor did it come from energies I have connected with before.
This can be risky business. I do not recommend trying to connect with ancestors unless you are with an experienced person, or know what you are working with. Not all of our ancestors are well, especially when we are looking to dive past the last 500 years of war, power, greed and trauma.
BUT it can be safely done.
Our ancestors understand the language of ceremony. It takes us away from the modern time technology, like typing this on the computer… I am pretty sure my ancestors from pre-inquisition time don’t connect well with typing, or driving, or staring at a screen. BUT what they do understand is ritual, prayer & meditation, working with plants & making meals with real food. All of these are rituals to their lives. This is the beginning as to how we play with the energies that surround them.
Fear of Being Different
I hear this fear. I wonder all of the time if I am sounding nuts, but only because I have been called crazy many times in my life. As I said before, I never fit the mold of what is ‘supposed to be’. How I am supposed to be, who I should be in this life. I have spent my life turning away from all of that, and thusly, I feel this is why I have turned away from people. Away from the ESSENTIAL healing work that involves people.
I talk to plants. Most days, I see and connect with Spirits. I have had physical experiences with Gods and Goddesses of the lost deities, smells, visions, even touch from these beings. But this is me. This is my life. If you’ve made it this far, I am sure you get it. BUT most of what I hear or experience from people… are crazy looks, or nods of the head before turning away.
It’s so much fun being different!
But for this work to happen, fear has to be put aside. Worry along with it as worry is just another form of fear. Learn to absorb the unknown and create an adventure around it! Putting judgement toward your self aside to let the love flood in.
We keep going. I kept going. I continue to explore how to shift for moving forward. And now, I feel that turning back to the people is the next step in healing our collective.
Quantifying the Unknown
To me, this is yet another example of what to put aside. We don’t have to know each component of spinach, individually, to know our bodies are nourished. Many medicinal herbs work without true science showing how or why. Our ancestors learned to trust their guts, knowing that something was good, or not so much. With practice, we can do this too. With practice we will always connect back to the truth.
We will begin to remember. As the healing through the collective ancestors continues, memories will FLOOD your subconscious.
I have always struggled with this modern day ‘thing’ that I am speaking of. When I was a budding herbalist, I was obsessed with the constituents, the chemicals of the plants. Wanting to get a PHD in Botany so that I could be a part of the push to PROVE herbal medicine was viable.
But Spirit pushed harder. I realized, that I speak with plants, and spirits come to me in dreams and when I am awake. Isn’t this something glorious to explore? Why was I NEEDING to prove herbal medicine? It already has CENTURIES of proof!
Letting Go
The theme of my life. Letting go of what I am supposed to be. Then, letting go of fitting into the mold of what that looks like to most. The supposed to’s of society, like letting go of needing to make so much money and have a fancy house. I let go continuously, even surrounding my work with plants, making medicines, and growing food. We have to let go of what we fear for this to work. I realize now that being a mistfit person, made me fit into something that is new. This process of healing through the collective ancestors is something unique and meaningful!
I always hear the words Herbalist, Medicine Woman, Shaman, Medium even. All of this seemingly fits, but doesn’t at the same time. By letting go of all that was supposed to be for me and my life, none of the titles fit either.
Just this act is freeing to so many energies of physical life and life beyond the veil.
Ancestral Work for Healing
Back to October this year. I spent many days in deep ceremony. Inviting the shift. Deep prayer, meditation and ritual. We had two gatherings of other women and men who want the same and continued this deep work together. Inviting the ancestors in, who we had not met before. Deep in our family lines. The ones from before. The ones from the old times and hearing their ways of working the earth. When we do this work, we begin the process of healing through the collective ancestors.
They came. It was different from encounters I have had with relatives. Their energies were more of that. Fluid, unstuck by physicalities. But they spoke and encouraged. Wanting to teach me through my own body, through my bones.
How To
My plan is to have these ceremonies, prayers and rituals written down. This way we can begin to reconnect with what was lost so many centuries ago. Along with healing what our predecessors put upon so many other people. We, I believe, have the courage to be the generation where this STOPS. Where LOVE does actually come first and acceptance follows that.
Through this, we are being invited to heal trauma, release attachment of other cultures’ healing and spiritual practices, but just that is not enough. We have to have somewhere to go. Something to go to. We have our own traditions that have been deeply torn from us. But I know that through this work, we will be able to find that path again.
Turmoil is surly to follow before our work is done. This year is just the beginning, but I know that those of us who are here together, the ones who cannot stand to see the earth demolished alongside our brothers and sisters. We know there is a better way and it is right in-front of us .
Invitation
I will be writing monthly ceremonies and rituals to share. I would like to invite you to join my email list. where you will be able to get ahold of these ceremonies, rituals and prayers. Lets go through this journey of healing through the collective ancestors TOGETHER!
Up until this year I have made the mistake of only holding traditions for the major holidays. Moving forward, each month I am beginning to explore the in-betweens as well. The day to day ways of being inline with the rhythms of nature, the earth and universe. I am very excited to be a vessel to share what I am learning in the unseen realms of existence.
I am also now taking appointments. Along side my work in Nutrition and Herbal healing I am offering work in the more Shamanic Healing realms. Working with dreams, meditations, smoke medicines and dream herbs. I will be your guide through the ancestral realm for understanding your unique path in this healing work.
Locally, we are holding monthly full moon circles to evoke healing across the lands of this earth. Please get in touch with me for information regarding those ceremonies.
You can join my email list HERE
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Book your appointment with me for Wellness or Spiritual Journeys HERE
Lastly. If you have made it this far with me. I am so beyond thrilled to have you here. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being here. I know that we have a lot of work to do, but together, it will be that much less tumultuous and more full of love and support.
Marry Meet, marry part and blessed be
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