We all have the power to heal ourselves

This is a blog I have been meaning to write for a while, something that has played on my mind about our modern society and tales I have heard from other healers and practitioners. This may be controversial, but is something I have pondered for some time.

There is so much wisdom that has been forgotten of how to use the world around us, and each other to heal ourselves. I see this in the people in the park, unaware of the multitude of healing plants and sustenance around them, as well as the hidden dangers (10 foot high deadly hemlock has been everywhere this summer). Our modern society bombards us with stressors, always in a heightened state of awareness, with information bombarding us from every angle, bills demanded for every small thing, not to mention the ever increasing costs and therefore stress. And then along come the adverts for treatments to help us feel calm, that are also extremely expensive and therefore not accessible to those who need it.

But.....what if we took a step back. Look at the big picture. We are gradually adding more and more stressors to our lives. What if we stripped it back, and instead of paying for something to help us feel calmer, we started removing things that stress us? What if we looked for those things around us that can help? Spending more time in nature instead of looking at a screen? Using the plants around us (with sufficient knowledge to keep you safe) to maintain our health (there is still a place for modern medicine too).

I have heard mentioned many times by healers, authors and spokespeople that when they speak of self love, self healing, female empowerment, ancient medicine, their accounts are shadow banned, or hashtags hidden. The knowledge that we can heal ourselves is dangerous. Where would big companies be if we all believed in ourselves more, believed in our beauty inside and out, found comfort in our community instead of paying for more things, more acknowledgements to make ourselves feel better?

People in my experience are finding it harder and harder to sit in silence, to truly listen to how they feel inside, to sit in discomfort or acknowledge feelings. We're getting very good at numbing it with the other things around us. But in avoiding this silence, we ignore a huge part of ourselves, getting to know ourselves in those awkward moments, listening to our intuition which more often than not is right (you know when you get a gut feeling about someone, or sense the energy in a room - that's your intuition). We all have the capacity for healing. It scares me that we are moving further and further away from our connection with ourselves and with nature. But I have heart that more people are realising this and turning back to this ancient wisdom, reconnecting with both the uncomfortable and that which feels familiar.

Where in your life can you strip back a bit? Literally or metaphorically? It might just be taking a moment to switch off all devices and sit in silence, or even better, sitting in the darkness and opening up to all that arises, including fear. It might be a walk in the woods, maybe spending time staring at the leaves overhead or watching a squirrel go abut the important business of burying food.

You have so much love and so much power within you, take a moment to reconnect!

Women's circles, something to be scared of or something to embrace?

Women's circles have seen a surge of interest over the last few years, and circles in general. Although this post will focus on Women's circles, these spaces can be open to all or specific to and individual group, but whoever they are for, they are nothing complicated or anything to be afraid of.

Circles are quite simply a gathering of people to share space, words and time with each

other. Think of ancestors huddled around a fire, sharing aural stories (many of which have evolved into the fairy tales we know now), talking about the day, sharing experiences from across the village. It was a place to gather and celebrate, eat, see each other and find support.

This is something that has been a rare occurrence in our modern society. How many of you know your neighbours? How often do you call out for support but hear nothing but the echo of your own voice? How often in our world of social media, being praised for being busy, or answer "I'm good thanks" to the platitude of "How are you?", even if you're not really, do you truly feel seen?

Many of us are calling out for the village.

But where is the village now?

The surge in people attending circles is no mistake. People are looking to reconnect. By nature human beings are pack animals, we need to find our tribe, to feel supported and like we belong (if you are interested in the science of this you can look into Basic needs theory of needing autonomy, competence and relatedness). It doesn't mean we need people to fix us, to have all the answers; but we do need to feel seen, to have space held for us so we can be quiet and focus on how we truly feel, to be guided and to be heard if we wish.

So in essence a circle is a space that is held by the facilitator for those attending. They create the space before you even arrive so you enter into a space that is calm, created with love and consideration and designed to support what you need at that moment. A circle is simply a way to easily be able to see and hear everyone (although circles can also be held online). The structure of a circle will differ depending in when it is held, what it's aims are, and who is holding the space but will usually include guided meditations, time for journaling and sharing (although sharing is not a requirement), affirmations, oracle cards and talk of the current moon cycle or seasons that may impact how we currently experience life. They may also include sound healing, plant medicine, shamanic journeys, all depending on the person holding the space.

The high prevalence of women's circles comes from a place of remembering and returning to the circle, to a time when a woman's voice in the village was heard and appreciated (often as the medicine woman or wise older woman), before society took on more patriarchal roots, sought to muffle the woman's voice and role. It is a space for women to feel safe, seen, to remember who we truly are.

I have been challenged previously on why others are "excluded" from these spaces. Whilst circles can be for anyone, some spaces are held for specific groups whether this be women, men, LQBTQ+ communities. Whoever the space is for, it is to allow those groups to feel safe to express themselves, to be seen for who they are without fear of judgement. Whilst as a woman I tend to hold women's circles or circles open to everyone, there are also now a flurry of men only spaces. All of these spaces are important and I encourage you to find a space that suits you. They don't have to be complex, just a chance to gather and remember what it is to gather and listen, without having to find the "fix".

If you are interested in joining a circle keep an eye on my social media and Wild and Wonder as Katherine and I hold regular circles together that also incorporate poetry and creative prompts inspired by nature. Circles are also way to celebrate a moment in life so get in touch if you would like to have a circle curated for you or a loved on.

We are all sound....so what is sound healing and how can it help us?

Welcome to this very brief introduction to sound healing. When I first started training the history of sound healing blew my mind. The connections between the universe, Hippocrates, Pythagoras, what I already knew from Reiki about energy all made so much sense, but also astounded me.

Sound healing works on the understanding that everything in the universe comprises of vibrating molecules. These all vibrate at different speeds and in different ways (99.9% of an atom actually comprises of space). Without delving too deeply into this everything is formed from this vibration and as the vibrations become denser we see material matter being created from the ether to the rocks and trees in front of us.

We are able to hear sound via vibrations in these molecules and the way we hear these sounds depends on their amplitude (bigger amplitude = louder sound), wavelength and frequency. We can therefore affect the vibration of molecules by using the vibrations created by sound through a process called entrainment. You might have heard of this in relation to matching someone else's nervous system i.e a long hug from someone whose nervous system is calmer than your own can entrain your own nervous system and thus your breathing pattern to feel more relaxed. Horses are excellent at doing this. Therefore the different frequencies of sound can alter the vibrations of molecule, including those within us. You can see the impact of sound on molecules by looking at how sound affects water molecules. When you then consider that humans are predominantly water, you can see how this might affect us as well.

We can utilise different musical intervals to create different healing affects. Harmonious

notes such as Perfect fifth (C + G) can help us feel relaxed and calm. Whereas dissonant tones such as a C + D can feel uncomfortable, grinding and help us to release blockages. Practitioners use both to aid the healing journey of those attending a group sound bath or 1:1.

Sound healing can take place as a Sound Bath (many people laying comfortably in a room with a practitioner playing a rage of healing instruments) or 1:1 usually on a massage couch or the floor. Practitioners utilise a range of instruments and may focus on just one such as gongs, crystal bowls, tibetan bowls, tuning forks or they may combine multiple instruments into one session including the healing voice, koshi chimes, shakes and rattles, ocean drums, ocarinas, flutes, Tinghas, Shruti boxes, harps, the list goes on, each with their own special resonance and healing qualities.

This only touches on the surface of the knowledge within sound healing and I must thank my tutors at the Sound Healing Academy for instilling their knowledge in me and guiding me through my studies (Currently Level I with an aim to complete the full diploma soon), plus the knowledge from books such as those by Dr John Beaulieu whose work is fascinating. His work may be of particular interest to those working in the performing arts due to his collaborations with John Cage.

I hope to offer sound baths in the near future but in the meantime can offer some sound healing within Reiki sessions. Please get in touch if you are interested.