Journey

During my professional training I explored the work of the famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung who founded the idea of analytical psychology.  I remember this quote really resonated with me as a student, “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” — Carl Jung.  I can truly say that only now, am I beginning to understand this - the awakening process begins with the turning inwards - exploring the inner landscape of the 'self'.  As a student I had to undertake 80 hours of personal therapy to explore my inner landscape, whilst that work enabled me to understand myself as an individual, it did not give me the answers to big questions in life: why are we here?, what is my purpose?, what happens when we die?.  I was still seeking answers.  Some people find this in their own faith or religion, through meditation, prayer or devotional practices, some distract themselves to avoid the omnipresent fear of death and facing our own mortality.  

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In 2021, at a time of individual and collective grief for the world, I wanted to know more, so I signed up to an online course called 'Dancing with Death' with a wonderful Gestalt therapist called Jennifer Ramsay.  Jennifer was born in Scotland, into the Ramsay clan. She now lives in Spain and shares her ancestral tradition of oral storytelling from the native Celtic lands with her clients.  This course enabled me to step into the realms of story, metaphor and visualisation to explore my relationship with death, we got to know one another, we played, danced and created together.  Jennifer introduced me to The Celtic Wheel of the Year and the 8 festivals following the ancient agricultural calendar in tune with the seasons of the Earth.  I learnt to recognise the darkness and the light internally and externally.  Jennifer's use of Celtic myths and legends to impart ancient knowledge and traditions, long lost to time, brought to life through oral storytelling, awakened some deep ancestral knowing within my bones!  

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​This ancestral knowing is touched upon in a book I absolutely love called 'It Didn't Start with You' by Mark Wolynn.  In his book Mark discusses how inherited family history shapes who we are.  "Even if the person who suffered the original trauma has died, even if his or her story lies submerged in years of silence, fragments of life experience, memory and body sensation can live on, as if reaching out from the past to find resolution in the minds and bodies of those living in the present." says Wolynn.  His research stemmed from his own journey in trying to heal a physical manifestation of his own inherited and unresolved trauma when he started to lose his eyesight.  Through much soul searching and in his quest to heal he began to look inward for the answers.  He explored his difficult relationship with his parents and worked hard on healing the inter-generational traumas he uncovered.  He says, "Ultimately, healing is an inside job."    

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In the fields of cellular biology, neuroscience, epigenetics and developmental psychology there are many recent developments in the research around inherited family history.  Carl Jung acknowledged this in his work when writing 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections' he says, "It has always seemed to me that I had to...complete, or perhaps continue, things which previous ages had left unfinished."  Mark Wolynn acknowledges this shared family history when he states that your Grandmother, when 5 months pregnant with your Mother, already had the precursor cell of the egg within your Mother's ovaries which you developed from!  Three generations all sharing the same biological environment.  In my own work I see this evidenced within the therapy room.  Generations of families trying to make sense of life and heal unknown traumas.  I knew I wanted to find answers and this seeking led me to exploring a deeper connection to my own soul purpose and family history through meditation practices. 

 

I discovered a 7 day free spiritual practice class on-line with Rebecca Campbell in June 2021.  Rebecca Campbell is an international bestselling writer, poet, healer, ritualist, spiritual teacher, visionary and mystic.  The 7 day practice included meditations, journalling, chanting and intuitive nature walking.  Within these practices I found a peace and inner wisdom I had never felt before.  I was encouraged to listen to the 'whispers of my soul'.  At the time I remember not fully understanding what this meant, but in trusting the process I continued.  These meditations always led me to more and more questions with the visions I saw.  I could clearly see this was a powerful practice and my own experiences confirmed that this was something I wanted to explore more.  The practices encouraged connection to nature - something I have always found comfort in, so these connections became more conscious - I began to notice my nervous system regulating after a walk on Ashdown Forest - I took time to mindfully walk in nature using all my senses and notice the impact on me.

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Through Rebecca Campbell's work I explored what is a mystic? According to the Oxford English Dictionary a mystic is:

"A person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond intellect."   I knew I wanted to look beyond intellect to find the answers I was seeking.  In August 2022 I signed up to Rebecca's 'Inner Temple Mystery School' - a 9 month accredited training programme.  In history, the origins of Mystery Schools can be traced back to ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations and were known for imparting esoteric knowledge and hidden wisdom to their members. They also had their roots in other ancient cultures such as Babylon, Persia and India.  This 9 month school changed me forever and opened my eyes to the mysteries of life!

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The six Mysteries I worked with were: The Soul, The Rose, Sacred Waters, Ancient Stones, Sacred Trees and The Cosmic Mysteries, by going deep into the history, mythology and folklore, exploring what is known and what has been documented by others, from scientists to philosophers, poets to storytellers.  This school also enabled me to have my own direct experience through guided practices, tools and rituals.  The whole 9 month journey gave me the answers I had been looking for.  In June 2023 I graduated and received my accreditation certificate.  Since then I have been looking at ways to bring the nature mystic I embodied to my work.  And so here we are, a Seasonal Sister Circle launching in January 2025 with a soul sister Emma Tuzzio, a talented artist and nature mystic herself.  We are so excited to host a course focused on the natural rhythms and seasons of the Earth.  Living in synch with nature can be healing and bring comfort for all and particularly when faced with the pain of loss - this is my journey and I am so happy to be part of your journey.

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More details on our Seasonal Sister Circle can be found here.

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