My Story
I was born a seer, with the gift of psychic sight, inherited from my mothers family; a line of matriarchs spreading far back into history. It’s an interesting gift, not usually appreciated within the wider modern world. Since the burning times, when those who were labelled witches were tortured and burned at the stake, there has been much fear of those who have an awareness of other-worlds and the web of life. Scientific rationalism has also sought to distance itself from the mystical, claiming that psychic sight isn’t even real. That’s a hard path to walk if you were born with that ability and experience.
Psychic sight doesn’t mean I can see all things. The web of life is constantly changing and nothing is fixed. Being a seer also means I am aware of the spirit world within every-day life. I can see your spirit and that of the trees, the birds, the animals and some other very interesting beings besides. When I was growing up I feared that I would be called insane and locked up in an institution. Fortunately I had a very different experience through life and have learned that my experiences are common enough to be shared by many, across time and across the world.
My story is one of experience and curiosity, trauma and healing, learning and teaching. All that I have learned flows back into my healing and teaching practice. If you come to see me for healing, rest assured you are in good hands, chances are I know something about what you are going through personally. I also have many qualifications and a lot of work experience. If you are interested in knowing more, the following gives a good introduction to my story.
My first memories involve a love of and deep connection to the natural world and I built up relationships with the nature spirits in my garden as a young child. I was blessed to have the freedom to roam over fields leading to a medieval village and beyond, to the sea. I lived not too far from Hengistbury Head in Dorset and spent many hours getting to know that wild landscape of sea and heather, twisted oaks and old burial mounds.
As I grew up, I watched many of my favourite places become lost in housing estates, roads and huge development projects. I witnessed the destruction of many of the natural spaces around me and the route to Hengistbury Head was now only accessible by road. I deeply grieved this destruction, grieved the loss of the nature spirits and wild spaces and could not find solace amongst the sea of concrete that had sprung up all around. In the world outside it was the 80s and I despaired at the culture of materialism and environmental destruction that seemed so acute everywhere.
I ran to the sea and to the woods for time alone, where I made friends with the trees and birds and with the nature spirits all around. I wanted to understand why the world didn’t seem to care about nature and why I didn’t care about the things I was told I needed to care about. I made friends with ancestral spirits at ancient sites and felt more at home in these places, and in the wild places, than in the city. This feeling of home and connection within nature has been the focus of my life.
I have always had relationships with spirit and, with a family background in spiritualism, I explored many techniques before I dived into the practice of shamanism.
I trained and practiced as a clairvoyant medium, tarot reader, shamanic reiki and crystal healing practitioner. I was initiated into Wicca and became involved with the Druid community, training as a Bard. During my time in academia, I focused on researching prehistoric religion in the UK and shamanism around the world.
I trained specifically in shamanism in 2009 and have had a few different teachers, particularly in Core Shamanic techniques, devised by Michael Harner. Also a mix of other influences, from Celtic Shamanism through to Native American and Norse.
As Shamanism revolves around connection with spirits, my continuing training and development are held by my spirit guides, in particular by my ancestors and my guides from prehistoric, indigenous Britain, all of whom I continue to learn so much from.
My academic life has been an important thread to my story. I didn’t go to University at 18 and, due to a series of challenging life experiences in my teens, I didn’t complete my A-levels. When I was 21 I went to Ruskin College in Oxford, which is a fantastic left-wing political college and a centre of political radicalism; living there changed my life. At Ruskin I studied history and in particular learned about women’s liberation, slavery and black liberation, British working class history and all of the intricacies of Britain’s colonial history. I spent days, weeks and months in libraries, benefiting from the Bodleian library in Oxford, reading all that I could get my hands on trying to understand the nature of the world I found myself in. I wrote my dissertation on animal rights; exploring its philosophy and history as well as animism and our disconnection from nature.
Once I started University I studied archaeology and anthropology, trying hard to understand more about our world. Over the next few years my research interests focused on exploring conflict towards the “other”, whether that concerned indigenous people, Gypsies, the influx of farming people into Britain in the Neolithic, New Age Travellers and later the boating community of England. My dissertation was on the “New Age appropriation of Native American spirituality” and was very scathing of Western shamanic practices in particular! I graduated with a First Class Degree in Archaeology from Sheffield University. I was initially enrolled on a Masters degree in anthropology at Manchester, wanting to help prevent the eradication of indigenous cultures and their wealth of knowledge and wisdom. However that course changed entirely and I took that as a sign to focus on archaeology instead. I spent a year working as a field archaeologist in Yorkshire before embarking upon a Masters Degree in European prehistory at Cardiff. My final dissertation explored the Religion and Ritual of Prehistoric Avebury.
After my Masters Degree I went to live on a narrowboat, battled with chronic fatigue and depression for a couple of years whilst working with young people, neuro-divergent groups and people struggling with their mental health. I continued this work whilst embarking upon a PhD in anthropology, exploring the travelling boating communities in Britain, of which I was a part, and I taught short courses in anthropology at Ruskin College in Oxford and Bristol University.
In my studies I had come to understand more about nomadic communities both past and present and I embraced the life of a nomad myself, feeling that it not only reflected my soul’s urge and longing but was also the most sustainable way of living on the planet. I lived on a boat for 7 years and my son was born there. Living on a large narrowboat aged over 100 years old, built with a beautiful iron hull and wooden cabin, I travelled along much of the southern inland waterways, often alone, rejoicing in the peace and connection to the natural world which the boating lifestyle enabled.
All the while the lifestyle was frequently attacked, by some in authority and by others imbued with prejudice, making it a hard life to lead at times. Between 2005-6, whilst I was teaching Anthropology at Ruskin College, I lived and participated at a high profile protest in Oxford supported by many, including Philip Pullman.
I left the boat in 2009 during a period of deep personal change and growth. Although I had to move into a house, I wanted to learn more ways to be self-sufficient and live in deeper connection with nature, just as our ancestors would have done and as indigenous people do nowadays. Over the next few years I began studying and practicing bushcraft techniques. I participated in some weekend courses, for instance with Trackways in Sussex. I gained a Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification that enabled me to teach children, which birthed Wild Thyme Forest School and my work as a mentor for home educated children. In 2020 I became involved in a ground-breaking ecotherapy project, helping those who struggle with their mental health.
In 2019 I attended the year long course “The Old Ways” in Devon, focusing on learning foraging and hunting skills, nature connection and indigenous craft techniques. The highlight of this course was spending two weeks with the San Bushmen in Namibia. Since 2020 I have been working my way through the independent naturalist study course offered by the Wilderness Awareness School, called Kamana. In May 2022, I completed a year-long training course in wilderness rites of passage, including a 4 day and night wilderness vision quest, with WildWise in Dartmoor. I continue to deepen my studies into bushcraft, natural history and all aspects of nature generally. There is so much to learn.
Between 2011-14 I lived with my son and partner Mik in a community at Radford Mill Farm in Somerset, which produces organic food and runs a variety of events. It was a very interesting experience and taught me many skills for living on the land and in community. During the time there I created and managed the farm’s events, from small local gatherings such as harvest festivals, to the creation of a large and successful fund-raising event held over 3 days, called Frack Free Festival. Many of my favourite musicians came, there was a thriving kids area, campaigning area, talks, healing area, theatre and circus field and more. Below are some photos.
Although we live in a house once again, much of our lives today revolve around the practice of deepening nature connection and offering our gifts to people within the world. Our wider aim is to scale down and go back to living lightly on the land and we are currently exploring ways to achieve this.
Today you will find me holding clients on their healing journeys via shamanic healing and ecotherapy, leading shamanic journey groups, teaching shamanic training courses, taking people and groups on ancestral tours, and practicing shamanic healing at festivals. Alongside spending time with my family, I partly home school my teenage son, I write, continue my naturalist studies, deepen my bushcraft skills and spend a lot of time in nature!
Although that sounds like a lot, life is slower than it has been and my 4 day and night vision quest in 2022 has birthed some changes. For instance, I have recently passed on Wild Thyme Forest School, after 7 wonderful years, alongside the ecotherapy project I have been involved in for over two years. There are many changes on the horizon and you can read more about those developments on my social media pages!
