Learn more about how I work

I believe that it is important for each of us to gain an understanding of how someone works, and why they’re doing what they’re doing, before committing to working with them. Many of us are used to being assigned a random clinician through the medical system - with no thought to how suitable you both are for eachother - and we have been brought up in a way which does not encourage us to question, or offer us the power to choose. Therefore In this journal entry I’m going to be laying the basic foundations of my one:one practice - my core values and the ethics I work to - so you have the opportunity to feel more confident in your choice to work with me.

And who am I? If you’re into labelling then I would personally identify with the terms Disabled, Neurodivergent, Mad, Sensitive, Queer, Cis, Witch, Human Animal, Woman - among others. I always intend to work in a trauma informed way, leading from a space of both personal and professional experience. I mix various concepts and lens such as animism, deep ecology, Mad pride, harm reduction and transformative justice into my cauldron of care. I do not know everything, I do not have all of the answers, but I am always learning, expanding and trying my best. I believe this work is important and to be deeply respected, but the universe has a hell of a sense of humour, so let’s lead with some lightness in our step, and get started!

Shadow work is human work. I will not discriminate on any grounds; I ask only that you offer me the same respect as I will offer you. I will not be asking you to divulge your political leanings, sexual preferences or if you put your milk in before or after. I offer a non-judgmental space where we can talk about the shadow side of ourselves, but context is key! How you approach the conversation and the intention held behind your words is everything; I will not tolerate any active abuse towards myself or others, these sessions are focused on you. 

Everyone at some point will be in need of some support, guidence and soul nourishment to help us through the human existence. Our culture and societies are increasingly disconnected from our true nature as connected earth beings - animals - and many of us feel we do not have other humans to turn to in these times of need. Many people are polarised and spreading hatred -even those who are on the ‘left’ or standing for causes such as human rights and climate justice - and I do not wish to be part of that. It can be challenging to bridge the gap with those who hold vastly different perspectives than our own, but I am a believer that we are firstly all connected and therefore it is better to find a point of understanding, secondly that all humans (yes, hard to believe) are trying (at some level) to align for good, and that we all have something to offer and teach eachother. With that being said, I do hold my personal wellbeing and boundaries seriously, and will not work with anyone who disrespects me, who I feel unsafe around, or if I believe that it is not (for whatever reason) within either of our interests to work together.

This is a two-way conversation, we will both be engaging with the cards, I am here to mirror and help you tap into what you already know within you, whilst offering clarity and support for you to listen and align with your own intuition. By checking in somatically during the session, we can work on strengthening your inner sense of knowing, to aid in re-connecting you with your body - which is your subconscious. I encourage you to always take what resonates with you, leaving what does not, because you are under no obligation to take anything of what I am saying as gospel, it is your choice and I respect your no.

We will be going at your pace. You are perhaps curious to work with me, or perhaps you have already booked in to see me, but you’re reading this to get a better understanding of what may happen in a session when working with me. That means on some level you are ready to explore deeper parts of yourself – trust that. This work is a dance between the blocks of fear and self-preservation which are held by our ego – the ego which got us to this point safely (thank you ego) - and the deeper soul part of ourself, which wishes to heal and move into alignment, to live to its fullest potential. This work can lead to quick realisations, or it can be a slow burn; I’m not going to expose what is not ready to be known, and this is very important, because by speaking on and uncovering what is not ready to be looked at, or that we don’t yet have the capacity to handle, we can re-traumatise ourselves. Our bodies, minds and spirits must be strong and safe enough in order to do this work - so that sometimes means that our work together will begin with will be creating that sense of safety for you – all sessions are held with the intention of giving you exactly what you need to receive in that moment, in the highest and gentlest way.

I am blunt, but loving. Sometimes we need someone to tell us what we have been avoiding, guide us towards and speak a truth we don’t particularly wish to face. Those points can be difficult, and most of the time we are already very, very aware of them. It is my intention to sit with you in those moments, to guide and support you to step into that aligned action - that bold honesty is a form of love, because we may not want to hear it, but it may be exactly what we need. (And remember, the intention behind what we’re saying, and how we say it, is important!)

Self- responsibility. I’m going to start here and clarify that I am aware of external limitations, systems of oppression (racism, classism, sexism for example) and hardships that are actively placed on people that are not their fault - I’m not talking about that. Here I’m saying that when working with another human, I enter into each conversation trusting that you’re showing up holding a sense of responsibility for your own wellbeing; I trust that you will speak up, join in, and care for your needs as the session progresses. Though I lead with care through each conversation, my goal through this work is to empower you to show up for yourself, so if this is something that you struggle with, we can work through that, but you need to bring that to me. Beyond the sessions it is your responsibility to put word to action, and do the real work of practicing what we have spoken on to align yourself for healing – no one else can do that for you – I am here to support you into your own personal power, because you’re the healer.

I will also here insert a thought about collective care, because although my work is centred on ‘self’ directed healing, I do believe that community healing is important and that no one should have to bear the weight alone. We are individuals and part of the larger collective - some of the trauma our bodies hold is not even our own, and have been passed to us through our lineage - and our healing can co-arise individually and within community. Self-directed healing is more than just shutting yourself away to do a deep dive into self, it is taking the reins of your life and your journey with a sense of authority. The work we do as individuals ripples out to our family, friends and those who come into contact with us, and it is integral to take time to be with yourself, as well as building community. I personally did not have access to community, friends or family during this process - my experience was perhaps extreme - so I come from a place of being able to support and bolster those who do truly feel alone on this path; for me it has been this self-work that has lead me into a space where I feel safe enough to be in community and open myself to know other people more deeply.

Tarot is a tool, not a crutch.  I will add some words in here around addiction and reliance, because it can be very easy to lean to too heavily on the tarot (readers) when going through tough times – I know from personal experience – and so my intention is always to guide you into a space of empowerment where you can trust your own intuition, yet ask for support when you need it. In my opinion, it is the aim of any healing practioner to support you into a place where you no longer need the support.

Financial accessibility is important to me; I believe that everyone deserves access to holistic forms of support, regardless of their income and financial resources. I believe that the pricing I have chosen is fair for the time, effort and resource that I put into the sessions. However, our society is set up to be difficult for people to nourish themselves or pull themselves out of socio-economic hardship, due to this I currently hold two spaces per month available at a reduced rate, for those who are in financial hardship. People are able to access up to four sessions at a reduced rate to ensure that more are able to receive this support. I welcome those with the means to, to gift sessions forward so that people can receive sessions for free.

I really welcome your questions and requests for further journal entries - it’s important for me to be offering as much useful information as possible.