Coffee and Crystals

Coffee and Crystals is the first of some guest blogs that will be appearing over the next few months.

I’ve been a bit absent the last few weeks, I’ve been busy and  lost my blogging mojo. So, I put out a call for some guests to share how crystals have changed their lives and this week I’m bringing Katy’s story to you.

Like so many women, motherhood left me feeling lost; disconnected from who I was and not yet sure of whom I had become. In Western culture we are so used to defining ourselves by what we do not who we are that I went off in search of my identity in the form of job titles and projects, seeking validation from a place of external labels not insight.

That saying that women are expected to work like they don’t have children and mother like they don’t need to work certainly rang true for me; I interpreted the inevitable knock backs I encountered while trying to find employment that fitted around motherhood and my two sets of twins as proof of my personal failings.

Due to the challenges and cost of childcare, long haul travels and ‘Eat Pray Love’ style solo adventures of self enquiry were not possible, but my journey was an inward one; a quest to discover and connect with the woman I had become post motherhood. It was a transformative barefoot evening around a starlit fire in Glastonbury, with an indigenous Brazilian tribe who had earlier that day opened a tent at the festival, that reignited my sense of self and reminded me of who I was without all the labels I am to others.

Though historically jungle tribes have remained remote and reclusive, a number of tribal communities are now bringing their customs and messages to the West, to share their values and way of life and to remind us of what we have forgotten.  They do this for our benefit, and theirs – because their medicines, spiritual traditions, home and way of life is under threat. Largely because the ‘modern world’, in the pursuit of ‘advancement’, lost its way. I had certainly lost mine.

The Huni Kuin have accumulated their knowledge over many thousands of years from the forest, rivers, plants, elements, trees and animals. They are the true caretakers, guardians and protectors of the Amazon Rainforest. They left their home so that the Swan Song of mother earth might be heard by those who had stopped listening to her, and in doing so they help so many, including me; a mother who stopped listening to herself.

An evening of meditation and ceremony, the smell of sage and fire and a way of life based on nourishment not punishment. The feathers and drums and snuff and sacred eye drops were a far cry from my Christian Sunday School roots, yet I had never felt so at home. So at peace.

I drove home the next day feeling re-born. I had moved from my head to my heart; a space where the chatter of ego and insecurity had been burnt out by acceptance, the resultant embers fertile ground for new choices and new directions. I made the choice to be still. To be more present. It’s not a place I always manage to stay in long, but having experienced the soothing balm of sitting with who I am rather than who I think I should be, I don’t stray as far into the chaotic self-destructive waters as I once did.

On a day to day level I manage this with a blend of coffee and crystals! I try to get out in nature and love the soothing stability of the huge ancient stone circle at Avebury near where we live.

I have an ever growing collection of crystals, one that lives in my purse and others that I intuitively pick to accompany me depending on what I am doing and which one 'speaks' to me. We have an altar space in our bedroom and, without fail, when I rearrange the crystals there I awake at night as though in a vortex! 

I also have an altar by my desk. I notice that I seem to go through phases of what colour crystals I am drawn to. I’m moving from orange, associated with the sacral chakra, to blue, which I understand resonate with the throat chakra. 

I am terrible at meditating, and the pressure to 'be still' and then not manage it can so easily end up becoming another pressure and failure - so I tend to aim for smaller, more achievable wins. I am a huge fan of CBD oil and find a few drops before bed helps me find my center and be still. After all, though it is easy to forget, there is a 'me' in Mum-me.

I am opening a space in Chippenham to share energy healing and hope to help other women reconnect with themselves. I hope it will be a place of healing, connection and transformation. It will be free of charge for women who are or have been supported by Women's Aid, an organisation that has supported me.

‘It’s so hard to put into words the serene and calming quality of my session with Katy. It felt like reconnecting to primeval roots, something so basic but essential. As Katy placed her hands over and gently on top of me I truly felt held. And at points I could feel a very subtle pull and tingling sensation. Feeling held in the moment, uplifted by something so spiritually uplifting is so important in todays crazy world.’

‘Thank you for sharing such an amazing and magical experience with me. I absolutely loved it and feel wonderful. There's certainly magic in those hands of yours!’

‘Great session and feeling energetic shifts (particularly after having no expectations of what it would be like) - was quite astounding.‘

I hope you enjoyed Katy's story as much as I did. Do pop over and join her on Instagram and I will be back in the next week or two.