A Collective Wound Requires Collective Healing...
My ancestral healing journey brought me to a deep exploration of the European Witch Hunts, driven by a fascination to want to know exactly what happened and why and a deep knowing that I was carrying something from those times. During a a pretty heavy 12 months of researching, I discovered just how horrific things were during the so-called Burning Times, and how profoundly they affected the psyches of our ancestors living in the 16th and 17th centuries. Map onto that the epigenetic understanding of trans-generational trauma carried down through potentially 20 generations, and we come to understand just how deeply the experiences of our ancestors continue to affect us today some 300 years later. A history lesson never taught in school, I believe it's something we can all benefit from knowing about.
The women taken out as "witches" were far from evil and more often than not, were just ordinary women trying their best to survive during a time of hardship and poverty. Sometimes they were the healers, midwives, and elders but not always. The witch hunts became a way to rid a community of a troublesome person! The reasons for persecution were diverse - yes for natural healing abilities and magic, and for midwifery skills, but also for holding the wrong religious beliefs, or expressing their sexual energy too freely. Torture and murder were a reality of the times. For our ancestors of 1450-1750, the real threat of survival led women to shut down, betray each other and play small. Whilst today, we may not know this consciously, we still know it in our bones. Talk to women about the Burning Times and many will resonate in some way and experience a felt sense that they can’t quite put their finger on. The Burning Times arguably left one of the deepest wounds in the psyche of women which, through the inheritance of epigenetic memory, we continue to play out.
I believe that to evolve to unity-consciousness, it is vital that we heal these wounds. Our ancestors may be dead, but they are still with us; in spirit and in our own behavioural patterns. The scars we still carry show up in many ways; fears of being seen or heard, mistrust of other women, experiences of betrayal, playing small, irrational fears of fire or drowning, fear of rejection, fear of stepping up or into our power, fear of authority, struggles with feeling home in ourselves, lack of roots, lack of support, feelings of disconnection to nature, patterns of victimhood, inability to stand up for ourselves, difficulties in setting healthy boundaries. There are many and they continue to run deep in us, keeping us in a state of disconnection from our selves, each other and the land.
The Burning Times smashed up our sisterhoods, taught us to play small and broke our trust in the people closest to us leaving us feeling powerless, isolated, unsafe and unsupported. In 2019, following higher guidance that a "collective wound requires collective healing," I dedicated a full year to working with women to heal this wound. Through 13 Full Moon Ceremonies and weekend workshops, over 500 of us worked to clear our inherited trauma, transform how we connect as women and to restore true sisterhood held by the strength of our ancestral lineages. Since then hundreds more have taken part in further ceremonies and workshops, both in person and on line. And as more and more of us continue to resonate with these wounds, the work carries on.
The women taken out as "witches" were far from evil and more often than not, were just ordinary women trying their best to survive during a time of hardship and poverty. Sometimes they were the healers, midwives, and elders but not always. The witch hunts became a way to rid a community of a troublesome person! The reasons for persecution were diverse - yes for natural healing abilities and magic, and for midwifery skills, but also for holding the wrong religious beliefs, or expressing their sexual energy too freely. Torture and murder were a reality of the times. For our ancestors of 1450-1750, the real threat of survival led women to shut down, betray each other and play small. Whilst today, we may not know this consciously, we still know it in our bones. Talk to women about the Burning Times and many will resonate in some way and experience a felt sense that they can’t quite put their finger on. The Burning Times arguably left one of the deepest wounds in the psyche of women which, through the inheritance of epigenetic memory, we continue to play out.
I believe that to evolve to unity-consciousness, it is vital that we heal these wounds. Our ancestors may be dead, but they are still with us; in spirit and in our own behavioural patterns. The scars we still carry show up in many ways; fears of being seen or heard, mistrust of other women, experiences of betrayal, playing small, irrational fears of fire or drowning, fear of rejection, fear of stepping up or into our power, fear of authority, struggles with feeling home in ourselves, lack of roots, lack of support, feelings of disconnection to nature, patterns of victimhood, inability to stand up for ourselves, difficulties in setting healthy boundaries. There are many and they continue to run deep in us, keeping us in a state of disconnection from our selves, each other and the land.
The Burning Times smashed up our sisterhoods, taught us to play small and broke our trust in the people closest to us leaving us feeling powerless, isolated, unsafe and unsupported. In 2019, following higher guidance that a "collective wound requires collective healing," I dedicated a full year to working with women to heal this wound. Through 13 Full Moon Ceremonies and weekend workshops, over 500 of us worked to clear our inherited trauma, transform how we connect as women and to restore true sisterhood held by the strength of our ancestral lineages. Since then hundreds more have taken part in further ceremonies and workshops, both in person and on line. And as more and more of us continue to resonate with these wounds, the work carries on.
Here's how you can join me in 2024...
An 8 Week Online Journey of
Magic & Medicine for Witches and Women
Next Journey tbc
Please get in touch to register your interest
7.30-9.30pm UK time
- Come gather in circle on zoom every Monday for 8 weeks and journey together in sisterhood to understand the tragic legacy we carry from the Burning Times and do the work to help heal it.
- You will learn what really happened to our ancestors (men, women and children) during the Witch Hunts and how we continue to be unconsciously affected by it today. It's a legacy of trauma that plays out in so many ways.
- This is Ancestral Healing work so we will reconnect our Ancestral lineages and call in Guides for support as we address the 3 wounds of separation that prevent us from being our true potential.
- Each week will include a teaching, powerful guided visualisations, ceremony, ritual, and sharing circles in breakout groups. Be prepared to do some work in between sessions too with the practical and experiential homework invitations.
- This is not always easy work and sometimes strong emotions may surface - all of them are welcome and when we do this work together, it is rich, beautiful and transformational.
- Magic and Medicine await!
Here's what others have said about their experience of the journey:
"This online journey has been truly transformational and tied into the core of my most personal healing work. I feel held, seen, supported, and connected while shining a light on an ancient wound. I am so grateful to Cali and to the other women who joined together to engage with this important work," CD
"I walked a solitary path prior to the journey, now I walk with my ancestors." RS
"I would say to anyone considering entering this work with Cali “Sign up straight away! It might not always be ‘easy’ work, but with Cali’s depth and breadth of knowledge and wisdom, and uniquely insightful way of presenting these workshops, you will be taken on a deep diving, thought provoking journey and come out at the end wanting more.” GB
"Cali, I want to thank you for an absolutely authentic, powerful and deeply humbling experience during this work of honouring and feeling into The Burning Times. I’ve been drawn to a range of ways of healing over the last few years, but nothing else has resonated in this way. I was apprehensive and slightly skeptical about guided journeying to meet my ancestors but this was something really profound and unique, and like nothing I’ve experienced before. I feel I am now standing at the beginning of something far bigger than I, with a renewed sense of purpose, hope and stronger connections to my ancestors, feeling more firmly rooted in my northern heritage. I’ve a deeper ‘knowing’ of who I am and why the things that light me up matter so much to me, even if others don’t share those passions. And that’s ok." SM
"Cali, I wanted to let you know how brilliant the Healing the Burning Times journey has been and how much it brought me personally and how important they are in a wider sense. As the future feels more uncertain than ever, it is increasingly difficult to effect any meaningful change. I felt a strong need to connect with people who feel similar in some way and since beginning the journey with you and the other women who participated, I am convinced of how vital our connections to each other are. This work is timely and valuable; exploring new avenues is pressing. The progression of the sessions over the weeks was great and each one generated new insights. The overall effect has been subtle and profound - gentle, but truly life-changing. As we agreed together in our closing ceremony, numerous themes have opened up for us all to pursue and I am already miles further down the line on this exciting journey." HN
"I walked a solitary path prior to the journey, now I walk with my ancestors." RS
"I would say to anyone considering entering this work with Cali “Sign up straight away! It might not always be ‘easy’ work, but with Cali’s depth and breadth of knowledge and wisdom, and uniquely insightful way of presenting these workshops, you will be taken on a deep diving, thought provoking journey and come out at the end wanting more.” GB
"Cali, I want to thank you for an absolutely authentic, powerful and deeply humbling experience during this work of honouring and feeling into The Burning Times. I’ve been drawn to a range of ways of healing over the last few years, but nothing else has resonated in this way. I was apprehensive and slightly skeptical about guided journeying to meet my ancestors but this was something really profound and unique, and like nothing I’ve experienced before. I feel I am now standing at the beginning of something far bigger than I, with a renewed sense of purpose, hope and stronger connections to my ancestors, feeling more firmly rooted in my northern heritage. I’ve a deeper ‘knowing’ of who I am and why the things that light me up matter so much to me, even if others don’t share those passions. And that’s ok." SM
"Cali, I wanted to let you know how brilliant the Healing the Burning Times journey has been and how much it brought me personally and how important they are in a wider sense. As the future feels more uncertain than ever, it is increasingly difficult to effect any meaningful change. I felt a strong need to connect with people who feel similar in some way and since beginning the journey with you and the other women who participated, I am convinced of how vital our connections to each other are. This work is timely and valuable; exploring new avenues is pressing. The progression of the sessions over the weeks was great and each one generated new insights. The overall effect has been subtle and profound - gentle, but truly life-changing. As we agreed together in our closing ceremony, numerous themes have opened up for us all to pursue and I am already miles further down the line on this exciting journey." HN
A Radical Workshop for Women
- This is a full day workshop for groups of women called to know more about the inherited wounds of the Burning Times and how to heal them.
- During the day, we work shamanically to heal our broken Ancestral lineages, to reclaim the strengths and gifts we also carry and to clear the inherited trauma that is keeping us stuck in some way. The intention of the day is to reclaim our sovereignty and restore our sisterhoods and weaves ritual and ceremony, drum-journeying and archetype work into a transformational experience, leaving you with powerful tools to carry into your everyday life.
- I offer the day for groups of 12-20 women. It can be run in a living room, village hall, yurt, therapy centre. If you are part of an existing women's circle or Red Tent, I'd be honoured to come and host the day for you as a group. Please get in touch through the contact page if you'd like to explore this possibility further.
Individual Sessions for women wanting to go deeper...
- As we enter the ancestral realms, the potential for healing and growth increases. If that is true for you, I offer one-to-one support in person or through zoom, combining 20 years of training in psychotherapy, nature-based spirituality, feminine empowerment and ancestral healing through a shamanic approach.
- Sessions fees are
- 1 hour = £60
- 90 minutes = £80
- 2 hours £100
- Please get in touch via the contact page to book.