Past Lives

heart alchemy - healing the lineage

Stacia Napierkowska
Today I am creating a bespoke medicine doll for a seeker who wishes her doll to hold the spirit of Avalon. This morning I began gathering ferns and moss and oak leaves from a tree nearby. I will place an acorn in her hands - perhaps in a basket. I did a final walk to see what treasures were on the ground waiting for this doll and as I lay them out I began to feel what resonated for the doll and thought this is like alchemy, it is always a delicate balance of different plant and animal medicine. Some medicine feels distinctly feminine or masculine.
As I was laying out plants and feathers I received an email with the gift of the photo above of Stacia Napierkowska. The woman who sent it to me was in need of a session to heal the wound story of the lineage of women in her family. She remarked on how similar the photo felt to the card The Fferyllt representing the archetype Temperance in the Druidcraft Tarot. The Fferyllt were the Druid alchemists - creating the Sacred Marriage of balance between the Sacred Feminine and Masculine. We see this work here in the element of Water (in the cauldron) representing the Feminine and the Fire below as the Masculine. 
This healing of the Sacred Union is such important work for us now. These wounds may come from your own experiences in this lifetime, from the lineage wound in your birth family, the collective unconscious or carried over from past lives. This heart alchemy will not only be a benefit to ourselves but also to the lineage of children to come and the ones who came before us. Ancestral healing teaches us that we are all linked - when one hurts, we all hurt - when one heals, we all feel the benefit of that release. To do this healing work for your lineage, family and community is a great gift. Sending love to all those finding the delicate balance of heart alchemy today.
Druidcraft Tarot

Jane's Unbinding of the Wise Woman

Recently I had the honour of holding a Swan Blessing dreaming well at the Deepening Retreat for the sisters of the School of Shamanic Midwifery. What a powerful dreaming on the sacred land of Jane Hardwicke Collings, the founder and creatrix of school. Jane's dream of birthing the new shamanic sisterhood left a deep impression on me, her energy is beautiful - without judgement and full of encouragement. If you are looking for a guide to step into your own shamanic practice I can recommend no-one more highly. I first met Jane in person when she came for her Swan Blessing just over a year ago and since this time we seemed to have journeyed so closely in our medicine and wishes for this new Golden Age. 

We will be holding the last Swan Blessing sessions for the year next week at the Summer Solstice, if Swan is calling to you please get in touch it is such a beautiful point of the wheel right now to be creating more freedom in your life. Many of the seekers who take part in a Swan Blessing are also sending us their journeys for a book in creation: Swan Blessing - Releasing the Ties That Bind. They are so very potent and beautiful. Here is Jane's memory of her journey with the Swan. 
I saw her, old, long scraggly hair, wrapped in tanned animal hide for protection, by the river, in the forest, alone, very alone, sad, resigned, quiet. She'd been banished from the village, or maybe she'd run away and been hiding, either way it was because she'd been found out or would have been and that meant she'd had to leave or die.   

I saw her, young, she was writing furiously, long feather quill, hiding somewhere in a corner of the attic of the dwelling, in the dark, a lone taper burning. She was scared, fearful of being seen, yet she wrote and she wrote, pausing only to hear more to write.The words were coming to her from others, words she couldn't see who spoke, yet the words came and she wrote them.The Grandmother who lived in her hut in the forest had told her that the voices and their words that she heard were important and that she must write them down and give them to her. She taught her to write and read and told her to keep it a secret, not to tell anyone and to keep on doing it. 

On the Grandmother's death bed, she made her promise, make a vow, to never let anyone else know about the words she heard and to not let anyone see her writing, otherwise she would be killed. She wrote and wrote and the words soothed her soul. She shared them with her mother and her sisters because the words spoke of a different way, a way where they would be honoured and respected, it was so different to how it was for them.... The vow she made to the Grandmother kept her scared, scared of being seen, scared of being found out and scared of what would happen should she be discovered and the vow kept the words secret, but the words wanted to be shared and read.....   

The vow she made stayed with her until another lifetime when she went to the Blacksmith's cottage and met a Witch who flew with Swan. The Witch helped her find a way to cut away the web that was the vow, that had stuck to her, that was stuck in and around and all over her. And Black Panther came then, to be with her, to protect her and guard her. She was safe now, the vow was released and the words could come freely and be shared.    

Jane, Sydney 2012

Thank you Jane for sharing your story and sharing your love and vision with us all. How lucky we are to have you back with us again.

Robyn's Swan Blessing Story - Sacred Vow to Hide the Healer

Far From Home - Morgan Weistling
Today I share Robyn's Swan Blessing past life story of her Vow to Hide the Healer - to not let anyone know who she truly was. This fear of persecution is one of the strongest ties that binds us and stop us from stepping into spiritual and healing work again in our current lifetime. I was very touched by Robyn's courage to face this fear and was thrilled to see her rapid transformation after she released her spirit from this heavy vow. I hope that in the telling of Robyn's own story, it helps those who are also feeling this same fear to realise that this vow is ancient and does not belong with your spirit in this time of change and rise of the Sacred Feminine. I hope it helps you to feel that you are not alone and that you can come out of the shadows and into community with your sisters and brothers again.
Thank you Robyn and we are so happy to see the unveiling of your Wise Medicine here in this world again.

As I looked into the well I became a seven year old girl with long sandy brown hair in plats. All around  was forest. Beautiful majestic trees that were as high as the sky. I  was met by a lady, but could only see her curly, dark auburn red hair.  She was wearing an emerald green cloak made of raw silk. It was stunning and shiny.  I couldn't see her face through the shadow of the hood.  I felt we were mother and child. She beckoned me to follow her and seemed very excited to show me something. We were skipping and running with such excitement and freedom through the forest.
 
We came to a clearing in the trees where there were some people in a circle surrounding a fire. They were pagans, all holding hands chanting blessings to the earth. I could see their shapes in white with no defining marks. The only defining vision was a giant rabbit joined in amongst the people, my mother and myself. We joined the circle and began to become one with earth and all the people. We prayed for healing of the world, for peace, for the sick, for all in need. We were healers, shamans and in an age where this belief could have you branded and killed as a witch. 
Suddenly there were screams and men attacking us with sticks, breaking up the circle and beating anyone they could catch. As we fled into the forest they grabbed my mother. They pulled us apart, our arms stretched out for one last chance of touch. I  watched as my mother was carried away screaming and kicking holding her arms out to me. I was crying out for her with no hope.  I had to hide until it was safe to emerge. As I looked up, a hand reached out for me. It was a man who had come to help. He took me to a secret place where we were allowed to be free and safe. We all lived together in harmony with nature and continued to heal. They taught me the ways of nature and how to use the powers that I possessed. 
I grew into a tall, stunning looking woman that walked tall and proud hiding my deep secrets. I  was a healer with such powers that I could heal with a single smile or glance. I had my secret kept deep within, not sharing through fear of being killed.  I healed from afar. I was living in a Scandinavian town on the edge of the forest. Nobody knew who I was, but I had respect. 
When it was time to see my binding I felt a huge rope coil around my entire body much like a snake would strangle their prey. I was bound with this rope with a giant knot in my mouth. The knot represented how I swore to never discuss my secret within. Never to let anyone know I am a healer.  Then my mother was reunited with me to show me I was safe. As she put out her arms for me, a feeling of love and peace shot through my entire body. Then my ropes were cut and they fell to the ground. The young girl was free to talk her truth. No more silence, no more fear, I too am free.
After my blessing the Swan circled above with the sun behind her. She came low enough to pick me up and carry me away.  I embraced her with gratitude for allowing me to take this journey. I felt safe with her as she flew through the perfect sky, then spiraled down and around to land in the dam paddock of my home. A home I can now appreciate and feel settled and safe in from this day forward. 
What an amazing experience. The most interesting guided meditation I have ever done. The emotion that was experienced was so intense inside my heart, but was finally put at peace through this magical healing. Having picked some cards Julia described exactly where I was in my heart. I was feeling trapped with my strong spiritual belief having to remain a secret, through fear of being persecuted, criticized and judged.  At the end of the day, my choice to be who I am truly within my heart was being ignored, leaving me untrue to myself and my life as who I am today. 
I believe more and more in past lives and at times have had some amazing things happen to convince me even more again. I have always had a yearning to be in India. It was a place where one of my many spiritual steps were taken and where I have always felt at home and allowed to embrace spirituality. I have always felt a strong connection to India through family history, past and present, but also in the heart.  In India, people show you respect for your strong belief.  Monks, nuns and Holy men are looked up to and never persecuted. My past lives as a holy being were many and I was loved and respected for who I was. This was making it hard to settle in my own home, a paradise surrounded by nature. A place that people come to enjoy and relax. But for me, no, India felt like home.  For a while now I had the feeling that my beliefs and abilities  should be kept secret, as judgements and criticisms I have had to face from opening my heart to people have felt so unfair. I am not cuckoo or going to hell, I am an amazing being with a lot to share. Life is good! 
So a couple of days pass. I start to see visions of my past again. This time, I recognize my mother. She isn't my maternal mother from this life as I originally thought, she is Judy, healer I bump into on occasion. In my Scandinavian life, Judy is my mother. Judy is also the healer that helped me on a few occasions. She turns up at the right time. A lovely lady I have always felt like I should get to know better, but has never had the chance. First thing the next morning After this visit to Melbourne my family all went to our chiropractor for our regular adjustment. We hadnt seen a single soul in town before entering the clinic. Guess who were the patients before us, Judy and her husband Jack. I hadn't seen them for over 18 months and now I feel its time to get to know them better. I think I have a new teacher. 
Thank you Julia and Tony for helping me find peace. Look forward to another magical experience with you both.  Robyn, 2013

Swan Blessing bookings 

Forest of Life - Marian's Swan Blessing Unbinding of Many Stories

Catskin by Arthur Rackham
'Catskin' by Arthur Rackham

As well as holding Swan Blessing ceremonies in person, I am now able to offer Swan Sessions by Skype and phone by request from the forest. In these Swan sessions we will journey together to release your spirit from the binding of past life beliefs, vows and sacred oaths to receive the gifts of your ancestral medicine.  

Swan Sessions: by Skype or phone -  one hour $120. 
Please email me to request a time to journey with Swan together. 

Swan Blessing Ceremonies in person in Sherbrooke or Kew, VIC
1.5 hours    $160

Sometimes a seeker will come to journey in Swan Blessing with Tony and I to release a binding belief or promise of the past that unlocks not only one significant past life but many. All of these lifetimes are bound together because the same belief was carried and activated in each incarnation. This happened for Marian. All she had to do was to take that first step into the Forest to meet her own Spirit to begin a shedding of many lifetimes. In our journey, Marian received rapid vision after vision of the past experiences that were needed to release her ancestral medicine. With the shedding of each life, Marian felt lighter and freer until finally she found the new words to call back into her life with joy and trust the medicine of her birthright, the medicine of Healer.

Oceans of love to you Marian, radiant healer, child of the Earth.

Forest of Life.

The beauty of walking in the forest of life. 
It’s a deep place of wisdom, of welcome and soul birds in flight. 
This is where my life was begun. 
Safe and nurtured under the sun. 
Two parents, one daughter. A life full of love.

Stolen away so young.
When, as yet, I did not discern any one.
I hear my mother’s tears.
I hear the pain she now bears.
A life gone.  A life taken.

Soldiers in the smokey haze attacking.
One field, one tree, a hill, a wooden home.
Not my own.  But here I am grown.
Children playing with sun on skin smiling, laughing. Or is it screaming.
In the darkness woman staring. 

Dusty bricks. 
Yellow stone upon stone.
Walls rising up. Soldiers inside. Me out alone.
Yet not alone. 
A child accompanies me down the dirt road.

Who is she?
If only she were my own.
She leads me to a ghost home.
So many empty buildings. What happened here?
This once rich land holds nothing but fear.

Vision of illness and sickness.
Death and dying.
They sent me away to save the living.
Angry father thinks he knows best.
She killed the mother at first breath.

Back to the woods to an Aunt out of favour.
Skilled in an art form that makes her a saviour.
She teaches the ways passed from the ancients.
Guiding and leading. Crafting my healing.
Bark and herbs for the dying and living.

A woodland temple is where I am drawn.
Seeking solace after the beloved Aunt is gone.
It is beautiful, sacred, profound.
A home amongst trees if I give up the purpose for which many women feel bound.
Willing and happy to fulfil my call. I choose to serve the women, children, sick and poor.
Priest, ceremony.  Realisation.
Deceived by men.  An innocent victim.
Held captive, held prisoner for my knowledge and more.
My wisdom, my healing, my spirit, my light.
They’ll change it, they’ll break it, they’ll make it night.

Mad with rage I scream and I holler.
I pull on my life with vicious anger.
I throw myself round till I’m no longer there.
Head bangs, body shudders, blood running through hair.
Lying cold on the floor, face pale, eyes stare.

Always a child. Almost a woman grown.
But, never a mother, never a lover.
And, never a crone.
The pledge was made to be alone.
To save the secrets of the soul.


A life gone. A life taken. A healer kept hidden till this incarnation.
A walk in the forest, a walk through life.
Brings forth wisdom, healing and a soul bird in flight.
Goddess of love, of wisdom and light.
Freely to roam now full of life.


Marian, 2013

Swan Medicine

Hi Julia, 

I just wanted to write and say thank you so much for the Swan blessing the other day. So much has 'unlocked' since then, especially in my dreams. I am in the process of writing it down but I just wanted to share these photos I took the following weekend :)    

Catherine after Swan Blessing 2013

Final Swan Blessing Ceremony of Gratitude at Beltane

Tony and his drum at the spring

This week has been painful and shattering for many people and I too am feeling the shaking of my old ego in this week of eclipse. We are birthing through the stagnant ideas and beliefs of the past. We are cracking open from the bindings of the old mind. We are becoming the new humane.
Tony and I have spent time visiting the sacred spring on Mt Donna Buang and drumming our gratitude in this week of deep release between the Full and New Moon Eclipses. Our ceremony this friday at Beltane will be the last circle that we hold for many months as we have received instruction to go inward with our medicine and learn how to integrate all of the changes being felt. 
We will still be holding personal sessions in the forest but this will be our last circle and workshop for many months. It will be a circle of gratitude to the Ancestors for all that was shown to us in 2013 and for all that we are preparing to BE. If you feel to join us, there is no need for booking, there will be space for you in this Swan Blessing circle for men and women to journey with the Wild Swan to clear bindings and ties of the past from your Ancestral Medicine and quest to find new ways to express your gifts on this Earth now. We welcome you to join us in giving thanks for all that was, all that is and all that will be.   
Sacred Familiar encaustic oracle: Drumming for the Fire
(our oracle is in creation and will be released soon)


Sharon's Swan Blessing - Ancestral Medicine of the Seer and Mystic

Suscipe Me Domine, John Henry Frederick Bacon (1895)

Today I share Sharon's Swan Blessing story of the release of the Vows of Chastity and Poverty taken as a nun in a past life. Sharon felt these vows very keenly in her present life particularly the Vow of Poverty. And there was also something deeper, harder for Sharon to name or understand with her conscious mind. It manifested as a deep fear of rejection, particularly by her family and also a need to hide her true self in belief that to reveal it, would lead to the dreaded outcome of being rejected and outcast, not only from family but from society itself.

As the Swan Blessing opened Sharon's gift of Sight, she saw a lifetime that began with abandonment. She saw herself as a baby being left on a doorstep by parents too young to keep her. She was taken in by a family who did not welcome her as a child of their own but as an unpaid servant. It was a childhood of hard work and of feeling unseen but deep within the child was a knowing that she was somehow meant for greater things. She was a child with a gift to See and communicate with the angelic realms. This secret gift was the only source of solace and joy in her life but when revealed became the source of ridicule, forcing her to run away from the adopted home. Like many female mystics of the past, she entered a religious order in the belief that she would not only be allowed to carry on her spirit communication but that she would be understood and honoured.

To enter the convent she had to take the heavy vows of Chastity and Poverty - vows that meant little to the young girl who was seeking a safe place to share and celebrate her medicine as Seer.  She was again relegated to the duties of servant. Over the years she gradually managed to rise up in rank in the convent but again felt the calling of her medicine, a deep knowing that she was made for deeper and stronger spiritual work and began to slowly reveal her gift of communication with spirit. In thinking that by entering a convent she would be in a place where this gift of direct revelation with spirit would be honoured and accepted she was greatly mistaken. Instead she saw herself experiencing the fate that befell many Medicine Women of the past, she saw herself suffering the greatest of betrayals when her gift was labelled as witchcraft and she was burnt at the stake.

By releasing this story that has bound and held her medicine for lifetimes, Sharon felt enormous release and sense of freedom. She was able to embrace her wisdom again with the gift of knowing that her spirit is pure, her soul is innocent and that she can share her gifts in this lifetime with fearless love.

I Sharon am a Healer. 

Dear Julia,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for yesterday's session. I had an AH-HAH moment in the car on my way home. Now it all makes perfect sense as to what has been going on in my life. 

As I looked into the well and saw that girl aged 15 with her piercing blue eyes and long blond hair, I felt a sense that I was looking at myself from centuries back. When she showed me that she was in a nun's outfit. 

She was such a tough little girl, to be abandoned by her parents when she was a baby, being rejected from her first day of life. Then to be taken in by a family where she never belonged and felt rejected once again, being a maid. Her only solace was talking to her friends the Angels. Then being ridiculed because people thought she was crazy when she told people about her gift. Her only option was to run away.  

She thought that being a nun was her only way of being able to talk to the angels again, but she was made to be an outcast, so she renounced her gift and took on the vows of poverty and chastity and joined the order. Yet she never felt that this was her vocation and when she had risen through the church and decided to once again explore her gifts, she was burnt. 

This all makes sense to me, all my life, I have tried to do everything for my family.I always feared that they would reject me if I did anything wrong, This caused me so much anxiety and I even suffered from depression. 

The vow of poverty resounded so well for me, never being able to have a stable job because I didn't think I belonged anywhere and never giving myself fully to a relationship. This is all about to change. I am reclaiming my freedom and from this day forth I will ensure I lead my life . I am so looking forward to opening myself to the spiritual realm, to explore meaningful career opportunities and to welcome abundance. 

Thank you so much.  

Blessings, Sharon

Thank you Sharon for giving me the gift of accompanying you on the journey to your medicine. Oceans of love to you beautiful Seer, Earth Healer.

Tony and I will hold our last Swan Blessing circle for 2013 at Beltane this Friday evening in a ceremony to honour and thank the Ancestors. This circle is open to both men and women and we welcome you to join us in our forest journey to open our gift of Sight with Swan. Our intention is to honour the Aboriginal ancestral spirit of Australia and to answer the call of Hiraeth - the Soul Call of our Ancestors. We will quest and journey together to seek harmonious ways for us to bring our Ancestral Medicine to this ancient land in a way that benefits all. You will find the details below.

She is walking out of the fires...Mishele's Swan Story

Photo: She is walking out of the fires.  Her staff which connects her to the land below her and the skies above, reminds her of her Medicine. She wears a conch shell to remind her she is Woman. She carries her basket to collect medicine wherever she goes. She is Medicine Woman. She looks out at the world through the quartz crystal heart she swallowed... Seeing all with Love and Clarity. She holds the ancient sacred herb Desert Sage in her belly, connecting her to All that Was, All that Is and All that Will Be.  She is taking Me out of hiding my Medicine. She is whispering into my heart, singing to my feet, calling my memories to awaken. Giving me strength to remember She is I and I am She. We walk into the world sharing our Medicine again. We walk into the world sharing our Medicine again. <3    Dear Julia,  After spending the weekend with you and all the sisters in the circle, I feel I Am AWAKE!  How can one merely say Thank You for the gift you have given! For the Swan Blessing, the unbinding of Vows that have held me back in this life, introducing me to the Daughters Of The Well. The words Thank You cannot display the deep gratitude I feel, for Teaching me the Medicine of making my own Medicine Doll. For holding the space with so much Love, Compassion, Joy, Wisdom, and your Beautiful Voice to guide us to where we needed to go. For gathering together a circle of Medicine Women, making connections, sharing stories, releasing past life pain, and bringing us back to the present with our Medicine that we may have been hiding due to ancient fears. Julia, my way to honour You and all that you have awakened in me, is to Walk, Dance, Love, Forgive, Laugh, Be the Medicine Woman I Am and Walk that path in Truth and Beauty, sharing with All, as you have shared with All <3   Beautiful Sister, Thank You xxx xxxx
She is walking out of the fires. Her staff which connects her to the land below her and the skies above, reminds her of her Medicine. She wears a conch shell to remind her she is Woman. She carries her basket to collect medicine wherever she goes. She is Medicine Woman. She looks out at the world through the quartz crystal heart she swallowed... Seeing all with Love and Clarity. She holds the ancient sacred herb Desert Sage in her belly, connecting her to All that Was, All that Is and All that Will Be. She is taking Me out of hiding my Medicine. She is whispering into my heart, singing to my feet, calling my memories to awaken. Giving me strength to remember She is I and I am She. We walk into the world sharing our Medicine again. We walk into the world sharing our Medicine again. Dear Julia, After spending the weekend with you and all the sisters in the circle, I feel I Am AWAKE! How can one merely say Thank You for the gift you have given! For the Swan Blessing, the unbinding of Vows that have held me back in this life, introducing me to the Daughters Of The Well. The words Thank You cannot display the deep gratitude I feel, for Teaching me the Medicine of making my own Medicine Doll. For holding the space with so much Love, Compassion, Joy, Wisdom, and your Beautiful Voice to guide us to where we needed to go. For gathering together a circle of Medicine Women, making connections, sharing stories, releasing past life pain, and bringing us back to the present with our Medicine that we may have been hiding due to ancient fears. Julia, my way to honour You and all that you have awakened in me, is to Walk, Dance, Love, Forgive, Laugh, Be the Medicine Woman I Am and Walk that path in Truth and Beauty, sharing with All, as you have shared with All 

What an amazing weekend I had! On the misty Mt Tambourine a circle of women gathered together, and under the gentle Guidance of Julia from Sacred Familiar we journeyed deep into ourselves and our past. Through her Swan Blessings, we released and healed Vows and Bindings we made in a past life, that was stopping us from our full potential in this life. We released our Grandmothers, Mothers, Daughters. We reunited with each other again. We shared our stories in the safe circle that Julia created in a magic place called Grail Haven, sharing in the Blessed Water from the sacred well. I encourage you to look into Grail Haven, it truly is a healing experience. Julia taught us the lost art of making Spirit/Medicine Dolls! Wow!! Having already been gifted one, I knew the power of their medicine, and to make my own was and is a life changing experience! I have learnt so much of myself during this process, and will continue to do so with all the others I will create! Yes! I am addicted! I met Such beautiful women, making connections that are ancient and now present ♥ We drummed and sang (thank you Vicki for teaching us the songs, I sang all the way home on the train) We had fun at the markets, meeting the friendly locals and spreading joy with our open hearts and Dolly's (who came with us sharing their magic to the young and the old, men and women) So many magical experiences, I think I could write a whole book about this one weekend ;-) Oh and I was taken back to when I was a child born from a Gypsy mother and towns man father. I ended up living on my own, in the forest, rejected for who I was, yet still consulted by the villagers for medicine and healing (in secret of course) I bring back with me my essence of the Wild Gypsy Woman, this time, I walk proudly into the world, with my Medicine, I will speak the truth and beauty to all ~ For All ♥ Thank You so much dear Julia and to all the women in the circle Bless You ♥

Mishele, Femmina Unbound on Mt Tamborine, 2013

The Tarot Weavers - Seer's Return

The Seer by Tammy Mae Moon
This weekend will hold a Swan Blessing circle for the return of the Art of Seership and unbinding of beliefs and vows blocking access to Oracular Divination. In my family, the ability to See is strong but has not always been believed to be a gift. My intention in holding this circle is that we come to know the natural beauty and wisdom of our spirit when it acts as Oracle. As Oracle we will journey back into the past to clear any obstructing beliefs or fears before opening ourselves to create a Medicine Weaver Tarot reading as a way to quest towards our medicine. We will learn ways to release the past and receive assistance in holding and sharing our own unique ancestral wisdom. We will read both for ourselves and for each other. 
This circle is open to all sisters. You do not need to have any experience of the Tarot, we will be journeying and reading purely from our intuition and open heart.
Please let me know if you wish to join us, you will need to bring your own Tarot deck of choice. 
The two decks I will be sharing are The Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert and