Continuing to look back and seeing the present unfolding:
Fast forward again, I am now living in new York my kids are in their 20’s now and away at university, grown and gone, and I am an empty nester and deeply peri-menopausal. I am also living in a place with no friends or community close by, its covid time and I have nothing but social media to rely on to grow my business, but oh wait, I have to shut everything down as I wait for a green card!
After over 20 years of hustling, growing, being creative, writing courses and workshops, teaching and offering it all up online I had come to an abrupt and full stop.
To say I was uncomfortable would be an understatement!
But it’s a slow descent into creative burnout, one that I did not realize was happening to me until it was in my face…
The pressure that I put on myself to keep posting to instagram while I waited for my green card was intense and I felt like a failure daily for not posting, because I equated posting with keeping my business alive, it was like oxygen and I was convinced that if I stopped posting my business would somehow become irrelevant and disappear…
And all the while the algorithm was changing and confirming my worst fears, that I would no longer be seen if I did not keep up with the fast pace..if I did not hustle harder and faster!
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At this point Instagram added reels to their platform and then decided that if folks were not posting to reels then they would not be seen, and so I tried, I really did and even managed to make a few wonderfully creative things, but over the past two years my creativity has suffered deeply…
So while I could see some of my colleges finding their voices and moving their platforms online as a response to covid that were successful, wonderful and perfect for them, my voice was slowly shrivelling up, my creativity dry and my sense of self confused as I found that I could not find the energy to respond to the new and faster pace required to keep up.
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I was hitting a wall with regards to my web-site development skills and could no longer build my own web-site the way I wanted it to look and it was no longer a fun and creative pursuit for me, it was frustrating and upsetting.
All this while confronting head on in a deeper way than ever before, my own participation in the patriarchal, capitalist, colonizing over-culture as a cis gendered white woman now living in the USA, and hustle culture was being shown to me as a deep seated part of my own colonized ways, one that I myself have been benefiting from alongside my white privilege for a long time, and to be honest I was done!
Being online is a different beast than it was when I started out 20 years ago, I no longer recognized myself in relation to it, I no longer wanted to participate in the hustle, but had no idea how to break free. The addiction is strong!
My spiritual life and creative life are deeply entwined, they are both expressions of who I am, but posting about the deeper aspects of my spiritual life has always been a private one for me, something that hustle and social media culture can not share. Added to this, the initiation of menopause has been showing me how to slow down in a different way, so that I can show up to myself.
True spiritual unfolding is slow, messy, painful even, as we navigate our shadow selves, work on our healing and unfold into who and what we have shown up in this lifetime to be. It’s not something remotely shareable on social media, and this has long been the crux of my confusion.
How do I “market” my business which essentially is a mix of spiritual and creative offerings in such a way that they are authentic and true to my heart, but also gets the word out there.
How do I hustle while also being slow, deliberate and authentic to my soul?
For many years now I have been walking the line thinking that these questions were actually figure-out-able! They are not.
So today as I finish up writing this post I am on day seven of a social media detox, and I am refusing to hustle.
When 2023 hit, I found myself in what for my creative soul considers “purgatory”, I found myself without inspiration.
I usually like to choose a word for the year and I had nothing.
I usually like to vision out new projects and ideas for the year ahead-and nothing.
So I waited and continued scrolling through instagram looking for inspiration. {facebook having long been abandoned many years ago}, and tortured myself for not having anything to say or post online.
Which truth be told, is old news, as it’s been a few years now of this deep internal struggle.
Since the new year I have been sitting quietly and looking for the voice inside of me, the one that has been asking me for a long time to slow down, to listen…
When I reached her, she told me what I have known for a long time now, but had been ignoring for fear that with the pace of the world today I would simply spin too far away from the axis and disappear, if I changed how I did things, if I slowed down…
She is asking me to simply step away from the game, from a hustle culture that requires me to post on social media all of my comings and goings, and to just simply be with my art, with myself, my guides, and to go back to the beginning and start again.
Was I surprised, not really.
The plant medicines have been telling me, my guides have been telling me and my own inner voice has been yelling for some time now to come back to stillness, to settle, to sit.
It is my hope that through listening again I will find my authentic creative passion again, but this time I need to do it slowly, intentionally and mindfully.
This time I am not in my 20’s and 30s with little kids at home, this time I am deep within the initiation of menopause, and her grip on me is relentless…
So while I have some new offerings waiting on the sidelines for me, I want to come at them with deep intention, with no rush to “Launch” and if I do share on social media it will be with a sense of slow deliberation, softness and authenticity.
All of my offerings are still available, but I will not be “pushing” them, marketing them or hustling to get them noticed.
For now, my focus will steer away from social media and be more on my newsletters and this blog.
It will be more about the gentle unfolding in a fast paced and collapsing world as we all push up against it and find our own way to stillness.
I am starting again with myself, with my voice, with the land and spirits of place, and if you would like to join me, I am here, quietly though this time…
If you are interested in hearing more about my journey I will be sharing it here on this blog, and at some point when I go back to instagram, I will be sharing there again too, through the creative medium of beautiful images, musings and quotes, but only when the creative muse finds me, and not because I feel pressure to do so…lets see how this all goes, the adventure awaits and I am up for it-breaking social normative rules has always been my thing anyways.
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I did it!
Some of you may remember my sharing a video of a looooong piece of weaving I took off the loom about a month ago musing on what I might make with it…
Well after weeks of travel I arrived home ready to take the risk and cut into my precious weavings and sew them.
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The thing is I had no pattern and my sewing machine broke before I even had a chance to use it once!
But since I have taken some fabulous classes with my teacher India Flint @prophet_of_bloom where she shares her fearless use of scissors and patternless hand made sewing I decided to go for it and I am thrilled with the result.
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Having said that it helps that I am not even remotely type A, nor do I care about seams showing etc…
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It’s wickedly “handmade” and perfect for the essence I carried all through its creation which was all about this second half of my life, peri-menopause and initiation..
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These things have been messy, creative, hard, and I have learned so much!
Kinda like making oneself a coat from woven fabric without a pattern or sewing machine ha!
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Anyways I am back home now and excited to dive into some summer weavings and drum making, and pairing them together so that you can take them out on your outdoor adventures, stay warm at night and connect to the rhythm of the land..
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Stay tuned!
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Big love
Nikiah
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#weavings #saori #sacredweaving
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I am thrilled to have some of my weaving creations over in Salt Spring Island at @folklore_studio_co .
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@tarynstrong and her partner @sydwoodward_ have created a fabulous store supporting local artists as well as selling their own fabulous jewelry creations.
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I look forward to visiting them later this summer and seeing my weavings in the shop.
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Have a beautiful day everyone.
-#weaving #sacredweavings #folklore #supportart
This image was taken by @_infinitebody_ a few years ago now and is such a beautiful reflection of the many times we have worked together to create a story within an image within a myth..
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Images have always captured my imagination and I have long loved photography, so to be able to manifest what is in my mind and heart together in sacred collaboration has been a dream.
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If you have been in my website or here on insta with me for awhile you would have seen many of these images taken by Jennie, as we navigated shoots by waterfalls, the ocean, the forest, mountains, rivers and meadows..
All in search of beauty, mythic storytelling, ancestral connection and what it means to create art from our lives,guts and souls..
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For me the fact that I am in the image is not even remotely as important as the feeling or story I hope that you dear ones will experience once you lay eyes on it..
In fact I often wish I had a model instead of myself because it’s really about creating an image that evokes a feeling and a story..
This is the gift that Jennie has..
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Anyways Jennie @_infinitebody_ has some beautiful offerings happening right now if you are feeling called.. go check out her work.
♥️
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In the meantime I am back in beautiful B.C and soaking up the sun home and cherry blossom’s as we visit our daughter and prepare our home here for sale this coming summer.
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What does this image say to you?
What story does it tell or make you think of? I would love to hear your thoughts…
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I will post a bunch more tomorrow, and include some that I have never shared here before..
Perhaps we can create a story together..
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#sacredphotos #stories #unseeen #reddrum
Every now and then I sit with my website and read through it, because written words tend to become static once written, and I as a person am not.
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I continue to change, my work changes, and how I would even describe my own work changes too..
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So today I sat with my bio page and made some changes, sharing a little more about my own evolution, who I am and why I do what I do…
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I am not completely done with it yet but it feels better to me, kind of like when we outgrow our old skin, shedding needs to happen..
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Over the years my sites have constantly been in a flux of change and evolution, expanding and being fluid with growth as I do the same..
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Right now I am in another time of change, actually it’s been a few years of this, but slowly, ever so slowly my work is expanding, and getting itself ready for new iterations…
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So although all I worked on today was my bio page, I am feeling that there is much more to be added in the next few months..
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What does this kind of change feel for you? And how does it get reflected in your work? I would love to hear how others share change..
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Big love
Nikiah
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#change #evolution #website #animism
It’s a SCAVENGER HUNT! I’m part of the Ways We Witch summit this weekend, and it’s time for some fun! Search the tag #wayswewitch for four clues and enter them at www.wayswewitch.com/fun to play (I hear that everyone wins!). The summit is all about the different ways we practice connection in our lives and one of my favorites is brewing up herbal tinctures and syrups for my family to enjoy.
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Your scavenger hunt clue is MAGICK.
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#wayswewitch
Sometimes I just like to wander around my studio and see what inspires me.
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Some days it’s spinning or weaving, but sometimes I pull out alll my paints and go crazy for a few days, then leave it for what can be months before I get inspired again.
In fact I have a painting I started at the begging of Covid still waiting for completion haha.
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Sometimes I pull out all my beads and make several sacred pieces all at once!
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Last solstice I bought a ton of fabric and sewed like crazy making all sorts of different sized bags to replace the old fabric we had been using for years to wrap gifts..
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Spring inspires to forage especially for wild violets to make syrup with.💜
And the end of summer I forage wild roses for my tinctures.🩷
It really just depends on the muse at the moment…
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How about you? What stokes your creative fires?
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#creativity #beltane #studio #art #weaving #sacredmuse
The Ways We Witch Summit begins May 5th and is three full days of juicy, deep, Magickal offerings from a variety of incredible contributors!
Our box office is now open and at a very special price. Check it out by visiting the link in bio.
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#wayswewitch #redmoonmysteryschool #nikiahseeds #witchesofinstagram #witches
I am excited to be a part of this wonderful lineup of folks offering this summit. I have recorded a talk in animism that I hope folks enjoy.
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The Ways We Witch Summit box office is now live! This is an incredible Summit happening virtually May 5th-7th with both live and pre-recorded talks. You'll get lifetime access when you purchase your ticket so you can come back to a session at any time! With over 25 contributors and over 33 offerings between them, you'll be sure to learn something new whether you're a seasoned Pagan or baby Witch new on your path!
Currently, there is a fast track ticket option of $97 USD (more than 60% savings!) until Friday so it's the best time to save! This means it's less than $3 per session - that's wild! Afterwards, ticket prices will go up so hop on board now to take advantage of this incredible discount!
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Link in my bio…
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#thewayswewitch #witchlife #animism
Packing up these delicious welcome packages today as I welcome a new group into the Sacred Path Apprenticeship.
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The phenology wheel books you see here were a labour of love I created a few years ago now as a part of how we deepen our connection to the land, and the unseen.
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It’s just one part of many that make up the 13 month initiatory journey that is the sacred path…
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The doors will open again in the fall and from that point on I will only be opening up the doors once a year…
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This will allow folks time to sit with if it’s a good fit and for me to work on some other things I have been planning and dreaming of offering.
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Have a beautiful day everyone!
Nikiah
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#ancestral #phenology #animism #shamanichealing #spiritworker #priestesspath
In a world that often overlooks the importance of initiation, many of us find ourselves feeling lost and disconnected from our true selves. But what if we could remember and honor our own initiatory processes?
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As an animist teacher following the pathways of my ancestors, I invite you to join me on The Sacred Path. Through deep connection with the forest, your guide, your ancestors, and yourself, we will journey to reawaken the mythic soul within. 🌳🔥🌕
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Consider for a moment the impact on your life if you had experienced your initiations as important rites of passage. How would it have changed or shifted your view of the world, yourself, your gifts, and your purpose? And know this, my friends, it is never too late to claim those initiations for yourself.🌟✨
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The doors are closing soon so DM me to learn more about the Sacred Path Apprenticeship and how you can join. 🙏💚
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#animism #spiritualitytraining #ceremony #ancestralwisdom #connection #spiritworker
This is the longest piece I have woven on my saori loom to date and it’s taken me a few months, but I have loved the process, especially not knowing what the final piece would look like and just trusting the process…
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Next up-sewing it! This is the scary part because it will require cutting etc…
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Also happy New Moon folks!! 🌀⭕️🌀
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#saori #weavingloom #newmoon
A little introduction:
My name is Nikiah {pronounced Nik-Eye-Ah}, and I am a fourth-generation settler currently living on the unceded lands of the Lenape, Munsee, and Mohican First Peoples.
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My ancestors came to Canada via Romania, Scotland, Ireland, and England. The exploration of my ancestry has, and continues to, deeply influence my work and own healing.🌲🌳
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For over two decades, I have been creating ceremonies for the birth, death, and re-birth cycles that we as humans experience. I am a traditional animist Spirit worker/Healer, initiated into northern European animist tradition and guided by many teachers over the years.🐻
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I have raised two children with my partner of 25 years and am now focusing more on my community, both global and immediate.
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The Red Moon Mystery School is where we explore the deep wisdom of our ancestors, the natural world, and our place within it. 🌎
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Whether you are looking to deepen your spiritual practice, connect with your ancestors, or explore the unseen realms, I offer mentorship and leadership programs, sacred weavings and altar items, and initiation paths to support you on your journey.
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Join me as we reconnect with the sacredness of life, and honour the beauty and diversity of a spirit-led life.
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The doors are open now!
Pop me a message if you would like a direct li k. ❤️
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#Animism #Spirituality #Ceremonialist #Healing #AncestralWisdom #Community #Connection #spiritworker
The idea that we all have a wellspring of wisdom within us is a core belief that I carry in my own life and the work I put out into the world. I believe that by connecting with our ancestors, practicing animism, and working in the liminal spaces between, we can tap into a deep source of knowledge and understanding. Whether it’s through meditation, ritual, or simply spending time in nature, there are so many ways to access this inner wisdom and bring it into our daily lives.
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What happens when we take a moment to honour our ancestors, connect with the natural world around us, and embrace the magic of the liminal spaces? For me, there is ease and magic and a sense of feeling held.
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I’m curious to know what happens for you?
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And if you are new to exploring what it means to be in connection with your ancestors, with the land and the spaces in between, is this something that piques your interest and curiosity? 🌿✨🌙
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#AncestralConnection #Animism #LiminalSpaces #WisdomWithin
#Spirituality #Meditationn #Ritual #Nature #Magic #Inspiration
The doors to the Sacred Path Apprenticeship are open now, and close on April 25th.
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The Sacred Path Apprenticeship is an initiatory certification program designed for spiritual seekers, empathic coaches, visionaries, creative leaders and anyone longing to reclaim their own spiritual path by discovering a way of being that is unique to their own life and inner self.
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Learning how to journey is a big part of the Sacred Path apprenticeship, and over the course of 13 months together you will be invited to journey into a sacred grove of trees to meet the spirit of each tree in the grove and receive wisdom as it pertains to your life.
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Before this though, you will be invited to discover your own unique way of journeying, how to do it safely and you will meet an animal ally to accompany you on your journeys.
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This is what makes the sacred path different, perhaps form other courses out there, as journeying to communicate with a helping and loving ancestor, as well as a sacred animal ally over time become fundamental to our spiritual practices and experience with the seen and unseen world around us.
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Over the next few days I will be sharing more about what you will find inside the doors to the sacred Path, but if at any time you have any questions I am always happy to answer them, just pop me a DM and we can go from there.
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#sacredpath #ancestralhealing #walkyourownpath #intuitiondevelopment #redmoonmysteryschool
Images by @_infinitebody_
The doors to the Sacred Path are open. We begin May1st.
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Will you enter?
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The Sacred Path Apprenticeship is an initiatory certification program designed for spiritual seekers, empathic coaches, visionaries, creative leaders and anyone longing to reclaim their own spiritual path by discovering a way of being that is unique to their own life and inner self.
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On this path you are invited to journey into the unseen realms by first finding your own way of accessing and then trusting your own sacred gifts.
In this way you will walk the ancient pathways of the archetypal goddesses, and your ancestors.
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There are nine initiations we work within:
~ Journeying into the unseen realms
~ Archetypal and shadow work
~ Journeying into the forest & developing a sacred relationship to trees
~ Meeting the goddess cross-culturally
~ Creating a sacred archetypal bundle
~ Beginning an animist practice by working with the land spirits
~ Meeting a healing ancestor and beginning to create an ancestral spiritual practise
~ Working with the seasons and cycles of our bodies and the world around us.
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#spiritcommunication #animist #mysteryschool #everythingisalive #everythingisenergy #iching #journeywork #archetypes #dreaminterpretation #precognition #kitchenwitch #ancestorveneration #animism
The Doors to the Sacred Path Apprenticeship open today!
AND
I am going to be giving a talk at 1:00 EST to talk about it all.
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If you have been feeling called but would like to know a little more, or perhaps reading through everything on my site feels a little overwhelming, I will be sharing a ton of information about it all, and showing the wonderful contents of the welcome package that every student gets too :]
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If you can't make it though, not to worry, as I will also make sure to post the video on my wall here so you can watch anytime.
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If you have any questions you would like me to go over leave me a message here or pop me a DM and I will make sure to cover it.
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See you later today!
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Nikiah
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#sacredpath #mysteryschool #animism #ancestralhealing #spellwork #witches #priestesspath
I am excited to be opening up the doors to the Sacred Path Apprenticeship this Monday!
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If you have any questions pop me an email I would love to hear from yku!
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Have a great long weekend folks, and enjoy all that chocolate!!
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#mysteryschool #sacredpath #shamanic
I am so excited to be opening up the doors once again for The Sacred Path Apprenticeship.
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The Sacred Path Apprenticeship is an initiatory certification program designed for spiritual seekers, empathic coaches, visionaries, creative leaders and anyone longing to reclaim their own spiritual path by discovering a way of being that is unique to their own life and inner self.
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This course is also for folks wanting to sink into an intuitive way of deepening their own spirituality by following their own pace without the need for attending circles or zoom calls.
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Doors open up for folks on the waitlist on April 10th, so if you are curious or perhaps interested pop me a message below or send me a DM and I will send you a direct link to learn more.
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Lots of love
Nikiah
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#sacredpath #priestesspath #sacredcalling #intuitive #spiritcommunication #spiritjourney #shamanic #ancestors #mysteryschool
Looking back in my recent trip to Morocco today and seeing alll of the blue door photos I took I thought it might be fun to share a little reel of them.
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Morocco was the most magical place I have ever visited and we are already plotting out trip back.
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It was also so fun to bring back some of the magical things that were in my most recent giveaway, and I am happy to@say that I have a few more tucked up my sleeve for the next one.
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For folks new to my account I love to give things away as much as I love creating and sharing my work so I am often found doing them every few months or so.
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The other thing that I loved learning about was the textiles and about the Majorellle blue that is found everywhere but most in doors.
It is used as an evil eye for protection of sorts and I even brought some back with me in the form of Indigo which I will be sharing more about soon.
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In the meantime enjoy this collection of beauty…
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Big love
Nikiah -
#morocco #doors #majorelleblue #majorellegarden #sacredportals
The one thing we often do not talk about is all of the little things that go into the creation of intentional pieces.
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Like with these elemental shawls you see me folding here.
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There are many small steps that need to happen before they are ready to find their new homes…
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Things like tying the tassels just so at the bottom of the weaving after its finished, wet washing the pieces so the fibers bind together and make the fabric stronger.
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Then, there is the time spent describing all of the beautiful yarns that I have chosen for each piece with intention, as I like to create a palette of colors before I begin each piece, kind of like painting…
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Because each piece is created with an intention or a theme i like to really work with that aspect as I work on the piece, such as when I was weaving the fire elemental shawl you see here I had lots of candle lit around me, and my water fountain was sending out the most wonderful watery trickling sounds as I wove the water shawl, and well you get the idea….
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Then there are photos to be taken so the uniqueness of each creation can be seen and finally they are all folded up ready for their new homes to find them….
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These elemental pieces were such a joy to make and are now ready to find their new homes….
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#intentionalweaving #intentions #sacredweaving #ancestralweaving #fire #earthgallery #air #water
Wow, thank you so much for your honesty and your willingness to share your process and journey publicly. I’ve watched exactly what you’ve written about – the commodification of Spirit, the marketing of personal relationships w Spirit, etc over the years on social media. My response ranges from fury to sadness to confusion and disgust.
BRAVA for settling into your stillness. I’m certain a grand renewal awaits you.
Thank you for also sharing your experience of what seems to be the more modern day “phenomena” of selling spirituality….
Its a strange place to reside, I must admit. On good days I feel like I am making a real difference, and on harder ones I wonder what the hell I am doing and if there is a better, different way to come at this work.
For now though, I am sitting with it all and feeling a deep tug to go back to, in person, circle rich, private teachings.