Childhood trauma set Georgina on the path of energy worker, herbalist and shaman; but it is joy, wisdom, and a shamanic connection to past, present and future, that has kept her on it. Originally the UK, but now based in New Zealand, Georgina has helped people across the globe transform their lives through deepening their connection to Nature and the cosmos via guidance, products and energy work. Much of her work has focussed on helping people navigate the tough stuff: grief, end of life and our own sense of vulnerability. By combining plants, planets, people and the medicine wheel, Georgina opens doors into the Archeus, the vital force that connects us with nature and the universe. On Monday, June 22nd, Georgina will be teaching A Renaissance Guide to Navigating the New Normal. In it, you’ll step back five hundred years, to another era of pandemic, to gain insights into the thinking of two great Renaissance minds, Marsilio Ficino and the alchemist, physician and philosopher Paracelsus, to contemplate how you can apply their philosophy to today’s world. Sign up here!
Have you always felt a connection to plants? When did you first start working with plants as a tool for empowerment and transformation?
My connection with plants started in my childhood after experiencing a traumatic incident amid the rural beauty of the Cotswolds in England. I could feel how they could help me deal with what had happened. But of course if you say that to anyone they think you’re ‘just a kid with an overactive imagination’, so I found it easier to keep this knowledge to myself until I got to an age at which I didn’t worry what people thought anymore! That childhood event was a shamanic wound, a gift that opened a door to deep knowledge. Over the years I’ve worked with people with all sorts of issues: broken hearts, illness, autism, demanding jobs, life crises, various life transitions including end of life – seeing how things shift for them when they ‘get’ how healing connection to nature can be and how rich the wisdom of ancients is, remains extraordinary.
Archeus, your wellness company, references the medicine wheel. Can you tell us a bit about the medicine wheel and how products are inspired by it?
The Medicine Wheel is a healing concept that has been used by many cultures across millennia. It’s a way of placing us in relationship with the natural world around us. The more we work with the wheel, the more nuanced it becomes. It helps us work with forces of day, night, earth, sky, season, sun, planets, plants – as above, so below. It helps us step outside of time and inside our interior worlds, enabling us to find inspiration, support and peace within by deepening connections to the worlds around us.
I love working with the medicine wheel with clients because it’s not a static entity. It is constantly spinning, turning, changing. Just like we do. One day you may feel you need to enter the wheel from the West, facing the rising sun, another day you may need the insight of the south, or the history keepers of the north. By listening to your heart, you will know what you need.
What one herb would you recommend to someone who is suffering from anxiety?
Anxiety is a common issue in today’s world, but it manifests differently for each individual and their circumstance, and as great healers of the renaissance would say, their own unique relationship with cosmos (I’ll be talking about that more in my session!). So, I don’t like to say, ‘this is the one plant for anxiety’. However, as an example if the person was a woman in her late 40’s or 50s and experiencing perimenopause or menopause I would be looking to see if Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) may help her; whereas if it was a teenage boy who was anxious about being bullied, I’d be thinking about the tree essences that could support him and help him find is own inner strength. Ideally, choices are made via deep observation.
What advice would you give to someone who lives in an urban area, but is looking to connect with nature?
I really relate to this question! I lived in London, England for years and at times I felt so disconnected from Nature – but then I simply started to pay deep attention to the nature around me, a city park, a neighbour’s garden, a feather on the ground, a plant growing through a crack in a wall. By doing this one can create a quantum connection with Nature and develop ways find solace in it. It’s amazing what a plucky little ‘weed’ in a crack in the footpath can teach you about resilience. It’s also very healing to not feel so alone anymore.
Any tips on beginning a wellness/product company? Words of wisdom for someone beginning their own entrepreneurial journey?
We are in an extraordinary time right now, so if you believe you have a gift you can share to help make this world a better place, then share it. Be part of the change we want to see in this world. My other tip is – if you are making natural products, really take time to understand your supply chain and its impacts on the ecosystem. Sadly, natural doesn’t always mean good for the environment. If people want to know more about this, I’ve created an online course called Beauty Business Nature that helps people embarking on this journey.
Thanks, Georgina! You can sign up for her class here!
