Well hello there Hive, I suppose it's time I introduced myself...
I'm one of those awkward people who doesn't really like being asked who I am, or to introduce myself, because where do you start with that kind of question?
My mind tends to go blank, and unless I'm at a business networking event with a pre-rehearsed elevator-pitch type intro at the forefront of my mind, I tend to go blank and feel a bit like the archetypal deer in the headlights.
Do I start by saying that I'm a spiritual being having a human experience? Does the person asking me want to know what weird and wonderful things I get up to in my spare time or what I do for a living? Am I the only one that struggles with these questions? And what's for dinner?
Many thoughts swim around my head as I try to curate the most appropriate aspects of myself for the company I find myself faced with, while I wrestle to find some words so I don't appear as panicky as I feel, or worse, come across as rude!
As I have the luxury of writing my response, I suppose I'll start at the beginning. Wait...the beginning of time? No, I suppose the beginning of this lifetime will have to do.
I'm a spiritual being having a human experience as an English lady from Dorset. I speak fluent French having lived there as a teenager (I also swear fluently which is always fun) and after a little moving around, I now reside in the New Forest, close to the Hampshire-Dorset border.
I love cats, nature, I work as a holistic therapist, spiritual healer and psychic medium, and this is the part where you begin to understand my hesitancy to answer the "who are you and where do you come from" Cilla Black-type intro question.
I grow fruits, vegetables and herbs, and I love gardening - it's the therapy I never knew I needed, and helps me deal with any stress in my life. Getting your hands in the soil is grounding on every level don't you think? I use my herbs for natural wellbeing and magical uses too, in case you were wondering. I'm also an amateur forager.
I have an elderly but feisty tabby cat who is 17 going on totalitarian dictator, and she has ruled my life for the past 10 years! I love her dearly, but sadly I know she can't last forever.
I recently started learning Chi Kung, and whilst I'd like to say that I'm enjoying it, the truth is that it's actually quite a challenging practise and the side effects that you encounter at the beginning don't make it feel like fun! I'm assured by my guide book that numbness, aching and heat in the body are all normal when you begin this practise, so I will power on through despite the discomfort and occasional emotional releases it causes me to have.
I recently discovered Cornwall, which might sound odd given that I've only lived 2 counties away in Dorset for most of my life, but you don't always visit what is close to you, do you? I thought I knew what it would be like, but I was very wrong! It's a magical place of spiritual discovery that I will be visiting more in the years to come, and who knows I may end up living there myself one day.
But for now, I'll sign off and let my posts do the talking.
Wishing you much love, joy and happy Hiving!
Helen