The Clan Mother Speaks: An Alchemist’s Life Journey
Patriarchal Lines Run Deep
The patriarchal theme of the Alchemist runs deep in my life. Programmed to believe my father’s narrative about high achieving and a good education, I obediently did my very best. Despite my soul longing for a career in music, I ended up with a degree in structural engineering and found myself “mindlessly building soul-less structures” (as the Alchemist shares of her shadow in her Pathway), designing tall buildings as monuments to the patriarchy out of concrete and steel.
My wild feminine nature rebelled, “No longer will I toil thus!” So I left Australia for 13 years to explore the world and life, during which I lived in India, learning the alchemies of Yoga and Meditation and ran a jewellery business designing alchemical symbols in silver and semi-precious stones.
However, having been brought up in such a controlled and sheltered environment, I was quite naive. Very quickly I fell into the “Devil’s” trap of so-called love, going through the initiation of motherhood, believing in his dogma of ‘no boundaries’ and losing myself along the way. I knew that place of despair, victimhood and powerlessness but the choice to leave was too hard. I couldn’t leave with my son, for fear that I would be pursued and my fingers or hands cut off (being a musician, this was a potent threat, reminiscent of the Alchemist’s fairytale) and to leave without him, was simply not an option.
So I stayed for 13 long years (that magical number again) and suffered and endured, until my time was done and the cage door opened.
The Alchemical Transformation
I stepped forth, not as a broken woman, but as a transformed one. Alchemy had happened and I discovered deep gratitude for my life and that nothing ruffled my feathers. In summoning the courage to leave, I had reclaimed my animus and taken responsibility for the direction my soul was guiding me towards.
Since then, I have worked as a musician and sound healer, making energy chimes and running workshops with the intention of clearing stuck energy and raising the vibration of human consciousness.
In 2019, the long-awaited dream of creating a Sacred Octagonal Space finally came to fruition; a cedar yurt, built by my son, my partner and myself. How surprised and blessed I felt when I discovered that Cedar was the Alchemist’s Plant Ally, yet another confirmation that I am living my Soul Song and “reclaiming the authority to wield magick on the earthly plane” (the Alchemist’s reclamation).
And again, in the words of the Alchemist, I love “to make the imagined real” through my creativity.
“I am the alchemical container in which the dross has been burnt away through the fire of life’s experiences. Never again will I forget the most important thing in life; the Oneness with Spirit, Gaia and all Life”.