Friends, today I have a real treat for you. My dear friend, Heidi, has joined me for Muse Monday. Heidi Long is a Rose Priestess, Reiki practitioner, creative soul, and writer based in Canada and with ties to the UK like me. She has kindly shared a short story with us and answered a few questions about her creative process and inspirations. Let’s welcome Heidi! Please do checkout Heidi’s social media accounts linked at the end of this article and like, comment, and share this article to support her.
The Healer
by Heidi Long
The stone cottage at the far end of the lane gave off an aura of permanence. With its slightly sunken roof, and wild flowers waving in the late summer breeze, the cottage shifted its presence ever so slightly from the world it was anchored in, and the next. Beyond, the hedgerows lined the liminal space between the veils; an air of curiousity and beckoning in their shadowy borders. No one visited the little cottage unless there was need. It was not a social house, where one would stop by to say hello, or linger over a cup of tea in the garden. There was a subtle yet solid distinction of welcome, yet only in that need. This was not borne of conscious choice, rather of necessity. Over the years, the inhabitant found that allowing oneself to integrate into the community as one of the peoples, would result in not only heartbreak but ostracization. Wisdom settled in her bones, not yet old, but laden with understanding and knowledge beyond the people of the village. Mothers would occasionally approach with caution, knocking on the worn and solid door with shaking knuckles to beg of service. There was no need to plead: The inhabitant would have offered her services without question, for a small energetic exchange. There were few odd instances however, where her good nature fled in the rudeness of others, begat stories amongst the villagers, each more fanciful than the last. She became the Witch at the end of the lane, and so she bore the title with wan acceptance and a touch of sorrow. Her grandmother had taught her throughout her entire life the wisdom of the plants and herbs. By moonlight she’d harvest mugwort, bathing it in the moonlight for three days before putting it up in her stores. The wild flowers and seemingly weeds of her land all had a purpose, a gift for healing should one know the properties. She was always most comfortable there as a child, in the garden: Barefoot, and nibbling on a wild mint leaf, she would eagerly help her grandmother toil, especially as auge set in when she aged. On a summer's day such as this, she would stand in the middle of her herbs and flowers, and close her eyes to soak up the sunshine, as though she was a flower herself. Casting her senses wide, she felt the gentle petals of the rose, both the pretty cultivated garden variety, and the erratic, tumbled vines of the wild roses on her borders. Their fragrance instantly healed whatever was penetrating her mind, and she exhaled her discarded energies. The soft leaves of the lambs ears wrapped about her like a baby blanket, soothing her soul, and the sturdy tenacity of the burdock, its boundaries carefully maintained, held root in the back corner. She entwined her own roots alongside all her plants and felt into the connection. Here, she was far more at home than any time she ventured to the village. She did venture occasionally: A self-imposed discipline to integrate with the people and to gather other items for her pantry she had no time to glean herself. Her days were filled with harvesting, drying, blending, and storing of her herbs, even venturing beyond the hedgerows to forage for the wild medicines kissed by the fair folk. Woven in those daily tasks were the creation of healing tinctures and teas, the setting of salves, and the steady approach of the townsfolk who needed her latest cure. She was the Healer of the village, her dedication and knowledge bringing forth the necessary for others, with a deft hand and soothing voice that compelled them to release and relax, so they could get well. Her soft song infused each healing, each medicine, with her own life force energy, merged with those of her ancestors and of the cosmos itself. Everything she did for others was brought forth with integrity and a vast expanse of experience beyond one lifetime. There were no words to explain: She simply knew the frequencies of the Universe, and how they could integrate into what was needed for each supplication. The Healer showed compassion as she taught each woman that came to her, in simple forms, the magic of each medicine required. Oftentimes, her customers didn’t care to know- they just wanted to be better. Much later, the self-same woman brought forth all the wisdom she’d gathered from that lifetime and others, and tentatively stepped out as a Healer. A Witch. A Woman, gathering her inner strength like vast bouquets of those wild flowers, and venturing into the world finally able to be seen solely for who she was. A Soul, on a grand Journey, embracing that Remembrance.
Interview with Heidi Hoas Long
1. What words would you use to describe yourself as a creator?
I like to believe that my work is IGNITING, whether it’s my cadence of words on a page, or the layers of energetic intentions in my crafts. I love that the gift of it for others activates something within them, and establishes a deep connection through sensory visuals. Whether it’s a small musing on a Monday Morning post, or a channelled theme that has come through my work, my greatest hope is to AWAKEN a key component in others that helps set the tone for their day, and help them feel validated in what they may be experiencing. The energetic shift- if ignited- is a permanent one, elevating them to their highest self.
2. Does your creativity ebb and flow?
Absolutely. When I am inspired, my work is channelled with feverish enthusiasm, yet when I am not in that state it is almost better to not create. I’ve learned that when I am in that vibration of flow, I tap into the creative aspect and allow myself to fully birth my new passions. When I’m not feeling that inspired burst, I edit, or do ordinary supportive work. I draw within to integrate, taking a walk in nature, reading, napping, painting, cooking…. And then when I feel the surge of energy, I allow the expansion again.
3. What is one fairy tale or story that is part of your mythology?
I grew up reading all the classic fairy tales, and in my early teen years discovered David Eddings and Robert Jordan. The Belgariad series, and the Wheel of Time series, are so deeply ensconced in my bones and blood that I could never separate them. The Archetype of the Sorceress: Polgara in the Eddings novels, or one of the many Aes Sedai in Robert Jordan’s world, come through daily in my Intuitive Energy Healings, and flavour my own personal archetype. I recall the day that I wholly realized that all the magic in these childhood stories were in fact what my path was, removed the layer of fantasy and allowed me to step into my own magic.
4. Where do you find inspiration?
It is usually a small comment, or an aesthetic that ignites something within me, like a struck match. A phrase that I come across, and a matching photo, or perhaps a vision that comes through in meditation or my work will burn through me like a thread alight. Nature often inspires, so I always carry a journal with me to capture the spark of thought, or dictate to my phone. I know that if I don’t follow that inspiration instantly, it is lost, so I am always ready to capture the moment as it presents- wherever I am!!
5. When did you first know you are someone who needs to create?
I’ve always known. I wrote poetry as a child and won many awards. I drew posters and artwork, and won some of those competitions also. I was a figure skater and took great pleasure in creating music and choreography for on the ice. It set my soul on fire, whether I was endlessly recording in my livingroom from vinyl records, or drawing letters with calligraphy pens in my closed room. I wrote stories my whole life, and it has been a Soul Calling to have my work published!
6. If you could travel to any time in history when would you choose and why?
Wow, it’s fascinating how this question stumped me! Not because of when, but the multitude of timelines, and the corresponding shadow side of them that I was dismissive of. To craft a simple answer, I’d love to visit Bohemian Paris, in the early 1900’s: I find it endlessly intriguing to look up at the sash windows and imagine life as a wild and free spirit, writing of romance, and enjoying the joie de vivre to my capacity. I am always looking up at these old apartments in London and Paris and musing over a past life: Scattered parchment from my typewriter strewn on the floor, an open bottle of champagne on my table, the window thrown open to the night with the music of revelry below. The sheer experience of hope and joy and love speaks to my soul.
7. Does sense of place contribute to your creative journey?
My sense of place definitely contributes, and I often have to shift venues to write productively. My creativity diminishes if I am sensing that I’ve been trapped in my home for too long, and then I must sit on the beach and listen to the waves, or visit the downtown core to be uplifted and inspired. Travel influences me greatly and I feel tremendous pressure if I have not been able to embark on a pilgrimage somewhere to inspire.
8. What projects are you working on at the moment?
By the end of March, I will have my first draft of my book, Journey of the Wild Rose, ready for review and editing for submission. My awakening journey of opening to my magic and becoming a Rose Priestess follows alongside the growth of the wild rose, and is interwoven with activations and many stories. Storytelling is an integral way humanity has helped learn and heal, so it is my intention to offer up my Journey through word play and my Soul Calling to be an author up to others, to inspire them to follow their own inner compass.
9. What does your life look like ten years from now?
This is such a delicious question! I will be shifting identities drastically by then: My youngest of three children will be graduating school and I will become an empty nester! I will have a series of books under my belt and will be travelling to those soul places that I am called to, to receive activations and to help anchor the gridwork there. I find public speaking uplifting, so I’d love to be worldwide speaking on stage to assist others in following their soul’s purpose. My children and I are very close, so wherever they all are in the world- we are all travellers and seekers- we will meet up for our family time. I believe we have a core purpose that has yet to unfold as they grow. As much as I love travel, I am a homebody and would have a beautiful space of my own to sit and write, and garden: Whether here in Canada, in England, or Hawaii…another soul place… I would always be home.
Thank you, Heidi! It was lovely reading your story and learning more about your journey as a creator.
Bio:
Heidi Long is a writer and intuitive energy healer in White Lake, BC. The art of storytelling plays a big part in her Wild Rose Reiki business, and in her writing platforms and publishing. Her goal is to have her first novel published this year, laced with stories like The Healer, and containing activations and frequencies.
When she’s not writing, or working, Heidi can be found swimming in the lake or hiking the mountains with her three children, or perhaps daydreaming of travel abroad and new stories.
You can follow her on IG @wildrose_reiki - and her hedgehog @tibby_hedgie
Enjoyed the story, especially the parts about experience beyond one lifetime (reincarnation) and frequencies of the universe.