By Elizabeth Greatrex
The beginning of 2020 in the United Kingdom has already been met with much worry and distress by the average Brit. Brexit has just been secured, the fear of the dreaded Coronavirus is causing absolute mayhem and bullying and trolling on social media is still very much a prevalent problem. Yet amongst all of the worry and stress of day-to-day life that we feel from other people and as a whole nation, we often forget that all of us are, and have always been, on our own individual path. I feel that more now than ever, it is a crucial time to recognise this.
Meeting with trained Shamanic Homeopath and Astrologer Ann-Louise Holland, I was reminded of my own path through having a reading done. This was a refreshing, revealing experience which completely rejuvenated me. Ann-Louise helped me to understand that I have a certain power and potential within that I have yet to tap into, which will be of service to me as I make my way through life.
Overall, through meeting Ann-Louise, I was reminded of the bigger picture and the ways in which we can all take better care of ourselves. I walked away refreshed by the notion of really listening to the signs we are given, the importance of centring ourselves, and becoming completely present in our own unique journey through life.
Elizabeth Greatrex: Three pointers for healing yourself?
Ann-Louise Holland: One, definitely meditation. Get over the idea that you have to clear your mind during meditation. Swimming is meditation, yoga is meditation, running is meditation. Meditation is key. I think Deepak and Oprah have a really good 21-day meditation experience; they release one every quarter for free. It’s incredibly powerful because everyone is doing the same meditation. That’s a really good starter meditation to do. I personally like to meditate in the morning with headphones on in bed. Crystals really enhance meditation, so I lie in bed with my crystals while I’m doing it.
Two, more than anything, be a bit more conscious about food. Try and eat as many greens as possible. Green juice, green food. Just go green.
Three, be observant of the first thing and the last thing that you put in your stomach every day. Either apple cider or a quarter of a lemon squeezed into hot water. It’s the most amazing thing for your digestion and your liver, incredibly powerful; but with the lemon drink, you must brush your teeth beforehand, as it will take the enamel off your teeth otherwise.
EG: What kind of vitamins should we be having on a daily basis?
ALH: My go-to is Vitamin C. At the moment I take the Pucca Herbs Vitamin C. In the winter I take Vitamin D3 with K2. Because Vitamin D on its own hardens the arteries. I take red clover, sage, apple cider vinegar in the morning and evening. I’m really into my matcha tea too. In the modern world, most people have such an acidic diet. But if we swapped to an alkaline diet, then we could accept more nutrition. Vitamins come in the form of greens. We’ve really got to drink and eat our greens. I know that we have this whole ‘5 a day’ thing, but I think it should be more like 10 a day. I think if you have stomach problems, drinking apple cider vinegar and green tea can really help your digestion and help your body to absorb the nutrients and vitamins in the food you’re already eating anyway.
EG: What is your opinion on alcohol?
ALH: Although it is a big part of socialising for many people, it’s very damaging. Drugs and alcohol tangle up your soul imprint. It feels great at the time, amazing. But you are completely opening yourself up to beyond the veil. There is what we call astral blending, that through the process of getting really out of it, you shoot your astral out and it blends with everyone else’s. That’s why it feels so convivial and exciting to be around others, but actually, you’ve got to pull yourself back in; except you don’t, you pull somebody else back in and it’s a big old mash up. In a social situation, if you do it too much, it’s a mixing up of energies that you don’t necessarily know how to put back together.
EG: What is one of the first things you do in the morning?
ALH: I like to get up and go around the corner to get a celery juice. I feel like it makes my digestion work so much better. People say that my skin looks better. People get some amazing benefits from it.
EG: How important do you think animals are to us?
ALH: We have an ego and they have a brute ego. They are not as individualised as we are, and they don’t have that self-expression and the ability to evolve like we do. We start as a helpless child and evolve from the events that take place through our lives. Whereas an animal is born with its imprint of what it’s going to be and do. Not in a subservient way, but they are there to help us. They have spirits, and if you tap into that it can be a very powerful thing. I think living with my cat and realising the soul in animals made me go vegan. They are here to help us not for us to treat appallingly.
EG: As a vegan, how different do you feel when you stop eating meat? Why would you recommend becoming one?
ALH: You feel cleaner when you stop eating meat. When you eat something like a Big Mac, you are eating somebody else’s slavery, somebody else’s pain. I’m totally and utterly against factory farming, and the horror of that. When you have a good vegan meal, you feel different. Fresher, cleaner. Then when you eat meat after that, it’s just not as energising.
EG: Do you think that every person has a plan set out for them that the universe controls or do we decide our own destiny?
ALH: I think there is destiny. But you can change your destiny. Once you become aware of the subconscious that is running that show, (and this is where shamanic principles come in), you can change that. Yes, I think destiny can be created. We are all on an evolution of our consciousness and becoming more aware of how we can manifest and create our own lives.
EG: How important is it to love ourselves?
ALH: Like the saying goes, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first before your help with someone else’s. You have to look after yourself because you’re hopeless to anyone else otherwise. It does take work to love yourself. I think when you’re a beautiful looking person, and people respond to you on a very superficial level and you get that appreciation, that is then what tends to hold value. And it’s often very difficult to get people to see what’s inside. This society really is very judgemental, a lot of people believe that perception is reality. Therefore, many people will always feel the need to wear make-up and look their best when stepping out the door. But you can’t just rely on that public face, there has to be something behind it, you have to learn be secure within yourself, and happy within yourself. That’s what is really important.
EG: How can we make more positive things happen for ourselves?
ALH: To make the subconscious, conscious. When you imagine events, the brain doesn’t know whether they’re real or if they haven’t happened. So, when you start worrying about the worst happening it’s kind of putting that out into the future, it becomes an energy field, it starts to manifest. Instead of thinking what the worst outcome to be, you’ve got to think, what’s the best possible outcome? It could be outrageously good! If you go for the stars you might meet the moon along the way.
