A Formative Apprenticeship: A Journey of Soul Tending

The Call to Holistic Healing

This reflection speaks to one formative chapter of my relationship with the plants and the land. It is not the whole of my path, but a meaningful doorway — one that continues to inform how I listen, practice, and serve.

For years, I felt a quiet disconnection from myself, from the earth, and from the sacred rhythm of life. Though I was immersed in my studies and daily routines, a subtle ache lingered—a sense that something vital was missing. I knew there was more to life than the surface, a deeper calling that beckoned me to remember my true nature as a daughter of the earth and a steward of her sacred medicines.

This longing led me on a profound journey—one that would ultimately awaken my soul and open my heart to the sacred wisdom of the plants. It was a path filled with moments of revelation, deep ceremony, and the gentle, transformative power of working with the green elders. I discovered that true healing happens when we slow down, listen deeply, and honor the sacred dialogue that exists between ourselves and the natural world.

The Past Life’s Whisper That Opened My Sacred Path

Eleven years ago, I was pursuing my master’s degree in transpersonal psychology at Atlantic University. During a course called Integrated Imagery, I experienced a powerful past life regression that shifted everything. I found myself in a snowy landscape, feeling the heaviness of my clothing and the sting of cold air on my skin. I followed a woman into the woods, to a humble hut where herbs hung drying. I saw myself sitting in a circle with women in springtime, feeling the cool grass beneath me.

But then, the imagery shifted. I ran through the woods, chased by horses, and then faced the darkness of being threatened and branded a witch—a trauma etched into my soul. For days, these images flickered like shadows across my mind—haunting, uninvited, and relentless.

I reached out to a woman I had done some spiritual work with who introduced me to the concept of the "ring-pass-not"—a boundary of the soul that can only be crossed as one advances in consciousness. With her guidance, I revisited that moment and, at the moment of death, released what was holding me captive. In that sacred act of setting my soul free, I experienced an expansive awakening—an opening of the heart and a remembering that I am more than that past trauma. I am woven into the sacred stories of the earth, a daughter of the green elders, connected across lifetimes.

A Voice From Within: Following the Call to Sacred Work

Leading up to that profound experience, I kept noticing herbal apprenticeships, feeling a flutter of excitement each time. Yet, doubt whispered in my mind. I’ve always had a deeply connected relationship with Mother Earth—she has been my healer, my protector, my unseen guide. I longed for a shamanic apprenticeship, a sacred ceremony of becoming, to deepen my communion with the unseen and live in harmony with all beings.

Then, one morning, a clear voice echoed within me: “Go to the computer and type in Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship.” Without hesitation, I obeyed. The first website I saw was The Gaia School. It shimmered and beckoned me. As I read the description, tears streamed down my face—an undeniable heart pull that told me I was exactly on the right sacred path.

Despite the distance from Virginia to Vermont, my partner Adam supported me wholeheartedly. He simply said, “Let’s do it. I’ll help you get there, and by the end of these nine months, you’ll be able to make the journey on your own.” I signed up a month before the program began, stepping onto this sacred path with trust and surrender.

A Formative Apprenticeship: A Journey of Soul Tending

Walking into my teacher’s yurt for the first time, I was met with earthy scents and a sacred altar at the center—a space where magic and healing unfolded. Sitting in circle, I recognized many familiar souls—some from my past life regression, others from the echoes of my own soul’s remembrance. As I sipped Linden tea, a wave of remembering washed over me—I was exactly where I was meant to be.

That spiritual herbalism apprenticeship became my sanctuary for soul tending—a sacred apprenticeship woven with herbalism, ceremony, and communion with the plant spirits. I learned to listen, honor the cycles of nature, and co-create with the green elders. It was a sacred work of reverence, ritual, and love—an ongoing dialogue between humans and the living earth.

From Personal Healing to Heart Centered Herbals

Over the years since that transformative experience, I have been blessed to continue this sacred work. Heart Centered Herbals was born and is now coming up on its tenth year of business. Now, approaching my sixth year of offering my spiritual herbalism apprenticeship through Heart Centered Herbals, I have witnessed profound shifts not just within myself, but within the students who walk this path with me. This work is about more than herbs; it’s about awakening the divine within, cultivating compassion, and engaging with the unseen and inner worlds.

Sacred plant medicines focus on addressing imbalances not only in the physical body but also within the spirit, helping us explore the root causes buried deep in the unconscious and fostering compassion. These practices highlight the importance of engaging with the unseen and our inner worlds, offering a deeper understanding of ourselves and a stronger, more sacred connection to the cosmos and the essence of life.

Recognizing and receiving signs from the higher self is a vital part of this sacred journey—guidance and insights that lead us toward growth, awakening, and divine purpose. Through nature’s wisdom, we access the sacred within and around us, opening pathways to healing, understanding, and divine communion.

This is one story of remembrance — one way the land and the plants found me, taught me, and asked me to listen more carefully. The work I offer today continues to grow from many such chapters, shaped by years of practice, study, devotion, and relationship. I share this not as a destination, but as a reflection — a living thread in an ongoing conversation with the Earth.

May it meet you where you are, and may your own listening unfold in the way that is right for you.

Then sign simply:

With gratitude,Kristin Jewell