Do you ever feel afraid of visibility, public speaking, or being seen in your gifts as a spiritual healer?
Have you ever hid your practices of communing with the moon and the land, or avoided sharing your true self, interests and desires from friends and community?
Have you ever felt worried of putting yourself or someone you love in danger by simply letting people become too close to you?
These are some of the most common signs of having the “witch wound.”
These fears can be irrational and all-encompassing, especially when it comes to sharing our unique gifts. It might come up when it’s time to share about a new business, or make a post on social media (especially if you identify as a seer, a visionary, a healer, or a priestess).
A big part of my path of becoming a healer was through healing my own fears of visibility and sharing my voice.
This played out in my younger years as a fear of public speaking. I struggled introducing myself in a classroom or circle, let alone giving presentations in class. My heart would beat so fast, my voice would shake, and I would always feel like something terrible was about to happen, without understanding why I was feeling this way. There was always a feeling that somehow deep in my subconscious I was terrified of being attacked.
That’s because for those of us who have experienced this wound, somewhere in our soul history we learned, it’s safer to stay silent.
It all started to make more sense to me when I learned that women in ancient times that were considered “witches” were burned at the stake.
They called them “witches” but really they were the medicine women, the priestesses, the midwives, the oracles, the herbalists, the powerful, connected ones, the women who worked with the elements of the Earth and the cycles of the moon.
They were the ones who understood the power of ritual and felt in tune with the land and the animals. Their practices were seen as threatening, especially when they would come together with other women.
As I uncovered more history of what happened to these women, especially in the rise of the Catholic Church, I had a feeling that I may have been one of them.
Why were these women persecuted?
Much of the persecution in ancient times was done by the Catholic Church, and the men in control. They were hungry for power and were threatened by these women’s direct connection to God/Source. The Church wanted to maintain their power, as the sole source of connection to God, so created a movement to persecute and kill as many of these women they could find.
However, most of us don’t remember what happened in these lifetimes, so how do we go about healing this ancient wound?
Heal in Sisterhood
When women come together to see and support one another without judgment, a sacred healing space is created. I can remember a few of my first women’s circles where when it was my turn to speak, I could feel my usual heart beating fast and desire to escape, but I was able to sit with it, and explore it. I felt safe enough to close my eyes and breathe through the sensations. I was able to be honest about what I was feeling. I would see the loving eyes of the other women around me, those who understood. Soon, the sensations would dissipate and I would be able to find my voice again.
Tap into the Subconscious
There are many ways to tap into the subconscious, a deeper inner knowing that may reveal more information to you on why you’ve been experiencing fear on such a visceral level. Past life regression, breath work, guided meditations, drum journeys, and the past life healing work I guide clients in are all ways to tap into the subconscious to reveal more information that may guide you to what you need to heal.
Identify Core Beliefs
Once we are able to access the underlying subconscious reasons for our fears, we can identify what core beliefs we formed about ourselves or the world in our moments of difficulty or trauma. Often women with the “witch wound” made an unconscious agreement never to share their voices again, to put themselves or others in danger. They simply learned the world is not safe, or it’s not safe to share or be visible. When we identify and uncover these beliefs, we can bring in more support and healing to change the subconscious imprints and soul agreements we weren’t aware that we had.
Heal the Memories that Surface
Once the subconscious has been accessed and the core beliefs have been revealed, we can begin to heal the memory. I personally use EFT Tapping to somatically release the pain and trauma, validate the feelings we felt in our past lives, and free ourselves of limiting core beliefs.
We may tell ourselves, “You’re right, it wasn’t safe then, and this was horrible, but it doesn’t mean it will never be safe in the future.” You can begin to show your past self how much the world has changed, how safe they are, what opportunities will be available to them, etc. We can also begin to bring in people or resources to these memories to create a new story and picture. We can also welcome in the higher support of guides and angels to aide in the healing process of these wounds.
Practice Sharing in Safe Spaces
When you’ve begun to uncover and heal these memories, core beliefs and stories from the past, it’s time to start sharing in the world to affirm your new beliefs. It may still feel a little scary and unfamiliar at first, but if you feel a little bit of excitement with your nervousness, you’ll know it’s time.
Perhaps you attend more women’s circles to practice sharing in a group, attend a retreat, or maybe you would even consider joining a public speaking group like toastmasters. Whatever it is, see if you can find a space where you feel safe (maybe it’s just with one or two people in the beginning) to share your gifts and your voice. Once you begin to feel some positive feedback and encouragement around sharing your voice, it will be so much easier to be seen and share in front of more and more people.
It’s been amazing to see how far I’ve been able to come - from hiding in the back of the classroom, to leading international retreats, hosting a successful podcast, writing a book and giving talks and workshops to help others.
Remember, We Are Here to Serve
It’s so important to ask ourselves, what’s actually bigger than my fear? Very often women who identify with the witch wound also have a deep desire to give back and be of service to others. We have healing abilities and gifts for a reason, and people need them. It is safe now to find our voices, and to become a beacon of light so others can find us.
I can only imagine what may happen in our world as more women uncover and heal these wounds and begin sharing their voice and gifts. We will create a deeply healing ripple effect across all of humanity, raising and elevating consciousness across the planet.
