Sam

I am a British Animist, Seer, dancer, Qi Gong practitioner, teacher and Co-founder of Pretani Wisdom Traditions. I have been walking an animistic path for almost my entire life, after having what I now recognise as an ‘awakening’ experience at seven years old. Since then, I have been aware of the reality of the spiritual dimensions and the sentience of the land itself and have spent the last 30 years devoted to researching, remembering, and working to re-establish this ancient relationship with the other-than-human inhabitants of the British Isles.

 

I am of Scottish/Irish heritage, and I adhere to a strict British mystic and spiritual discipline. My work is supported by my studies with Sharon Paice MacLeod, Celtic Scholar from Harvard University, with whom I undertook one-to-one training in Celtic history and religion, and my 1st Class Honours degree in Celtic Studies with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. I then studied Ritual and Religion in Pre-History with Oxford University. I have had an article published in the December 2023 edition of Sacred Hoop magazine, and am about to publish my book: The Medicine of the Four Directions, Ancient Signpost ~ Modern Path. I have also recently worked part-time as a voluntary Collections Assistant at Wells and Mendip Museum.

 

This devotion to study and research ensures that the information I impart in my workshops is as accurate as possible, and contains no romantic projections or misinformation, which is vitally important for those seeking a genuine connection to our indigenous spirituality. I also hold certificates in counselling and have extensive experience in mental health support, with particular focus on trauma recovery; including working for the Amy Winehouse Foundation in London, offering spiritual counselling and healing to young women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

 

I gained the qualification of Shamanic Practitioner with Derek Gane of The Healing Tree, Launceston UK in 2018, and although I no longer practice as a ‘shaman’, his wonderful course put me in touch with the Guides that would ultimately lead me further down my current path.

 

I am now almost entirely Spirit-taught, but I have attended retreats, in Colombia and the UK, led by Colombian Tabaquero, teacher and friend, Anthar Kharana. It is to Anthar that I owe such a depth of gratitude, as his indigenous teachings have taught me how to connect to, and work with, the powerful Spirits of my own land, the British Isles.

 

In 2019 I was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer, and although an unpleasant experience, it was one which accelerated my spiritual development in ways I could not have foreseen. It gave me the opportunity to put my work into practice in a very real way, and the eight months from diagnosis to end of treatment produced the most profound acts of self-healing, spiritual contact, omens, dreams, and manifestation I have ever had the privilege of experiencing.

 

In surrendering to the teaching of my Guides, I refused chemotherapy and hormone therapy as they guided me to do, telling me that I did not need this. Instead, I was guided to accept the hospital's offer of immunotherapy followed by surgery.

 

I worked on the self-healing my Guides indicated I needed, and I can’t say I wasn’t frightened, because I certainly was, but I kept being told to trust, so I surrendered to it. All came to pass as predicted, as I am cancer-free and healthier than ever. My cancer was a gift, another initiatory experience which changed my spiritual life forever.

 

Roger

I became interested in mysticism and spirituality in my late teens, mainly Yoga and Taoist practices. My first experience of Ashram life was with the late Swami Satyamurti Saraswati in the mid 1980s. It was around that time that I also became interested in the Taoist teachings of Master Mantak Chia through his books. It wasn’t until many years later that I was able to be taught by him in person during his regular visits to London. I last saw him last year when he came to teach at Glastonbury for a week.

 

I have also attended retreats with Sam at The Healing Tree Centre in Launceston, where I was very grateful to be introduced to Colombian Tabaquero, teacher, musician and now friend, Anthar Kharana. It was Anthar’s teachings, native to his lands, which was the catalyst that I needed in order to form a closer connection with our land here. He also introduced me to the art of smudging, which has formed the basis for the saining practices used in our workshops. I’ve studied with Anthar for a number of years, both here in the UK and in Colombia, and have been both a participant and a supporter at his retreats and ceremonies in the UK.

 

I have a Joint Honours degree in Psychology and Philosophy, together with Counselling and Mental Health qualifications. I’ve worked in mental health support for various organisations including Lochaber Hope and The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust. During the COVID pandemic I worked at Barts Hospital in London as part of the Triage Team.

 

I am the other Co-founder of Pretani Wisdom Traditions, and it is a pleasure to support Sam at her workshops, with saining duties and helping hold space for participants.