1) Please tell me what your work entails!

I am a healer, coach, mythic alchemist, energetic change catalyst.  Trained in healing, metaphysics, meditation, coaching, organisational change, shamanic practices and alchemy I often become a bridge for individuals and groups to step into their next evolutionary stage. I especially have trained and have an interest in feminine wisdom lineages that include intuitive, embodied, systemic, mythic holistic ways of engaging with ourselves and the world.   I work with individuals grappling with big changes in their life, (relationships, purpose, health, Spiritual awakening) , groups in sacred rituals and practices to connect to the cycles of sun, moon and earth and organisations looking at new ways of leading, how to increase the number of women at the top and how to create change. 

2) What lead you to your current profession?
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Since I was little spirituality had drawn me as a path of seeking truth, to really come to know what was at the heart of life.  I studied theology and philosophy, explored in depth the ideas of what is true, however this drew me ever more into knowing and experiencing for myself – the mystical path, which is what was and is, drawing me deeper into my profession.  My big leap from working in marketing was when I was living in China and I studied Reiki – it opened up a direct experience of my ability to heal, the energy of the universe flowing through my hands and I knew, we all have the capacity to be healers if we want to be, we can ‘know’ things in intuitive ways because we are connected to a universal tapestry of light that holds all this information…it was the aha moment that changed what I knew it was to be human. From then on in, I was deep in study of meditation, intuition, coaching, healing, metaphysics and when I returned to the UK a couple of years later, it became natural for me to start sharing intuitive approaches to living, how to get into synchronicity with life, how to heal ourselves and others. 

3) What did you expect to be doing as a profession?
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Great Question!  Actually I don’t think I ever had an expectation of a specific profession, but perhaps I did have a culturally derived understanding of what ‘proper work’ was, that involved sitting behind a desk, being highly efficient, logical and clever!  I think I had always managed to play the game at that, but then realised, hey – Life is so much more colourful, crazy, emotional, LOVE driven.  I want to dive into that, I want my work to dive into that and I want to work with people who want to know themselves deeply and tap into this magic of being who we truly can be…because then we reveal our true beauty and creativity and ‘profession’ becomes our art in the world, evolving all the time, creating through us. 

4) What made you keep going when things got tough or challenging? What motivated you to continue?

​My experience of challenge in my life has been to get me really focused, sensitive and aware – that both increases my sense of vulnerability, yet also increases my felt connection to a deeper source of love in my life.  When challenge arises, I get really quiet within because I hear the universe shouting through the din of everyday life.  I probably don’t understand what it is saying to me, or have a concept of what I am learning, other than: now is the time for me to get really coherent in myself,  to listen with great clarity to my intuition, to hold strong to my values and choose to be courageous.  I may not like the challenge, I may want to give up at every step, however I keep listening because I know that if I push on through with lack of sensitivity I will just replay old tapes of ‘have to try harder to be good enough’ or if I give up when something really matters I am enforcing a belief of being powerless which would prevent me creating my dreams. So I suppose I keep going because I keep listening, I keep an open dialogue with myself and the universe through my intuition 

5) What motivates you now?

To love and be loved.  To unfold layers of what love is, loving others, loving myself, loving this world, loving spirit and god/goddess. It’s hard to put into words as it’s a deeply spiritual motivation however  for me a big part of love is acting and creating in the world in a way that feels fully authentic – to express, to discover, to create and collaborate with others.  I LOVE to really ‘meet’ people, to support my clients in coming to experience their true essential self and love that self deeply.  I find great joy in seeing the beauty in others and watching as to their surprise they feel and see it too!  A big part of my work now is with women and supporting them is coming to know the Goddess within – the often hidden wisdom of the divine feminine. Which I believe is a big part of what will heal ourselves and our world and rise us up into the next level of our evolution.  (See Clare's Yin power is rising blog post for more on this)

6) What do you do for fun, which is not directly connected to your work?

Sing!  All the time, to everything, especially to my 3 month old daughter Thea, and to nature – be it the sky, flowers, trees.  It’s such a freedom and natural thing for me to do; it feels like the most beautiful conversation with life that is about celebration and understanding of life.  Thea loves it; at the moment she is encouraging me to get as high pitch as I can whilst staying in tune!

7) What ONE question would you like to know the answer to?

What is love?  A question with lifetimes of answers, I feel that perhaps all my questions come back to the route of this, kind of like a Rumi poem, the mystery opens more and more in the joy of asking the question.

8) Do you have a favourite place in the world?

I am a big traveller; it’s been a huge part of my learning and growth having visited over thirty countries and hundreds of sacred sites all over the world (as I also take people on sacred journeys around the world).  I love the world too much to have just one place, however a couple would be: Uragh stone circle in Ireland which is a divine space in nature surrounded by lakes, waterfalls and mountains, and on Sacred tour to Egypt, I had the blessing to be able to go into the Sphinx enclosure and be at her feet. Just walking up to her, I felt my heart melt – a sense of deep coming home to myself, to being loved by this amazing cosmic mother.

9) Without hesitation, describe yourself in five words:

Joyful, soft spoken, present, fulfilled.

10) What ONE piece of advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
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Love your awkwardness, sensuality and sexuality; you are radiant even when you think you’re spotty, foolish and naïve.  I love you the girl and the woman you are to become. 

Do you want to be part of the rising wave of feminine energy in 2017? Check out Clare’s In Sync with your purpose Women’s circle that happens live and online each new moon: http://www.guidetospiritualliving.com/sync-purpose-inner-circle/

For a free Meet the Spirit of the Seasons masterclass coming this month click here and Empower your Spiritual Life through Connecting to the Magical Year

1) Tell me about those titles!

I am a spiritual mentor to high-vibration women, with a program called Seeker Sisters. I am also called a Spirit Guide interpreter.
 
Inside of all these titles, I am a translator. I bring answers from people's angels and spirit guides in order to solve tough life problems. Sometimes I think of myself as Angel Google!

 
2) What lead you to your current profession? 

Since childhood I was fascinated by foreign languages, so I trained in English and French and then went on to become a Teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages. I was lucky enough to study and work abroad in a few interesting countries (Italy, Slovakia, Brazil, Bolivia) and I loved living through the veil of "thinking in another language."
 
Later I worked with an international organization called Ashoka that sent me to many more countries, as a case study writer, documenting social entrepreneurs and their programs. That was amazing! I got to see both the worst problems in the world and some of the best solutions in the world, all at once.
 
After Ashoka, I was still in the non-profit space when I went on a trip to Egypt with a group called Pioneers of Change. We were meditating in the Sinai one morning when I heard an "external locution," meaning a voice from outside myself. The voice, loud and booming, said, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE."
 
So that's how I started with my psychic abilities.

3) What did you expect to be doing as a profession? 

I loved writing, so I thought I might write children's books. I did write one book, called "Guided!" which is a mix of case studies about clients in my psychic practice plus a partial spiritual autobiography. 
 
4) What made you keep going when things got tough or challenging, what motivated you to continue?

One big challenge I've had is that my clients love what I do, but I've never had a romantic partner who "got" me. So I've been married twice and I've had long-term relationships, but my vocation always seems to be an issue! It's at the top of my criteria now for a new partner: do you understand and actually *like* the fact that I'm a psychic, or does it freak you out?
 
So that means I've been independent, and on my own, for a good deal of my adult life. That was tough, but it's made me stronger and more confident. I can do anything now!

5) What motivates you now? 

What motivates me is building communities around people who are drawn to lead lives that are aligned with the divine. I'm joining and forming more circles, collective work, in which we collaborate to create awesome lives together. This tends to be with women.

6) What do you do for fun, which is not directly connected to your work? 

About once every three months, I go to the cinema with a big bucket of popcorn. I always choose a stimulating, thought-provoking movie, nothing scary or gory.
 
Once a month, I'll go to a dance class, like a Five Rhythms session, and let everything go through my body.
 
I also love going on art / architecture / culture walking tours. Johannesburg is undergoing a big revival, and there are several local organizations that lead amazing tours. 

7) What ONE question would you like to know the answer to? 

What is the balance among surrender to the divine will, co-creation with the divine, and personal freedom / free will? 

8) Do you have a favourite place in the world? 

Hanoi, Vietnam, where I took myself for my birthday last year. It was the perfect mix of warm, delicious, safe, and fascinating! 

9) Without hesitation, describe yourself in five words: 

Funny, good, warm, real, and wandering. 

10) What ONE piece of advice would you give to your 18 year old self?  

Stop being such a hopeless romantic about a specific man and start saying yes to every travel opportunity being given to you!

11) Do you wish to add anything else?
I truly believe we are guided, and I wish everyone could feel the strange sense of serenity that comes with that belief. 

You can find out more about Shannon at www.ShannonWalbran.com where you'll find links to her Seeker Sisters group, a 21-day eCourse for getting your own answers through muscle testing, and upcoming radio shows, which are always free to call into.  

1)Tell me about those titles!

I would say that predominantly, I am a channel, which is when you connect to spirit, to your higher self, to source, to the earth and bring energy and information from that which you connect to. You bring this to your client, your circle, yourself; wherever it is needed. It is similar to being a psychic, apart from the fact you are bringing energy through you...I would say that being a psychic comes under the umbrella of channeling, and is one of the ways in which you can channel. Channeling runs through all of my work so all that I do involves channeling at some level. There are three main branches from this, within my work. These are:
 
Healing, which is sometimes one-to-one, but mainly through group work; through workshop, journeys (retreat style events) and ceremonies. The healing depends on what the individual needs, and what the theme of the workshop is. For example, if we’re doing a womb healing day, then we’ll work very much with the divine feminine energy, and the womb or what needs to be healed, shifted or transformed. All sorts of techniques come under channeled healing.
 
Light Work is a term that is used a lot on the spiritual scene, but to me, it is work that is done for the collective; energetic work that works with the grids of the planet, healing the planet, clearing collective consciousness; it’s work for the whole, as opposed to work for the individual. Again, the guidance I receive is channeled, and many techniques are used. Mostly this work is in groups, but occasionally I am guided to work alone, or with just one other person.
 
Shamanic Space-holding is how I describe the ceremonial work I do; I love ceremony, I find it’s been huge for my life, my guides explain ceremony best to me, I’m told “ceremony speaks to the parts of yourself that don’t speak English!” (laughing) – so really it’s about working with the subconscious on the things you’re not so aware of. I call it Shamanic ceremony because we do lots of things that derive from shamanism, such as Cacao and fire ceremonies, but it’s not traditional shamanism, it’s channeled shamanism and as such it has many different layers to it that are not considered ‘traditional’.
 
Space-holding comes into everything, which it’s why it’s at the other end of the title I think! I don’t see myself as a teacher, though sometimes my guides teach through me, but I wouldn’t say that even they see themselves as ‘teaching’, or healing or even as light workers. I think that most of what I do within all of those things, is to hold space, for people to find out what works for them, if people try stuff out, which on my personal path has been absolutely key to my own spiritual growth; find what works, let go of what doesn’t, become empowered in everything that’s learned...all I’m doing is allowing people to have their own experience, I see it as like being a midwife, I’m there  to support, to hold, to give advice and guidance...but they are the ones giving birth, you’re just holding space for them to do so. Starlight is about empowering people in their own healing, spirituality and sense of self, in order to undertake this very important work and light work that heals us, the universe, and the earth.
 
2)What lead you to your current profession?

Well, I think that, as with most people that get involved with spirituality and self-help, it’s due to coming from a place of pain and unhappiness, which is certainly true for me; I was very unhappy as a teenager and I was trying to find a way to make myself happy! So I was reading lots of self-help books, which lead to books on manifesting, and then exploring subjects that are maybe considered a bit more ‘high-energy’, like channeling, healing and things like that. But it was kind of a stepping-stone journey, so it wasn’t something that happened over-night, it gradually evolved, and still is evolving to this day; I still explore many different things when I need help with something, and the things that work are the things I tend to share.
 
3)What did you expect to be doing as a profession?

I thought that I was going to be an actress, that’s what I trained in at drama school. Actually my drama school years were some of the worst years of my life! I really wasn’t happy, I found it to be very prescriptive, the schools I was at tried to box people, to make products out of people; if you were rebellious to the process then you were given a particularly hard time by the faculty. The more free-spirited, creative side of me struggled with being in an almost military-like environment that was meant to be about creativity. (Laughs) So I wasn’t very happy! For a few years I did fringe acting and performance after that. The spirit guides say that we’re never not on our path, as in our path is our path, and it’s always being followed even when it seems not to be. As vibrations shift you hit different levels and have different experiences of your path. I’ve been an actress, a comedienne, a tour guide, and actually all of those things are the same: they’re about communication and connection, and they all taught me things that serve my path massively; there was a huge amount of meditation, breath and body work at drama school, there was voice work too and it’s all essential to the work that I do now. What I’ve learned has been invaluable to me now; comic timing, speaking, working with instincts, bringing humour into my groups when people are nervous or unsure is the best thing to do, put them at ease;  make them laugh and they will relax immediately. Tour guiding taught me how to deal with large groups; Starlight take groups on retreats and journeys, I’ve become brilliant at maneuvering large groups of people due to the walking tours I did in London...we call it herding cats! I think the ultimate version of your path will combine everything that you’ve ever loved in the perfect ‘ingredient combination’ so that you feel completely happy and fulfilled by it. Of course, it changes because we’re always growing, and so whatever I’m doing will serve my path in the future, even if it looks very different from what I’m doing now.
 
4)What made you keep going when things got tough or challenging, what motivated you to continue?

For me, it was kind of accidental. So I learned how to heal and how to channel and I was doing these things as hobbies, then one of the workshops I belonged to had its leader, Solara, move to Ibiza. She gave me her class when she moved, so it was basically handed to me. Again, it was a part time thing; I was juggling it along with acting and tour-guiding and many other things. It slowly became apparent that I preferred this thing to any other, but it took me an awfully long time to completely let the others go. In fact one of the things I cover when I’m talking about manifesting is that you have to clear out the old manifestations that you thought you had, and look at why you thought you had them; acting was never right for me, because actually I’m far better at not being dependent. Looking back, I’d often make excuses for not doing acting, whereas with this, there was nothing that was going to stop me, you know? That’s the difference. Sometimes I’d need to be in Avebury or Glastonbury for 9am, and be up at 4 in the morning and make my way on a bus, across the country! It was that realisation: when something is your path you just do it. When something is no longer your path, you create stories and make excuses. Your path is never easy though; a friend of mine was talking about motherhood and she said that it was both the best thing, and the worst thing in the world, and that is exactly how I feel about my path.
 
5)What motivates you now?

How I keep going...I have learnt that whatever life is showing me, is to help me get to the next stage, no matter how much it feels like it’s working against me at times, it is actually showing me belief systems and things that I need to clear and heal, in order to move on. So I use the experiences I have to move me forward, and it works. I can usually move through ‘obstacles’ quite quickly and easily, I’m like “OK, what’s this belief system and how do I clear it? What do I need to change in order to sort this situation, which life is reflecting at me, out?”.
 
 
6)What do you do for fun, which is not directly connected to your work?

I come from a family of workaholics, and that is actually one of those belief systems that I had to work on very hard...not to be a workaholic. I was forced into that lesson in a very hard way, in that, last winter, the universe basically blocked all of the flow of my workshops; nobody was coming to anything which had never happened before. Eventually I had a channeling with another channel, because I was in such a mess, I couldn’t get my own guidance, and she was just, like “you are having an energy upgrade; it is not safe for you to be working, for at least a few months.” Which for me was absolutely terrifying! It meant that I had to face a lot of the beliefs I held around being addicted to work, and I eventually discovered that it was deeply connected to my sense of self worth and how I needed to let that go and to give myself worth in other ways. It was hugely liberating....so anyway, I’d say ‘not working’ is quite a new thing to me!! I love people; I have an amazing array of friends and family, when I spend time with them, doing anything, whether it be having a barbecue, going for a walk, or to the theatre...that is my “oh, I’m not at work now, I’m not gonna talk about those things right now”...and actually I think that when you do very high vibration energy work, that is far away from the third dimension, as it’s very conceptual, inter-dimensional, then it’s very important not to disconnect from the third, physical dimension reality, because otherwise you’d go mad! You really need to be able to enjoy all of the amazing things within the third dimension; from enjoying lovely food to noticing how beautiful a plant is, to how amazing people are at creating – everything from shows to music, things like that.
 
7)What ONE question would you like to know the answer to?

(SIGHS)....I think that question is ever changing, and it may sound strange but I don’t feel like I have any questions at this time. I feel like, as a channel, I have such an amazing toolbox to answer pretty much anything, that there’s no question that I couldn’t find an answer to. I know that the layers of that answer will change and evolve with me, because there is no one answers to any question, but I feel I can always access the right answers for me at any given time.
 
 
8)Do you have a favourite place in the world?

Ahhh, there are so many places that I love deeply; I’m in love with the planet and travelling is a huge part of my path and life. One place I have repeatedly returned to since I first visited, and it’s a place I have visited every year since first coming, is Ibiza. My connection to that island....every time I go, it gives me something more, and every time I take groups there, we do a journey there now, it is so magical it blows my mind; we always discover more of its secrets....and it’s an absolute love affair, that island and me! Avebury, in the UK, that’s another place I keep going back to, Avebury is where my work as a channeler, light worker and space holder began, I return there every winter solstice, some times more than once, like Ibiza, it’s a power place for me; they’re soul places, they’re something more than just a place I’ve visited; they’re deeply connected to who I am, and I’m deeply connected to what they are.
 
9)Without hesitation, describe yourself in five words:

Magical, excitable, communicator, happy, and empowered.

10)What ONE piece of advice would you give to your 18 year old self?  

As confused, wild, unhappy and lost as I was at 18, I wouldn’t give her any advice. Everything she did, has lead me to where I am now, as did all of the other ages that I have been, and this truth that I have about your path always belonging to you and always being right for you...I am so grateful for... I cannot express how often the most traumatic times of my life have been of greatest service to me, and I would never want to divert 18 year old me from that path; I would tell her that she is perfect, and brilliant, though I wouldn’t have told her that at the time. I was a real wild child at 18, but those things that I did lead me to level of great compassion, I would not have that depth of understanding without those experiences, and so I will leave her just as she is.

Katy runs many online courses, group journeys and ceremonies. Based in Brighton, Starlight run experiences all over the world, for further information and access to all that they can offer, please visit 
 them HERE

There’s no getting away from it, we’re at our very best when we are vulnerable. If it’s not scaring us then it’s probably not pushing us too hard. If we’re not pushing into our edge, out of our comfort zones, then we merely exist. Living requires risk; I think the meaning of life might just be living.

Vulnerability comes from a place of difficulty, we feel vulnerable because of our past experiences, learned behaviors, and beliefs. Vulnerability comes from shame, fear, isolation and confusion. No wonder we balk at the thought of exposing it for the entire world to see. However, what happens when we do expose our soft insides like this? We connect. We become brilliant. We tap into our inner genius and we create meaningful and lasting imprints.

As a wise person (whose name escapes me) once said: Everything you could ever want is on the other side of fear. 
For anyone in any doubt of just how key vulnerability is to us and our true contentment, check out the marvelous Brené Brown’s research via her TED talk here

In fact, check it out even if you’re certain I’m right. It’s brilliant, and you’ll be one of the 3 remaining people on the planet who hasn’t if you don’t, and imagine how vulnerable that’ll make you feel.

I aim to be authentic, authenticity is one of the most wonderful benefits of vulnerability; it’s also really hard to achieve some of the time. Like, when there’s anyone else nearby....kidding. But it’s tough; it’s not something that comes naturally to most of us. We have a facade, or many facades, and exposing our truths can be testing. But almost all of what we feel, dread, and associate with our vulnerability is internalised, on the outside we appear the same, in fact, we appear pretty groovy. Authenticity is, after all, a lot easier to not fake than fakery is to fake. There’s probably a better way of saying that.

The majority of people I talk to in the course of my day come ready prepared with a degree of vulnerability, and I wanted to share some things that are easy to forget at times when our authenticity is being challenged (by ourselves more often than not). It is my belief that:

1. Everyone has a story that will break your heart
2. It’s not “easier for them”
3. No-one “got lucky”
4. “I can’t” usually means “I won’t”
5. “Should” often equals “shame” (Top Tip: replace it with “could” – give you and your inner critic a break)
6. Expectations are absolutely bonkers.

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes” - Carl Gustav Jung

It’s more than okay to be vulnerable, it’s essential. True growth begins only when we accept ourselves as we truly are - weaknesses and all. The more vulnerability you allow yourself, the more awesome your relationships will be, and not just those relationships with others, but with the world, and most importantly by far, with yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh says something like: "Being yourself is to be truly beautiful", and we all know how right that is, think how your heart melts at witnessing true vulnerability, it’s like seeing a soul shining through a body. 

As the weather finally warms here in rainy Northern England, thoughts turn to change and growth. It’s only natural to want to clear out the cobwebs at this time of year.  We make our resolutions; we desire shifts and improvements in our lives.

Some time ago, a friend told me to read Doreen Virtues book on time, I expected something around management, but actually it's smarter than that; a refreshing and interesting take on how we perceive time and the impact that has. Many fabulous leaders have their version of this, but Doreen explores our conditioned beliefs in detail and some of it really stuck with me. I've distilled the overarching message, as I perceive it:

There is always something that we want more of, be it time, love, money, sleep...the list goes on. In order to grow ourselves we must look inwards: we hold the key to our own successes, and by taking total responsibility for our lives, we can transform, we can achieve more than we ever dreamed we could. All that we desire is possible, but sometimes our challenges seem insurmountable.

How often do you find yourself saying:

• I’ll get started on that goal just as soon as the kids have left school/I’ve had my holiday/I retire/I’ve got this wedding out of the way
• Maybe I’ll take an evening class when I’m less busy
• I’ll start exercising regularly just as soon as work eases off a bit

 
Or in other words: I’d change my life if I had the time!
The thing is, you do have the time, and you have all the resources you need to make changes for the better. Sometimes it’s just a case of looking at things differently, of learning to stop striving and to start living the life you truly desire. We must remember to live in the present, that future planning is all well and good, but is not the means to contentment. Our ongoing happiness is a continuous journey with no end, so by dropping all sense of reaching the finish line, we can focus on what matters, and welcome the knowledge that time, wealth, peace and joy are abundant.

Some simple ideas about getting things done:

1. Action needs to follow thought, it’s not enough to merely think about achieving something; the universe helps those who help themselves
2. Our personal concept of time create our experiences – if we place limitations on ourselves, we become limited!
3. The desire triangle, made up of three equal tips: Love, Career, Health, are all similarly accomplished goals. Once you achieve success in one area, you can do so in others
4. The goals of the soul are never completed

These days, Doreen's main area of focus is Angel Therapy and she lives here if you want to visit!

In order to be compassionate and benevolent, and to provide ourselves and others with love and understanding, we need to be honest about our own inner challenges. Our self awareness and honesty provide an authentic and helpful outlook. If we reject or deny our inner selves then we cannot truly grow or assist others in growth of spirit. If we are not humble then not only do we create an attitude of inequality to our fellow beings, but we reject our true selves and therefore our spirituality is clouded by an artificial perspective that prevents true development.

Through self awareness, acceptance of ourselves with all our flaws and challenges, we can develop and change, and offer something of value. It is important that we do not act as islands, or ‘solo performers’; the cosmos is as one and in doing so we isolate the power of the universe that we hold, and will not be acting to our true values. Spirituality in all religions and none so more as in modern spirituality is about serving, practicing gratitude, and giving the best we have in order to help the greater good. Knowing ourselves is key to this, and to connecting as we know we should. By showing respect for ourselves and others we contribute positively to the universal flow, and this is a key activity to behaving in a spiritual manner, and also of great benefit overall.

By seeing the best in others we can develop our relationships in a way that provides positive influence, can assist in helping and improving, and maximise the potential we all have. Having a positive mental attitude towards people, aiming for unconditional love, empathetic understanding, through listening and focus, and by being authentic and true, provides a truly mindful connection at a much deeper level.
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Modern spirituality takes the most positive aspects of historical religion, and does not focus on the hierarchy and status that created the elitist attitudes that have existed previously. Our care of ourselves and each other should extend to encompass the entire natural world, for we are all part of the same thing, and what surrounds us is as important as what resides within us. By creating a happy and safe environment we make the universe a positive, joyful, better place. Our actions should be grounded in reality and good humour, and so being humble, self-aware, and open is key to delivering this.