I recall one of my many visits to Ireland, which is a mere stones throw across the Irish Sea from my then home. I set out to pay my respects to the Irish Catholic Nun who became an abbess and founded multiple convents. The most famous was in Kildare, and is said to be built on an old sacred site for the pagan Celtic Goddess Brigid.

Turn the clock forward 20 years and Brigid returned to my studies as one of the Celtic goddesses. It was at a time I was embarking upon my own healing journey and study of a number of healing modalities. I learned that Brigid is an archetype of the healer and, likely being a nurse and midwife, I was drawn to her story and delved in deeper to discover more.

I discovered that ‘The Healer’ is the one who helps us to overcome inner divisions of physical body, mind, soul and spirit. Healing is very different than curing. We might have an illness which does not alleviate, but the Healer within allows us to find some wisdom and grace in the experience, allows us to have some peace and ease in the midst of unknowing and pain.

Similarly, with emotional wounds, the Healer is the one who helps us to welcome in the stranger and find reconciliation and perhaps even gratitude for these parts of self that have for so long vexed us.

Healing is not so much about “doing” but about a way of “being” that lies beyond all the false divisions we make in our lives. Healing often inspires radical life changes, and brings about ways of being more in alignment with our True Self and nature. This for sure was my healing journey.

I was carrying my wounds of life, to the point I had become victimized by them and was allowing them to tear me apart. But with Brigid’s help, I was guided to slowly find empowerment and further my call to be in service to others.

Brigid’s ancient story tells us the wound is where the jewels are hidden and reminds us that ultimately we must turn within, and find the inner Healer at work, and call upon her or his wisdom for us. It can be confusing when we are ill and there are so many possible modalities for healing. But when we pause and turn to the Healer we have inside of us, we can ask for the way forward. This doesn’t mean that we don’t seek the healing gifts of others, but that we don’t give away our power to heal in that relationship.



This is exactly the relationship I describe between clients and our AE Healing Practitioners. This powerful modality assists us to awaken the Healer that lies within each of us by empowering us to call upon our positive mindset and take ownership of our health. Our practitioners are instructed and supported to develop this therapeutic relationship with their clients and to compliment other modalities, most usually Western Medicine, to ensure their clients have all the tools available to empower their optimal health.