Welcome.

I have lived so many lifetimes in this one it feels impossible to introduce myself in this way. But, needs must, I suppose.

According to the elemental system I am a full on Earth type personality; well grounded, nurturing, and safe. Earth people reflect the golden hour of the day or the dog days of summer, right before the light fades. There’s both reflection and forward facing thought with a soft focus on the future to this energy, but theres also a certain pause that sort of opens up the present moment creating a spaciousness that allows for deeper connection and an increased awareness of the cycles and patterns that occur in the natural world and within each of us. Earth people don’t love change but are actually very well suited for it because they’re so rooted and steady. People around us often use us as anchors through transitions in life for this reason, and most often we are happy to hold down what we can.

I also move through some very Watery seasons in my life where I go searching for deeper meaning and truth through my spiritual practice, which of course I find everywhere because I am drawn to Earth based traditions and archetypical thought models.

My spirit, on the other hand, holds Wood energy that can imagine something better off in the distance somewhere, and has the audacity to reach for it. This part can be a bit impulsive but is remarkably resourceful at times. This is also the part of me that wants to wander who has brought me all around the world and is motivated by the injustices and suffering of the people living there.

In recent years I’ve been cracked open by the things I have witnessed and experienced and the landscape of my heart has changed. I’ve seen the heartbreaking impact of unhealed trauma reverberating from Gaza to my own personal life and relationships, and it has changed my course. I have experienced the spiral of overwhelm, exhaustion, disbelief, rage, and grief and become familiar with what the edge feels like - the edge of my comfort zone, my sanity, my will to continue, my courage, my belief in the goodness of the world. I’ve practiced walking myself there and back until the path was carved so clearly that the fear, though still present, is no longer in the driver’s seat. This is how healing works; it’s not about abandoning parts of ourselves that have been working overtime to keep us safe, it’s about teaching them to trust that we know the way and that we will call on them if needed.

With so much work lying ahead of us as a collective, the importance of taking responsibility for our individual emotional and psychological health has never been greater. Acupuncture carries a unique ability to touch the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the self, allowing it to access and release the stories and memories we carry in our bodies, minds and hearts. My hope is that the more of us who learn to regulate our nervous systems and move from a place of fully embodied clarity and integrity, the farther the needle will move towards a softer and more equitable world for all.

Thanks for being here, ya’ll.

-Erin

Click here to read more about my personal journey.