I recently invited members of the Soul Speak community to share their Soul Stories – that moment in your life when you realized there was much more to you than just a human body, when you remembered that you had a soul, and when you felt on a deep level your connection to everything in the universe. It’s that moment when you felt completely loved and filled with light.

Throughout 2014, I’ll be sharing some of the amazing stories that I received. It’s my hope that they open your heart to what’s possible and help you feel how connected we all are to each other and also to the universe. Enjoy! 🙂

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t deeply connected to my soul. There have been times during my life when I’ve felt a bit more disconnected than others, but as far back as I can recall I’ve always felt a huge connection to spirituality, to the earth, and to the whole of humanity via my soul.

When my mother relates the story of my birth she says that I was born with the caul over my head. (This is a piece of the amniotic sac that drapes itself over the baby’s face.) The incidence of a caul birth is very rare. It’s harmless, but has been associated in the past with good luck and an inability to drown. It’s also said that those born with a caul over their heads are gifted psychically.

Personally, I believe that everyone has psychic ability – some people have just developed it more than others. There have been many times in my life when I’ve felt distanced from this ability but more often than not, it’s a knowing that guides my every step in life. I truly believe in listening to one’s gut or intuition and living life according to those things you know to be your personal truth.

As I grew up I spent a lot of time outdoors. My mother enrolled me in Brownies so that I could socialise with others my age as I had three younger siblings. I loved the idea of nature spirits and loved the camps and the challenges that we could choose to do as part of the Girl Guides movement. In my spare time I fulfilled my burning desire to make carnivals for fairies made out of grass, leaves and sticks while playing in our inner suburban backyard in Melbourne.

I was raised a Roman Catholic, and there was a time when I thought that there could be nothing more special in the whole world than to be married to God as a nun. Once I found out I had to share him with so many others, it kind of changed my mind. As I got older I drifted from mainstream teachings and tended to go my own way. I admired those who belonged to the Hare Krishna movement, Buddhists and other spiritual paths but never really did any major investigations of them. George Harrison; Cat Stevens; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Joan Baez; Bob Dylan; James Taylor; and Joni Mitchell influenced my spiritual beliefs as well as my musical tastes.

It wasn’t until I was in my mid to late 20s when I was browsing in a metaphysical bookstore in Sydney, that I came across the pagan path and felt as though I’d instantly been called home. I went on to self-initiate as a solitary eclectic Wiccan. Today I tend to classify my spirituality as pagan (although you could throw a bit of Buddhist philosophy into the mix as well).

While living in Melbourne I undertook a course in Clinical Hypnotherapy and was surprised by how much of an incredibly spiritual slant it had to it. I established a very small practice and built on that when I moved back to Sydney in 2002, adding life coaching to my skills. Somewhere along the way I learnt about chakras and energetic healing techniques, meditation and the healing powers of various colours, herbs and scents. I’ve been fortunate enough to have met many people along the way who have been teachers – who have been experts in their fields in terms of aromatherapy and herbs, the power of words and intonation, energy healing and alchemy, and the importance of listening to one’s intuition and of helping others as much as possible along the way.

I’ve participated in Women’s Spiritual and Psychic groups, public rituals and my own private ones, but I still walk a fairly solitary path of my own choosing. Every activity I’ve pursued has deepened my understanding of my essence, my path and how important it is to stay connected to who I am, deep within my core. I’ve belly danced in inner suburban Sydney and in isolated little village halls 3 hours from the nearest major city. I’ve revelled in the earth between my fingers and the smell of fresh loam as I’ve weeded gardens and planted vegetables. I’ve danced at the water’s edge when the moon has been full and honoured the Goddess within me for her presence, her insight and the incredible gifts she brings to this world. I’ve walked and driven in isolated places where there were only birds and the native wildlife to keep me company as I listened to the rapture of nature and felt myself one with it. I’ve participated in silent retreats and researched how to live more sustainably on this amazing planet we call home.

Each and every one of these activities has served to bring me closer to who I really am, and to my purpose in the world. At one stage when I was feeling lost, I told a soul sister that I felt as though I’d lost all of my gifts and the contact I had with spirit and the divine in this world. She assured me that I hadn’t and that I was just spending some time healing after a pretty traumatic relationship breakup and that when the time was right, I would resume my work in the world. I’m so very grateful for her insight – her words were what kept me going at a time when I felt I’d lost touch with all that was important in my life.

For the past 18 months I’ve felt the call even more strongly, and this time my purpose is even clearer. I used to think of myself as a healer, facilitating the healing of individuals, but now I know that my purpose is actually to expand love throughout the world by empowering others to do the same, to empower creative people to share the beauty of their gifts and vision, empowering small business owners to conquer their fear and get out and do what they’ve been called to do, to empower women by encouraging radical self-love and asking them to spread it to their families, their communities, their states and countries.

I’m so incredibly thankful that I’ve met so many like-minded people on my journey, particularly other heart-centred business owners in recent times. In fact, I’m so incredibly thankful to be alive, thriving and loving every minute of my life. This is also part of what it means to live soulfully – for me, at least. I come from a long line of visionary, powerful women. If I can live up to my dreams and contribute to making the world a better place, even in my own small circle, then at least some of my work here will have been accomplished.

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Shân wants just one thing in this world – to expand love throughout the Universe by inspiring and supporting heart-centred women in business, artists, writers and those setting up not-for-profits to manifest the lifestyle their spirit yearns for and empower others as a result. 

She’s the publisher of Resonate eMagazine and provides a number of services to help others manage their work/life balance including social media consulting, tuition and management and coaching and mentoring services. 

You can find her hanging out on FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ as well as on her blog.

Thank you so much, Shan, for sharing your story and also your heart with us. 

Hugs,