The Year of the Snake is meant to be behind us, yet for me it is still very present in my life, alongside the galloping Fire Horse.
That’s not surprising. When we have an especially powerful Chinese year, the ripples of influence can still be felt in our life for many years to come.
The Year of the Snake is all about transformation. It’s when we shed our skin (symbolic of anything we’ve outgrown) and we start afresh. It represents that point in time where the seeds we have sewn bear fruit, and we see our hard work manifesting into a tangible outcome.
The journey of transformation is powerful, but it’s rarely linear.
It often feels like a game of Snakes and Ladders, where you are moving steadily towards your destination, then you discover a ladder that catapults you towards your goal. You’re feeling soooooo excited, the goal is in sight…..and then you land on the head of a snake, and slither down its body until you are almost back to the beginning.
Life often feels like that, as we take 1 step forwards, 5 steps back, 8 steps forward, 3 steps back.
It’s natural to hold the viewpoint that if everything falls into place easily when you’re walking towards your goal it’s the “right” path, and if it doesn’t, it’s the “wrong” path. Yet that’s a limited perspective, which misses the bigger picture.
Those challenges can also be a sign that our fears have come into play, and are throwing obstacles into our path to dissuade us from a necessary and important transformation.
I love this quote in the book A Guide for the Advanced Soul. It says:
“Man cannot discover new oceans until he has courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Yet when we lose sight of the shore and we are swimming in deep water and not yet able to clearly see our destination, it’s easy to enter a period of uncertainty that can involve a mingling of both excitement and fear…eventerror.
Will we make it? What joys and challenges lie ahead? Should we have stayed? Is this really the right path? What if we never reach the shore ahead? What if it doesn’t end up as rosy as we desire, and we wish we’d stayed on the old shore, in our comfort zone?
It’s quite similar to a snake shedding its skin. For 4 to 7 days before that shedding starts, the scale over a snake’s eyes (called it’s “spectacle”) starts to peel away. The snake’s eyes turn a milky blue during this time, and it can’t see clearly. It’s living in a world of shadows, and it responds to this by hiding away, choosing to stay protected rather than venturing out when it’s at its most vulnerable.
It’s natural for us also to have moments in our process of transformation where we want to run away and hide.
I’ve been in an extended period of shedding my skin.
Whilst the lead up to the birth of my new brand (Artemis The Heart Whisperer) has had many highlights, it’s also been very much like a game of Snakes and Ladders. Here’s how the game went:
1. I stepped onto the board game
This happened 4 years ago. I was in a hotel room in Sydney, and suddenly my consciousness opened up. I felt something incredibly powerful echoing within me. In that moment, all I wanted to do was to drop everything in my life, leave everything I knew behind, and follow Spirit’s calling.
2. I paused, waiting for others to have their turn
This came in the form of me doing a very human thing. I started thinking. And the more I thought, the more I twisted myself into a knot.
It was the ultimate clash between the life I had been living, and the life I was being invited towards. My logical mind told me it wasn’t the right time to step forwards, that my other businesses needed me so much. And I love my other businesses – they are birthed out of love and passion, too.
This polarity between my head and my heart led to a very predictable outcome. I didnothing.IknewI was being called. But I let my other businesses and projects have their turn first.
3. It was my turn. I rolled the dice
This was an interesting roll of the dice. A friend and mentor of mine committed suicide. Faced with my own intense grief, his death catalysed action in me. Life is too short to play a waiting game.
The day after he died, I had a “chance” meeting with Mark Montgomery, acclaimed producer of films such as “Hotel Mumbai” and “The Man who knew Infinity.”
I know it wasn’t chance, just like any roll of the dice is not just “luck”. I know it was my friend’s hand at work, giving me that nudge off the cliff so I would take action.
A seed was sewn that day that continues to blossom. I shared with Mark my dreams of doing “more” with my spiritual brand Raw Divinity. Up until that time I’d kept it quietly ticking away, writing regular blogs about plant and animal wisdom, spirituality and self awareness, and the emotional and spiritual aspects of essential oils. I’d been touching lives through my writing, but doing it from the shadows. I know that to have an even greater impact in the world, I need to come out of the shadows.
Since that day, Mark has walked beside me as a friend and mentor, embracing my dreams as if they were his own, and showing me that the vision and impact can be 10 times greater than I can even imagine.
He’s been my genie in a bottle.
4. I was on a winning streak!
It was like I was throwing 6’s with my dice, not just 1’s and 2’s.I reached out to my Raw Divinity community for feedback. How was I most touching them? I received so many beautiful replies. I walked on the beach each morning in the Summer of 2024, exploring my inner world, looking for the answer to that life-long search of “Who am I, and what am I here for?”
Out of that search came a new name for Raw Divinity. It was time to step out of the shadows and into the light, as Artemis The Heart Whisperer. And a new name deserves a new logo. I searched the world, and found an incredible designer who works with spiritual brands. Her name is Alexandra Leigh. Alexandra deep dived with me into my heart and my dreams, and then she channelled my brand (the colours, the fonts, the logo).
As she was creating it, I was stuck in fear. What if I don’t like it? Is it not better for me to create my own logo – why am I outsourcing that to someone else? I drew logo after logo on my drawing pad, just in case I needed it. Yet when Alexandra showed me her creation, I realised it was sooooooperfect for me.
I was planning to release my new business name, new brand and new website in June 2025….
5. But then I stepped on a snake….and then another
The first snake was a rainbow snake. It looked soooo beautiful, and it came in the form of me falling head over heels for a man. Our soul connection was incredible….yet in the physical world, our connection never made it past the chrysalis stage. I finally closed that door, and entered a wilderness within myself. This was my second snake.
This relationship that started and stopped had triggered some very deep wounds around my relationship with my father. I tumbled into my inner world, a world of childhood demons of being unlovable and never enough. Who was I to share spiritual wisdom with the world, when my own inner world was in such turmoil?
6. A ladder appeared before me
I attended a coaching event in Melbourne facilitated by Remi Pearson, founder of The Coaching Institute and The Ultimate Self Club. In that event, Remi reached me on such a deep level, and held out her hand. She offered me a ladder that was full of warmth and kindness, connection and strength. With her helping hand, I began to climb out of the pit I’d found myself in. It felt like I was finally coming back to myself, and I could see the sky in front of me.
7. Oh no, another snake!!!
Yes, there were lots of snakes on this board game! This snake came in the form of me becoming extremely ill with a virus last September. No amount of oils or love was able to help.
I lost my voice, I lost my energy, and I plummeted. It felt like revisiting the chronic fatigue I’d had in my late teens and early 20’s. At that time, the doctors told me it was “all in my mind”. But it wasn’t, and it impacted me for 5 years.
This time, my body began hijacking itself with some very strange symptoms. It escalated, until – three months later – I finally and truly believed I was dying.
8. I roll the dice, and land on a HUGE ladder
The day after reaching the conclusion that I must be dying, while I was facing the acceptance of a life well lived and the sadness of it coming to an end, a facebook message arrived from Lawrence Ellyard, the founder of the International Institute of Complementary Therapists (where my essential oil modalities are recognised). I’ve known Lawrence for 20 years. Here is what his message said:
“Hey Artemis, how’s it going? I wanted to check in to see if you have an interest in being featured in a New Documentary I am spearheading in the USA in conjunction with Biohack Yourself Media. I think what you are doing would be a great addition to the film. I am the Executive Co-Producer and Casting Director. The film is called The New Woo.”
The synchronicity was not lost on me. I knew without any doubt that Spirit was giving me a choice.
On the one hand, the carrot was dangling. Artemis, would you like to do something so impactful, so “out there”, as to be showcased on this documentary, and bring your wisdom to an audience of 50 million people?
On the other hand, there was the stick. Artemis, would you prefer to call it a life well lived, and sing your swan song now?
This wasn’t a decision I needed to make with my head. I didn’t have to weigh up the options and decide which served me better. This decision was entirely heart-driven. After the news of the documentary, I felt such a surge of excitement and aliveness, it was greater than anything I’ve felt in 20 years.
Witnessing my excitement, I realised that my “life well lived” has indeed been impactful – there’s no doubt of that. I’ve touched thousands of lives. But somewhere in that journey my own inner fire had been dialled down, and I’ve been living from embers rather than a bush fire, essentially treading water in my own life.
Spirit was offering me an opportunity to ignite my inner fire, and turn up the dial in my own life.
9. Running for the finish line
It’s no coincidence that my board game is now at #9. Numerologically, 9 represents completion, spiritual awakening, and humanitarianism. And in my case, it also represents an exciting new beginning.
I’ve said a huge “YES!!!!” to the documentary, and signed on for it. It’s all about how natural healing used to be considered “Woo Woo”, but is now backed by credible science. I’ll be in it twice, once talking about the power of essential oils, and then also talking about spirituality – both topics very close to my heart. Filming happens later this year in the US, with a release in the latter part of 2027.
I’ve engaged Rhonda Swan and her team from Unstoppable Branding Agency to help me grow credibility in the media, through magazine articles and appearances, and I’m working with Mark Montgomery and his team at Omcre8tiv to refine the visuals and customer journey for Artemis The Heart Whisperer.
Yesterday, the 1st June in Australia, my new brand was officially birthed. It’s a Gemini, just like me! And in case you’re wondering, my health symptoms have miraculously settled since I made that conscious choice to live and thrive. I’vechosen this year to be the healthiest I have ever been in my life, and to that end am doing protocols to cleanse my body, tackle parasites, release toxins and heavy metals, and increase my energy levels and fitness.
I’m balancing the excitement of my expanded vision with self-care and tenderness towards myself. I’m honouring the deep vulnerability that is part of this journey. For a decade I’ve lived in the illusion of protection, enjoying being an introvert, stepping out for moments then retreating back into my happy cave.
With the release of Artemis The Heart Whisperer, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and becoming highly visible. I said to a friend a few months ago that it feels like I’m being dragged naked along the Earth, my skin red raw.
That’s how vulnerable I was feeling about being visible.
Yet every stage of this journey is its own chapter. That fear of being visible has faded, and it’s replaced by the excitement of what’s to come, and a huge energy of creativity and clarity flowing through me.
What I’ve shared here is just the tip of the iceberg. I have four other exciting seeds germinating in the background for Artemis The Heart Whisperer, which I can’t wait to share with you as they start to blossom.
In case you are wondering what’s happening with my other businesses (The Oil Temple and Aromatica), they’re still an important part of my ongoing adventure. WhereThe Oil Temple and Aromatica are aimed more at those who have already begun on their journey of essential oils, through Artemis The Heart Whisperer I plan to open many new eyes and new markets to the power of premium quality essential oils.
Where The Oil Temple and Aromatica are facets of me, I’ve been called to step into the world as the whole of me, and that’s what Artemis The Heart Whisperer represents. A Soul Purpose is ever evolving, as we diver deeper into it and gain more clarity. Here is my purpose, as I see it today:
I am a guide for the “road less travelled”, helping people connect with the wisdom of their true heart and Soul. By awakening consciousness in this way, together we create a Planet where every Being may thrive.
