I was born in the back country of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Western North Carolina.
It has long been said that we are a "peculiar people," keeping to ourselves and weary of outsiders.
As Anna Wess says,
"We are a mystery as old as these hills themselves, and it doesn’t take much figuring to know that we are enigmas of intentional design and destiny. The old ones, the original Appalachian queens, were daughters of the Celts and the offspring of Druids and medieval mavens and the natives of the old world craft, and we are their children. And although we are indeed as mysterious as these old hills, we still have that Celt and Cherokee elder magic in our bones."
Being from a line of women who knew every remedy you could imagine - from a wild ramp poultice to a wart-removing miracle involving nothing more than a wash rag and a hushed, prayerful chant, this work really is in my blood and my bones.
As a child I spent every waking second down in the woods, talking to the elementals, finding comfort in the tall and craggy trees, bearing my soul to the creeks and streams, connecting deeply with the precious heart of the earth, and looking up to Great Mystery, and the Pleiades...knowing somehow, that it, too, was another place I called "home...Where family lived (you know, the Seven Sisters) *wink*.
Yes, as above, so below, my roots are as deep as the towering oaks in mother earth and as soaring as the streams of photonic light coming down from the stars above. And this is where my connection to other worlds and other dimensions came alive,
and were as real as I am.
And as real as YOU are.
It truly was my place of refuge when this old world seemed plain mean and angry.
It seems as though turmoil followed us...what I know recognize fully as ancestral trauma. I have two brothers-- One passed away at the tender age of 19. The other was born with cerebral palsy and, by the Graces, is still with us. My father recently transitioned and I was able to give him and his father (my grandfather) "The great death rites" of the shaman, myself.
an unexpected, sudden, humbling and mighty honor.
While my mom, my brother and I have been a Tennessee-transplant since 2006, North Carolina is always in my heart.
Doesn't really matter anyway, because I now call these beautiful Smokey Mountains home -
STILL in my beloved Appalachian mountains!
As I write, I am laughing and whispering to mySelf,
"Some things never change."
So.... Who am I?
I am many things.
I AM No Thing,
and ALL things, just like you!
(And here comes Anna Wess, again, saying,
"Ah, my dear... YOU are an Appalachian Queen.."
"Beth SoulFire is an Appalachian medicine woman who provides powerful experiences through her dynamic courses, empowering mentorship, and life changing retreats - weaving together many ancient wisdoms, earth based mindfulness, astrology, neuroscience, and holistic wellness.
She is drawn to the unconventional as well as the old-fashioned, is wildly humorous, and loves to inspire and illuminate new perspectives from the stage.
Her secret super power is singing after suffering damage to her vocal cords during a severe and sudden illness that left her in a coma for 5 days, life support 2 weeks, months of hospitalization, and a harrowing death experience that called her to shamanism.
Her passion is to help you break free from toxic patterns and limiting beliefs, understand how to navigate the depths of introspection, integration and self love practices in order to heal from the past, unearth your brilliant gifts, find your soulful voice of truth, and live the fulfilling, empowered life your heart desires."
Since the day of my birth I have had an insatiable curiosity for life, and a deep yearning to understand how we Beings function and why the Universe operates.
Who or what created the all?
Why are we here?
One day-- IT decided to thoroughly educate me.
In January of 2013, I suffered a sudden illness that would change my life forever.
My loved ones came home to find me on the floor having convulsions, a severe form of seizures. I was rushed to the ER, having had multiple organ failure. I was in a coma for 5 days, on life support for two weeks, followed by weeks of hospitalization, and months of confinement to the bed, a wheelchair, speech and physical therapies, and a foreboding prognosis.
I was given less than a 20% chance of living 2 years after I was released from the hospital.
Indeed, one of if not THE very darkest nights of my soul.
It was during this event that I had what I now refer to as a total death experience (TDE) which catalyzed a powerful shift in my personal spiritual perception.
While the NDE itself was the most glorious gift of eternity, it also ignited within me a determination to bring myself into a state of health.
The initiation of a shaman- one who "walks between worlds" and endures "soul fire" in service of lighting a path for others transmute trauma, awaken to higher consciousness, and discover their own sacred power and Oneness.
During my near death experience, I was gifted the spirit name SoulFire, and spirit has led me to embody Who I Am...
I am here to help you do the same for yourself!
My work continues to evolve, as do I, on my own path of transmutation.
I am so very grateful to lend a hand to those who also find themselves drawn to the path of finding what sets their "soul" on "fire!"
If you'd like to see my story, check out this page:!
As a former licensed massage and bodywork therapist, I have been involved in the holistic healing and alternative Arts for 27 years.
My love for this field was first planted when I took a job as a chiropractic assistant in 1996. It is this love that led me to move to Asheville, NC in 2002, where I graduated from the Center for Massage and Natural Health.
I held licenses to practice in North Carolina, then in Tennessee, until 2013, which expired while I was in the hospital.
For bodywork, (excluding sacred energy medicines) I hold certifications to practice Quantum Cranio-Sacral therapy, deep tissue, foot reflexology, aromatherapy, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, hot stones, hydrotherapy and body wraps, with extensive experience in Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point and Acupressure Therapy, food and herbal healing therapy, skin and beauty care.
Although not all of my previous training in the massage/bodywork field are techniques now applicable in my current practice, I still implement the energy healing aspects of them ALL.
I have been fortunate to work in many environments- from world class resort spas to private practice, massage schools, and beyond. I've worn many hats during my professional life- everything from positions in the administrative profession (i.e., legal assistant, university executive assistant, retail manager) to those in the business and healing arts such as chiropractic paraprofessional, 2300 Sq. Ft. day spa owner & consultant, senior instructor and owner of Appalachian Institute of Healing Arts massage school, and teacher of continuing education for massage therapists.
While I had to make my departure from a rich and long massage therapy practice after my illness, working with dimensions of the spirit world, Sacred healing and energy medicine called me even further and thus, SoulFire Alchemy was born, and continues to evolve through constant upregulation in training and experience.
My spirit walk and animist training first began as a child long ago through my Appalachian folk roots and continues every day as I am being trained by the inherent wisdom of the spirits of my own Celtic/Norse/Scandinavian ancestral lineages as well as ReConnection with the Living Light Consciousness.
In addition, I have been privileged to learn, practice, and/or be certified in:
~Animism, Earth Reconnection and Ancestral Lineage Healing with Dr. Daniel Foor of Ancestral Medicine
~Shamanic medicine wheel traditions of the Amazon and Andes in Central and South America, particularly from the Peruvian Q’ero adapted by Dr. Rachel Mann of Sacred Activism for Peacemaking / Awakened Heart Shamanism, Alberto Villoldo of the Four Winds Society, and ~Venerable Dyhani Ywahoo, Chief of the Green Mountain Band of Ani Yun Wiwa, including descendants of Tsalagi background who moved to Vermont-- the twenty-seventh generation holder of the ancestral Ywahoo lineage. Venerable Dhyani is also a respected teacher of Buddhism.
~I am currently completing a 1,000 Hr. Herbal Immersion Certification Program Program at the Chestnut School for Herbal Medicine.
More exciting news on my "glow-Up" in education and training to be announced soon!
What makes working with or learning from me unique?
Over the years as I continue to learn, grow and evolve, I have gained extensive knowledge and practice in many things that don't seem related to many people - but I notice connections and interconnectedness where others don't.
Of course I am a life-long student of the mysteries and mystery schools, and yet I have what seems as lifetimes of wisdom to draw upon when needed most.
Instead of a set, stringent or scripted set of rules, I take every single tool in my bundle -
what I learned from my NDE,
how I've healed my own (physical, emotional, and spiritual) traumas, and the many years of training
to help YOU find your purpose, achieve healing, and to fully step into BEing the Living Author of Your own story,
I have spent much of my life researching and working with the ideas of consciousness, neuroscience and epigenetics, the multidimensional and deeply faceted realms of introspection, self-reflection, shadow work, integration and self love practices, Jungian psychotherapy, astrology, herbology, nutrition, theology, the neurobiology and psychology of trauma and energy medicine, sacred contracts, sacred geometry ,anthropology, most branches of science/physics, numerology, the tarot, and other facets of ancient and esoteric wisdom, just to name a few.
To understand these fields of study better allows to develop a more complete method of trauma resolution and relief from fear, depression, anxiety, feelings of lack and limitation, and
dis-ease.
What are some examples of things my services may provide?
Simply stated, I am in service to help you break free from the blocks keeping you stuck and frustrated so that you can navigate the multidimensional realms
of introspection, self-reflection, shadow work, integration and self love practices in order to heal from the past, unearth your brilliant gifts,
find your soulful voice of truth, and live the fulfilling, empowered life your heart desires through the alchemy of many ancient wisdoms, neuroscience and Spirit.
I accomplish that not only through my studies and spiritual connection, but also through the storytelling of my own harrowing tales of trauma I have overcome. Still, I go bare-footed on the earth - preferably right out of bed when it's early morning dew or in the rain. I walk down by the creek and remember who I Am. Sometimes it's a fire that I kindle, tend and burn what isn't contributing to my highest and best. Other times I use the techniques I've learned to dig deep, heal, and find out what makes me the hero in this story... (hERstory).
Let's Find Out What Makes You The Hero In Yours!