The Laurel and the Lion grew out of grief and transformation. It came to life when my mother died, and with her, all the illusions I’d been taught to carry. I realised I couldn’t bypass my body, my sorrow, or my story anymore. I needed space to feel what I actually felt. I needed to stop performing and start healing.
So I began creating. The first soul card I ever made was The Belly, Blessed and Belonging, because for years my belly had been my nemesis. I’d been taught to shrink it, to hate it, to fix it. But I started blessing it instead. Thanking it. Recognising that it held life, processed nourishment, and stored intuition. That it was part of me. That I was good. I created a companion journal because art journaling is a way of life. I blended this with annointing oils and narrative prompts, tools to help bridge the gap between how God sees us and how we see ourselves.
One by one, I made cards for the parts I wanted to hide: thighs, jaw, breasts, feet, voice, softness. Through the Blessed Embodiment deck, I reclaimed my body as sacred, not something to fight or fix, but something to bless.
I discovered that others felt the same way, and the Blessed Embodiment Circles were born; with art jounals, oils, and the cards. These circles were places to create and journal, using so many art supplies (I now had an excuse to own them!) inks, stamps, paints, stickers, washi tape, dip pens, pressed flowers, everything we could use to help to tell our story. this involved sharing stories, sometimes crying, but always with connection, journaling, art and sometimes scones.
Those who wished shared their stories to the small group. Then it was time to go on to the next part of the body to bless, chosen by those who were there. There are 33 cards to chose from, and one even called the part we didn’t name.
Alongside the body came the stories. Stories of childhood wounds and mother loss. Stories of being told to be small, silent, and grateful. Of learning to apologise for my power. That’s where the Mother Wound work began—another series of soul cards and companion journals to help process, grieve, name, and release the wounds that shape our identity.
All of this—the cards, the journaling, the gatherings was part of finding my way back to God. Not the distant, punitive God I’d been taught to fear, but the Heavenly Abwoon (the Aramaic word Jesus used, meaning both Father and divine Source): the Source who names us good, who breathes over brokenness, who welcomes us home.
The Laurel and the Lion is the fruit of that healing.
It’s a space for rest, renewal, sacred creativity, and truth-telling.
A little about me
I’m a lay pioneer minister, a former university lecturer, and for many years I worked in educational leadership and quality assurance designing national training programs, mentoring assessors, and helping others find their voice. I’ve also been a storyteller, a soul companion, and a woman learning to let go of perfectionism one card, one circle, one sacred breath at a time.
What you’ll find here
- Blessed Embodiment Circles – small, art-filled gatherings to bless what the world told us to hide
- Mother Wound & Sacred Ordinary Journals – created for art journaling, narrative healing, and processing with kindness
- Ritual Tools & Cards – made for women (and wild souls of all kinds) who want to reconnect to the sacred through beauty, story, and Spirit
- A gentle rebellion against shame – a place where you are already enough
This is a home for holy work that doesn’t flinch. You are welcome here.