Fairies, The Fae, Paranormal Encounters & Magic-Interview

What happens when we open ourselves to the fae, nature spirits, flower essences, and the mystery of the natural world? Hannah Forest shares her experiences with synchronicity, spiritual encounters, and living in relationship with nature.
There are some conversations that leave you thinking long after the microphone has been turned off. My conversation with Hannah Forest was one of those.
Hannah is an intuitive naturopath, herbalist, and lover of the natural world. Her work explores the quiet, everyday practices that shape our health, our homes, and our relationship with nature. But what really drew me into our conversation was her relationship with the fae, nature spirits, flower essences, and the unseen world.

Transcript

Hey, Everyone, And welcome back to the podcast. I got to interview someone so super groovy this time, And I know you're thinking, Kirsten, You say that about all your guests, But this guest, Hannah Forrest? Oh, My gosh. I was able to scratch the itch that is all about the fae, Fairyland, And those little nature creatures or spirits that we can't see. Hannah is so groovy. She's an intuitive naturopath, And herbalist. And from her website, She says she's devoted to the quiet, Everyday practices that shape our health, Our homes, And our relationship with the natural world. We are going to talk a whole lot more about who Hannah is and the way she moves in the world. But really, She had me at fairy. And her miracle moments, Her magical moments, Well, One's a little spooky, And the other one has to do with that great big energy synchronicity, But it's really hilarious. And so I think you're going to enjoy it. All right, Let's dive on in. Here is my conversation with Hannah Forrest. I was there with my husband this time and he doesn't come to many of these things because he is more atheist. And but I managed to drag him along because Jerry was doing a slideshow old school of their recent trip to France and through Europe because she until last year, Last year was her last one, Ran, You know, Pilgrimages. We were sitting there in some chairs and watching these very long slideshows very long. And, And I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. Like quite heavy, Like, Like, Like they were trying to kind of, Hey, I thought maybe my head's in the way or something. So I turned around and no one, No one was there. If you had to get on stage and introduce yourself to a bunch of people, How would you do that? I think this is the hardest question. Um, I think because I wear so many hats, Uh, But I'm a naturopath, I'm a herbalist, I'm a writer or a podcast host or a mother. I'm a multi-passionate individual, I think. Um, But I, I would say that my work lives in the space where natural holistic health, Herbalism, And earth-based spiritual craft meet. Yeah. Okay. I love that. I mean, I love interviewing fellow podcasters because it's, It's so easy and seamless because. You just can talk and you have an answer for everything. It's amazing. So let me ask you, When you were a kid, What did you dream about becoming? This is an easy one, Actually, For me, Because I think it really, I am very much in a lot of ways, The same person I've always been. My core essence has been the same my whole life. And I've just grown with that as I've gotten older. But I always said I wanted to be a spy or a witch or was like a wizard. And I and I always said that naturopathic medicine gave me a little bit of both because we get to investigate health and kind of dig deep on health topics. And, You know, Look at timelines of people and find out, You know, What led to this, You know, State of dis-ease. And then with my plant medicine, I get to mix pretty potions and like play with flowers. And, And I think that I really got, It's a bit of magic and, And I weave a bit of magic into what I do with my clients and, You know, In my own practice. And so I really feel like I got both of those. I have to tell you that you were the first person I've had on the show that said they wanted to be a spy. And I'm just, Okay, How did that happen? I was long lived. In fact, Some days I'm still like, Could I work for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service? Like, Should I apply? But I, I think because I was such a reader, I think that reading really shaped who I am as a person. And it was something I was raised with. You know, Both my parents worked in schools, Both trained as teachers. My mom was an LES teacher for 35 years. My entire family are teachers. And so, You know, My cousins, My godmother, And then I up marrying a man who then went and became a teacher. So it's a bit of a sick joke, Really. But, Um, You know, I was raised with books and I was raised with reading. And I think diving into those imaginary worlds really, Really, You know, It created a part of me. And so I read a lot of spy fiction as a young child and I like, You know, Ones that were age appropriate, But I just thought it was so cool. I was like, Well, You get to go in and you get to like help people and you, You know, You get to see really cool things and use cool tools. And like repel off buildings. And I want to do that. So yeah. You're blowing my mind right now because I've never considered spy as a vocation, But yes, I think it is actually very cool. I would not be a good one because I don't have a poker face and I just, I would probably start laughing or something and they'd be like, That person's a spy. So. Yeah. You know, Would you? Child self, If you were to think back. Who you were, Would your child self be surprised at what you're doing now? Not at all. I don't think at all. I think that the, I guess the, The origin story of how I got into natural medicine was a bit funny. Um, And it was really this, That I saw it in a career book because in high school they had to slip through these career books. Right. And they're like, What do you want to do when you leave school? And I was like, I don't know, Wizard. Can I be a wizard? Uh, And they were like, Probably not. And I went to a very super church of Christ Christian school, Um, Which I probably very much did not fit into in a lot of ways. It was not my, You know, My classmates all were of black mind, And I was just not that way. And and so everyone kind of knew they wanted to be a minister, Or they wanted to, You know, And and, Or be a nurse or, You know, Those kinds of paths. And I just, I was like, I don't know, Like, I don't know. And so I was flipping through and I saw this thing. More Western herbal medicine. And I just thought, Hmm, That seems like kind of piqued my interest a little bit. And that actually went through a time where it no longer existed after I graduated. And it's back now, But as a degree. So I ended up kind of transitioning into naturopathic medicine, After I fell in love with a nutrition lecture, My first year of studying Western herbs, But it went away as a Yeah, As an actual degree. And I And so that's kind of how I got started. So that part was surprising to me. And I think falling in love with nutrition and how bodies work was a surprise to me. Because when I started, You know, When I graduated high school, I didn't have the best relationship with my body and with food. And so I thought this is gonna suck, I just have to get through this. And then thankfully, I had the best teacher ever. And she really blew my mind and helped, Like helped me in so many ways. And so I have no regrets about doing naturopathic medicine. But the plants are really where my heart And that, To my child self, Would be no surprise. Yeah, Because you and I had a really great conversation about Bee Balm, A brief one before we started the podcast. And I don't know, What do you think it is that captivated you about the plant world? What was it in energy? Was it a sense? Was it the idea that plants are more than they seem? You know, I was just reading an article, I love science, In a science magazine, And they said, Scientists have now discovered that plants have 20 different ways, You know, 20 different senses, And to communicate and sense the world. And we have five, Maybe six, We're still figuring that out. But I thought, We know nothing. We know nothing. So I'm curious. Yeah, I once had a quote, You know, In regards to that, That, You know, Science is just magic we haven't uncovered yet, Like we don't understand yet. And I thought that is just the best way to describe the world. And I don't necessarily believe we should know everything. I don't know if we should know all the answers in a scientific way. I think it takes the mystery out of life. And, You know, I think sometimes as human beings, We need that we really need that to be able to have that hope and that, You know, That joy and that, You know, Excitement about the world and not be so jaded and affected by the world and the current state that it's in. Um, So I think what captivated me about the players actually really has to do with and you'll see this as a common thread with me is that what I do in like, I guess you could call my professional career. You know, The way that I studied, And then what my spiritual life looked like really go hand in hand, And they kind of enmesh with each other all the time. And so growing up, I was really, You know, I was a reader, Obviously, We talked about that. And, You know, I think I was raised with a lot of magic and a lot of possibility. And I think those creative worlds were really nurtured for me, Not just by my parents, But by other people in my life. And so we had family, Friends, And they used to take me on and fairy hunts. And, You know, They had a unicorn named Star with like a scar on her forehead. And they were like, That's where her horn got removed. And so I think like those worlds really, You know, I think that love for the Fae and then the connection I ended up having with the Fae and the Fair Folk also played into my love for the plants. I also grew up cooking a lot and, You know, I naturally, I think maybe because I loved these worlds and potion making and these kinds of things, I naturally wanted to include herbs into my food. And so I think I was, I still have friends messaging me saying, I remember when you were 15. And you brought these rosemary chocolate cookies to this party. And it was so good. And I still use a variation of that recipe. Now. It's rosemary and chocolate is such a long lived. Dear love of mine, Those two together with olive oil. And so it's just the best combo. But I think I just I just loved the way that plants made me feel and I loved that they, You know, You could see them in folklore, You can see them in tales. And I love that the fairies and the plants were so connected. So I think that kind of came that way. Beautiful. Those cookies sound deadly. Just going to put that out there. Yeah, It sounds like it. I'm going to tell you a funny thing that happened to me. I used to live in Portland, Oregon, And it's very lush and green and amazing trees and parks all over the city. And I would go hiking, Not hiking, Walking in this park, Hiking slash walking. And I've always, You know, When I lived there, I started to be able to sense I'd be on a path and I'd get to this place in the path that would be kind of thick and it would feel like it would want to hold me back. And after a while, I learned that, Hey, I need to stop. Something here wants me to notice something. Thing. And so I stopped during this one walk. It was really gummy and sticky. So I stopped and I turned to the side of the path and I was very close to the trees and the brush and the sumac. And I sat there for like a minute and I was like, All right, Look, You know what? I am here for a walk. You know, I can't stand here forever. So whatever you want me to see, Could you hurry it up? And then all of a sudden this branch smashed. Slap me in the face. I mean, I don't even know how it happened. There was no wind. It was like this branch had been held back. By something, And the second I said that, It smacked me in the face. It didn't hurt, But I did get the sense that I was being chastised for being impatient. All I could do was think, Wait, Did that just happen? And then I started laughing. And I was like, You have to have a sense of humor with a fairy folk. You know, You cannot, And I thought, I just think I was bitch slapped by. Something I don't understand. I don't know what's happening here. But just the, You know, Me making that statement and getting hit in the face. And I thought, Okay, That was not chance. That was that's actually hilarious. So I think that is so funny. And they're very much like that. I think, You know, There's been multiple occasions that my keys have been dismantled, Just completely dismantled. And it's so ridiculous. It happens like periodically when I'm not paying enough attention to them. And at one point I installed a fairy door inside my house and I came to realize, Well, Actually I just, You know, I just put big fat invitation, Um, Inside of my house and, You know, You live and you learn, Right. I always say I make the mistakes so that my clients don't have to do that. And in saying that, I would totally put one in again and probably will know my son's a bit older. But yeah, Just like I am a key ring. Well, I was a key ring person. And now I'm not because I've given up because at times just throughout a week, All of my key rings will come apart in different ways. And I'll just fall off and then keys will fall off. And I'm like, How did you come off a jump ring? It makes no sense to me. And it happens. Yeah, It happens often. So I think the sense of humor thing isn't much needed. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I mean, And I think what people don't understand if they're not, You know, Into reading books or watching shows or doing the research is that stories of quote, Unquote, Little people are all over the world from from ancient times, Ancient, Ancient, Ancient. And and, You know, One of the most one of the ones that I remember very powerfully happened somewhat recently. I don't know if you know Molly Domasomi. He wrote of water and the spirit. It is so beautiful. Of the most beautiful books I've ever read. But when he was a kid, His mother in Africa would go off to harvest or get water or do whatever. And she'd take little Maladoma. And one day he disappeared. And she couldn't find him. And she was calling him and saying, Where are you? Where are you? And finally, She found him. And he was sitting by this kind of weird hole with like a tuft of grass and like a rock near it and whatever. And she said, What are you doing? And he said, I'm following the little man. And she said, What little And he said, The little man, He's wearing like a little coat and he wanted me to come with him and play with him, But I can't fit in that hole. And he remembers it because he still remembered the little man and the invitation to play. And I thought, Oh my gosh, There it is again, You know, A fairy or a fae, But just in Africa. And so they're the world over, Which I find fascinating. Yeah. I mean, The fae are nature spirits, Are a type of nature spirit. And I think that, You know, That is a concept. That is threaded throughout all, You know, Indigenous cultures worldwide. And, You know, People have different perspectives on the Fae and where they come from, And exactly who they are, And whether, You know, They have folktales associated with them, Or whether they are more of like an active concept of like, You know, This, This kind of energy in the world. But definitely, It's something that I see everywhere. And, You know, There are, No matter where you travel, You can have a conversation if you find somebody who's local, And you start talking about the Fae, They will have a story for you. Such a bit older. Yeah, I just, I find it utterly fascinating. And I, You know, My scientific mind, Because I do love science, But I have a master's of divinity. You know, I just, It's yet more of nature that we hear through myth and folktale, But that is real. And one of the, One of my, I have to tell you a bucket list. Bucket list is Fiendhorn. Have you ever been to Fiendhorn? And like, You know, It's so funny about that. So you put it in your email to me, You know, Something perhaps that's synchronistic. Well, I think this is that moment, Because actually, I, And the whole, That was some of the stories I was going to tell you about, Like, You know, How I met my mentor, But my mentor, Geri Taylor Wood, Who lives here on the mountain with me, We live on a mountaintop in Queensland, Australia, And she's actually from England, And she has been to Finn Hornet and spoken at Finhorn, And she has a connection with the people there. And so I've been mentored in nature spirits and flower essence therapy. And you know, She's writing an angels course right now. And the best way I could describe Geri, Which, You know, I felt like was appropriate here in this space, Too, Is like a mystic Christian, That's like the best way I could describe her approach, Which isn't the same as mine. But I think that's part of what makes life beautiful is being able to learn from all kinds of people. And so yeah, I know a fair bit about Finhorn. So please, You You know, Tell me, You want to go there? Well, You know, I read a book again, You and I are bibliophiles. So, You know, Of course you and I will get along till the end of time. I'm just going to put that out there. Um, I read a book so long ago on Fiendhorn and, Um, Just the, This book was so incredible. I still own it. It's one I love everywhere across the world. And, Um, Just the conversations that some of the people who originally started Fiendhorn, One of the men, Used to see the God Pan all the time. It was a very common experience for him to have conversations with the God Pan around plants, You know, Nourishment, The natural world. But what is especially captivating about Fiendhorn is just the success that they've had. And it almost verges on magic, Frankly, Even though I know it's not magic, It's something else. But for me, You know, Seeing those giant flowers and the giant plants and everything and growing in ways that are just mind-blowing. I just thought, I need to go to this place and soak in, Because I can't even imagine the energy there. It must be so fecund and beautiful and abundant. And yeah, And green. I mean, Like I said, I'm in the desert Southwest, So everything's brown here. There is some green. So going to Phoenix, I could soak in the green. Oh, Yeah, Well, I think that's part of how they got started, Right? Is nothing grew there. And in the beginning, Nothing grew there. And so and then they were able to create this beautiful garden out of nothing. And so I think that you could do that anywhere. And, You know, I think it also really depends on your definition of what magic means. Because I think it could definitely be perceived as magic, Depending on what that looks like for you, Right? Um, I also want to just address something that I think is interesting. I was reading, As I said, Sand talk. And And. You know, He talks about everything having a spirit, Including the rocks and a consciousness and it can communicate, But you can't just like walk up to a rock and say, Hey, Be my bestie. Let's hang out. Let's share a beer or whatever that looks like. Um, You have to sit with them for a while. You can't just be like, Let's be friends. You have to sit and be still and be with them. And it's interesting because recently I was in the mountains a few months ago and I, I talked to one of the mountains and I said, Hey, You're so beautiful and I. There were lots of compliments and I said, I'd like to talk with you. And it was like, No. No, I felt it. And I was like, Okay. You know, Why? And I mean, Basically the mountain was like, You can't just come here. You don't live here. You don't appreciate me. We're not, No, You gotta, No. So then, Um, Which is very different because I house sit at this place for sometimes for a month and they have a hot tub right next to a juniper tree. So every night when it's nighttime, I go sit in the hot tub and I talk to the juniper tree. So over the years we've become actual friends. So the juniper will talk to me now and communicate with me. Communicate with me. It sulks when I haven't been around for a while. And it's like, You have to like butter me up a little bit, But it is about true intimacy. You can't just walk into these conversations, These relationships without demonstrating that you have the capacity for deep respect. And, And also that you, The creature, The rock, The brush, The shrubbery, Whatever it is that you want to commune with, That they have dignity and that they, Deserve our respect. I'm sure you'll agree. Mm hmm. Very much so. It's a topic that especially in this season of my podcast, We've been talking about a lot is about building this relationship. How do you build a relationship with the world around you? What does that look like? You know, And that's another thing that is through so many traditional cultures, Right, Is this undercurrent of like, You know, All of nature is our relation. And that is something we've lost. And in a recent interview I did with somebody called Robin Rose Bennett, Who's a herbalist, And also a witch, She was talking about how, You know, This nature connection and this understanding of all, You know, All of nature being related to us is the antidote for loneliness that we feel in this modern world. And I, You know, That was something I brought up with her because I think it's absolutely true. I think in this world, So many of us are looking for connection, We're looking for the village, We're looking at so many different words that we're using. But really, What we're trying to do is seek connection from somebody who understands us who we can have a reciprocal relationship with not a transactional relationship with. And it helps us to feel us alone. And we know that every single being outside the trees, The rocks, The sky, The rivers, The grass, The bugs, They're all here to be in relationship with us. We're never alone. And I think is the best message to come out of that. Is that, You know, Once you start to develop these relationships, You realize it's not even building a relationship in the first place. It's just remembering a relationship you've always had, And your ancestors have always had. We've just that that idea that we're related has been taken away from us, I think, Because it's easier to Well, This is my opinion, But like easier to, You know, Influence a person when they feel alone, You know, Yeah, Sometimes I feel really alone because everything seems like it's transactional now and I'm like, I can't, I just can't do this. It's too much. Yeah. Even the poor juniper. I'm like, I'm here and I have, You know, Good news this time. So you don't have to start getting depressed, But you know I'd love to ask the second question, Which is I, And I'm intrigued by this because frankly, You had me at unicorn with head. Okay. I got to tell you, Did you grow up in a religious household? If so, What did that look like? And you know, Has your connection to source changed over time? Yes, I would say yes, My connection to sources definitely changed because no, I did not grow up in a religious household. And so, You know, I, I went to a public primary school, Which in Australia, This is the school systems are very different. So when I say public and private, It means different things to what it does in the States and Canada. But, You know, And probably other parts of the world, But public school is like the, You know, The free schooling system run by the government. And so, You know, I went there for primary school, That's where my family taught in public schools. And there's no religious connotations there whatsoever. There's no discussion of religion, It is just, It is what it is. It's, You know, Even I think even these days, Doing things like Christmas is kind of, You know, A bit iffy. Because there are people who don't want to be involved. And so I would say it's a lot different to what it even was when I went through. And then my parents kind of had this approach of, You know, We want you to figure it out for yourself. And I always say that that is something I so appreciate about the way I was raised, Because it's not that any discussion was off the table. And it's not that they completely hid religion from us, Or that it was a dirty thing at all. It was more just that my parents didn't subscribe to religion. It doesn't mean they didn't subscribe to spirituality in some form. I would say that both my parents are probably Christian leaning, But I don't fully, They don't really talk about their beliefs. But I remember on Sundays, I would sit on the deck and talk to my dad and read the newspaper together. And we would hear the church bells from the church up the street. And we would have conversations about these things. But it wasn't, You know, It was never something I was forced into. And I think that that really helped me to grow into who I was meant to be. And then I went to a very Christian private school for high school, Where there was a religious, You know, Tone to everything that we did. And we had Bible classes and those kinds of things. And you know, You know, There were websites blocked on the computer, I was trying to write my senior paper on like, You know, The ancient Celts and so much was blocked because they were considered, You know, Not Christian. And so I actually couldn't access the information at my high school. Um, And so I had to go to the public library and it was a whole thing, But you know, And, And then I also chose to go to a youth group, A local youth group, Um, With the Uniting Church. And I went there for many years. And so I always say that I totally gave Christianity a shot, But it just didn't stick for me personally. Um, And so, You know, But I've always given me, And also the way my parents live, They're very generous people. They're very open hearted people. They've always helped people. It's been said it is as an example for me to be generous. My mom always says you need to have generosity of spirit. They would, You know, Support children who needed support and adults and give people clothes and food and rescue animals off the street. And like, It was everything in my life, Like I saw it everywhere. And so that was a great example. And so I think I was taught, You know, Spiritual ethics, But without the religion, Like name tag, If that makes sense. And so, You know, Over the years, I've had had to figure out what that looks like for me. And it allowed me the freedom to figure out what felt right for me and what resonated like in my bones for me. And, You know, Follow things that I naturally gravitated towards without too much judgment. I mean, I'm sure the first day I brought home a book on witchcraft, My parents were like, Um, But you know, I think that's something about me is I just undeniably who I am and I just have to let my freak flag fly. And so, Um, They've always supported me, Even though maybe they didn't agree with my choices at the time. I also went vegetarian when I was 15 and, And they definitely didn't love that, But they also definitely supported me and my choices. And, You know, However long it's like over 15 years later, And I'm still doing it. I'm vegan now. And so it's just another example of, I guess, How my parents were supportive and let me to, Yeah, Grow as I needed to. And so now my connection to source looks very different to when I was in high school. And I definitely have more of an animistic worldview. So I, You know, Yeah, You would understand and resonate with that, Too. You know, This, I believe in the divine, You know, Spirit that runs through all living things. And when I say living things, I also mean, You know, Rocks and things like that, Right? You know, All of nature, All of the natural worlds. And it is like this beautiful thread that connects us all. So I think that's, That's how that's transpired through my life. Gorgeous. I mean, So gorgeous. I was, I was, Frankly, When you were telling me about your childhood and how enchanting it was and how kind of that sense of play and imagination and inhabiting a world that is almost kind of in this liminal space, You know, Imagination and unicorns. I got a little jelly, I'm just gonna say. I did not have that childhood and I would have died for that childhood. You know, I was the oldest kid. I remember, You know, We grew up, I grew up overseas. So when we came back to the States, Finally, I just remember one day getting soaked into, Just sucked into the moss in the front yard. And I, I just felt like I could feel it and sense it. And I, There was something about it, But then I got, You know, I totally, My parents were getting a divorce. I got pulled away from all of that. Of that. You know, There was no room for imagination or play or we all just had to survive all of us the entire family through everything that was going on. And so I love your your villain origin story. So singular and beautiful. You know, So I think it's also important to mention though, Because I am a realist too. And I want people to know that my childhood was definitely not all unicorns and rainbows. And, You know, I think that there was, And still is in some ways a lot of pressure on me as the first child and oldest daughter, There's a whole complex there. But, You know, To, To be perfect, And to get the good grades and to follow the path I was meant to follow. And yeah, First daughter syndrome is real. And, You know, My little brother had a very different experience to me with growing up in the same house and, You know, Being raised by the same people. And, You know, I do and we talk about that now we've had to repair some risks, There's been, You know, Some challenges especially recent years. And I feel like we've come through it now. But, You know, There was definitely not it was not all happy go lucky. And I don't think that anyone's childhood really is. But it definitely I think that they fostered the right things. I think that they, You know, Letting me become who I needed to be, You know, And being able to foster that imagination and that, You know, That creativity and that, That open mindedness, It's helped me to, You know, Move through the world with compassion and, And those kinds of morals. I think that was really fantastic. And and they've done a great job. I think they're great parents. But yeah, It definitely I like to mention that it's not all perfect, Because I don't think anybody has that perfect, Idyllic childhood. And it's important because those parts help you grow too. Thank you for that answer. Before I move to the main question of the podcast, I'm gonna just pick your brain a little bit. Okay, The Fae, Fairy. Do you now, You know, I read this book about Fiendhorn and that's the first time I heard about divas. And I found them utterly fascinating. But the fae, I think, Are something different. Um would you say would you classify them i mean i heard you use the term nature spirits before but for me they could also be old gods but maybe that is just a little too Grandiose, That's not what they are. The fae? Yeah, What would you say? I mean, Like, How would you classify them? How would you, I don't know, Describe them? Yeah, I think that in my mind, They're separate from the old gods. But there are murky parts, Because Pan obviously is considered part of the Fae realm, But he is also considered a god. So this is where it's kind of tricky, Because although that there are Fae across almost every Indigenous culture, There also are different opinions of what that looks like. And so. . . I don't think there's ever really one right answer. There's also a whole debate about whether they exist on our realm or in like, You know, A parallel realm or, You know, Some people believe they are angels, Like there are lots of different schools of thought. And so I guess from where I come from, They are nature spirits, I consider them and maybe some crossover into God realm, But they are nature spirits. And that encompasses, You know, Other beings like gnomes and elves and sprites and nymphs. And, You know, Davis as well. And so I think that that's where I sit with it. And I do believe they they live on a what is the word I'm having a mental blank, But basically a level like a realm right just above out so we can connect at times, But we're not always in connection. They don't, They can cross over into our realm, But we're not necessarily always together. That's kind of my school of thought. But again, There are so many different opinions. As to what that looks like. So that's just my my experience. Thank you. I, You know, Again, In this book, Sand Talk, He talks about the indigenous view of time and how. You know, He wishes there were words to actually describe what, How the Aboriginal people's view time or encompass time. You know, He said the easiest word is nonlinear. He said, But that says nothing, Because all it says is what it's not. And there really are no words for what they are talking about. And I was reading that and I thought, Oh, That's where the Fae are. That, You know, They're in this, This place that we can't comprehend because it's beyond our Western sensibilities, Our Western capacities for explanation. And then I thought, I wish I could go there and maybe I can. I'll ask the juniper later. I'll be like, You got it. Do you have a map? Do you have a map? I guess the best person to ask. Um, I'd love to ask the main question of the podcast, Which is I would so appreciate if you can think of, You know, Any stories. I know you told me the one about your mentor, But something magical, Miraculous, Or mysterious that's happened in your life. I'd like to hear whatever you want to share. There are just so many because that is the world that I live in. And so it's tricky because, You know, Like. . . I guess the people I surround myself with, This is a normal thing. This is just an everyday occurrence. And so, You know, Like my best friend, She's a Greek witch tarot reader who can perform exorcisms. It's a whole thing. She's a whole thing, Greek Orthodox infused in there. It's like, It's a whole thing. And so like, That's, I spend so much time with her. And we talk all the day, You know, So like the stories that I hear from her and from my other friends, And then the stories that I've experienced is just so many of them. And it's kind of, You know, If you were to think about how it changed me, I guess it all changes me just in the fact that that is my life. But To pick one or two, I think. . . Definitely one of them can be the first time that I felt a ghost touch me. Um, Which I'm not, So I'm not as much as I work in spiritual realms, It's not, If I'm not an overly sensitive individual, And I know that about myself, And I'm at peace with it. Now, I'm not that person who's just seeing ghosts everywhere and hearing things. And it's just not as much as I sometimes I'm like, That would be so cool. I'm not clairvoyant. It's not, I don't speak to the dead much. It's just, You know, But, Um, I think like, You know, Yeah, I'm just not that person. But I very clearly had an experience, Which kind of was like, Whoa, That's the first time I can absolutely pinpoint that that happened. And there were other people in the room. And so I was at my mentor's property. So she has a property called Grout Haven up here. And it's a sanctuary and they have sacred well water there. And they you know, They run workshops and retreats and things like that. And so I'm like her, She calls me her wizards apprentice. And so I was there with my husband this time, And he doesn't come to many of these things because he is more atheist. He's and you know, Raised Catholic, He has some things around that. So we're just giving him some time and space to figure it out. But he's terrified of ghosts, Which I think is so funny. Absolutely terrified. I'm like, Are you atheist? I think there's some beliefs there. But we're just gonna again, We're gonna let you figure that out by yourself. Um, And but I managed to drag him along because Jerry was doing a slideshow old school of their recent trip to France and through Europe because she until last year, Last year was her last one, Ran, You know, Pilgrimages to sacred sites. And so they would go and they did a whole Michael tour, Archangel Michael tour, And they do ones with the Black Madonnas and Mary Magdalene and like those kinds of things. And so she she was like, Oh, I want a bunch of people to come and see, You know what we did. And so and have tea and snacks. And we went along and we were sitting there in some chairs, We're watching these very long slideshow very long. And, And I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder, Like quite heavy, Like, Like, Like they were trying to kind of, Hey, I thought maybe my head's in the way or something. So I turned around. And no one, No one was there. Everyone was watching. There was a row behind me. But they were like, They were engrossed in the slides. They were not that close to me. And I was like, What? And then I see my husband go. And he's looking around and I was like, Oh, What the heck just happened? And so I kind of just like, Let it be. And then, You know, When we got home, I called Jerry and I was like, Hey, I just want to like, We felt hands on our shoulder. And she's so open to this stuff. And she is very connected and very sensitive. So she has experiences like this all the time. But that's just not usually my reality. And, You know, Her husband is a dowser. So he uses pendulums. And you know, He he got straight on the tools, And he was dowsing and they figured out that it was actually the spirit of somebody who used to come to Grauhaven and let's just call her Victoria. And she was one of those people that had a really hard time being on the earth. And sometimes, You know, You can look at this from many different perspectives, Whether you're looking at astrology chart, Or you're looking at, You know, Their karmic, Whatever, There's lots of people have soul contracts, Lots of different ways of explaining what why this might be, But some people just have a tenuous grip, They have a foot in both worlds, And they find it really hard to be here. And she was one of those people and you know, She would come to their classes and they became friends with her and then Oh, You know, They can hit a point where she started to become really erratic and really just unsettled. And they could feel that something was really off with her. And then one day she came to their property. And when she left, They were like, Something's not right. And then like the next day, She drove off the mountain, And she died. And they don't know whether it was by choice, Or if it was an accident, We suspect by choice. But um, It was her from from what they could figure out from their connection with this, You know, Spirits and guides, It was her that had touched me on the shoulder. And they were like, There's no meaning of harm, She just wanted to connect with you. And that was it. And that was that experience. So how interesting I think, You know, When people have these experiences, They don't always have people who are like, Yeah, Cool. I'll figure out who that is. No worries. You don't get the story. You don't get the backstory. But it was also somebody they knew so well. And so yeah, In that case, She was very benevolent and just wanted to connect with me and say hi, I was such a part and am such a part of what they do there. So that makes sense. And you know, We were listening about sacred sites and having those conversations. So but my husband also felt it and he's like, Full. I don't want to know. I don't know about it. He knows about it because he doesn't have a choice. He lives with me. But you know, I'm like, It's okay. I'm not going to bring it up all the time. But that was something that we both fell and And so I know it wasn't just in my head. And so yeah, How interesting I think. Wow, You handled that so much better than I would. I live in that world, As I said. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes. I mean, One of the things that I think is really special and beautiful for you is that you have this incredible community and you have this belonging and it's creating this space that is really generous and inclusive, It sounds like, But also deeply open to the mystery. And for me, Just witnessing what you're saying and explaining about, You know, The different ways you move in the world. You have something that so many people on the planet want so desperately, Which is, You know, Collaboration and community and belonging. And I'm just so happy for you. It makes me happy to know that you have such a great, I don't know, Coterie of people that have your back. It's very interesting that you say that because I have had to work really hard to get the people that I have. And, You know, I think that the loneliness piece is very personal for me, Because I have felt lonely most of my life. And, And actually, I don't I haven't had that community. And this is only something that I'm kind of starting to uncover now in my 30s. But I spent most of my life growing up being the odd one out and being someone I have bad luck with people sticking around. And that's for many different reasons. And I had to realize, You know, Many years ago that actually it's not much to do with me. And actually it's a lot to do with being authentically yourself, Which holds up a mirror to people. And they find it hard. They find it hard to be around people like that because so many of us are denying who we are and, You know, We find it hard to be with ourselves and to be ourselves in a in a world that very much wants to put us in a box and to have us behave and perform and fit in. And that's another conversation I had with Robin Rose Bennett was, You know, She said fitting in is such a tragedy, Because you are changing yourself to fit a, You know, Fit a description, But belonging, True belonging, Is something entirely different. And so, You know, I would say it's one of those things I've had to hold the hope for, Because it's easy to just give up and feel like it's, You know, Hopeless. And, You know, Will I ever find my people? And will I ever have that experience where someone, You know, Brings me casserole when I'm sick, Or, You know, And I definitely don't think I'm 100% there yet. I have really beautiful people in my life. But, You know, That level, I don't have any friends from childhood. Still, Like my husband has a whole bunch of people he was, You know, In preschool with, And they're all still friends. I do not have that. I think that's uncommon. But you know, I definitely don't have that. And so yeah, I think what you see now is just many years of holding that hope that that is possible, And figuring out how to work on myself so that I can put myself in situations where, You know, I get to receive that finally. So yeah, Thank you. I have two more questions. What I find, I find it just so powerful that when you're a kiddo, You know, You're like, I want to be a wizard or a spy. And then here we are having this conversation and you just casually drop that you are now known as a wizard's apprentice. And I thought, Oh my gosh. Full circle. Full circle. She's on her way. She's made this happen. So kudos. Very exciting. That's kind of, To me, A miracle or a magical thing that, That, You know, At this young age you thought, Spire wizard, Spire wizard. And then here we go, You know, 20, 25 years later, However long it's been. And here you are, You're not a wizard yet, But you're a wizard's apprentice. Something about that is so poetic. And so just and amazing. I want to just give you a massive round of applause for manifesting that. You know what? I never connected it like that. I never thought about it like that before, But you're totally right. Um, And, And I could give you a story about how I met her, Um, Which is very synchronistic and kind of fits with what we've been talking about. I'll try to make it concise, But, Um, I think, You know, So our paths were connected in so many ways, But when I, So I ended up changing, Long story short, When I was studying, I ended up changing colleges, Because the standards were changing. And so I just decided to cut my losses and go from an advanced diploma to a bachelor degree, Right. So that's that was the change. And so I moved schools and started on my bachelor degree. Um, When I was there, We did this unit on flower essences and this is this whole story. There's so many parts where you go down, But I, Again, I'm a natural skeptic, Which is really funny because you would not think so. Uh, Based on my entire life story and the way that I am and my disposition, But I'm such a natural skeptic and I am always at war with my inner self. Like, Oh no, That couldn't be true, But also could it be true? And, Um, Yeah. So, You know, I went into my first Flower Essence session, Because it's a part of the course, Or it was at the time, And I was like, Okay, I'm just gonna get through this just gonna get it's gonna be boring. It's gonna be boring. Oh, Was it not boring. And I have so many stories about that. But one of them was that they every year would take people on a tour. They would cover all the different types of flower essences. And they would take someone on a to take the group on a tour to this property called growlhaven. Because the person who lives at growlhaven makes a range of flower essences. And they taught it at the school. And it was in the curriculum. And the year that I went, She was overseas doing one of her tours. And I didn't get to go. And I always thought, Oh, What a bummer. That sounds that place sounds awesome. That sounds so fun. And I did not live here yet. So you know, That was many years later, We moved to this mountain, But it all threaded into create where I'm at now. And so you know, When I graduated, We decided we were going to move to tambourine mountain where I live. And, And it was really hard to get up here. And it was kind of still a pandemic world and, You know, House prices are going crazy. And, You know, We're just like two kids and we want to move to the rainforest and we really want to make it happen for ourselves. And, And we did that. And, And I still didn't run into her, But I knew she lived up here and I was like, You know what? Cause I work a lot with flower essences in my work and I love working with them. Um, It's one of my favorite things to do is to do flower essence sessions. People, They're very profound. And it's the most magical, Mystical, Miracle based thing that I do is those sessions. They're incredible. And, And, You know, It's really opened my eyes to so many things, Just being able to bear witness to people in those moments. But I hadn't run into it all. And I was like, You know what, One day I was at work, And I was talking to my friend. And I said, There's this person up here named Jerry Taylor Wood. And I, I have never run into her. And this is the story, But I'm going to put it out. I'm going to speak it out into the universe right now. I'm going to speak it out. There's power in your words. I'm going to meet her soon. The next day, I get an urge to go for a massage, Which I have had about three in my entire life, I never go for massage, I absolutely should do it more, But I don't. And I just was like, I'm gonna go for a massage. And I booked into this place that was kind of new and opened up just off the main street in town. And I and I was like, Do you have any spots today? She goes, Yeah, Come in. Great. So I went in. And there she is in the waiting room talking to people. And I, Like a celebrity, My jaw was like. . . And I was like, Play it cool, Play it cool. Don't get too excited. It's fine. It's fine. Just we can't. And then I got into my session and I was lying on the table and being me, I'm a chatter and I also feel bad for people working on me. And I'm like, I feel like I need to have a conversation with you. I really shouldn't do that. But I do. And, You know, It's not relaxing for me, But it's, It's, I always have great conversations. And I was like, Was that person out there by any chance? Geri Taylor Wood. And she went, Yeah, She's in here all the time. Time. She comes in for chats. And I was like, Oh, I've always wanted to meet her. And she goes, Stay here. She left me on the table. And she went into the master, Like the main room, And she went, I guess she asked Jerry, Like, Hey, There's a girl who wants to meet you, Would you come back after you go to the post office? And Jerry went, Sure. And so when I got out of my massage, They set me and Jerry takes me down to a back room, And they set me up in a meeting. And then she's like, Come by and and then it all just unfolded from there. So it's pretty wild how these things happen. But I think that that was very synchronistic in so many different ways. I love that. It's like you suddenly have this impulse to get a massage and then look at everything that kind of unfolded after that. I, Okay. That story is amazing. Amazing. And I love it. Um, Because I had something similar happen. I was house sitting out in the middle of nowhere here in Santa Fe. And all of a sudden I like got in my car and went to go get a pedicure. And I was driving, I was like in this fugue state. I was driving in the car and I'm like, Am I in the car getting a pedicure? Like this is very strange. And so I sat down in the chair, And I'm like, I don't know what's happening. I guess I'm getting a pedicure. And then this woman with her little dog, And sits next to me. I don't know her. She's probably 10 years younger than me. And Apropos of nothing, I end up, We both are getting pedicures, She ends up confiding a whole bunch of stuff and crying. And disclosing that, I mean, She is very psychic and it's starting to become too much for her and she sees things she doesn't want to and all of this stuff. And, You know, I could have never predicted that any of that would have happened. But it was like I was an absolute she's like, You're going to think this is crazy that I'm talking about all this. And I was like, I'm actually the perfect person for you to talk to about all of this. And we had a really insanely, You know, I held space for her crying. I'm sure the nail techs were like, What is happening here? OK, What is going on? You know, So I was the perfect person. She just cried. And just told me about all of her experiences that were happening and we ended up becoming friends. But I told her the next time we met, I said, I just want you to know that I was not planning on getting a pedicure. And all of a sudden I was like, I'm in the car and I'm going, This is weird. And then I met you and then it all made sense. So sometimes there are these kind of promptings that come out of nowhere. And I say to myself, Always listen, Like, Don't argue, You know, Or you'll get like a branch in the face. You never know. That's just going to happen. Happen. I think it's so easy. Again, In the modern world, We're rushing everywhere and And we know what we should be doing that big S word should, Which, You know, Is so toxic in so many ways. But, You know, It's so easy to just ignore those, I call them like nudges from the universe, We could talk about intuition and like what that really means, Which, You know, I listened to a great podcast, And they talked about intuition. And it's not just divine messages, It's also feedback from the environment around you. And it's like, You know, Micro things you've noticed in your subconscious, That maybe you don't consciously you're not be aware of, But exist in your brain somewhere to help keep you safe and to navigate you in the right direction and, And there's a little universal nudges, They never fail. If you listen, And if you don't listen, You can end up like me and get your finger in a blender because that happened to me and that was not a good time. And I had the natural need don't go do this thing. Don't go don't go use that blender today. And I went, I'm gonna do it because I'm running out of time. And I'm just gonna do it. And it was a bad idea. And so it goes both ways. It's like, Yeah, They can lead you to absolutely miraculous, Incredible experiences. And also, Sometimes they're keeping you safe. And it's like, Oh, I'm late today. Why am I late in my car? Is it too? Is it preventing me from getting in a car accident? Like sometimes we look at these things from a very modern Western view where we're like, I'm running late, That's bad. I can't be running late. And these days, I try to remind myself, If this is the way I'm being guided, Then maybe I need to listen and it's for a bigger purpose than just I need to be on time or like I'm going to be late, You know? Oh my gosh, Thank you so much. That is such a great clarification and super helpful to me, Because I always like learning. My last question is, Have you ever seen a fairy or the fae? And what is your sense of what they look like? Because you have all these popular depictions of gossamer wings and cute, I don't know, Overalls or skirts, And they're just so pretty. But then there are other places in the world that are like. Little evil gnomes and they're so disgusting and they're like, Stay away from them. So I'm curious what your thoughts are. I think that they can be shape shifting. I think that they can present the way that they want to. But also, I think that there's all just like all the different kinds of human beings. We have redheads, We have blondes, We have tall people, Short people, You know, Like, I think that they come in all different shapes and sizes and forms. And, You know, I'm a big fan of Brian Froud's work. I don't know if you're aware of his work. Beautiful. You should look it up. Absolutely incredible. Um, He, As my mother would say, He really revolutionized the way people saw the Fae, Um, You know, And I, He, He depicts them quite dark and earthy and, You know, Not up until his work, There really hadn't been that many people in popular culture who were depicting fairies that way. And so he really changed the landscape. And he really, He's the person who's responsible for like the labyrinth and Dark Crystal in those movies. His work inspires that he and his wife's and so You know, I think growing up with that. Like I got his book, His anniversary edition book of his art for a birthday, My parents got it for me. So I think that that has shaped the way I see them. But In terms of actually having seen them myself, I think I have had experiences but not in the way that people sometimes do. So like, I don't think I've ever come face to face with one. I mean, Like, Whoa, That's a fairy. I think I see them out the corners of my eye, Which is quite common. People say you will see them out the corners of your eye. And, You know, I've had experiences where I feel like they've touched me or, You know, I've seen them in a pot plant, And it's a flash. But not, Not very, But there's this one experience I had, And I honestly swear, I saw a gnome on a train one time. I swear it was a gnome, But he was like, Short, Short man, But man sized. And I saw him on the train. I was like, Is anybody else seeing this? Like this is like, He looks exactly like a gnome in a suit. I'm so confused. Like this man, If there was ever a gnome, I'm like, It's him. Like he looks like he belongs in a book. This is crazy. So whether he's just a gnome looking man, Or whether he was actually a man looking gnome, I'm not sure. But there was that one time. And that's a wrap on my conversation with the enchanting Hannah Forrest. I rarely get to interview people that know about the Fae and that know about herbalism and have really spent their life's work trying to introduce those intelligences to us. I really am gaga about Hannah and the work she's doing in the world. As you all know, I think we should all be more connected to our natural spaces and get to know those ancient gods, Get to know those nature spirits. Thank you for listening, And here's my one request. Be like Hannah. Become friends with the natural world. I mean, It's really a passion for her and something that she feels deeply drawn to, But I think we could all do a little better when it comes to getting to know our rivers, Saying hello to the mountains that might be around us, Maybe they're hills, Or just saying hello to the tree that we are passing by. They're all alive, And they're alive. Are all deeply wise. And I think that they're all just waiting for us to become best friends. So be like Hannah and open your heart to the mystery that is nature, Those spirits, Those wise ones. And gosh, I don't even know what's going to happen. I think life's going to get a lot spicier and a whole heck of a lot more fun.