Felicity - Ookushana
Felicity is a healer, writer and teacher who runs Ookushana, a healing school, in Leeds. Working with movement medicine, ancient rituals, elemental alchemy, sound, breathwork and plant medicines she offers healing, teaching and facilitates sacred rituals. Here we talk about Felicity’s own Ancestral Healing journey, her belief that this generation is here to heal and co-creating Womb Awakening.
As one of your many services, you offer ancestral healing – what drew you to this, and how does it work?
Thank you so much for asking this question. Ancestral Healing is so dear to my heart. It came to my awareness as a ‘healing modality’ only a few years ago, and I was immediately drawn. From that moment, I felt increasingly guided to learn more, and eventually to “train” – although I see training more like an exploration, and often the real initiations come through our practice and in everyday life, that is our journey of “unlearning and remembering”. These initiations often come post-training, although sometimes long before!
In essence, every experience we encounter is like an initiation to our becoming.
During a plant medicine ceremony, I was shown by Spirit - I am here to heal the wounds of my ancestors. I saw within a vision that I needed to experience the pains of my ancestors on some level in this life, so I could understand and heal them. I saw these wounds coming at me like arrows through my body – and then slowly turning into LIGHT. It was pure magic! The very next day I received a message from my friend about the training – I pretty much packed my bags there and then! Some things are impossible to ignore!
I hadn’t realised quite how important working with the ancestors is!
Over the past decade, I have explored and experienced various shamanic practices, which taught me the importance of honouring the ancestors - from whom we come, and tending the land on which we reside. But the training I completed with Liv Mokai gifted me multiple tools to work more directly with the ancestors and healing the wounds within us all.
There are a number of reasons why one might feel drawn to ancestral healing. For me personally, I became aware that so much of what I was carrying was not mine. I realised a lot of my fears were not caused by my own traumas – well, not entirely! In fact, I’ve come to understand my own experiences - and even traumas - were opportunities to heal the underlying root causes… which yes, you’ve guessed it, ALL lead back to the ancestors.
I felt connected to wounds, pains and traumas of those who came before me, noticeable within my own patterns and behaviours. I also realised I unconsciously held the beliefs and thoughts of my ancestors.
But through consideration I realised, how could I not?
I come from them! I lived inside my mother, and my grandmother. Our energies have merged, and they always will in many ways.
I am a culmination of the many blessings and burdens of my ancestors – which is both entirely beautiful, and pretty scary!
But so it is - the ancestors live on within us.
A very important part of ancestral healing is acknowledging & accessing the many gifts and blessings from our ancestors. It truth, we would not be here if it was not for them. Gratitude should always come first.
‘choosing to heal ancestral wounds is a truly beautiful offering to the world, to ourselves, to loved ones still with us, and to those who have passed.’ ~ Felicity
@SAIKI.WELLNESS
However, we must recognise the burdens, too. And the choice we have to make in this lifetime is: do we allow the continuation of negative patterns, pains and behaviours? Or do we choose to step up and heal them?
What I love most about ancestral healing is, we are healing the true roots of our issues and ailments. To consider a tree perhaps, if a tree was carrying a sickness, we would not seek to heal a branch or a leaf – we would go directly to the root!
We are part of a great cosmic symphony of atoms and light dancing together, energy that’s neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. Thus, energy that has not been transformed, will always be transmitted.
So, essentially ignoring family history encourages an unconscious replay of patterns in our lives and our relationships, as well as in those of future generations - that which we understand as “inherited” or “genetic”.
If we truly understand the holistic beings we are, we know all is connected – our body, mind and spirit. And our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves, all affect one another.
There are oh so many ways we can heal ancestral wounds, there is the personal, and the broad – both are important.
In terms of how a healing might look, when in a 1-2-1 setting, I choose to create a sacred healing ritual with my client, which would always include deep discussion and intention-setting. Clients often come with a specific burden they have become aware of and we set the intention to heal this burden, bringing it to the light. Perhaps important to note, we don’t have to know where our burdens come from, and a healing session can also be more broad – to heal our collective wounds.
Once we have made our intention clear, I will then ask my client to sit or kneel, as I call in our spirit teams for support and protection, and then take myself into an altered state of consciousness – usually with cacao medicine (which I use to deepen my connection with spirit) and my rattle (sound being such a beautiful tool to still the human mind).
The next part is usually an extraction of sorts, working with energy, light language and ancient codes. I always complete the process with a more relaxing energy healing as my client lays down to receive light, into the new space we’ve created.
I also work in a group setting, which is so profound – exploring the elements (fire, earth, air and water) within a ceremony of sorts. There are so many rituals and ceremonies, and I’m still exploring the multitude of ways to work with the ancestors.
During my training, I learned to share Earth Burials & all night vigils – much deeper work, which is so incredible. Yet when I came away, I felt more called to ease people in, and after 3 months of sitting with the teachings, I came to channel my unique offering, the 1-2-1 Ancestral Healing. I always sit with teachings before sharing, and trust implicitly in what I channel. I find a balance between adhering to tradition, while welcoming my own unique medicine and expression.
I am looking forward to sharing my first immersive journey in 2021, which will be a deep-dive working with the elements, and all the rituals I learned during my training. I feel it’s important to create a safe container for people to journey together in this way, on a retreat within nature!
Whatever the ritual we choose, choosing to heal ancestral wounds is a truly beautiful offering to the world, to ourselves, to loved ones still with us, and to those who have passed.
It is a gift far beyond our own healing.
Is this kind of healing for everyone?
Absolutely! Every single one of us has healing to do, and even if we don’t feel we are noticeably carrying trauma. We likely are! Mainly because we have forgotten how to shift the energies of trauma from our being!
I truly believe our generation are here to heal during this new age of light.
We can choose to heal, not just for ourselves, but for all those who have come before us, and all those to come.
For our ancestors, for our children, for collective humanity and for our planet, Mother Earth.
And how magic is that.
You created your magical space, ‘ookushana’ in Leeds - does the name mean something special?
Yes, it certainly does! It took me many months of exploration, meditation and desperation to eventually create the name ookushana. I kept thinking I was being really original (yeh, right!) with names I came up with, only to find there were multiple other businesses with the same name!
It was my partner who suggested I make up a word, like Google! – the creative being that he is.
However, it was very important to me the name had deep meaning. So I decided to research into ancient languages to create a word holding great energy.
So I used a combination of ancient languages and affinity numerology to create the word ookushana, which translates to “Infinite Inner Grace” --- something I feel we are all consciously or unconsciously searching/yearning for.
“uku” means Inner (but I adapted it to “ooku” as “oo” means “infinite”, and “shana” means Grace – which also happens to be the name of my baby sister, who passed away before even fully arriving - A trauma which affected my family and I, deeply. So it felt perfect, and in honour.
ookushana is a healing school. I personally share many of my offerings there – including sacred rituals, healings and teachings, but the space is also home for many other healers and teachers who share their gifts and offerings with the community.
We share regular group offerings such as cacao ceremonies, sound healing, movement practices such as yoga and intuitive healing movement.
We also hold short trainings and CPD courses for healers and those looking to deepen their spiritual practices… as well as regular Usui Reiki courses and my new training offering “Creating Ceremony & Ritual”.
We are still a young business, and ever-evolving! But it makes me so happy to help share such needed work.
Can you tell us about Womb Awakening and who it is for?
Womb Awakening is an absolute gift! I feel so blessed to be sharing such a potent and important offering, alongside my dear sister and fellow healer, Josie Danielle.
It was actually Spirit who guided us to work together, and spirit who guided us to share womb work.
We received a message from a Shaman in Peru (a year before we started working together) telling us she had a vision during a ceremony working with Ayahuasca showing her Josie & I travelling the world, sharing together (which we now do)!
We simply couldn’t fight the fate of it – not that we would want to… it has flowed with ease & magic, ever since.
Our work is an ever-evolving blend of gentle yet powerful, and ancient, yet accessible healing modalities with the aim of releasing suppressed emotions, pain and blocks that prevent free flow, joy and pleasure in all its forms. Womb healing helps to transform the relationship with self, and others - opening the heart and womb to deeper compassion, connection and love.
Our ceremonies comprise sacred rituals, sharing circles, breathwork, intuitive and embodied movement, sound, energy healing, light language, and have always been supported by the beautiful plant medicine Cacao.
Felicity Weston ~ Ookushana
We use the sacred medicines found in stillness and movement, sound and silence, darkness and light. Working with the dualities of love, life and healing. Our intention and mission - to guide women to walk the path of truly knowing themselves. To understand the beauty and power that lies within. To trust that they already have everything they need inside. To come back to the place from which we all came, the womb - and the womb of the divine mother. For the womb holds the key to activate and reawaken us to our deep feminine power.
We also share our unique co-creation – a womb clearing ritual, deeply led by Spirit. We work with each sister individually, energy healing through sound, light language and sacred womb codes.
This offering is currently for women only. However it is suitable for ALL women at any stage of life - even when we no longer have a monthly cycle our body is always connected to the cycles of nature. Womb work is extremely helpful for those who no longer have a physical womb – as we all hold the energetic imprint of the womb within us, and so we can still connect with the magic – a portal that not only births life, but our dreams into reality!
Womb work is particularly beneficial for women who are experiencing disconnection from their femininity, body, sexuality or their life. As well as those who are experiencing fertility issues, an irregular menstrual cycle, menstrual pain, and any other physical imbalances in the womb, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids or endometriosis. This work is also very powerful for those who have experienced sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion or childbirth trauma.
It’s such an honour to share this work, and we are just finalising our first online offering to birth in May, so for anyone feeling called to explore, keep a look out!
You can also follow our journey on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/wombawakeninguk
If you could share one learning with the world, what would it be?
Gosh, ONE! This is tough!
I think it would have to be in relation to illness, ailments & dis-ease.
In short, WE ARE THE HEALERS. WE ARE THE MEDICINE.
What is your favourite ritual?
This is tough! I love rituals so much. I live for them!
One of the most profound rituals I had the pleasure of experiencing, was during my Ancestral Healing training, and involved digging my own grave and being buried alive. Sounds pretty scary, I know! When I saw it on the schedule I was filled with excitement – but didn’t actually give it another thought until the day before training, and was suddenly petrified! I recalled a recent holiday where my partner buried me in the sand for fun, and I felt overwhelmed with the weight, I felt trapped, and had to get out!
But something took over on the day of ritual, and I allowed myself to be buried with as much soil as possible, and packed in. I was naked, and the soil was so cold! But I began practicing deep, conscious breath and before I knew it I was flying! It was a high I’d never felt before. I started with my head out, and became so incredibly in awe of the sky. I was taken on a journey that felt as though I had taken some form of psychedelic, yet I was completely sober!
I travelled through all the emotions available to the human, in the space of about 20 minutes – I felt scared, angry and frustrated, and then giddy, joyful and high and as though I could stay in there forever!
I was seeing spirit, in multiple forms. I cried for my ancestors, and even my living family for the ways they had been treated. I even channelled a song.
Then, one of the guides came over and suggested I take my head under, and pointed out, despite being buried in the Earth I was still way up in the higher realms – which is me all over! So, I took her advice, and went under… it was then I felt connected to the heartbeat of mother earth, which beat with mine. I felt her support and allowed my body to be fully held by her. I surrendered.
The healing I received was so deep, no words do it justice! And it truly has to be experienced.
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How can we follow you and your work?
So many places! I am probably best on Instagram, in terms of posting & keeping updated – I use IG as a blog these days, and also to share upcoming events & courses - both my offerings and for other healers and teachers who I work with and support.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ookushana
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ookushana
Personal website: www.felicityweston.com
Ookushana: www.ookushana.com
If anyone feels called to chat on a more personal level, please feel free to email hello@ookushana.com
I'm currently sharing weekly donation-based offerings online, including Sacred Healing Rituals, which include cacao ceremony, movement medicine & energy healing with a light language transmission.
It's been such a blessing to be able to keep sharing with the current circumstance as it is. Somehow it feels even more beautiful & special than when in person! It's so wonderful to connect with people from all over the world, and a real gift for people to experience these things from the comfort & privacy of their own sacred space. It has enabled people to go even deeper!
The next offering is this Friday 1st May 2020, you can book here via Eventbrite (or paypal to save on fees! - details are in the listing!)
I am putting together some new online courses too, which I'm so excited about! I will be releasing very soon.