The Seven Gates: A Shamanic Womb Journey for Women

The Seven Gates is a shamanic womb journey passed down to me by my teacher, Ellie Wilde, while I was living in New Zealand. It isn't the seven chakras. It's a deep journey of healing and manifesting for women, with or without a physical womb. Even when the womb isn't there, the energetic blueprint of the void space is still present.

For many of us, our female parts, or yoni as it's known in Sanskrit, can feel off limits. We might feel numbness, carry trauma, or disconnect form our womb after childbirth or difficult experiences. The Seven Gates offers a gentle way to come home to our womb space.

Why this work matters now

I believe this work is especially important at this time in humanity. So much of modern life has pulled us away from the land, the earth and our own nature, and I see the womb as a direct reflection of that disconnect.

Speak to almost any woman and you'll find that most of us have experienced some kind of womb or cycle struggle - painful periods, big hormonal swings, or other reproductive health challenges. These experiences have become so common that we often accept them as normal.

Yet in nature, cycles are simply part of life. We aren't meant to suffer through our natural rhythms. Our bodies are deeply sensitive to what surrounds us - toxins, processed foods, synthetic fragrances - and often one of the first places we feel that is in our cycle.

The womb and the Earth

In Chinese Medicine, the lower cauldron, or lower dantian, sits in the lower belly. Known in Japan as the Hara, it's a centre of grounding and vitality. In embodiment work, and in the lower two chakras in yoga, it's linked to our sense of home, belonging, safety, trust and creativity, and to our deep connection with the land.

In my own deep medicine meditations, I've had a clear vision arise of a small Earth sitting inside my womb. To me, this is our fertile soil. It's our connection to the planet and to nature, and our trust that we are nature. When that connection is lost, it makes sense that so many of us feel unsettled, imbalanced, ungrounded or even un-embodied.

Reconnecting with our yoni and womb is one way of coming back into relationship with ourselves and the planet. It's a way to make contact with the Goddess as the Earth Mother, and to remember the body as sacred land.

Three intentions for the journey

• Healing and integrationFor trauma, childbirth, sexual experiences and broken boundaries. It's also a space to integrate our own actions with compassion, and soften the shame so many of us carry around desire, pleasure and power.
• Manifesting and creationThe womb is our creative centre, not just for conceiving a child but for creating anything. The void space we journey into is fertile soil, where we can plant seeds for a business, a relationship or a new way of being.
• Clarity and inner knowingThe womb has a voice, almost like an inner oracle. If you're facing an important choice or longing for clarity, tuning in here can bring answers that feel like a deep gut knowing.

The spiral of the rose and the heart

As we travel through the seven gates, we move in an inward spiral, much like the spiral of a rose, down into the void space at the centre.

The rose is heart medicine, and we stay connected to the heart for the whole journey. If strong or difficult emotions arise along the way, we use the crucible of the heart, with the breath, to alchemise them - to gently transform what we meet rather than push it away. This keeps the journey grounded, supported and gentle.

What to expect

The journey is guided through my voice, your breath and the felt sense. It's similar to a yoga nidra, but one that travels through a woman's reproductive centre and womb - a deeply feminine, grounding meditation. You simply follow my voice and rest, reclined and comfortable, moving inward through each of the seven gates at your own pace. Anything you miss consciously will settle into the subconscious, just like in yogic sleep. Some gates may hold a charge, and you'll be invited to move on only when you feel ready. You're welcome to stay wherever holds the most information for you, or wherever needs your presence.

There is no touch from me and no nudity. You remain fully clothed and in charge of your experience at all times. I'm trauma-sensitive trained, so the space is held with care, choice and respect for your boundaries.

This journey is a complement to, not a replacement for, medical care.

How to experience the Seven Gates

• Mystic Rose Day Retreat - journey alongside other women, with plenty of time to integrate in a safe, held container, along with embodied movement, journaling, vocal toning, sharing, yummy rose tea, wholesome food and chocolate.
• 1:1 Embodiment Coaching - a private, personalised session. Your journey can be recorded, on a voice recorder or Zoom, so you can return to it whenever you need answers, healing or creative fire.

I feel truly honoured to share this journey with women, even if it simply brings a little more awareness and sensation home to the body.