Today, on the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I'm sharing a beautiful poem that I read this morning called, "The Most Important Thing" by Julia Fehrenbacher. It touched my heart and I felt inspired to share it with you today. Deep Rooted Healing Podcast is hosted by Emma Freeman, an artist, writer, Reiki Master, Massage Therapist and teacher in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She is sober, a Highly Sensitive Person and part of the LGBTQIA community. -You can learn more about Emma Freeman and what she creates and offers at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. -View Emma's library of on-demand creative and writing classes and retreats focused on intuitive and emotional expression, slowing down, mindfulness and meditation : www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes.
It’s a lovely cloudy morning here in Wisconsin and I’m sitting at my little art table in my bedroom with coffee and the windows open that look out onto the woods around our house. I love these quiet mornings, this is the time when I sit and wander inside myself and with whatever inspires me in the moment. Today that is a sketchbook/art journal I wrote in two years ago that I picked up off my shelf the other day and started flipping through. I came across little sketches, creative ideas and thoughts I had forgotten about and they began stirring up fresh creative ideas and reflections. It reminded me how important it is to look back sometimes and how glad I am that I write things down by hand, not just on my computer or my phone, which I also do a lot of. But it is such a different, precious experience to keep handwritten journals and sketchbooks and then get to find them again later. One entry I found was from October 2022 with a quote from the gorgeous book by Mark Nepo called Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression that I was reading at the time which I share on the podcast. He writes about “Truth windows”, an interior window placed inside an ancient style of dwellings to reveal what the walls were made of. When I read this, it blew the windows of my mind and heart wide open with inspiration and awe! I hope you enjoy listening. -See photos of my little art table, art journal I mention and a couple of photos of truth windows I found here: https://deep-rooted-healing.com/podcast/episode-42 -Sign up for my newsletter to receive updates on what I'm creating and offering: https://emmafreeman.myflodesk.com/newsletter -See all of my on-demand creative classes and retreats here: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes -Follow me on Instagram @deeprootedhealing. -Visit my website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com. Emma Freeman is a heart-led artist, writer, poet, teacher, Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner based in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Her life and work intuitively weave together art making, writing, creative healing practices, contemplation, meditation, mindfulness, play, joy, wonder and love to live a life that is fulfilling, meaningful, deep and full of passion.
In this episode, Emma Freeman reflects on her first year in private practice as a Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner and 8 lessons she has learned. Her practice is in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and is called Deep Rooted Healing. Emma Freeman is an artist, poet, teacher, Massage Therapist and Reiki Master. Her business is called Deep Rooted Healing. She offers on-demand and in-person art and creative classes and retreats, in-person bodywork sessions and distance Reiki sessions. You can learn more about her and what she offers at www.deep-rooted-healing.com.
Today Emma Freeman opens up about her eating disorder story and the recovery process she has been in for years. She also shares how learning massage therapy has helped deepen and heal her relationship to her body in empowering ways. Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, teacher, Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner based in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Have a story you'd like to share after listening to this episode? You can contact Emma through her website, www.deep-rooted-healing.com or at emma@deep-rooted-healing.com. Emma Freeman's website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Deep Rooted Healing On-Demand Creative Classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Follow Emma on Instagram @deeprootedhealing
Summary Emma Freeman shares reflections on the power of retreats to replenish the creative spirit, drawing from her recent experience at a creative retreat at Snow Farm New England Craft in Williamsburg, Massachusetts organized by Ali Manning and her team from Vintage Page Designs. She discusses the restorative and inspiring nature of the retreat, the activities, realizations, and the impact on her creative journey and business. Takeaways -Retreats provide a restorative and inspiring environment for replenishing the creative spirit. -The immersive nature of retreats fosters deeper connections and realizations within a community of like-minded individuals. -The creative energy present in art making, Reiki, and other forms of expression is interconnected and flows through us in similar ways. -Traveling and stepping out of routine can lead to fresh ideas and a renewed sense of alignment and purpose. -The distinction between retreat experiences and workshop/class experiences lies in the immersive and communal nature of retreats, allowing for deeper connections and interactions. -Living with questions and allowing experiences to guide the understanding can lead to the emergence of clarity and purpose over time. Links: -Snow Farm New England Craft Program: https://www.snowfarm.org/ -Vintage Page Designs run by artist and bookmaker, Ali Manning: https://vintagepagedesigns.com/ -Deep Rooted Healing on-demand class I teach on how to make simple Fabric Meditation Books and bury and unearth them from the earth: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes. -Deep Rooted Healing website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com. -Emma Freeman's buried fabric meditation books: https://deep-rooted-healing.com/art-projects/buried-books Emma Freeman is a heart-led artist, writer, teacher, Reiki Master and Massage Therapist. She is playful, a deep feeler and thinker, sober, rebellious and many other things. She leads online and in-person classes and retreats, offers private Reiki & massage sessions and offers tools and resources to support deep creative expression. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
Summary Emma shares her personal experiences with Reiki, from her training to her sessions with clients. She discusses the healing effects of Reiki, her intuitive experiences during sessions, and the impact on her clients. She also highlights the scientific research supporting Reiki and invites others to share their experiences. Takeaways Reiki is a gentle hands-on energy healing technique that promotes balance and harmony in the body. Intuitive experiences during Reiki sessions can provide insights into emotional and physical blockages. Scientific research supports the positive effects of Reiki, including pain reduction and anxiety relief. Reiki can complement traditional medical treatments and support overall well-being. Sharing personal experiences with Reiki can inspire others and create a sense of community. Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, teacher, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master. She is a highly sensitive person and sober. This podcast is a record of her own unfolding creative journey. You can learn more about Emma and her work at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She lives in Wisconsin.
In today's episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, Emma shares some reflections on the transition she is in the middle of at the moment from identifying as a visual artist and moving into identifying as a healing artist and all of the stickiness that is coming up. She also shares a new poem she wrote called, "Standing in a New Doorway". ----- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, poet, teacher Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master. She teaches art and writing classes, workshops and retreats at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I talk about why I bury some of my fabric meditation books in the earth for 30 days and then dig them back up. I share how my intuition has guided me in different moments with this process, the serendipity of learning about the Tibetan Buddhist practice of earth terma, or "hidden treasures" that are buried in the earth for others to discover and learn spiritual wisdom from and how that connects to the burying book process. I also share what the books have been teaching me and how this 2.5 year ongoing creative practice has fundamentally shifted my approach to art making. I started a free and open invitation for anyone to join in if they want to make and bury books. It is called, "The Buried Earth Book Project." You can learn more about it here: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/collaborations/buried-books I invite people to share their images and reflections on Instagram using the hashtag #buriedearthbookproject. You can search for that and see what others have been creating, if you like. You can see images of my buried fabric meditation books here: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/art-projects This practice is art therapy for me. It has been deeply healing and transformative and has helped return me to an intimate, loving connection and relationship with the earth and my soul. ------ Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, poet, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I share some insights and thoughts I'm having about artists being mediums who channel subtle energies, similar to intuitive or psychic mediums. ----- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, poet, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of The Deep Rooted Healing Podcast, I talk with the amazing Chantal Wolf, a Canadian poet, painter and author of the new book called "Painted Words: Poetry, Art & Parkinson's. We talk about her creative journey and her healing journey, being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and how that shifted her art journey, how poetry arrived in her life and how it has been healing for her and she reads some of her beautiful poems. You can buy a copy of the book here: https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000256078679 Her website is www.chantalwolf.com She is in Instagram at www.instagram.com/chantalwolf.art. ----- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I interview Alana Garrigues, She is an artist, poet and community leader and space holder. She runs Within, a beautiful, deep online community for artists and makers that Daphne Cohn began. In this conversation, we explore what holding space means to each of us, what goes into it, and the magic that can emerge from being held by our art and by being held in spaces with other creatives. You can see Alana's artwork and writing on her website: www.alanagarrigues.com Find her on Instagram : www.instagram.com/alanaofloveandlight --------- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I talk with the amazing artist, Zak Foster who is an improv quilter, textile artist, community builder and deep, wonderfully insightful and wise human. We go on a journey together to explore what holding space means to each of us in this moment as artists and creative community leaders. You can find Zak's online community, The Quilty Nook here: www.zakfoster.com/quiltynook Zak's website with his incredible burial quilts, memory quilts and other work can be seen here: www.zakfoster.com. And find Zak on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/zakfoster.quilts/ ---- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I share a poem I wrote called, "The Light Keeper" in the hope that it will be healing or inspiring to someone out there. Poetry has become medicine to me, both writing it and reading it. I hope to share some of that medicine with more people. You can read the poem here: https://deep-rooted-healing.com/poetry. Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I share my love of the Japanese wabi sabi aesthetic philosophy, what it is, the history of it within Japanese Zen Buddhism, what some of the beautiful aspects or qualities of it are and how I explore them within my art making. I hope it inspires you to invite more simplicity, spaciousness, silence, stillness, spontaneity, presence, wonder and beauty into your creativity and art making. This is about creating art as a meditation practice and as a spiritual practice, which to me just means turning inward, getting quiet and going deep to find a soul connection within the natural world that we can collaborate with to create art that is personal, healing, interconnecting and beautiful. I have a new on-demand art class available called Make Wabi Sabi Mixed Media Books where we explore mixed media book making techniques with paper and textiles, slow, intuitive hand stitching, printmaking and mark making with found nature, dripping beeswax, burying books, poetry, scent and more. You can learn more and sign up for instant access at www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes. Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I read a few poems I have gathered about darkness and light, offer prompts and reflect on what the solstice has meant to me this year. I started a new collaborative art project called The Buried Earth Book Project that is free for anyone in the world to join, which you can learn more about on my website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com. Happy Solstice to you! ----- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I talk about my the spiritual and deeply healing process of writing poetry over the last year, what I am learning from it, and share some of my deeply personal poems with prompts so you can write with them if you want to. Writing poetry has become a deep listening practice in silence and slowness and not knowing. It is mysterious and fascinating to me, how the words collect and assemble themselves into something that speaks so profoundly to what I have experienced in a way that I cannot touch in normal conversation. It is truly a magical and mystical process. I mention an amazing book by Kim Rosen called, "Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words." I love this quote by Pablo Neruda from his poem, "Poetry" that reads, “Poetry arrived in search of me." You can learn more about my upcoming art and writing workshops on my website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes. ------- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I talk about my new writing practice that has become a writing as meditation practice and is incredible healing and powerful for me. I share some reflections on my relationship to writing throughout my life and how it has been opening and expanding lately. I also talk about the gift of prompts to open the doorway to our imaginations and how I have been living that through different workshops I have been part of and that I have lead. Then, I read a poem by Mary Oliver called, "It Was Early" from her book called, Devotions, then offer prompts for you to write with if you want to. I share what emerged for me when I wrote with one of the prompts. ---- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode of the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I open up about my relationship to contemplation within my art practice and my life and how it has helped me and continues to help me heal deeply and find a rich, more meaningful relationship to myself, to my art making, to other humans and creatures and to nature. I read a poem by Mary Oliver called, "Today" and a poem by John O'Donohue called "For the Unknown Self." I share how through contemplation I created a self-guided visual meditation to help heal a childhood experience when I thought I wasn't an artist because I thought I couldn't draw. Contemplation has become an essential part of my art practice and my life. It has helped and continues to help me heal my deepest wounds, travel back in time throughout my life and find younger versions of me that were/are still hurting that were asking for my help and attention. It was through the practice of contemplation that I was able to change my relationship to alcohol, to being defensive and guarded, to people pleasing, to anger and other difficult emotions, to my role and choices in various relationships and the list goes on. I learned to take a long loving look at myself and all of the parts of me, parts that I used to label as bad or good, right or wrong. That practice has been transformative and has rippled out into all aspects of my life. I share poet, Naomi Shehah Nye's interview on On Being when she mentions a definition of contemplation that spoke to her which is, "a long, loving look." I’ve also read that it means to look at something with continued attention, to observe thoughtfully, to consider something thoroughly-to think fully and deeply about something. All of those resonate with me. While I am creating something-whether that is a fabric meditation book, a small weaving, a poem or a piece with nature, I move slowly-very slowly and along the way as the piece emerges, I stop and look at it and allow my wonder to unfold within it, softly. I ask quiet questions but not in the hyper critical/polarized way of is this right or wrong but rather, what are these materials saying? What has emerged after my initial idea that got me started with this particular dance within the creative process? Do the materials want me to take a different step than my mind wants me to? How might I respond to that new information? This all happens internally, intuitively, gently. I have discovered this way of being in my art practice through just that-practice. Practice and stillness, stillness and solitude, solitude and spaciousness. I am in awe of the experiences I have at my art table and the new realms that invite me into them to explore and wander around inside of each piece, inside of materials, inside of my own body as I just sit and listen. Contemplation can be such a beautiful gift and as I have settled into a contemplative art and spiritual practice, I have felt deeply fulfilled and nourished by it. It allows me to have a deeper relationship with myself, with art that I create, with other humans and creatures, and with this planet. It invites me to look more closely at my life in so many different ways and continues to help me find my way forward in a way that feels deeper, more true, more aligned rather than moving quickly and doing a lot of different things at once without that depth which is how I lived for a long time. ------- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
This week on the Deep Rooted Healing podcast, I open up about my decision to become sober after 20 years of drinking alcohol. I share my vulnerable story about it, how it impacted me over those many years, why I would use it, why I decided to stop, all of the intense inner resistance I met when I started to look at my relationship to it and what gifts have been coming through the clarity within my art practice and my life. Recovery Dharma is a sobriety group that focuses on Buddhist teachings. https://recoverydharma.org/. They offer virtual and in-person meeting all around the United States. The Creative Sober podcast is a great resource to listen to artists stories with sobriety. ---- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing
In this episode, I talk with the incredible fiber artist, Cheryl Janis based in Taos, New Mexico. Cheryl is a deep spiritual being and an empath and she shares her experience going through a dark night of the soul period, how her spirituality connects to her fiber practice, her love for animals and how she makes conscious choices in her art practice to support companies that create ethical fibers like Love Fest Fibers and Yarn Yarn, we talk about the energy around money as an artist and doing energy work to heal subconscious patterns to transform those limiting beliefs and more. We had this conversation back in February when Cheryl was on the cusp of transitioning from creating weavings to felting. It was wonderful to talk about that new creative work emerging and to see now a few months later, how that felting work is evolving. You can follow her on Instagram or go to her website to see her amazing fiber art and support her. Cheryl's website: https://cherylrjanis.com/. Cheryl's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherylrjanis/. ------ Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Online creative classes: www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes Website: www.deep-rooted-healing.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings YouTube: www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing