We’re looking forward to introducing you to Elissa Anderson. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Elissa, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Being out in nature. There’s something about the peacefulness of the forest that brings a calm to the mind that nothing else can. In Japan, doctors actually prescribe forest bathing-shinrin yoku- to their patients. Time in nature, whether walking amongst the trees or laying in a patch of moss and watching the clouds roll by, is extremely therapeutic and some of the best medicine you can give yourself. Best of all, it’s free with no ill side effects. If I’m ever feeling off-centered, I go outside. A simple sun meditation and a few minutes of breathing fresh air brings me back into my center and into peace. Highly recommend it for all.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Elissa, and I was born and raised in rural Georgia and now call the Southern Appalachians of North Carolina home. Nature has always been home to me, and you’ll find me outside more than in. The medicine of nature and the plant medicines that she offers have been profound in my life and have played a large part of building the woman I am today. I wanted to give back to others what nature and her medicine’s have given to me, so I founded a Private Ministerial Association (Spiritual Ministry) to help bring others home to themselves, the Divine, sovereignty, and freedom. The PMA offers unique protections and freedoms that public businesses and non-profits aren’t privy to and allows myself and my ministry members to experience services, events, and experiences to deepen their spiritual connection and sense of self. These are mostly in the form of shamanic ceremonies, and also include things such as forest bathing, sound healings, bee medicine, garden therapy, goat and equine therapy, reiki, and more. I’m really humbled and grateful to be able to bring these services and offerings to the world and to be divinely guided and protected while doing so.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
A fearless, light-hearted, free-spirit, wild child who saw the world through rose-colored glasses. That version of me shifted for a bit while I became who the world told me I was “supposed” to be, but I’m grateful to say that I’ve broken the chains of normality and reclaimed my authentic, free-spirit, wild self. The inner-child in me is proud of the adult version of me that saw through the illusions and came back to the truth of who I am and now happily share that medicine of myself with the world.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
In 2016 I went through a very painful separation that left me with a lot of grief, heartbreak, and identity loss. I had been working to heal myself in many ways and had made a lot of progress, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be yet. I knew that deeper healing was possible, and in 2019 I received it when I traveled to Colorado and completed a very intensive psychedelic guide training program. During this training, I was able to have a complete perspective shift and very powerful transformation. The medicine experiences allowed me to turn my pain into my power, my heartbreak into my resurrection, and to become the alchemist that I (and all of us) truly am. I was able to see that “if it could have happened any other way, it would have” and to make peace with what had happened to me and with the person that had hurt me so deeply. I was finally free from the suffering that the experience had caused me and I was able to be reborn in a sense. During one of my ceremonies, I had a past-life regression and became the phoenix, rising from the ashes – completely reborn. I could feel the wings sprouting from my back and the complete trust and understanding of how and why things had happened the way they had, and that they happened so that I could be where I was at that moment. That’s one of the beautiful realizations and clarity that these medicines and experiences can bring. I became a new woman in that moment and have been growing, evolving, and transmuting/transforming ever since.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m deeply committed to building the Spiritual Ministry that I’ve founded. Part of our mission statement is to ‘create a sanctuary of healing for all beings’, and this is something I hold to strongly. I believe that healing, sovereignty, and freedom are our birthrights and that all beings have the right to these, as well as freedom from suffering and the right to peace. My vision is to have a place where people can come and have community, harmony, peace, and sanctuary. We’ve been working diligently on it for a couple of years now and I know it will take many more, and yet I’m committed to the vision and will work at it for as long as it takes. I envision myself being the wise, elder crone here on the land, surrounded by a loving tribe and things we’ve created. From our water temple to the bee healing house, the amenities and offerings that we are creating will be a staple of the local community here and beyond. And so it is!
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m definitely doing what I was born to do. It took me a little while to get here, and yet I’m thankful for the journey and the path that has led me to where I am today. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and fulfilling my dharma. I tried the whole ‘doing what I’m told to do’ thing, and that didn’t work out so well. My life looked great on paper, but my soul was not in alignment. Today, I can say that I’m fully aligned with my soul mission and extremely grateful to be here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sanctuaryofthesacred.love
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanctuaryothesacred
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-anderson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sanctuaryothesacred/
