Are you feeling lost or disconnected from your true self? Do you crave a life filled with purpose and passion? In this blog post, Mystic Mag talks with Debi Barr, a Reiki Master, Shamanic Practitioner, and founder of Rocks & Rituals, shares her own journey of healing and self-discovery. Learn how she overcame challenges and found deep fulfillment through spiritual practices. If you’re ready to step back into the driver’s seat of your life, you won’t want to miss this!
Can you tell me about your experience with spiritual mentoring or wellbeing practices?
I got back in touch with spirituality in 2008/2009 after a period of instability and chaos in my life. Before I get to that let me give you a quick synopsis of my life up to that point for background as spirituality has been an integral part of my life.
I had a relatively happy childhood but I spent a lot of it confused and aware of an undercurrent of acrimony in the extended family. I was the only child of a second marriage so there was an element of jealousy and betrayal surrounding my early years that I was subconsciously aware of but, as a child, not really sure what was happening.
I was very sensitive to energy, being aware of spirit from a young age and having spirit animals visit in my dreams on many occasions. I was also aware of the spirit in everything – the animism that has later become so important in my shamanic practice.
At the age of 14, back in 1989, I lost my father suddenly and it turned my world upside down. Whilst he was a strict, Christian man, and I was a rebellious heavy metal loving teenager – I adored him and his loss deeply affected me.
I threw up walls of protection and became very protective of my inner world, keeping people at arm’s length and this became my normal for many years. Outwardly I was the “good girl” not rocking the boat or upsetting my mother, and inwardly I was screaming for help.
I married young, at 21 years old and had 2 children. It was after my second child was born in 2004 that I was medicated for depression and was using alcohol to self medicate in an attempt to feel something other than the void of depression.
At the time I was working as an IT professional for a law firm but I was deeply unhappy. Knowing that I had lost myself somewhere along the way.
In 2008 when I was made redundant it was a catalyst for change. I made a decision to never let an employer pull the rug out from under me again and I vowed to remember who I really was.
I got back into art and tarot, things I had loved as a teenager. I rediscovered my love of crystals and energy, and qualified as a crystal healer in 2010 and as a Reiki practitioner in 2011. I started my business in July 2010 as a side hustle while still working full time.
In 2012 I completed my Reiki Master training and the walls I built as a bereaved and scared 14 year old finally came crashing down.
My marriage ended, I switched jobs and I found my forever person, in my best friend, who also happened to be female.
From the outside it must have looked like I had a massive breakdown and that my life had imploded. But it was the most liberating experience of my life so far.
For the first time in years I was truly being ME. I used the job change as a stepping stone to the life I am leading now. I improved my skills and became a Reiki Teacher and spiritual mentor.
For the first few years of my business I focused on 1-1 clients and healing work. It has been in the last 5 years that I have been moving more towards mentoring and coaching, working with clients on a deeper level and creating community spaces for them to explore who they really are.
How would you describe your approach to helping clients achieve their goals?
My mission in life is to empower people to step into the driving seat of their life. To allow them a space where they can build confidence and really remember who they really are and why they are here.
I’ve held over 100 Reiki classes, attuned almost 400 people and that number continues to grow. I’ve worked with people from all walks of life and I have a special affinity for soulpreneurs – people who want to make a difference in our world.
I love to see people’s eyes light up as they follow their dreams and begin to live a life that is full of joy and passion.
I offer people a variety of ways to do that. Some like to work 1-1 starting with healing sessions or coaching. Others step into my spiritual and personal development community Soul Food Circle and build their confidence and skills there. Others take Reiki classes or online classes and courses with me. And some step into higher level 1-1 coaching and mentoring or my group business community Soulpreneur Space ®.
My approach is pretty simple – I give people the tools and use my experience to show them how to use them, and I hold the space for them to learn how to apply them in a way that is unique for them. I offer them the driving seat – I don’t want them to be my passenger!
What are some of the challenges you anticipate facing in this role, and how would you overcome them?
I’ve experienced many challenges as a spiritual mentor and coach. Mainly it comes from misunderstanding and fear. Some people are not aware of the power of the human spirit and they fear that which they do not understand.
I do my best to provide clear educational content when it is needed and I often like to dispel myths and fears – particularly surrounding the tarot.
Religious trauma is something that comes up as well as limiting beliefs or conditioning due to how we have been raised. I have found the Usui Holy Fire ® Reiki system to be the best tool for combatting this and it has worked wonders for me personally too.
Rocks & Rituals offers a variety of services, including Reiki training, Shamanic Workshops, Tarot Classes, and one-on-one client sessions. Which of these areas are you most familiar with, and why?
I am familiar with them all but my speciality is Reiki and Holy Fire Reiki ® with Tarot coming a close second. I’ve been a Reiki Master for 12 years and have read Tarot for over a decade. I trained in Shamanism back in 2017 so each of these tools are important to me. But cut me open and it would likely say Reiki!
Reiki has been the one thing that made the biggest change in my life and it is the key to unlocking the deep ocean of calm and peace that many people crave. It is the foundation of my life and business.
What is your experience with developing and delivering online courses?
In 2019 I was intuitively guided and called to create online courses and thankfully I followed that guidance as we all know what happened in 2020 with the pandemic.
I have a variety of self paced online courses available in subjects such as crystal healing, tarot and shamanism. I teach Holy Fire Reiki in a live online environment and my community spaces, Soul Food Circle and Soulpreneur Space ® are both exclusively online. During the pandemic I switched many of my in person group classes to a zoom environment and it worked really well – even my shamanic practitioner training.
I have worked hard over the last 5 years to make my business as accessible to a global audience as possible and I have clients and contacts worldwide.
Online courses provide an excellent way for people to learn new skills especially if they are also working full time, and as a former IT professional I love making technical options accessible for everyone – ease of use, and great customer support – these are the key points for me.
