Sara Anondson’s journey to founding Sacred Oaks Healing is a testament to resilience and spiritual alignment.
With nearly 15 years as an energy healer and a decade as a teacher, Sara felt a profound call to expand her healing practice, despite life’s challenges. A series of traumatic brain injuries in early 2024 catalyzed a deep personal transformation, leading her to fully embrace her purpose. By the fall of 2024, Sacred Oaks Healing was born, blending various spiritual practices to offer holistic, high-vibration healing and coaching services, guided by her profound connection to nature and her own healing journey.
In this interview with MysticMag, Sara shares the inspiring story behind her establishment and the diverse range of spiritual practices she incorporates.
What inspired you to establish Sacred Oaks Healing and incorporate such a diverse range of spiritual practices?
I have been working as an energy healer for almost 15 years, and a teacher for almost a decade. For years I felt the tug from my spirit to be more in alignment with my gifts and to expand my healing practice. For a variety of reasons, including children, I tried to barter with spirit and to push off living more fully in my purpose to a time that was more convenient for me. Like many, I had all the reasons and I wanted to control the timing of when I would step in.
In January of 2024, I had a major blow to the head where I lost consciousness and then subsequent head blows over the following days. Failing to realize I was concussed and trying to navigate a home that I was cat-sitting in left me with a moderate traumatic brain injury. As I looked back at my life this was likely my 4th major head injury. However, at the time I thought I would bounce back in a few weeks. I had always been used to life going my way, digging deep and pushing harder. I sacrificed sleep to jam-pack my schedule.
What I soon realized was that I was far more injured than I thought and I had a long road ahead of me to recover. To get back to where I was. So, I started working with all the specialists to heal my brain-eye connection, regain balance, find ways to navigate the symptoms and to use this modern medicine community to “get me back to where I was”.
The short version of this story was that my clairvoyance was not working like it had, and I realized how much I took that for granted. I had to relearn how to connect with my guides and to hear what they were saying. I started a healing share to get deeper into the spiritual community as one of my guides was yelling at anyone and everyone who had any intuition or connection to tell me that I had promised to do healing work in this lifetime. So I fully leaned into this and into my own healing.
By the fall of 2024, I had a website up and running, I was hosting healing shares, classes, and workshops, and digging deeper into my purpose. I set an intention to fall in love with myself again. I was totally different and navigating life was harder for me now than it ever was. Even though my life was not easy, this was definitely the most difficult time I’ve ever had. I offered shamanic searches and healing work at a music festival and left there with confidence that I was on the right path and a few regular clients who would have their own healing unfold before our eyes.
I lept into Sacred Rose Ceremonies, as a way to bring more beauty, joy, and high-vibration healing into people’s lives. I had worked with the essence of rose in my shamanic healing practice and the addition of this high-vibration plant started to evolve before me. It is such a powerful transformational healing that unfolds for clients over days and weeks. They continue to work with the plants after they leave my studio and they give them back to the earth when their journey is complete.
I pulled back in my coaching as I was certified in the early 2000s and I have naturally been doing this work as a part of my gift to people. Helping walk beside them during their life’s transitions. I was passionate about helping people find their purpose and to live in alignment with their lives.
Pull all of this together to make Sacred Oaks Healing. I have been a lover of trees and especially the mighty oak. Not just for their strength, but for their unique branches, and their unique vibration. From that tiny acorn comes this beautiful strong tree protecting animals, hosting a place for life to start, and nurturing those around it with nourishing food.
Had I healed quickly or hit my head one less time, it’s highly likely that it wouldn’t have been enough of a jolt to push me off the tracks and encourage me to build new ones. I don’t think this was an accident. I do think I wanted to slow down, I could hear the call to slow down, but the reality was I didn’t know how. So, I was helped to pause and to realign my life to that of purpose.
How does your background as an energy healer and shamanic practitioner influence the services you offer?
My background greatly influences my offerings. In fact the Sacred Rose Healing is really a blending of backgrounds offering a highbred option that speaks to those who are looking for a high vibration healing. I combine both using the Universal Life Force Energy and that of the physical roses that vibrate at 320MHz.
I most certainly believe we can heal ourselves and I can help others learn how to heal themselves. Really the transformation for people comes from digging deeper into themselves using my coaching background and then complementing that with the energetic healing services. Not only can we heal ourselves we can heal our ancestral lineage, changing the course of our family patterns in the future generations. I can help people to identify and connect in to see how they can help heal their families as well.
I also moved into a group healing space partnering with another practitioner who offers sound healing. Together we created a Sacred Rose Healing with Sound Bath. It really brings together the best of many offerings and creates a way for people to connect, relax, and unwind into their weekend.
Can you describe the process and benefits of Holy Fire® Karuna Reiki® as practiced at Sacred Oaks Healing?
For those who may be familiar with Reiki, there are many lineages that are taught and practiced. One of the most common in the United States is Usui Shiki Ryoho, The Usui System of Natural Healing. This form is a Japanese Healing Art, that was Westernized and brought to the United States by Mrs. Hwayo Takata.
I studied Holy Fire® Karuna Reiki® by William Lee Rand as it enhance the energy provided by Usui Reiki. This reiki is a higher vibration energy in comparison to the Usui Reiki and comes with 9 additional symbols that can be used to heal physically, emotionally, soul, and on a physical cellular level. This Reiki energy is called compassionate healing. I have found that my healing and practice were elevated simply by studying and teaching this kind of Reiki. The energy is more profound as the initiations and attunements are direct from the source and the teacher is less involved in an energetic component which provides the practitioner with a higher vibration of healing energy.
It has been noticeable in my practice as confirmed by clients. This Reiki can be provided to clients in person or online. It can also be hands-on or completely hands-off depending upon the client’s comfort level. It isn’t any less powerful if done remotely or hands-off. I utilize Reiki to clear energy, remove any energetic attachments, clear and balance chakras, and provide physical, mental, spiritual, and soul-level healing.
My guides provide information in most healings along with messages from the client’s soul, their guides, ancestors, higher self, and their physical body. I see people for a variety of issues. Those working on their spiritual journey may seek out a healing session to realign their energetic body, clean their system, and provide clarity and guidance on direction. There is an unfolding that happens in these healing sessions and the person continues to heal and their journey unfolds over the days following their healings.
I have seen clients with mental health challenges, physical ailments, major medical and terminal illnesses. I have also incorporated Holy Fire® Karuna Reiki® into my hospice work and end-of-life transition work as well. There are so many uses for Holy Fire® Karuna Reiki®.
What role does mediumship play in your holistic approach to healing and personal growth?
I grew up talking with my grandmother on my mom’s side. She passed less than a year before I was born, and I didn’t realize until I was school-age that talking with the deceased was not something that everyone did. I moved this into a more private space in my life when I was younger.
I really stepped into my mediumship around the time I stepped into my healing work. It has never been absent from my life, but it has been a dedicated connection and practice for close to 15 years. I studied in a mentorship program with Carol Lowell in the Twin Cities. She is a well-known medium and she happens to have one of the most beautiful souls that I know. I worked with her for a few years really developing my skills and expanding them in my work.
When I trained in Shamanism I learned that all shamans are mediums and not all mediums are shamans. Being able to communicate across the valley and learn to listen to the messages from the other side is not something everyone can easily do, and to understand and give words to what their spirit energy is and translate that into what their human self was like is a part of it.
I had initially taken guidance on my spiritual path from my grandmother from the other side. She has worked with me and taught me how to interpret energetic beings, she has supported me in ancestral healing and developing my skills as a healer. Without mediumship I wouldn’t have that deep connection to her, especially not having met her in this human world.
I enjoy being able to connect people with their deceased loved ones and bring messages back for them. This is used in my healing work and can bring comfort to my clients to make these connections.
From a personal standpoint, being a medium has brought perspective to my life that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It has given me a great sense of peace around death. Many people are fearful of death and having this direct line of communication with spirits across the veil creates more curiosity around the connectedness of all energy and spirits, and the ability to work with people who are walking their sacred journey to re-birth into the afterlife.
How do you tailor your healing and coaching sessions to meet the individual needs of your clients?
Everything I do is individualized. There is no “prescription” plan. We meet as often as a client would like, but I do not dictate that a person needs to see me for “4 healings over the next two weeks”, for example. Every person is so unique and what they are looking to accomplish from a healing or coaching perspective is just as unique as they are.
I start by listening to what they want to get, and we determine if we are a good connection. It really has to be a good fit for both of us energetically to work deeply in coaching or healing work. If we are not the right match, I know of many other healers and coaches that I can refer you to.
If we are a good fit we have an initial healing session where we can gain some insight into what is happening in your physical, mental, and spiritual world. We can gain a better understanding if you have spiritual or energetic blocks that need to be removed, or if your blocks are limiting beliefs, old stories, or patterns that you are holding on to.
We work together to determine where a person wants to go and we decide on what that can look like together. I cannot “fix” anyone, I am a guide or a light on their pathway. The healing and changes extend beyond my office and have to be wanted by the person I am working with. I cheer you on along the way and I can hold up the mirror to ensure you are where you want to be and your behavior aligns with that.
It was a journey to get to where we are today, and it will be a journey to change our pathway so we align with where we want to go. I am willing to work as hard to hold space for you as you are working to move in alignment with your desired outcome. It could be a combination of healing sessions and coaching sessions for one. Another person may choose to do mostly healing sessions with an alignment session to create deeper goals for their healing to remove limitations that keep them stuck. You envision it, and it is likely a direction we could go together. Every session is as unique as the people I work with. We are all deserving to be loved for exactly who we are and I create a space to help you figure out who that is.
What advice would you give to someone seeking spiritual transformation or looking to discover their life’s purpose?
So many people are seeking spiritual transformation and are wanting to understand their life’s purpose. What I can tell you is that it isn’t a simple answer. You cannot simply go to a psychic and uncover your life’s purpose. The reason being is that you have many purposes in your life and your journey may have different purposes at different stages, unique to you.
Nobody has all the answers for you. You must not give your power away for someone else to tell you what your purpose is. Instead, you must be willing to dig deep, do the hard work and to explore yourself, loving yourself, and uncovering what brings you joy and feeds your soul. This is a path of self-discovery you walk and it’s powerful for you to uncover your purpose.
Someone can walk alongside you, support you, and hold the mirror up for you so that you know you are heading in the right direction. However, they will never know you as deeply as you know yourself, no matter how gifted and talented they are. So hold on to your power and begin your journey of discovery to unlock your secrets to your life’s purpose and your spiritual transformation.
There are some good guides, teachers, and professionals out there that might be a good match for you. They can walk alongside you on this sacred journey, you don’t have to do it alone. Find someone that resonates with you, challenges you a bit, and truly honors the whole of you. You deserve it!
Find out more at: SacredOaksHealing.com
