The willow women path & community
Helena Willow
Earth Rooted Spiritual Teacher, Guide & Coach
Her Story
Helena Willow lives close to the hearbeat of the natural world —the forest, fields, streaming water where the land still holds memory and life moves at a slower pace. With deer and birds sharing the food in the garden, and where the lynx still leaves its tracks on the snow clad ice.
Helena hasn’t really built her work around constant exposure. She does not chase attention or trends. Instead, her path has unfolded step by step, shaped by many years of study, practice, listening, and lived experience. Those who find her work often do so without searching actively. Instead they come across Helena through timing, friends, synchronicity and perhaps a little bit of magic.
“The eyes of a Seeress don’t need to see clearly. They need to see truly.”
— Helena Willow
Chapter One
The Seeing Child
“Children often recognise realities adults learn to dismiss.”
— Helena Willow
1982 — 1993
When Outer Eyes Blurred
At the age of seven, in Uppsala, Sweden, Helena’s physical eyesight began to fail. She received her first glasses, and over time the myopia progressed to −9 diopters. The outer world slowly lost its sharp edges; distances softened, details dissolved.
At the same time, something else became clearer.
The Eyes of the Seeress
Helena was born with central heterochromia—rings of gold encircling each pupil, set within green-grey irises flecked with dark points. Across different European folk traditions, such eyes were often remarked upon. In Nordic lore they were sometimes called the eyes of the seer; in Eastern European and Baltic pagan traditions children with multicoloured eyes were known as Children of Hags.
The stories varied. Some spoke of a witch visiting the cradle at night, trading one of her eyes for the child’s. Others believed the double colouring marked a person capable of second sight—an ability to perceive both the physical world and what moves beneath it. The central ring was described as a gateway, a third pupil that could perceive more than most.
1982 — 1993
For Helena, no mythology was needed to explain what experience taught her.
“When surfaces could no longer be trusted, attention moved elsewhere. The blur became a teacher.”
— Helena Willow
Before her vision blurred, there was already the witch.
At four years old, watching Trolltider, the Swedish television Advent calendar, Helena was drawn not to the heroes but to Mara, the witch. Her attention stayed with the magical woman who could fly and that laughed in the face of adversity.
Helena began imagining stories about a witch who lived behind the rubbish bins near her home. A hidden ally in an otherwise ordinary world. Children, she would later reflect, often recognise realities adults learn to dismiss.
1982 — 1993
The First Temple
The forest became her first temple. The pine, oak and birch woods near her family’s home were a magical playground. Whilst climbing on Iron age graves and pretending that Fairies lived under the rocks, she felt free. Helena learnt how to sense the spirits of nature by simply being present. To her, these spirits were just as real as leaves and birds and pine cones.
She learned to sense the shape of things beneath appearance—the atmosphere of a room, the silence between words, the presence that arrived before footsteps were heard.
“Children recognise realities adults learn to dismiss.”
— Helena Willow
Chapter Two
The Awakening
“The magic is real, and real power requires responsibility and a well crafted intention.”
— Helena Willow
1990 — 1996
Three Doorways Open
Between childhood intuitive knowing and adult seeking, three practices found Helena—each one a key to a different room in the house of learning.
1990
The Cards & Stars
At fifteen Tarot and astrology arrived as languages—symbol systems that gave names to the patterns she’d always sensed but couldn’t articulate. The images in the Tarot spoke a language beyond words. And the planets taught Helena about herself—allowed her to understand a little bit more about who she was.
1993
The Witch Wound
At eighteen, researching Swedish witch trials for a school essay, Helena discovered that the persecuted were often healers, midwives, herbalists—women whose power threatened established order. A longing awoke within, and a curiosity to find out more about witchcraft and magic.
1995
The Forgotten Goddesses
At twenty, while studying at Uppsala University, a single book opened a door that had been closed within her. She discovered an ancient world of priestesses and seers—a time when the feminine was sacred, not suppressed. In the figure of the Vala, the bridge between worlds, Helena found the ancient blueprint for the woman she was longing to become.
1995 — 1996
Through the Door
At twenty-one, the path turned from theory to practice. In Stockholm’s Gamla Stan, she found a small shop run by the famous witch Jolanda the third. There, Helena enrolled in a witchcraft course that arrived letter by letter. Short snippets of something much larger, and Helena was intrigued and inspired. It was a reminder that the craft had survived by passing hand to hand through centuries of fear.
The first spell Helena cast was one to help her end a relationship that was no longer loving. It began to work within weeks and manifested in a way Helena could never have imagined. She moved to London.
And it made her realise that the magic is real, and real power requires responsibility and a well crafted intention.
The door was no longer just open; Helena had stepped through.
— Helena Willow
Chapter Three
The Forge
When we work with the sacred feminine, we remember.
The work is planetary, not just personal—each woman who heals her lineage
heals a thread in the collective tapestry.
— Helena Willow
1999 — 2011
The London Crucible
At twenty-two, Helena left Sweden for London — drawn by a longing to learn more and to be free to be herself. She didn’t know it yet — but Helena was seeking teachers and guides.
What followed was a decade of intense study, practice, and a dedication to learning healing modalities. Every true initiation brings a “dark night of the soul” that strips away the non-essential; London was the fire that burned away the girl to reveal the practitioner.
The Lineage of Teachers
In the transformative life in London, Helena found her teachers — each one a guardian of a specific lineage, offering the keys to the rooms she was now ready to enter:
Wiccan Initiation
Sorita d’Este & David Rankine: Wiccan training in the Alexandrian tradition. Formal priestess initiation and the discipline of group work.
Reiki Mastery
Barbara-Ann Wolf: Reiki training, levels 1–3: from practitioner to master teacher.
Shamanic Path
Howard & Elsa Malpas: The Warrior of the Heart Foundation, Glastonbury. Shamanic Practitioner.
1999 — 2011
The path reveals itself. Walking it is our choice.
The Wiccan training came first—while it led to a coven and skyclad rituals, it started through the post. From South London, Sorita and David sent each module, and Helena worked the rituals alone in her London flat. When the physical initiation finally came, Helena had been a part of a training circle for years. It was a threshold into taking magical responsibility and fully stepping into the role of the Priestess.
She learned that the tradition survived because it was resilient—the sacred passing from teacher to student.
The Priestess learns that when the path is true, the way opens.
When she needed £3,000 for the shamanic training in Glastonbury—money she didn’t have—she did something that would become a teaching in itself.
During morning runs through Highgate Woods, she repeated affirmations. She applied for housing benefit, not expecting much. Within weeks, through a series of what others called coincidences, the exact amount appeared.
The Priestess learns that when the path is true, the way opens.
Chapter FOUR
The Integration
“There was a profound, collective need for deeper work
and a sacred space in which to gather.”
— Helena Willow
2011 — 2019
Uppsala: The Hidden Community
In 2011 Helena returned to Sweden—to Uppsala, the ancient seat of Nordic kings and the site of the great Pagan temple. Here, in her hometown, she planted the seeds that would grow into something unexpected.
Willow Health began as a focused healing practice where Helena offered Reiki and Shamanic healing. But as women sought her out—first individually, then in small groups, and finally in larger circles—a distinct pattern emerged. There was a profound, collective need for deeper work and a sacred space in which to gather.
Chapter Five
The Transmission
The transmission did not end with Elsa’s passing; it evolved.
This is the true meaning of lineage.
— Helena Willow
2018 — 2019
Glastonbury: Sacred Inheritance
In the heart of Avalon, Helena entered the most defining training of her life. What she received at the Earth Spirit Centre would become the foundation of what she teaches today.
Elsa Malpas was seventy years old when they met—a woman whose body had become weaker with age and childhood polio. Yet, Elsa’s spirit remained formidable, inspiring everyone who met her. Her deep wisdom, balanced by a mischievous side, allowed her students to feel both profoundly held and expertly guided.
Soul Regeneration
Under Howard and Elsa Malpas at the Warrior of the Heart Foundation, Helena trained as a Shamanic Practitioner from 2009 to 2011. She continued her journey in 2018, being initiated into the Soul Regeneration methodology—a living lineage and a transmission passed from teacher to student.
The work addresses a level of soul exhaustion that modern modalities cannot reach. It involves a profound ceremonial architecture: the burdened “Caretaker” soul part is released to rest within the Faery Realm, while the “Divine Soul” part is invited to anchor fully in the body. This is followed by months of ongoing healing work involving shadow reclaiming and ancestral healing. When the Caretaker eventually returns, it is transformed, ready to unite with the Divine Self.
In the midst of Helena’s Soul Regeneration training, Elsa Malpas died. Elsa passed away shortly after the Caretaker release ceremony at Samhain 2018. For a moment, both teachers and students were left in a state of uncertainty: how could Elsa’s legacy continue?
2018 — 2019
Glastonbury: Sacred Inheritance
Yet, Elsa continued to guide her students and her partner Howard from a different realm. She returned to them through the direct, unmistakable communication of the craft.
Her message was clear:
“Stick to the plan, Howard.”
“Get the Heart right and everything else follows.”
A document soon arrived in Howard’s email—the instructions for the final phase, sent from the other side. Through this extraordinary unfolding, Helena became one of a small group of complete Soul Regeneration lineage-bearers. Elsa’s voice remains present in her field today, guiding the deepest work she offers.
The transmission did not end with Elsa’s passing; it evolved. This is the true meaning of lineage: not merely the mastery of technique, but a living relationship with those who have walked the path before.
Chapter Six
The Great Unraveling
“To save herself, she had to let go of the identity she had built.”
— Helena Willow
2020
The Cocoon and the Dark Pit
In the middle of the global pandemic, while the world stood still, Helena’s life underwent a radical pruning. On the surface, she was a success—her business, Willow Health, was fully booked with shamanic sessions, workshops, and year-long practitioner trainings. But beneath the surface, the “Pleaser” had taken over. In showing up for everyone else, she had begun to abandon herself.
In May 2021, Helena sat in her garden among budding tomato plants and calendula flowers, feeling a deep ache that the summer sun could not warm. She had hit the bottom of a dark pit—a “slimy hole” she hadn’t visited since 2002. Her body was crying out for attention, and her relationship was in a rocky transition.
She realized that in the grind of bookkeeping and the weight of ancestral trauma, she had lost touch with the rebellious teenager who moved to London and the wild woman who danced barefoot on moss covered ground. To save herself, she had to let go of the identity she had built.
The Decision
She quit. Helena closed down Willow Health and its current form, a six-figure business built from scratch over 10 years. She chose to face the voices of the Inner Judge—shame, guilt, and worry—rather than continue the cycle of self-abandonment. She entered a “cocooning” phase, a period of deep questioning where everything she had taught and practiced was put to the fire.
Chapter Seven
The Warrior’s Path
“The journey was never about pushing or taking care of everyone else;
it was about the brave act of coming home to the woman I already was.”
— Helena Willow
2021 — Present
HeatherAsh Amara & The New Vision
There is always a door, but sometimes it must be sought in the dark. Through a series of synchronicities, Helena found her way to HeatherAsh Amara and the Warrior Goddess Training circle.
Where Soul Regeneration had shaken her awake to what was not working, Warrior Goddess circle provided the practical forge to rebuild. It offered a nurturing circle of women and the tools to meet the Inner Judge & Victim with compassion and clarity.
The Reconstructed Self
Three years into this work, Helena’s internal landscape has shifted entirely. The behavioral patterns that once depleted her now support her body, mind, and energy. She has reclaimed the creative child, the entrepreneur, and the visionary.
Today, Helena stands as a Certified Warrior Goddess Facilitator (Level 1) and a Warrior Goddess & Warrior Heart Coach.
2021 — Present
She no longer works from a place of “should” or “must,” but from a deep, unwavering alignment with her purpose. Her path has evolved from the solitary Vala to a co-creator of circles—a path allowing women dismantle their own unhealthy agreements and step into their authentic power. Her own personal work continues in every step of the way.
“The journey was never about pushing or taking care of everyone else; it was about the brave act of coming home to the woman I already was.”
— Helena Willow
The Willow women Path
The 9 Sacred Willow Women Archetypes
The 9 Willow Women Archetypes crystallized from decades of practice into a definitive map of feminine spiritual development. This journey is a living spiral that moves from the Seeress, the One Who Sees—to the Goddess, the full embodiment of the Divine.
I
The Seeress
Inner sight and intuition
II
The Healer
Transformation and sacred boundaries
III
The Witch
Wild power and manifestation
IV
The Priestess
Sacred leadership and ritual
Opening March 2026
V
The Sorceress
Energetic mastery and creation
VI
The Earth Mother
Nurturing and grounding
VII
The Wisdom Bearer
Ancient knowledge and storytelling
VIII
The Shaman
Walking between worlds
IX
The Goddess
Full embodiment and sovereignty
Each archetype is complete in itself, carrying its own unique gifts and its own necessary shadows. Through this work, Helena has created a structured, guided journey designed to help women (re)discover their purpose, power, and wisdom within a dedicated community.wer, and wisdom within a dedicated community.
Each archetype awakens a force already encoded in our DNA and in the ancient memory of our souls. By embracing and curiously exploring these different aspects of the self, we gain clarity around our life purpose and our creative work.
The Philosophy
Sustainable Sacred Practice
Helena’s journey through the Great Unraveling taught her something essential: the Caretaker shadow—giving until depleted, serving until empty, confusing self-sacrifice with spiritual devotion—is the hidden wound of many women who do this work.
The Three Steps of Self-Healing
Stalking — The clear-eyed observation of patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that no longer serve. Not judgment—witnessing.
Cleansing — The release of what has been seen. Ritual, practice, and process to let go of accumulated weight.
Dreaming — The active creation of new patterns. Not passive hoping, but the deliberate weaving of preferred reality.
The Philosophy
Sustainable Sacred Practice
The goal is not transcendence—escape from the body, the emotions, the messy reality of being human. The path is inhabitation: to more fully occupy this life, this body, this moment. The mystical path leads not away from humanity but more deeply into it.
The soul knows how to heal itself. It simply needs the right conditions—the container, the witness, the permission to remember what it has always known.
The Vision
“The work is planetary. Not just personal.
Each woman who heals her lineage heals
a thread in the collective web.”
Helena does not seek to build an empire of followers. She seeks to catalyze a quiet revolution
—women remembering their power, reclaiming their wisdom,
and weaving themselves back into the living web of the earth.
Begin the Journey
By walking the archetypal path, you are held in a safe, intentional space where
you can explore how to step fully into your power
—with greater clarity, confidence, and a deep, resonant sense of belonging.