About Me

Gillian Robartes

Practitioner Member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP) and General Naturopathic Council (GNC)

Diploma Naturopathy

Diploma Herbal Medicine

Diploma Shamanic Healing / Energy Healing

Certification as Usui Reiki Master

B.Sc. Genetics and Microbiology

B.Sc. Hon. Developmental and Biological Sciences

For as long as I can remember, since a very young age, I have been interested in helping people, the art of healing, and in becoming a healer. Of course I had lots of other interests as well, but healing was always the first in my heart.

My interest in health and healing was always instinctive, and over time my path became more and more a conscious decision. Everything else has just been a further learning, attuning and refinement of that unconscious calling. It seems to have been a natural development of smaller, but no less significant, continuous events that have moved me along, and they just made sense to me each time they happened. And the deeper I have moved into that realm as a healer the more I have wanted to learn of it, learn from it, have loved it, and have wanted to become more in myself because of it.

While growing up in South Africa I developed a love of plants and enjoyed starting to learn about their medicinal properties. During school I found an affinity for the Sciences, enjoying subjects like Biology and Chemistry which fed into my love of the natural world and plants. It was there in those same classes that Genetics and the wonderful potential of the microcosmic building blocks of life first caught my attention. I was inclined to pursue the Sciences and that became my path for a time.

I found my way back to the natural world after I was offered the opportunity to move to Edinburgh in 2008 to turn my B.Sc into an Honours degree in Genetics. Quite literally as I was finishing my Honours degree I found a Herbal Medicine course and curriculum that sounded absolutely incredible and I wanted to pursue this opportunity with all eagerness.

Raspberries...yum!

My background in the Sciences helped to give me a solid foundational aspect from which to understand other aspects of the plant world, from a medicinal and biochemical perspective, which helped to grasp a lot of concepts and research of herbal medicine more easily. Through the course I gained an understanding of how herbs are/were used traditionally, including from an energetic approach, which holds powerful therapeutic value when combined with the scientific approach and is applied to an individual's uniqueness. I now feel that I can see from both world perspectives and benefit from their integration.

So, after 10 years of studying the Sciences and the Natural...I find I am still not finished with being a student and learning. I love what I know and I use it to the best of my abilities but I find that I want to approach health and healing from a truly holistic approach, so aspects of Spirit call to me as well. I have learned from studying Naturopathy that looking after the spirit, mind and emotions is just as important as looking after the body, so I intend to incorporate Energy Healing as a natural part of what I do.

When I say I want to help you heal in every way, I literally mean on every level. When you come to me for healing, you honour me with your trust and I thank you.

Newgrange in South Ireland

Acknowledgements

I would like to give special thanks to the amazing people in my life:

To the members of my family who have encouraged and supported me along this path - this support has meant a lot to me, more than I could ever express.

To the friends and past work colleagues, both here and far away in different countries, who have believed in me and supported me in times of emotional need (and for just being there and being awesome friends). You, as much as members of my family, have helped me be where I am now and I love all of you.

To my various teachers over time, from my Herbal Medicine course to the various smaller courses and workshops I have attended: thank you from the bottom of my heart for your passion and commitment that have helped to fuel my own for the path I am on.

To certain German friends who, though they spent far too short a time in Scotland and I miss dearly, have shown me the potentials of my healing and energetic abilities and have helped me to gain confidence in my self. We will meet again soon!

To my Amazonian Shamanism teacher and his whole family (on both sides), you have been incredible with your love, generosity and kindness, and I cannot thank you enough for the incredible journey we shared together in the Rain Forest. Light and Love to all of you from my heart, Pagarachu!

To the very special couple who run the annual Plant Consciousness events, whose workshops I try to attend regularly and who are responsible for putting me in touch with my Amazonian Shamanism teacher - you are amazing! Keep doing what you're doing because you have helped me to develop to awesome levels and I know others appreciate all you have done.

To others who follow the healer's path and have shared it with me (now or for a time in the past), I wish you the best of luck and thank you for having been part of my journey. You have taught me as much as my different teachers have about how much there is to learn, what it is to be strong while being vulnerable, and how beautiful the journey can be even at (what feels like) its most difficult times.