Behind the Session - Rachel’s Initiation

Celebrating and honoring Rachel's story on the first day of May and the beginning of #AAPI Heritage Month is truly something I will never, ever forget. We met up on a very cold, unbelievably windy day and I was immediately warmed by Rachel’s joyful spirit. We met at a park local to Rachel and walked around until we found a few spots in the woods near the water that were calling to us both.

Before each Initiation ceremony, we always have a creative brainstorm session. It’s such an important part of our process together and it’s crucial to making sure your most authentic vision comes to life. During our brainstorm session, Rachel made it clear how important it was to integrate and honor her cultural and personal journey. While the finer details are not mine to share, Rachel has openly spoken about her journey as an adoptee, recently reconnecting to and rediscovering her Korean ancestry and cultural roots.

I’m so grateful to Rachel for opening herself up to the process so deeply and being so honest and raw. It helped us create even more powerful imagery during our session, and we were able to approach her journey and story with reverence. By the end of our session, we found ourselves standing in the sunshine, sipping on tea (that Rachel so thoughtfully pre-packed for us to share 😍), and sharing our hearts with each other as sisters.

Every single thing about this friendship and session with @rachel.im.butler was fully aligned (except *maybe* the temperature on the morning of our shoot🥶😂). From the moment Rachel reached out, I felt such a deep connection and creative spark. Once I learned we were born on the same day (same year and everything!), I knew we were kindred souls.

Pouring even more intuition and movement into my sessions this year has ignited some incredible shifts, both in my work and in the connections I make when I create with you. Intentionally weaving our creative experiences with Mother Nature has also taken our sessions to a whole new level, where we're able to really tap in to you and your story in the most authentic, embodied way 🌲

I get chills thinking about it because doing this work with you seriously lights me up in every single way and sometimes I can hardly believe I even get to call this 'work'. Showing up and being able to witness you and reflect your own magick back to you in this way is my highest honor, and I'll never stop being grateful AF, even in the hard moments 🙏🏽