Romany Rivers

Well, where shall I start? Like David Copperfield, I was born, I grew up?! Hmm... It is probably wise to point out that my birth name is Melody Ann Buckland and I am the proprietor of Little Sanctuary, The Gaia Tree, Sacred Spiral Supplies, and LunaLake Designs. I am also the co-founder of Moon River Wicca, and a writer, Healer and artist to boot. My name, Romany Rivers, is a craft name I adopted through my magickal practices... and having two names certainly makes answering the phone interesting!

I am as you are, a human being that is ever changing, ever evolving, ever gaining knowledge and striving for wisdom, and ever searching for ways to be happy, healthy and whole. My spiritual beliefs and practices have offered me many ways of achieving these goals, and I am now at the point in my life where I am passing on my experiences to others. I do not have all the answers, at the moment I am not even sure if I have all the questions! However, what I do have is compassion, hard work and personal experience on my side.

As a child the loss of loved ones sparked my fascination with spirituality, life, death and life after death. Brought up in a household of both Roman Catholic and CofE influence, I searched for answers first within the church. My naturally inquistive mind led me to repeatedly challenge the perceptions given to me by the church, making this path difficult for both me and the spiritual teachers I challenged. My interest turned to Buddhism and eastern philosophy in my teens. In these wonderful belief systems I not only found theories that expanded my perceptions but also methods and techniques to calm my raging teenage spirit. Something I sorely needed at the time! I travelled the world in my twenties, expanding upon my knowledge of other cultures, their belief systems, connections to divinity and their magickal practices. Time spent with Witchdoctors, Sangorma, Shamans, Priests, Monks and other wisemen and wisewomen taught me a great deal, not just about them - but also about me and my spiritual journey. Although I am now a High Priestess in Wicca, and teach a unique tradition of Wicca to other seekers, many of these eastern philosophies have remained a stable part of my personal spirituality.

For me, spirituality, science, and psychology are all closely interconnected. My experiences with peoples response to religion and spirituality have led me to look at the psychology of both mind and soul in great detail - and vice versa. I am always constantly amazed at the cutting edge physics discoveries and how they appear to mirror the energetic work of mystics and magicians. I think that spellcasting and prayer are similar in intent and focus, and that the power of the mind can overcome many influences of the physical world - be that through our own will or the will of a divine creator. Quite honestly, I believe there is much to learn in this world and the next... and I am quite happy to keep on studying.

In the meantime, I have focussed on developing my own techniques for healing and magick and am happy to use these to aid others - just as many wonderful people have aided me on my journey.