Awaken Nature Healing

22/07/2025

Some of the many magical beings who I’ve been sharing the garden with this summer.

21/07/2025

If you’ve ever tasted Water Mint, Mentha aquatica, you’ll know what I mean when I say it’s one of the most incredible tasting wild mints you can find.
There are so many types of mints out there, and currently growing in my garden I have apple mint, and spearmint. Both are wonderfully fragrant, but Water mint remains one of my favourites.
Just a small piece of a leaf of the plant’s leaves infused into hot water makes the water taste so fresh and minty, and when you rub your fingers over the leaves, the scent completely uplifts the senses.
Mint is known for its ability to aid digestion, to settle the stomach, freshen the breath, alleviate feelings of nausea, and to bring calm. And Water mint does all these, including making an incredibly refreshing tea.
Water mint grows where you would expect to find it, next to ponds and lakes. It’s currently in flower and if you manage to find it, it’s likely there’ll be lots of bees heading over to enjoy it too☺️.

20/07/2025

Finds from the Forest today…Rowan berries, fallen Pine needles, and Hazel nuts. Also came across some white Lavender which smells heavenly. 

19/07/2025

A story of a Gatekeeper butterfly who these last few days has wooed me completely. All butterflies are incredible, but a few days ago I found this one in the grass, looking like it had just come out of a cocoon, and I noticed that one of it’s wings hadn’t grown properly, the rest slightly curled. While all the other butterflies were flying and soaring in the warm air, this one was small and could only fly a little bit, and was mostly hopping from plant to plant.
Today, when sitting out in the grass, I noticed that the butterfly had returned, still with it’s crinkly half formed wings. I sat and gave it some healing and I couldn’t help but feel the butterfly had returned for this. But also in the return to give me some kind of message.
Because in our small but quite significant interchange of energy, there came a message about change, about not always having to be how people think we should be, that beauty comes in all forms, and that even with a disability, we can still survive, thrive and completely love the life we have.

19/07/2025

💚 Moss, and it’s so incredibly good for our environment in many many ways 

18/07/2025

A little Robin feather left today by a Robin who flew inside the house for a bit💙.

17/07/2025

Standing on the Earth, happy, with a Horse Chestnut tree 💚

16/07/2025

OK, so I’m slightly obsessed with the Teasels that are growing in my garden at the moment. I grew them from seed, and one of them probably has the most flowers I’ve ever seen on one of these amazing plants.
They’re currently flowering, and the bees and butterflies are loving them completely.

Teasel is definitely one of my favourite plants, if plant is what you can call this being that looks like it landed from outer space.
This is for many reasons, one of which is that it exudes such a strong energy. A gentle warrior, who helps to ‘restore what is broken’. And this is what its name Xu Duan in Chinese medicine, means.
The root of Teasel is most commonly used, and is recognised for it’s ability to help move blood around the body, to repair damaged tissue, and to strengthen the stomach. Teasel works with tonifying the liver, and warming the tissues and the muscles of the body, drawing any unwonted bacteria out so that your own immune system can then work on eliminating this.
This has proved to be effective in cases of Lyme disease.

Teasel also helps to strengthen the whole system, working with the emotions, and bringing us fully back into ourselves as we recognise what it is we need to heal.

Sometimes I just sat in the garden with the Teasels and my cup of coffee, watching the sunset. It’s lovely.

Teasel, is one of my favourite plants, for many reasons, one of which is that it exudes such a strong energy. A gentle warrior, who helps to ‘restore what i...

16/07/2025

🍃Update on Upcoming Workshops/Events🍃

As summer rolls on, I’ve been taking time for a bit of self reflection and personal healing. Listening to energy and spirit as always, and trusting in the guidance as to where to go next with any services I can provide to others.

In terms of workshops and healing sessions, I thought I would detail a brief outline of what is coming up over the months ahead.

Firstly, I have decided to finish my weekly sessions that were running at Colby Woodland Garden. The summer holidays are looking to be busy there, and I’m going to focus on personal projects instead. Thank you to all those who came to them.

26th of July and 2nd of August.
Magical Herb Walk and Natural Incense Making Workshop.
Due to the previous workshop being cancelled, I am now running two of the same session.
Full details of this one can be found here.

https://www.awakennaturehealing.com/workshop/magical-herb-walk/

If you wish to attend the one on the 2nd of August, just let me know by a message through email, max.allinson@live.co.uk, or on here.

9th August
Heart of the Wild Natural Healing Day.
This is possibly the last session I will hold at Colby Woodland Garden this year. I’ve loved working there, and this will be a lovely time to fully immerse in the beauty of a place I find to be quite a sanctuary.
The day session will involve lots of healing practices, the benefits of which will be enhanced by being around the trees and plants that let energy flow so freely within us. Details of this one can be found here:

https://www.awakennaturehealing.com/workshop/heart-of-the-wild/

I’m currently in the process of writing up an end of summer foraging walk for the the last weekend in August, which I’m hoping will take place at Bryngarw Country Park. I’ve worked at Bryngarw before, and I love it there for the variety of trees and plants that are growing. It’s a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours learning about identifying plants and trees, along with
how to make natural remedies.

On the 13th of September I am looking to host a workshop in Pembrokeshire. Details to be announced.

On the Autumn equinox weekend, the 20th September, I am looking to hold a session in the Vale of Glamorgan to celebrate the turn of the season, and to work with the energy that this means for us.

I’m also focusing on one-to-one sessions with people and with animals. I’ve worked for years as an energy healer, connecting people with spirit, and with nature for well- being and personal development.

I adore working with animals, those have been injured or who are ill or who suffer with trauma.
More details on the sessions can be found on my website here,

https://www.awakennaturehealing.com/animal-healing/

but feel free to message me at max.allinson@live.co.uk for any further information.

Many blessings to all of you who have continued to follow what I do. I always appreciate your feedback. Everything we do is connected, all that we put out resonates and circles back.

With lots of love,
Maxine

15/07/2025

One of the best plants to turn to if you are stung by nettles, is Plantain. This is Ribwort Plantain, but its companion Greater Plantain does the job just as well.

I’ve been using Plantain for many years, for a variety of bites and stings from insects such as red ants, horseflies, and bee and wasp stings.
Mainly because it is so brilliant at drawing infection out, easing inflammation, and reducing pain.
Yesterday, I was stung by nettles on my hand, and it was probably the most painful sting I’ve felt from them. Thankfully, I have Ribwort Plantain growing in my garden, so I went and took a leaf, and made a poultice, which I placed over the affected area. After an hour, I removed the poultice, but the chemicals released from it remained upon my hand.

When nettles sting you, it is because the tiny hairs on the leaves and stem which are like needles, break off on contact with your skin. They release formic acid, histamine, acetylchomine and other chemicals, which then causes the itching, and burning sensation you feel.
The sting I had last night felt like somebody had stuck a needle deep into my skin, and it wasn’t that pleasant.

Dock leaves are one of the plants most commonly known for dealing with nettle stings, because they contain antihistamine which then helps with reducing the inflammation and reaction you get.
Plantain however also contains antihistamine, and it has the added bonus of reducing inflammation, and easing the pain too. Its abilities are so powerful it has even been known to draw splinters and small shards of glass out of the skin.

For me, as much as we can learn about plants and how they can help us, it’s when you actually see the results directly that you gain even more respect and love for the life around us.

14/07/2025

Whiling away the summer evenings … when you let the grass grow, you realise just how many different types there are. These are some of the many I’ve picked from my garden, along with other collected plants, including poppy and love in the mist seedheads 🌾