Encounter with a Butterfly - A 14 Year Old Moment During a Healing Crisis
This time 14 years ago I was speaking and sitting in on meetings on Capitol Hill for the Salon Week of Action. The goal was to inform the necessary people about the experiences that affected our health and well-being, provide information and encourage laws to change to protect salon workers and consumers from toxic chemicals and personal care products.
What a time that was! Back then, I was heavy into advocacy work for this cause. Formaldehyde poisoning derailed and uprooted my life, affecting my health on a very deep level. A hairstylist in Manhattan, I had no idea how much my life was about to change.
Fourteen years later and I am still navigating the effects of chemical illness, and still working to reconnect with parts of myself that were abandoned along the way.
I remember the exact moment I took this photo of the butterfly. I was at a butterfly exhibit inside the Smithsonian Museum, bending down and marveling at this amazing little butterfly. Inside, I felt terrible on every level. My body was struggling, my mental health declining and my anxiety was through the roof.
A Butterfly at the Smithsonian Museum 14 Years Ago
I could barely breathe in public settings without developing migraines, nausea and rashes from all of the synthetic chemicals around me that are taken for granted on a regular basis. For instance, perfumes, colognes, deodorants, air fresheners, laundry detergent and so much more. So many foods caused reactions or vomiting and my “safe” list of foods to eat was so small and so erratic. Walking was so difficult, as my body felt like I was covered in layers of lead. Exhaustion filled every waking moment and sleep was hard to come by. I was in chronic pain, often dizzy and just very, very unwell.
My passion and rage fueled my voice. I wrote about my experience, went on national TV, spoke in D.C., sat in on a weekly radio show and found myself being interviewed for national newspaper and magazine articles. All of this stemming from one blog I wrote when I first became sick as a means to take back my power that gained instant traction. I fought so hard to overcome this injustice. Companies threatened me regularly, as did hair stylists who could not comprehend the harm that these products were causing and did not want services so lucrative removed from the market.
Dawn speaking and advocating on Capitol Hill about her experience with toxic salon products and their dangers.
I remember sitting at a meeting on Capitol Hill and the head of the FDA sat to my right. She turned and looked at me, saying, “Don’t you worry, we are going to get these laws changed!” and at the time I felt so much hope and excitement. As time went on, though, so many of the efforts were stalled and today while there is progress, it is not anywhere near where it should be.
But what kept me going were all of the people who would reach out to me to share their stories, to ask for advice, to say that they had hope again.
And my own will to heal, to continue, kept me going even when my body and mind were in low states.
At that time, the crystals I had always kept around me and been drawn to suddenly took on a whole new meaning. I dove into holistic care, energy work and research. Suddenly a new door opened for me. I saw that I was not made to fit in the confines of the mainstream world. So much of it did not make sense and did not fit or help me. In time, I began to carve out my own space in the other part of the world, the part that sees things from a different view. The part that allows me to be fully myself, an ethereal medium whose path is less traveled but so much more aligned. Once I accepted myself, who I am and what I do, everything changed.
Connecting to my crystals on a deeper, spirit level helped shift me on my journey.
With this acceptance came many initiations, dark nights and challenging times. These trials still continue, but with each one I approach with more acceptance and courage than the time before.
And in that moment, with the butterfly, I was present. A moment of magic, of beauty, of stillness that I had not had in quite some time. The experience was fleeting, yet beautiful. It sparked a hope in me that I desperately needed. Sometimes, the dark places that I visit in my mind still long for moments of hope. And I remember what this journey has shown me - the down times are temporary. They will pass, and come again, and pass again. And every time, I make it through to the other side.
So many people struggle on their spiritual path, and find it hard to relate to many people around them. It can be confusing, depressing and very lonely. The journey can also be very scary. Those of you struggling, feeling that disconnect from the Higher Self or the stifling madness of the Dark Night, please know you are not alone. I am you, I have been you and walked this path. I still do.
I work with your Higher Self and our Spirit Teams to give you the guidance and healing you most need at the moment. New mediums, I also help you as you discover your gift, to no longer fear who you are and to start facing your intuition with confidence. Please visit HealByDawn.Com if you are ready for a session. And stay tuned this fall and winter for mediumship development opportunities.
This healing process, this spiritual path, is layered, complex and not very linear. Stay true to you, and know that even when it feels unlikely there will come a time when you feel at ease again.
You can read more about Dawn’s experience with chemical poisoning, as well as the inspiring stories of others, in the anthology “Lessons Between the Lines.”
Dawn Marino is an Ethereal Medium & Channeler, Dark Night of the Soul Guide, Certified Crystal Energy Healer, Crystal Messenger, Trance Healer, Intuitive Tarot Reader, Healing Artist and Professional Writer. She connects to spirit guides, higher selves, angelic, elemental and cosmic beings. Dawn has published two books, the “Tarot Journal for Beginners” and the “Complete Guide to Tarot.” She also has written about her journey in the recently published anthology, “Lessons Between the Lines.”
Dawn supports people feeling disconnected from their Higher Self, feeling stuck and lost on their spiritual journey. She works with people to help them through the Dark Night, working with them to reclaim their independence and unlock their potential. Dawn also helps beginner mediums on their path to mediumship. You can work with Dawn remotely over Zoom or in-person at Now and Zen Wellness in Throop, PA and starting in September a location in Dunmore.
Visit healbydawn.com to learn more.
