Jenni Gilbert We often hear of a breakthrough or success described as the product of ‘divine inspiration’, of fortunate occurrences being ‘heaven sent’ or ‘gifts from the gods’.
In Rachael White’s case, such descriptors are on the money, literally and figuratively. In the mid 2000s, the business and psychology graduate and one-time corporate professional with 20 years’ experience in the education, philanthropy, IT and public health sectors, was driven to a crossroads by her husband’s health crisis.
Such was the impact his illness had on the couple and their two sons that it made them reassess the direction of their lives. In Rachael’s case, it was the impetus to finally be her ‘authentic self’; to reveal and channel her innate gifts and become a full time clairvoyant, ‘angel intuitive’, healer and founder of the world’s first Archangel Aromatherapy range.
She quickly developed a large following at her clinic in Newtown, Sydney, an inner city suburb characterised by a ‘new age hippie grunge’ vibe.
‘Many people therefore assume that my clients would be mainly `fringe’ but I see corporate high flyers, surgeons and professionals from across the spectrum as well,’ Rachael says.
She also travels around Australia doing spiritual healing, coaching, angel card readings, and energy clearing for homes and businesses and consults with international clients via Skype or phone.
Then a couple of years ago her archangel ‘guides’ told her she should develop a range of essential oils to enhance her healing; ‘a prescription for daily application, an invocation tool that calls in archangel guidance and support at any moment, depending on the issue, emotion or spiritual goal requiring help’.
Sounds a bit woo woo? Don’t be too quick to poo poo ‘ in Melbourne last week to launch Archangel Aromatherapy and its rituals into leading Victorian spas, Rachael’s presentation was met with rapt attention and a 100 percent strike rate (as I, a fellow guest, can attest).
Each of the hand-picked attendees, all leading lights of the Melbourne and regional Victoria spa scene, signed up with relish.
‘The response was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting that the industry is looking to expand its offerings to support client-driven demand for holistic treatment and spiritual healing within a spa environment,’ says Rachael.
‘This growing and highly influential breed of consumers are known as Cultural Creatives and they will have a huge impact over the next few years on the success (or not) of spa and wellness businesses.
‘The 100 percent organic content of the Archangel Aromatherapy range, blended with the world’s highest-grade essential oils and encased in unique violet vials, as used in earliest times to preserve and protect the bio-energy from light, is aligned with the desires and values of this growing market.
‘Angelic aromas not only smell divine, they take you to higher states of consciousness. They are used for deep energetic and cellular healing, spiritual development and holistic wellness, drawing on ancient healing for the mind, body, spirit, soul and space.’
The 15 oil blends in the range are each linked to an Archangel. ‘Archangels are celestial and spiritual messengers,’ says Rachael. ‘They are available to help human beings with loving guidance, support and healing.
‘Each Archangel has a speciality area such as Grief, Motivation, Memory, Esoteric Wisdom and Relationships.’
At the presentation in Melbourne, Rachael demonstrated the ritual that is integral to the healing and transforming treatments. We’ll tell you more about that in the next issue of SPA+CLINIC, which will be on its way to you from the last week of April. (If you’re not a subscriber already, don’t forget to sign up!)
Now … who are these Cultural Creatives? Again, we will tell you more about them in the next issue but a quick snapshot:
It was a term coined in 2000 by US sociologist Paul Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists versus Conservatives.
The concept was presented in their book The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World, where they claim to have found that 50 million adult Americans (slightly more than a quarter of the adult population) could be identified as belonging to this group.
‘This group has steadily grown in numbers and influence since 2000, accelerating after the GFC in 2008,’ says Rachael. ‘But their influence is nowhere near at boom levels yet – and when it is, businesses that are not in tune with them and their wants and needs will suffer.’
According to The Cultural Creatives book and website, you are likely to be a Cultural Creative if you:
- Love nature and are deeply concerned about its destruction
- Are strongly aware of the problems of the whole planet (global warming, destruction of rainforests, overpopulation, lack of ecological sustainability, exploitation of people in poorer countries) and want to see more action on them, such as limiting economic growth
- Would pay more taxes or pay more for consumer goods if you could know the money would go to clean up the environment and to stop global warming
- Place a great deal of importance on developing and maintaining your relationships
- Place a lot of value on helping other people and bringing out their unique gifts
- Do volunteering for one or more good causes
- Care intensely about both psychological and spiritual development
- See spirituality or religion as important in your life, but are concerned about the role of the Religious Right in politics
- Want more equality for women at work, and more women leaders in business and politics
- Are concerned about violence and abuse of women and children around the world
- Want our politics and government spending to put more emphasis on children’s education and wellbeing, on rebuilding our neighbourhoods and communities, and on creating an ecologically sustainable future …
