A conscious revolution

If there’s anything 2020 has taught the human population, it’s that going within is a necessity. Beyond its literal meaning – obviously many of us have been confined to our homes for months while the environment outside flourishes – the spiritual context of the term has really come to the fore during the global crisis caused by COVID-19. But for Sarah Negus, it didn’t take a virus, a lockdown, an economic collapse or a travel ban to teach her the value of going within. She’d had it all her life. In her work as The Modern Day Shaman, she shares this gift – along with many other valuable tools and techniques – with her clients to help them shift their consciousness, awaken their spirit and step up to become the most powerful versions of themselves. And the best thing about it? You don’t even need to leave your house to take part.

While going within comes easy to Sarah, that’s not to say her personal journey has been easy. Being born with the type of spiritual and psychic gifts she had made her very aware she was considered the ‘weird’ child at school, and she always felt like an outsider in groups. Like most children, she wanted to fit in, but as her life progressed, Sarah realised that was not her place in life. As she would discover more than three decades later, true shamans always live like outsiders, never within their villages. Their place is to hold the energy of their community, not to be amongst it. And today, Sarah – who has absolutely no problem holding the energy of a room of 250 people or more when public speaking – finds herself feeling most comfortable when she’s alone for this reason. “Of course, I’m never really alone because we’ve got support systems everywhere,” she says. “We are never, ever alone. But in groups or crowds, where it’s not my energy creating the space, people don’t always get me.”

On meeting Sarah Negus for the first time, this seems hard to believe. Her outward vibe is warm, strong, real, relatable, corporate, calm and professional – words one would very rarely associate with the idea of a shaman. There are no dream catchers to be seen, no feathers flowing in her hair, no drums beating in the background as she discusses her spiritual work and teachings. When she first began to follow her calling to work with energy, the age-old cliché of an ancient, esoteric shaman was exactly what Sarah wanted to differentiate herself from. And yet, it seems a shaman was exactly what she was meant to be – not only does her surname, Negus, translate to Shaman in Egyptian, but the numerology of her name also equates to spiritual healer. Coincidence or calling? She initially launched her services as a ‘spiritual teacher’, but time and time again, her clients would refer to her as ‘my shaman’. As it turns out, that’s exactly the way things like this work traditionally with village shaman too – it is the community who names them. And so, Sarah Negus, The Modern Day Shaman was officially launched to the public in 2012.

The story of her journey to that point could fill volumes – in fact, it does, as Sarah is just about to publish her first book about her experiences and some of her success case stories. To cut it extremely short (and inspire you to buy the book): a series of injuries after five bad car accidents led Sarah to practice Pilates. After realising the value of this healing, hands-on practice, she became a teacher, and also began studying psychology. At the age of 30, she found herself questioning her own life, got divorced, and was serendipitously introduced to a woman who would become her own spiritual teacher. After 12 years as an apprentice – which included trips to Peru to study ancient philosophies and spiritual work – she returned to the UK to settle into the life and career she now loves. Up to speed? Good. Today, Sarah works with entrepreneurs, executives and private clients in Ibiza (which she describes as her “spiritual home”) and across the globe – the kind of open-minded people who understand that one’s energetic and spiritual growth is equally as important as physical health and education – and fuses ancient knowledge and techniques with a very modern mindset to help facilitate powerful professional, and personal changes in their lives.

As we slowly step into this ‘new normality’, humans around the world need guidance – now, more than ever. And after going within for so many months, so many more people in the world have opened their minds to the possibility of that guidance coming from someone other than a life coach, a doctor, a politician or a professor. Enter The Modern Day Shaman. “I help people find meaning and purpose in their lives,” Sarah explains when asked to define her work. “For example, if someone is very successful and they find that they have everything they want materially, yet they’re still searching for more, it’s because they’ve lost their connection to the self and the greater good. They’ve lost their sparkle, and are looking outside of themselves, they are distracted from the pain within themselves. I use the ancient art of shamanism combined with modern psychology and mindset to show them a different way to ‘be’. We look at their past, at their vision for the future and we bring them together so they can have that now.”

Unlike other energy workers or healers, Sarah doesn’t offer a promise to ‘fix’ your mindset or your life. She explains that true shamanic work is considered a partnership between shaman and client, as the vibrations of their energies come to match one another. “You have to do the work,” she stresses. “I am here to facilitate, and show you your true capabilities, your potential.” She is also very clear that it’s not as simple as a one-shot session to bring the sparkle back – most agreements are on a three-month basis. “Think of it like a personal trainer,” she explains. “You wouldn’t expect to only work with them for one day to get the body you want.” So, what does the actual work involve? It’s assessed on a case by case basis, but as a guide, Sarah leads her clients through a series of shamanic journeys, after which they’ll journal on the images or issues that came up, or questions she has posed to them. They’ll continue the ‘journeying’, going deeper and deeper into the psyche, the person’s conditioning and energy.

If you’re still wondering what a shamanic journey actually is, let us assure you it doesn’t involve a plane, Peru, or even stepping out of your own home if that’s not possible for you. A shamanic journey with Sarah starts with talking about past, present and future issues, before she invites you to settle in and allow her voice to take you on a journey in your mind – often, your brainwaves can go into a dream state as she talks you through the experiential ‘journey’. As your state of consciousness is altered, Sarah takes an energetic look at what’s going on inside and supports you through different visualisation experiences that open you up to your own true self. This type of energy work can easily and very effectively be done via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or any other screen sharing software. “I use frequency and vibration,” Sarah explains. “Our physical bodies are an illusion. We’re all the same. We are all one. We don’t need to BE together, because we are together.”

That is certainly a lesson that’s been learned during this unprecedented chapter in human history. We may have been forced to stay apart, yet as a society we’ve seen people come together, and stay connected, like never before. Whether you’ve been thinking about making a change for a long time, or if this experience has inspired you to start a new chapter in your life, The Modern Day Shaman can help you reach the transformation you’ve been dreaming of. Sarah plans to return to Ibiza – where she has hosted retreats, been a guest speaker at a retreat or conference, treated clients on a one-to-one basis, and acts as a mentor to other spiritual teachers – as soon as possible, of course, but until then, her skillset fortunately transcends travel restrictions. While she’s currently locked down in London, she’s still working with high-powered execs, corporate leaders, successful businesspeople, and entrepreneurs here on the white isle, and all around the globe, facilitating change exactly when the world needs it most. It’s time for a conscious revolution.