We recently connected with Mariah Bottomly and have shared our conversation below.

Mariah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

I have learned so much and continue to learn so much as a practitioner and apprentice in my field. When I first really began to immerse myself on this path, I was able to discern through lived experience, who I wanted to be taught by and who was put on my path to help me on/through this journey. When I started to really tap in and get creative with the process, I had an experience that affirmed that I was indeed on the right path. One of my maestras, Nataline Cruz, had asked of her apprentices to play around with the energies in which you cannot see. Essentially, we were supposed to speak out loud to the ethers for a “sign” to let us know that these energies/cosmic forces exist. The next day, with this in mind, I asked out loud to show me a sign of a ladybug. It was February, and I knew that ladybugs were not yet active in Colorado. The day passed, and I kept looking on each dead plant, in the air, or where I was walking for the elusive ladybug… By the end of the day, I had forgotten and took my daughter to the grocery store. On her way out, she grabbed a free magazine that they were handing out. We hopped in the car, and she opened up the magazine and low and behold, there were TWO pages of ladybugs printed inside the magazine. I just sat there like, “WHOA!” I had been taking my ask too literal, without realizing that there are always signs… It was a very emotional moment for me and solidified so much of my work in that one moment.

Mariah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a mixed indigenous femme and have incorporated and intersected a lot of my identity and cultural practices into my work. I am a practitioner of Curanderismo which is Ancestral Mexican Folk medicine. This was gifted specifically to me by my mother, Patricia, and has opened doors for me to work with many amazing teachers/elders/healers. It apparently has been in my paternal lineage as well. I have been lucky enough to be taught and guided by some potent and wonderful medicine keepers. These practices include platicas (heart-to-heart talks), limpias con huevo (cleansing with eggs), barridas (plant sweepings). I have also had the deep privilege of enmeshing Celtic medicine and traditions into my work as well. My greatest teachers are and have been: Patricia Lessard, Elena Avila, Nataline Cruz, Eutimia Cruz-Montoya, Debora Montoya, D’Santi Nava, Paula Leeper, Tonja Reichley, Vercila Chacon, my children and so many more throughout this journey.

I offer a plethora of modalities and work intuitively. I address the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual bodies. My school of remembering is that all of these systems (or manifestations) are all connected and each has to do with the other. I have incorporated intentional touch therapies into my practice which help to navigate and recalibrate the nervous system. I work a lot with grief, clearing negative energy, susto (fright), energetic realignment, and many other (dis)eases that may show up. I’m an herbalist so, I use herbs and plants to support my work as well,

I work a lot in the ancestral realms. It’s important for me to discover and navigate around our ancestral wounding and examine how we have integrated our ancestral patterning, trauma and even joy into our DNA. A lot of people who don’t know their ancestry tend to get stuck here. I help to dislodge those old patterns of thought, I help to hold space for and create new space to heal from ancestral trauma and wounding. Because I work intuitively, this can look different whenever someone comes in to see me.

I am a full spectrum doula which is someone who assists with transitions of life which include but are not limited to; assistance for pre-natal, birth, postpartum, miscarriage, abortion, fetal demise and death rites. I have been navigating away from my birth doula practice and been focusing more on my Curanderismo practice and postpartum care. I work a lot with the sacral and womb spaces to help with chronic pain, conception issues, PCOS, fibroids, and other ailments to name a few. I support trans/non-binary people heavily in my work as well.

I also facilitate house blessings/clearings. I help to clear any unwanted/stagnant energies in homes/apartments/land, etc. I help people to maintain energetic boundaries, create protection grids, and pay reverence to the land that we occupy.

I have recently started teaching and offering classes to learn about basic principals and modalities for those who are beginning to step onto their spirituality or who want to further deepen their own practices.

I’m super excited to learn Accudetox with Dr. Lisa Martinez this coming October. It is a 5 point acupuncture procedure used in the ears to help with relaxation, addiction and other ailments. I’ll be able to add this new modality into my toolkit.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I honestly would have started this particular journey much sooner than I did. I assisted/taught Montessori for 18 years, worked for other holistic care practitioners, got my degree in photography, and have been a single mom for 24 years. It’s like the age old adage, If I knew back then, what I know now..! I would have stepped into this calling much sooner, but, that’s honestly the joy of the journey! I will throw a lot of cliche’s around here but, life is truly about the journey and not about the destination. It has been a beautiful, challenging, and wild one so far, and I’m excited to see how my practice grows and changes, as well as what’s next.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what has helped my business practice grow is word of mouth. I have always and will continue to maintain integrity, authenticity and an ethical practice. It shows in my work and how I work and show up in community. I also know that I’m not for everybody and that’s ok, too! I’m good at what I do but, am always learning and will forever be a student.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sacredexpansionwellness.com
• Instagram: sacredexpansion
• Other: linktr.ee/sacredexpansion

Image Credits
Anthony Maes Devin Galindo Pardees Goshtasb Mariah Bottomly