An interview with Food Shed Co-op owner #60 Pam Sourelis, owner of Winged Horse Healing.

Pam Sourelis, of Woodstock, is a professional Reiki practitioner, Animal Communicator, practitioner of Neuromuscular Retraining for animals, teacher, and writer, who has been assisting animals and their humans (both in person and from a distance) for 16 years. You can learn more about her work at WingedHorseHealing.com. You can also find Winged Horse Healing on Facebook.  

1. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Pam. Will you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?

Sixteen years ago, I was awakened in the middle of the night by an inner voice saying Pegasus (the name of the mythical Greek winged horse). The following day—without knowing this was what I was doing--I began my journey towards deep connection with animals and the natural world. Several years later, I met Nikos, the horse who became my first partner on this journey and who led me to learn about, and immerse myself in, Reiki, Animal Communication, and Neuromuscular Retraining (movement re-education for animals). When I began this quest, I was a writer and writing teacher. These are still important parts of me, and of my work, because writing is also a form of healing, and the healing arts are forms of creative expression. 

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a gentle, completely non-invasive healing practice that promotes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. I am currently giving sessions for humans in the beautiful healing room of the Blue Lotus Temple and Meditation Center in Woodstock, and from a distance. I work with animals in their homes or barns, or from a distance. I am teaching journaling, fiction, and memoir writing at various locations, including Read Between the Lynes bookstore on the Woodstock Square. 

2. Why do you support a food co-op for McHenry County?

When I was 19 (many, many moons ago), I moved to San Francisco for a few years. Organic produce was readily available there,  and I began to eat it exclusively. When I moved back east, including a period of time on the East Coast, I had an awful time finding clean food. Over the years, it became easier, of course, but I still make a twice-monthly trek to a large “natural foods” chain. After all these years, I’m tired of chasing around to find clean, wholesome food. And I’m tired of never being sure of where it came from or how fresh it is or how the farm workers were treated. I am absolutely thrilled that our very own food co-op will be opening soon--for the food, yes, and for the convenience, but also for the community we are building, a community rooted in the commitment to the health and well-being of its members, and to the health and well-being of our neighbors and our shared land and water and air. We have the opportunity to create something amazing together.

3. Tell us a bit about the connection between your business and the Food Shed Co-op.

While there is no clear connection between Reiki practice, animal communication, and journal writing (my business), and organic tomatoes and earth-friendly laundry detergent (my co-op), the two feel beautifully aligned to me. I recently read a statement from an indigenous tribal leader, who said that non-indigenous peoples have “forgotten how to live on the Earth.” We, many of us, have become so out of touch with the natural world and with our own wild natures that our lack of balance is destroying rather than nurturing life. In the various facets of my work, I try to help humans and domestic animals restore their inner balance. And I see our co-op as a place to do that as well. This will be more than a beautiful place to buy precious food; it will be, is already, a place for us to engage in the democratic process of sharing ideas, finding consensus, building a community together—creating and living a piece of our common dream. 

We are so grateful for Pam's support and the support of so many other wonderful local businesses in our community. 

Would you like your local business to be featured on the Food Shed Co-op Blog and in our newsletter? Send us an email or Facebook message and we'll arrange an interview. Many thanks to Pam from Winged Horse Healing for supporting Food Shed Co-op and sharing her unique perspective on how our community-owned grocery store will benefit our community. Stay tuned for more interviews with your favorite local businesses!