Q and A with Kellea!
Find out how she learned to forage, her favorite gemstones, and why
she'd be called Cleo “Serendipity” Wanderhoff
by Chelsea Morning
Whether it's your
first time in Chicory Hill Herbs, or you're a tried and true regular,
chances are you've had the pleasure of meeting Kellea! Always
welcoming, with an innate skill of helping others, Kellea is the host
at the party of life! She is an experience to enjoy and one of the
reasons Chicory Hill Herbs has been synonymous with knowledge, truth,
balance and a sense of calm. Kellea has facts acquired deep from the
heart of the forest, cosmic secrets whispered from the stars, and
homegrown, grassroots know-how passed down from rouged generation
after generation. This may sound like a flowery exaggeration, until
you've had a conversation with her, or she's given you some of her
spot-on advice. This is a gal who will never steer you wrong, which
is why we are filled with gratitude that she has been such a
steadfast fixture within Chicory Hill Herbs.
I’m not
entirely convinced that you’re human—I feel like you might be
some sort of sprite or brownie, or an otherworldly orb disguising
herself in human form, I would even believe; mystical, mythical
healer or priestess who has been alive for hundreds upon hundreds of
years traveling the earth!! Who are you [really] and how did you
come to be here [at Chicory Hill Herbs]?!
I
grew up not far from Erie. My adventures led me elsewhere but I found
myself panging for my “Northern” roots. Freshly inspired and
unknowingly on the cusp of my next chapter, I made my way home.
Chicory Hill came into my life with all the tools I needed to nurture
my newness. The rest is history in the making.
You
were an assistant at a gem and mineral shop in Virginia for years
before returning to Pennsylvania, is that where you developed your
love and expertise of stones?
I
had the pleasure and the privilege of spending my work-life
completely engrossed in crystals and gem stones. Through my employers
and clients my affinity for the mineral realm became more than
instinctual attraction. The truest application of that knowledge came
from helping others find their connection.
In
your spare time your also do foraging. Where did you learn how to
forage and what joys does it bring?
Foraging
has always been a part of my life. My parents did well to teach me
how to identify useful plants. As an “adult” the urge to find
ways to be self reliant while maintaining my curiosity (and my
treasure hunting skills) went hand and hand. Enjoying the bounty is
always a bonus to a day of fresh air and sunshine.
People
often come in specifically to talk with you and get your advice on
everything from herbs to astral projection, from gemstones to sage
smudging to CBD and everything else in between. How are you able to
read people so well, and help them so profoundly on a daily basis?
My
connection to people started as a necessity to be understood. We all
FEEL “human” sometimes. Sometimes more than others. Where there
is a need I can relate to I do my best to be as human as necessary.
Often times people help me to see where I am needed, to be observant
and “see” them. You can be tuned in to the needs of others if you
meet them in that space.
What
do you think it is about Chicory Hill Herbs that makes it such an
awesome
place?
Chicory
Hill has a “something” about it that allows you to step aside for
a minute and reconfigure. It's an anchor for those that feel a-drift
and a beacon for those that reflect light. The tools are accessible
and the company is warm and REAL. No labels, no judgment, no one to
say “that's not the way”. The tangible affirmations I receive are
something I am truly grateful for.
10
little questions (because it's the little things that mean so much)
What
is your favorite sound? I love sound! The sound of a large book
closing. Rain on a tin roof. Cat chatter.
What
smell do you love? Fresh soil, locust blossoms, matches.
Do you have a
spirit animal?
Badger. Always a favorite. Badger carries the energy of roots and the
unseen medicines buried below the surface. Fierce yet solitary.
Driven to
remove
the barriers that stand in the way and seek new levels to be grounded
and centered.
Which
Muppet best represents you?
Most days I'm somewhere between Beaker and Sweetums
If
you had a time machine, would you go to the past or the future?
Past.
What
would your 1960s hippy name be? Cleo “Serendipity” Wanderhoff
What's
your favorite herb? Adaptogens as a group/whole are my most
relied on.
What's
your favorite essential oil? I have at least four. Cedar,
Geranium, Bergamot, Spruce
What's
your favorite gemstone?
Quartz- Especially any included Quartz varieties. (Lodalite,
Rutilated,
Tourmanlinated.) The potential and variations are endless!
What
is the universe trying to tell us?
“All
that we see or seem Is but a dream
within a dream.
I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within
my
hand Grains of the golden sand-- How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep....” Edgar Allan Poe
“...Freedom
lies, not in trying to become something different, nor in doing
whatever you happen to feel like doing, nor in following the
authority of tradition, of your parents, of your guru, but in
understanding what you are from moment to moment.” Jiddu
Krishnamurti
“Draw
a crazy picture,Write a nutty poem,Sing a mumble-gumble
song,
Whistle
through your comb. Do a loony-goony dance ‘Cross
the kitchen floor, Put something silly in the world,That
ain’t been there before.” Shel Silverstein
