A partnership of souls

About our Spiritual Support Counsellors

Beautiful Spirit is a collaborative spiritual care practice composed of a mixed community. All of our team members feel a belonging within Celtic Spirituality and are called to follow the way of “Anam áire”, an Irish term for “soul care.” We call those who follow the way of caring for the soul, Spiritual Support Counsellors. This unique way of providing spiritual care to the soul can be cultivated through life experience, apprenticeship, training or study which means our Spiritual Support Counsellors have diverse histories and certifications. Each person has wisdom, clear-seeing and gifts that have been earned through a long commitment to inner life. If you would like help choosing the right Spiritual Support Counsellor for you, feel free to book a consultation with our Director for assistance.

Meet the Team

Emily Squirrell

Spiritual Support Counsellor,
Director

  • Emily is a mystic at heart. She is a trained meditation teacher, soul purpose guide and end-of-life companion with Hospice Waterloo Region. Emily has studied for ten years in various wisdom traditions including Celtic Spirituality, bird shamanism, non-duality, Vedic wisdom, Buddhism and Jungian eco-psychology. Her areas of focus are death, dying and grief, mystical experiences, dreams, discovering your soul’s purpose, and Indigenous spiritual healing approaches to trauma. Her style is intuitive, open-minded and compassionate.

    BA Psych, Adv D. BST, RYT,
    Certified in Soul Purpose Guiding,
    Student of TAPM

Gary Meltzer

Spiritual Support Counsellor

  • Gary is a wise and compassionate elder with a rich history of experience spanning decades, oceans and cosmologies. He has been a student, practitioner, and facilitator of mindfulness meditation for over 20 years and a volunteer with Freeing the Human Spirit since 2009, where he is now a board member. For nearly 15 years Gary has dedicated himself to volunteering at The Grand Valley Institution for Women and Ontario Correctional Institution for Men, guiding weekly group practice and 1-on-1 programs. He has studied in The Sufi Way, Zen, Tibetan, Theravedan, Christian, Indigenous and mystical traditions. Gary has four incredible daughters, five wonderful grandchildren and is a proud husband to a longtime practicing midwife.

Tara Payette

Spiritual Support Counsellor

  • Tara is an eternal student of the Great Mystery. Her approach is gentle, esoteric and softly presses into the heart of things. She has over 20 years of practice and facilitation in circle work, shamanic journeying, plant spirit medicine, alchemy and the landscape of the inner self. She also works in community programming in a longterm care facility. Tara is trained in Harner Shamanic Counselling from The Foundation of Shamanic Studies where she guides individuals through a five-week deep dive into shamanic methods of personal problem solving and guidance.

Benjaman Sullivan

Spiritual Support Counsellor

  • Ben has spent more than half his life as a student and practitioner of shamanism and earth-based medicine. His personal experiences led him to study and train with master healers and medicine people in North and South America. Ben’s Celtic ancestry can be felt in and through his joyful and poetic style, demonstrating his ongoing relationship with the spirit world. He has been leading others through profound transformations of the soul for over ten years.

Group Circles

(Anam Càirdeas, “Soul kinship”)

Into Soul - Monthly In-Person at KW Yurt

Join Emily and Tara in this soul circle practice rooted in ancient Celtic and Indigenous mysticism. This circle will explore creating sacred space, healing teachings of the heart, meditative practice and journeying, inspired songs and music, special guests, and opportunities for sharing and deep listening.

Sunday evenings, 7-9pm (begins June 2nd, 2024)
$20 / pp, *advance registration required.

Shamanic Alchemy - Monthly In-Person at KW Yurt

Tara Payette leads this monthly quest deep into the shamanic tradition, exploring realms of dreams, energy, healing and learning from the cosmic laws of the universe. Join Tara as she shares ways for us to transform ourselves into greater and greater beauty.

4th Thursday of every month, 7-9pm (begins June 27th, 2024)
$35 / pp, *advance registration required.

Not sure who might be a fit for you?
Meet with our director.

Are you an Anam Cara?

Contact Us
hello@beautifulspirit.ca