My Path in Wisdom – A Cyclical Story

Wisdom has never walked a straight path in my life. She came in waves, in spirals, in seasons.A living wheel, turning gently, inviting me again and again - to see, to feel, to grow. From the quiet, intuitive wisdom of childhood, through the restless search of thought, to the embodied truth I now carry and share: this is my path of the Wheels of Wisdom.

The Wisdom of Wonder

My ‘cradle of wisdom’ stood in the heart of Tongeren (B), where I grew up as the eldest daughter in a family of five children. My father – photographer, portrait painter, and amateur musician – gifted me the artistic spark. My mother – a physiotherapist – passed on the  the quest and longing for meaning and spirituality. And my grandfather, through countless walks, nurtured my love for animals and nature. We grew up under the tower of the Basilica of Our Lady – with its striking black Madonna – a central figure in our young spiritual, cultural, and social lives.

Even as a child, I was already searching for the meaning of life, for mystery and wisdom.I found deep joy in books, beauty, heartfelt conversations, and nature… Not only out of childlike curiosity and wonder, but also as a way to navigate the sometimes-intense atmosphere at home.

Thinking and Gettig Lost

Later, when I studied Philosophy, a vast world of knowledge opened up to me.And yet, all that thinking left me hungry – even confused. Philosophy opened many windows, but raised even more questions, pulling me further away from the natural wisdom of the intuitive, sensitive child I was.

I married, became a mother to two wonderful sons, and set my own quest aside for a while.

Remembering and Awakening

Until, at Cera, as a programme coordinator, I was immersed once more in what had deeply nourished me: art, spirituality, nature… My mind – but more importantly, my heart – opened to the world of artists, people in poverty, farmers… Collaborating with enthusiastic individuals and organisations became a rich source of insight and life wisdom, which I still look back on with deep gratitude. These were also the first steps in my now 25-year journey as a process facilitator.

During that time, the artist in me reawakened. My dormant hunger for spiritual depth resurfaced, as I helped build the SPES network (Spirituality in Economy and Society),where I encountered a diversity of spiritual traditions, including Buddhism. Once again, I was learning from rich traditions and inspiring encounters, but it was silent meditation that brought me closest to my inner source of wisdom , my personal gateway to the vast universe of the invisible.

Corporate Rituals was a natural next step: I found my place in a network of coaches bringing rituals back into the context of companies and organisations. From this, CARess was born – a network for art and rituals for collective healing.

Wisdom as a Healing Path

But then, my life unravelled and shook me to the core. The crisis turned out to be an invitation to explore the shamanic path and to embark on deep personal healing. I had the chance to witness the life and ceremonies of the Yawanawá in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The spirituality of nature, the profound connection with all life – visible and invisible –awakened an inner knowing I had intuitively sensed as a child. Unexpectedly, it even brought me closer to the roots of Christianity, the tradition in which I grew up.

Around this time, the wisdom of systemic work also began to unfold for me – working with space, relationships, generations, and energy fields. I delved deeper into personal and collective trauma healing. It was a dance between personal work, training, and guiding others. The wisdom that emerged within me had less and less to do with words and knowledge, and more and more with feeling and being. More than a method, it became a path of embodiment.

The Circle – The Medicine Wheel

When I encountered the Medicine Wheel through shamanism, it felt like meeting an old friend.Everything came together on this Wheel of Wisdom: natural cycles, systemic work, and healing power. It weaves together intuition and structure, simplicity and complexity, thought and feeling, action and stillness, the visible and the mysterious…

The wheel gave form and structure to what I had felt intuitively for years. It brought me home to a wisdom, layered and simple at the same time, grounded and fluid, clear and mysterious.

Today, the Medicine Wheel is my compass. It helps me keep wisdom moving. It guides me in supporting others through their own cycles of growth, healing, and leadership.

Wisdom as a Path to Consciousness

When I speak of wisdom today, I see it as a lived, felt, and integrated blend of knowledge, experience, and intuition. And as a life path – towards living in full awareness of the world as it is. Inside and out.

With a backpack full of life experience, I hope to be of meaning to those who cross my path and to what calls me.

To bring a little more clarity, balance, and connection in these complex times.

A little movement where things are stuck.

A little breathing space in the rush.

A little more connection to who we truly are, and to the Earth we are part of.

Lies, August 2025

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