THE CHERRY TREE PATHWAY
MEET YOUR TUTORS
The Cherry Tree Pathway Tutors
Authentic
Our tutors bring their true selves to the learning experience, fostering an environment where honesty, openness, and personal integrity guide every interaction.
Knowledgeable
With deep expertise in spiritual development and ministry, our tutors offer rich insights and a wealth of experience to support your growth.
Supportive
Each tutor is dedicated to your journey, providing encouragement, guidance, and a safe space to explore, learn, and thrive at your own pace.
Your Core Tutor
The Cherry Tree Pathway will be guided by Annie Heppenstall, an experienced spiritual accompanier, coach, and qualified chaplain.
With NHS training in mental health and spiritual care within an interfaith context, Annie brings a wealth of knowledge to the programme.
She holds a degree and MA in Theology and Religious Studies from Cambridge University and has a background in teaching, which informs her commitment to diversity and social justice, particularly in inner-city communities.
Annie has been part of OneSpirit since 2016 as a tutor and is an ordained minister.
She thrives in various learning environments, from day workshops and residential courses to online settings, and is passionate about fostering deep, meaningful connections through all these approaches.
Outside of her tutoring work, Annie is a mural artist and prolific writer, having published several books and articles on topics such as the Feminine Divine, deep ecology, and the mystical heart of sacred texts.
Annie’s spiritual journey is one of lifelong exploration, and she models an interfaith, or inter-spiritual, approach to learning. She values how each person’s unique perspective weaves into the collective experience, fostering a rich, inclusive environment for all. Inspired by her connection to the natural world and nourished through her druidry practice, she is passionate about empowering others to nurture green spaces, to improve the quality of life for everyone.
Annie’s Favourite Words
Conversation
This comes from a Latin word about the way we live together – sharing a way of life in a particular place, used especially for people living a dedicated religious life. So deep conversation is so much more than just talking to one another, it’s about being together and includes our relationship not just with each other but also our environment and how we behave in this relationship. We explore this together in our class and our environments.
Communication
This comes from Latin too and relates to the word ‘community’ and the idea of sharing things in common, with the general public – distributing equally to the whole, so everybody is involved not excluded. I relate this, especially to our sense of ministry and intention to be accessible to and of service to the public, and this is why we practise nonviolent communication.
Belief and Love
This comes from an Old English word, ge-leafa, which in turn comes from an old Germanic word meaning what we hold dear, what we trust and have faith in – what is beloved to us.
There is a link between ge-leafa and the word ‘love’. So what we believe, is not just a set of ideas, it is what is dear to our hearts, our personal ‘truth’.
Emma Restall Orr, (Living Druidry author), once pointed this out to me – thanks, Emma!
Listen
I think this is interesting because the most ancient root of listening is hearing. The meaning in the past emphasised active engagement: to listen, we hear and we respond – as the saying goes, ‘to hear is obey’.
Obedience, by the way, although we may associate this now with dog training, or other submissive connotations, is also connected with listening, especially to a Higher Power, particularly the promptings of the Divine or our deeper intuitions.
Truth, Trees, Wisdom and Druidry
I love the fact that Tree and Truth both have the same root, meaning firmness, reliability, and sturdiness. This is clear in both Old English and Old Celtic words but going back much further in time, an ancient (proto Indo-European) word ‘deru’, apparently meant wood – especially oak trees – and being firm and steadfast.
I also love that the word ‘druid’ comes from this root. The ‘id’ bit of Dru-id’ is from old Celtic and proto Indo European meaning knowing and insight, and gives us the word wisdom. So a ‘Druid’ draws insight or wisdom-truth from the trees.
This is what I mean, by saying I practise Druidry. I think this is something many of us around the world and throughout time, have in common!
Exploring Annie’s World
Annie’s writing
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Annie wrote her first book, ‘Reclaiming the Sealskin’, in 2002, spending a ‘quiet’ year while working through some challenging experiences. She found herself walking every day in the local woods and extending her reflections from here to other aspects of nature, finding much peace this way. She posted the draft manuscript to the publisher without telling anybody and was amazed at the welcome. This was a period in which Annie was exploring the relationship between Earth Spiritualities and Christianity, particularly ‘Celtic’ Christian traditions.
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This led to other books, many of which Annie was asked to write by the publishers, drawing on her knowledge and experience in reflecting on Biblical tradition, the natural world and liturgical or ceremonial creativity, mainly for a largely ‘alternative’ Christian audience.
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Annie has ten books in print altogether, and lots of shorter articles and ceremonies.
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Annie has not written anything for a while now. These days, if she were going to write more, would probably focus on her long-term love of oracle systems, on nature-based spiritualities such as Druidry and ways in which the Divine Feminine has kept alive in the faith and spiritual paths of the world and how all these might live on at the heart of humanity.
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Her most recent book, ‘The Book of Uncommon Prayer’, touches on some of these areas, as a resource for creative ceremony work.
Annie’s Chaplaincy work
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In spiritual and pastoral care, Annie has an active Interfaith Ministry in her community. She lives with her husband, Rev Ray, who is a priest for a very diverse urban community church, St Chad & St Mark’s.
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In particular, Annie works voluntarily as a trained chaplain and Interfaith Mental Health spiritual care practitioner, in running an urban therapeutic garden project. She also supports the church community in their practice of faith and spirituality.
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Annie says, ‘Living here at the heart of the community is deeply humbling and challenging, and I am daily struck by the compassion and courage of people around me, often living in such challenging circumstances, but continuing to draw together and look for ways to support one another and find meaning and purpose in life. There is a lot of love, generosity and mutual respect here, and such powerful experiences of faith and humanity – everyone is welcome in this place, and we have open doors to the whole neighbourhood, ‘all faiths and none’ – it’s like the whole world is here, this is our community. We provide a free meal for about 70 people every Sunday, but that’s just the beginning, there is so much going on here, all week, not to mention the wildlife that’s thriving in our garden habitat! But at the heart of it, there’s a hugely diverse, praying, vibrant spiritual community with inclusive, equitable values and a lot of love. It’s an awesome place to be an Interfaith Minister!’
You can visit the website of St. Chad & St. Mark’s Church, or their Facebook page. (Annie says, ‘I try to keep out of the pictures, but I do preach sermons so you might find some videos of me!’)
Words from Our Students about Annie
“Annie is steady, calm, open, knowledgeable, curious and loving. She is modelling how to really listen and respond to the actual needs of the people she is interacting with. The materials she is sharing are well thought out, balancing inspiration and practicality. She foregrounds safety and welcomes in her facilitation of the class in a way that invites bravery, accountability and community. I am grateful to be taught by her and to share sacred space with her.” – Ben, Current Student
“She is very inspiring. Her knowledge and experience are a huge gift for us and she is a great role model. She holds a very loving space for us and I’ve never felt so safe before, in the sense that I know whatever happens in our session with her we won’t be judged, shamed or criticised. This feeling is quite new to me and I really want to be able to offer that safe, loving, supportive space to myself and everyone I meet in my work and personal life. What a gift!” – Hara, Current Student
“Delightful, caring, deep, intuitive, knowledgeable, understanding, and present.” – Heather, Current Student
“I find Annie’s guidance to be exceptional. I really feel valued and like I am a part of the OneSpirit family. Thank you, Annie.” – Tony, Current Student
“My experience with Annie has been truly inspiring. She is a living embodiment of OneSpirit’s Core Beliefs. She demonstrates sensitivity, deep non-judgemental listening together with compassionate communication. I have felt very supported by her when needed. I have much gratitude that she is our Core Tutor.” – Gina, Current Student
The Group Tutors
Our group tutors play a vital role in supporting Annie in holding the space for the smaller groups within the training. They work closely with students, ensuring that each individual has the opportunity to engage deeply with the curriculum and with each other.
By fostering an intimate, supportive environment, we’ve created a space where students can explore transformative work that often unfolds in these smaller, more personal settings.
This approach is designed to ensure that our students gain the most from their training.
We recognise that the most profound moments of spiritual growth often occur in close-knit groups, where individuals feel safe to share, reflect, and learn from one another.
Our group tutors help facilitate this dynamic by nurturing relationships, creating a balance of respect, and guiding discussions that deepen understanding.
The systems we’ve put in place are intentional. We want our students to feel like peers and to value the reciprocal respect between them and their tutors.
This mutual respect fosters an atmosphere where students are empowered to grow and learn confidently. As students move toward ordination, we ensure that they do not feel they’ve missed out on this crucial relationship but instead carry with them the strength and wisdom gained from their time together. Our goal is for students to leave their training not just with knowledge but with a deep sense of connection, collaboration, and empowerment.
Monica Douglas
Monica shares her time between Birmingham and Barbados.
She shares her ministry online through The Wild Wisdom Sanctuary, Wild Wisdom Oracle Cards, Wild Wisdom Groove and Ritual and offline through retreats, ceremonies and workshops.
In her daily work, she is a love alchemist and certified relationship coach who helps courageous souls to heal their hearts and love again after break up, separation or divorce.
She delivers this work through love and relationship coaching in groups and 1:1 as well as the Delightful Dating.app.
Her personal passions are barefoot walking, yoga, singing, dancing, goat whispering and eating raw chocolate.
Words from Our Students about Monica
It has been lovely. Monica brought in a very different energy into Year 2 and it was delightful and wise. Again, I feel blessed to have had this experience with her.
Wow, I thought Sheila’s boots were going to be hard to fill but Monica overspilled them with her natural spiritual wise and gentle approach. I always felt my soul could talk to her wise soul.
Maxine, 2024 Graduate
Monica is truly inspirational and a marvellous being. We received a great blessing when she joined our group, I believe she took to the role of a duck to water, it looked as though it fit like a glove and I found so much wisdom and deep insight from her teachings and how she is. I felt like I was receiving a gift when I took my 1-1s with her, I felt so very privileged to have a whole hour of her focus! This too, I will miss.
Rebecca, 2024 Graduate
She has been of profound support to me in our tutorials. I highly appreciate her creative approach in our individual sessions as well as in whole group sessions.
Anna, 2024 Graduate
Monica stepped into our group as a ‘replacement’ tutor which was no easy role. She entered with a winning combination of boldness and sensitivity. I have found Monica to be a huge inspiration as our group tutor, both in group settings and particularly in our 1-2-1 tutorials. Monica’s ability to work one-to-one is extraordinary: I found her powerful creativity set a very enabling context for discovery during those sessions. We explored inner landscapes with both excitement and ease and the coincidences and patterns that emerged pointed to something real being present in those exchanges, something of the Angels and God. Monica’s utter commitment to transformation being able to take place within the session was both empowering and also humbling seeing Monica as a role model. I have been greatly encouraged by a strong sense of connection with Monica, and an experience of mutual recognition. I have the feeling that Monica was ‘all-in’ with her commitment and love for the individuals and the group, while at the same time, Monica was careful to role model what it means to be bound and not overly attached, which was very helpful. I also discovered that Monica is a great poet as well as an all-round creative, with a vast imagination. It was an honour and a great gift to be able to walk this journey with her.
Jennifer, 2024 Graduate
Sarah MacDonald
Sarah was fortunate to encounter T’ai Chi aged just 16 and she’s been practising ever since. T’ai Chi led to Qigong, a related Taoist practice which includes meditation, healing, creativity and spiritual development. She is now a respected teacher of the Hua Gong style. Wishing to find a stronger means of embodying the benefits of her practice in the world, she joined OneSpirit and was ordained in 2014.
She served as a mentor for the class of 2017. The healing practice led her to explore health in all its forms and she holds an MA in Health Education. She has worked extensively in the voluntary sector, supporting people with addictions, mental health issues, homelessness and a history of offending before joining the Bristol Cancer Help Centre in 2003. She is now responsible for developing psycho-spiritual education programmes for people with cancer, and for training and accrediting facilitators to run them.
She has an abiding interest in holistic health and healing, a strong call to sacred activism and an abiding love of the wild. She lives in Bristol with her husband and 3 teenagers.
Words from Our Students about Sarah
Sarah often seemed the wise woman in the group. She connected us to nature and our bodies. She has an excellent ability to lead guided meditation and Qi gong sessions. She is also gentle and loving in her approach
Jane, 2023 Graduate
Sarah brought a wealth of knowledge of onespirit. She had a good understanding of Ceremonial work and the well-being of ministers and students.
Carl, 2023 Graduate
Sarah is a good facilitator. She is warm and light. Bubbly and cheerful in her approach. I enjoyed her sense of humour and lightness generally.
Sheila, 2023 Graduate
Sarah’s facilitation is with ease – it is gentle – it is soft and flowing like the Dao. I have loved this aspect – it is so complimentary with the other Tutors. So Sarah thank you for the marking over the years and for your love of Nature and Sacred Activism which has been inspiring for me.
Carolyn, 2023 Graduate
Sarah is an inspirational tutor whose knowledge of Qi Gong and Daoism encourages curiosity and research. Sarah compliments the teaching of both Linda and Annie as they do for her. Sarah provides a level of caring support that is heartfelt and meaningful.
For me Sarah, optimises the core aspects of the curriculum, through her own sacred activism, she addresses and responds to the needs of the World and planet. Sarah promotes in a loving caring way a positive relationship with oneself and ultimately to see the Oneness in all life.
Sarah, keep being you, you are an inspirational role model. Thank you for everything.
Michael, 2023 Graduate
Sarah brought many gifts to the team which I thought was very complimentary to the overall learning experience. The gift of movement was important to our engagement through the webinars and the retreats. The meditations were well received and facilitated a deeper experience. Always inclusive and fully present in what is being communicated and able to bring us deeper into our own understanding of what is arising within us. Sarah brings an active energy to the group, keeping us focused as we explore each element of our discussions. Whenever I had a deeper revelation to share, I felt like Sarah was sharing that excitement, always moving with the energy in the room/zoom.
I am aware of the skill you bring, picking up the personal or group energy and moving with that energy to elevate our understanding or to allow us to become aware of the energy ourselves, which is being cultivated. I suspect that this comes from years of personal development and a desire to connect in such a way. This was a very complimentary element to my experience of the course and I am very grateful for your presence. I always knew that our conversations would bring out of me, something I was not always conscious of and would be a revelation to my own understanding.
Gary, 2023 Graduate