The Girl By The Lake: Kirsty Ann Reed!

Born in central England (Stratford upon Avon where Shakespeare was born), 53 years old but looks 35, the elegant petite, visionary Kirsty with bright eyes, has lived for 18 years in Trevignano Romano. Since becoming the mother of her son Romeo, she could no longer face living in the city, and here she found an expressive dimension of her own.

What attracted you to these places in Northern Lazio?

"I found inspiration for a life in full harmony and with the right inner balance in the authenticity of nature surrounding Bracciano and Martignano park. I wake up, go down to the lake, meditate on the jetty, study the habits of swans, and the local wildlife don't seem to be deterred by my presence anymore."

How important is sociality?

"After the age of 50 we change, we go beyond words, and find more meaning in silence. I enjoy socialising with like minded people in natural environments, such as picnics in the woods or down by the lake, early evening yoga by the waterside. Originally, I worked in Ponte Milvio as an aromatherapist. Then I wanted to explore life by travelling light, that is, abandoning superstructures and ties. Creativity is my salvation because it grounds me."

Do you feel as though you are able to express and communicate your deeper being through your work?

"As a Pisces, and a free spirit, creativity and nature are the key elements of my everyday life. When I was a child, my grandmother would cure my warts with Marigold flowers, infusing me with the healing value that nature was an easily accessible and magical world, to always believe in. Today, I make herbal teas with wild herbs that I collect locally. I create creams and lotions for the face, beeswax coatings that replace plastic containers of all sizes, fermented & wild crafted food and drinks, natural soaps and essences for the home."

Nature as a constant source of regeneration, then?

"Of course! The skin, for example, the largest organ in the body, needs to be revitalised with massages (shiatsu) and essential oils: It is with these that the limbic system, responsible for emotions, is stimulated or calmed. So imagine what effect synthetic chemical fragrances, used in everything from hand gels to air fresheners, has on our emotions. Recognising the importance of the primary olfactory memory, through contact with nature and natural smells is essential to our health and wellbeing."

In short, you can never get bored with the elements using the 5 senses?

"Actually, Id say 6 senses as our intuition is fundamental for recognising how plants can work for us, healing and guiding us to the right cure. My maternal grandfather Alexander was blind, yet he taught dance, composed poetry, and was always positive and cheerful. I entered his blind world to understand his enormous space of consciousness. By appealing to other senses, other worlds are discovered: as a child, I always had a piece of animal skin under my nose as a comforting, natural and primordial smell, to be appreciated with closed eyes."

What is the greatest risk of losing tune with the natural rythms?

"Today, we are loosing the ability to focus and attend to the present, due to the overload of data and stimuli, media, telephones and screens, which I feel is taking us further from our intuition and innate sensory memory. Its more difficult to make choices based on gut feeling, or to trust ourselves, because we are not encouraged to tap into our inner wisdom. This is why it is necessary to simplify everything, and feel nature as a new religion. I save time by going online but in the end I pay for it. I pay in terms of my ability to create present moment awareness and rely on my own universal intelligence. For example, we are primed to search the internet for recipes. But once upon a time, Id look at my grandmother baking cakes, enjoying the smells, watching the process, and experiencing transformation, a form of alchemy that I believe that is lost through searching recipes online. In my opinion, we need to get back to basics, doing things together, sharing, creating, and having a laugh along the way! "

Interview by M.Vittoria de Matteis

Translated by Fiona Pollard

You will find Kirsty at Trevignano Romano Market, the first and third Sunday of each month. Alternatively you can contact her at kirstyreed@hotmail.it or by phone: +39 3278412190