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Arras is an area of the Yorkshire Wolds, famous for its hills, along the A1079 road that goes from Beverley to York. This region of East Yorkshire has been settled since ancient times, something which was proven during the 19th Century with the discovery of Iron Age burials which told us a great deal about the people who once lived here. This tribe was given the name of the 'Arras' tribe by archaeologists, with their burial practices distinctive from the neighbouring tribes of the Parisi and Briganti (pre-Roman Britons) and having commonalities with those found in Celtic Gaul and mainland Europe.
Using the name 'Arras' we are honouring the land around us and the ancestors who once roamed here as custodians of these hills, valleys, fields and streams. Just like the Arras people were different and unique from the tribes surrounding them, Arras Healing takes a different and unique approach to health, wellness and trauma integration which is difficult to find anywhere else.
By working with nature, the land around us, and a sense of our heritage and roots (no matter where we are), this can support us to mend the parts of ourselves that have gone unseen, unknown and unloved. Just as the Arras burials were unseen, unknown and unloved for thousands of years – until they were rediscovered and brought back to the light again.
The Battle of Arras was a key battle during the First World War, taking place in 1917, but it is not as well known today as the household names of the Somme, Passchendaele and Verdun. In Canada, the battle is well-known for its links to Vimy Ridge (pictured left), where Canadian and Allied divisions captured the well-fortified German position of Vimy and held it for the rest of the war. It is now the site of one of the most impressive commemorative structures ever built, and well worth a visit if you ever get a chance.
Market Weighton is built at the bottom of 'Arras Hill,' and the Arras War Memorial Institute takes up a central position next to the town green. Although the Memorial Hall bears the commemorative plaque of the war dead of both world wars, it's not clear if there is any link to the Battle of Arras itself. It may be that the name of the hall is simply to reflect the surrounding landscape known as Arras, described in the section above.
Coach Candy visited the Arras battlefields in 2017, a good four years before she had any idea of creating Arras Healing, but which seems like synchronicity. Although Arras Healing isn't named after the battle, there are potential links between the region of Arras in France, and this area of the Yorkshire Wolds. You can read more about these connections at this special blog here.
Healing our ancestral wounds is a significant part of the trauma recovery journey. For Candy, this led her into deeper relationship with the people who roamed here long before Arras Healing was formed...
What's in a name? Coach Candy explores the oft-forgotten historical connections between ancient Britain and Market Weighton...
Yorkshire as a forgotten centre of Druid activity takes Candy from the Wolds to the big city -- on the trail of overlooked ancestors and the wisdom still awaiting discovery in our collective pasts...
Pausing to listen quietly, the land around the Great Wold Valley whispers to us of a forgotten people, forgotten secrets, and a sacred landscape no longer in the shadows...
*Coming soon*
I have lived experience of complex, relational and intergenerational trauma, and know what it is to come out the other side, having moved from a place of hopelessness and darkness to feeling joy and contentment in my healing journey. It is now my service to help bring hope and healing to others, and transform the way we see and process our traumas in society.
By drawing upon the inherent wisdom of our bodies, our breath, and our souls, I believe we can tap into the 'Inner Healer' that all of us have within, who is waiting for us to call upon their strength, love, clarity and courage. When we create enough space and attunement, to the lost or fragmented parts of ourselves, this wise Inner Healer begins to emerge naturally.
Read more about my journey here: "What I wish I had been told 10 years ago" at the Arras Healing blog. Or you can follow my Medium page here. I'm also working on a new site to share my part-time hobby in etymology, folklore, and land healing: "Whispers from a Misty Britain."
Clarissa Pinkola Estés
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