Ana is an actress, scriptwriter, stylist and wellness advocate from Toronto. She is also creator of the business Topanga Moon, where she hosts ceremonial moon parties, has a podcast, and creates beautiful products to use for ritual. Here she writes about her recent visit to her homeland Croatia, where she found healing in the sweet moments and connected with her roots.
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“Growth is not linear. Hearing that has really settled my soul, made me realize that my healing journey doesn’t have to look a certain way. For me, my healing is not a visual thing – my actual physical body (for the most part) is very healthy. It has been more of an emotional healing journey and specifically in the area of love and self-worth. So knowing that this growth does not have to happen in a step-by-step way I serendipitously found myself in my homeland of Croatia. I planned this trip as a way to travel with my best friend after about 13 years since our first trip to Croatia together. Both of my parents are from Croatia and my parents have even built a house in the village my dad grew up in just outside of Zadar. Actually the house is on the exact plot of land his childhood house use to be on. This fact has not escaped me and definitely holds vibrational meaning for me.
I decided to go on an extended trip, to stay for a month to work on my creative projects. I believe I intuitively knew this trip would be more about healing generational trauma and connecting with my father and family. It would be just the two of us in Croatia as my mother wouldn’t arrive until just before I leave. So here I am in a country that holds such an intricate part of my story and our family history passed down to me through the cosmic makeup of my genes. There has been no monumental moment of heart healing, just a slow progression: a sunset bike ride in the village, a sacred swim in the sea where I received clear downloads from mama earth, an afternoon spent exploring the coast with my cousin. And so my days have been filled with these sweet moments, moments bringing me back to my soul, sharing whispers of the past and my place in all of it.
There have been signs everywhere that this trip would be extraordinary for me. To breathe in my self-worth in an authentic way. After a week spent on the island of Hvar celebrating a wedding I arrived to my village, Gornji Policnik, greeted with lavender surrounding my parents home. I use lavender in the candles and bath salts I make for my company Topanga Moon. So the fact that lavender was so very plentiful just outside my door was an amazing confirmation of my work. This abundance of lavender also attracted the most amount of butterflies I have seen in the wild. These butterflies, my spirit animals, had messages to share with me and are a symbol for transformation.
I have been able to connect with my cousin Antonija who lives in the town of Seline about 20 minutes from my family’s home. This town is near the Paklenica National Park, an incredible mountain that attracts tourists from all over the globe for its incredible rock climbing and hiking. I have been told that the cave in this park is home to a natural formation that looks like Buddha! It is no wonder that this region has attracted spiritualists from all over believing in the portal energy of the mountain. Antonija’s friend runs an activities camp during the summer and took us rock climbing. It was my second time climbing in this park and it continues to be one of my favourite things to do in Croatia. This national park is in Starigrad, a coastal town filled with camps and nature seeking travelers. I named my company Topanga Moon because I have always loved both mountains and the sea and Topanga is a Native American name for, “Where the mountain meets the sea.” In this place I have found where my mountain meets the sea and another kismet connection to this land.
My cousin has become a close friend even though we met for the first time last year! I spent a lot of time in her home on this trip and learned so much about herbalism from her mom, Jelena. She creates organic and natural homemade tinctures, creams, oils and natural medicine. She makes creams using propolis, tinctures with stevia and even gave me a succulent plant (the Croatian name has left my mind) that is suppose to help me with my melasma. She is known in the village as the natural medicine woman and knows the medicinal properties of all the local plants. This experience was amazing for me as I have been so interested in natural medicine and herbalism. To have that family connection and learn about the native Croatian plants was a dream and something I will continue to cultivate.
My time in Croatia was healing not just because of the land, the sea and the sun…but the people. Before this trip, I found out that one of my astro geography lines (Dara Dubinet is a great resource for this!) runs through this country and is my moon line. The moon line allows me to create deep emotional relationships with a yearning for romance and passion. So here I find myself healing my romantic self on the moon line that allows for that romance to flow in. What a cosmic journey and profound healing it has been and continues to be as growth is an ongoing process. I cannot wait to share this country and my favourite secret beaches and trails in a retreat next summer for my ritual business Topanga Moon. I believe sharing this sacred place with others is why I came back for this experience and why I will come back time after time.”
