Kefah Bates has over 20 years of experience working within the field of healing and empowerment. She teaches on the core truths of soul crises, and the nature of the unlimited self.
Born to first-generation Yemeni parents, she grew up in the creative county of Staffordshire, England. It was not just her ethnic background that made her feel different. She came into the world highly sensitive and possessed a deep concern for the suffering that existed universally.
Her artistic nature drew her to the creative arts and she graduated from university at the Dartington College of Arts, Devon. She developed her love of teaching and studied teacher training for higher education settings. The want to understand and heal the pain in the world was never far away from her.
She would consolidate all her skills and begin working in healing environments that encouraged wholeness, creativity and higher knowledge. She spent seven years immersed in the teachings and communities of Rudolph Steiner, supporting adults with learning disabilities. She grew her keen interest in esoteric teachings and the realities that exist beyond the physical.
With relentless passion, she ran a healing centre helping people move through their pain and trauma. Her compassion and unfailing acceptance of vulnerability allowed those she worked with to move effortlessly through dimensions of the soul and heal their pain.
Her life would take a new course and focus when she moved from England to Edinburgh. She harnessed her innate sensitivity and studied TA Counselling and completed Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training. Continuing her love of learning she went on to broaden her therapy training by qualifying in the healing modalities of Reiki, Energy, and Shamanic Healing. This gave her the perfect platform to develop her calling of understanding why suffering exists in herself and others.
With relentless passion, she ran a healing centre helping people move through their pain and trauma. Her compassion and unfailing acceptance of vulnerability allowed those she worked with to move effortlessly through dimensions of the soul and heal their pain.
She spent the next twelve years facilitating people to integrate their shadow self and open to their greater purpose. Her service to help heal and empower her community was an unquestionable commitment. Her reputation grew and she began teaching people to grow connection to their sensitivity and develop their higher potential. She delivered regular workshops and courses on spiritual development, healing, and qualifying others to become healers. She was devoted to celebrating the spirit of nature, wildlife, and crafts by facilitating regular ceremonies to honour the passing of seasons.
Her work was her calling and she experienced profound inner transformations that would lead her to make the transition from healer to spiritual teacher. Kefah now travels worldwide teaching, speaking, and writing on the importance of governing the self, healing, and empowerment.
'Healing Truths' is coming this Autumn/Winter 2021...
How do you handle writers block?
Usually, I sit and wait, it’s like a meditation where I let myself daydream, and then at some point, my attention comes back, and the writing starts rolling again. But what works the most is I stop focusing on that section and ask myself what part of this work inspires me and touches my heart. It reminds me of the love I have for what I am writing. Sometimes it takes a while to tune in, but then a word or a sentence reminds me the work lifts me of the joy of what I’m doing. I slow down, reconnect, and the block dissolves.
How do you deal with emotional impact of a book on yourself as you are writing?
I write about suffering in the self, so my work deals with intense emotion and sensitive subjects. Everything I write comes out of a feeling space. Learning to balance this in my writing has been a growing journey. When I write something that feels intense, I have to let myself be touched by it. Usually, this ends up in me crying or being close to tears. The human condition is powerful. When I respond genuinely to the subject matter, it deepens the process I am writing. I don’t place too much expectation on how much I should write. I never know what part of the work would affect me and teach me even more about the subject I’m writing on. For example, in Healing Truth’s I was writing about how I asked to know the deepest love. The experience was such a long time ago and its intense beauty came through again. I had to stop writing until the feeling calmed. I felt the beauty of that love again and was able to write with even more depth.
Is there lots to do before diving in and start writing the story?
Before I write, I have to see the structure of the book in my mind. I imagine what it’s like if I was teaching the work and sense what to introduce first and what comes later. I have to see the vision of the book first. I sit and meditate on the initial concepts. I knew Healing Truths would be a combination of teachings and personal experience, but what the subjects were going to be was the big question. So I would sit quietly and feel into the title, trying to imagine the life pulse of the book when it’s finished. I would sense its purpose and how it’s going to feel. It would trigger sub-titles to come up like The Power within or Redefining Loneliness. I would then meditate with each title the same way I did with the book title until I had the layout. So yes, a lot happens before I start writing.
What is your favourite section of your book; 'Healing Truths'?
My favourite section is Truth Part 2. It feels like an anchor in my life and is a clear reminder of why pain is the greatest teacher. When life feels like a struggle, it is easy to forget why it is there. I read this section often.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I am moved deeply by the way we grow through powerful experiences. As a healer, I am in awe of seeing someone break through the limits of the self and shine brighter in life.
Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
You can find out more about me, Healing Truths and my audio book Live the Life of Empowerment on my website www.kefahbates.com or email me for more information at info@kefahbates.com
What is the key theme or message in the book?
Making choices that align with something that feels meaningful has a significant impact on our opening to the true self. I want to deliver a clear message regarding what we believe about pain and conflict in our lives. They are not getting in the way of our life but are key to living an empowered life.
What is the significance of the title?
The title Healing Truths reflects how we consider what we know about the discomfort of healing. Truth helps us steer ourselves through so we can harness the true potential that lies within.
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
I wanted to invoke a felt sense of healing to the reader. For example, delivering truth is not sentimental, idealistic, or panders to anyone’s sensitivity. What felt key to the accessibility of my book was to relay a felt sense of truth in the healing process. I wanted to give the reader the essence of the journey and not define truth as a fixed point but rather as a progressive inquiry that encourages us to interpret for ourselves.
Favourite book/story you have read as an adult?
The Prophet by Kahil Gibran, The section On Children is my all-time favourite read.
Favourite book as a kid?
The Lord of the Rings enchanted me. I read The Hobbit so many times before going onto the Trilogy. I can see now how these books mirrored a lot for what I was still yet to accomplish in my life. Even as a child, it represented my greater purpose to understand the struggle of life, the frailty of our existence, and the incredible courage we possess.
What do you like about audiobooks?
Taking in information or stories through the medium of sound is incredibly powerful. It’s so versatile and integrates into our lifestyles in many practical ways. The sounds of words touch us at a different level than if we are to read them. Audio is a wonderful tool, especially in the learning process. Allowing the words to wash over us can be just as effective as using concentration to understand the spoken word.
If you could invite one person to dinner who would it be and what would you cook?
I would invite the Dalai Lama. It would be wonderful to meet him. I am a terrible cook but I imagine he wouldn’t mind too much. I know the conversation would open my heart and be very inspiring. We are both vegetarian, so that makes it a lot easier and you can’t go wrong with rice and lentils.
If you could only have one season what would it be?
I would say winter was my favourite season, even though the rest would bring so much joy in me too. I was born in these darker and colder months and so New year felt inspiring to me as it also marked a new age. But more than this was I understood the darkness as a time of rest and renewal. I felt the most comfortable reflecting on life and creating out of this place. The stillness of the winter months offered so much space to know me. The restful state of the earth would remind me of the stillness before life emerges that feels so peaceful. The snow of winter was the icing on the cake, such a joy to experience and celebrate this season.
What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I grew up in Stourbridge in the county of Staffordshire. Just up the road from my family home is a park known as Mary Stevens. It had been a large estate and was bought by the philanthropist Ernest Stevens who donated to the Stourbridge community when his wife Mary died to perpetuate her name. He wanted the park to be a ‘place of rest for the weary, of happiness for the children and beauty for everyone’. From a young age I played in this park. It has a large pond for wildlife, a paddling pool, a large play area, tennis courts, a bandstand, endless tall trees, and grounds. Each one played a significant part in creating great joy in my childhood and much more after this. I go back there without fail each time I visit my family home. The spot that never failed to heal my heart was a bench placed at the top of a steep hill near the exit to Love Lane. Sitting here you could see the sunset and feel a million miles away from everything, even when the park was busy. I really can’t imagine my life without this place. I feel so grateful for the kindness of people who provide beautiful spaces for the peace of others. It was that place of rest, solace, and deep joy for me. This park will always have a sacred place in my heart.
For more information about Kefah, head to her website www.kefahbates.com.
