“My mission is to empower others on their healing journeys, to help them connect with their inner selves to achieve peace and well-being . . . to help others awaken.”
But Ren Gaia’s journey from successful jewelry store manager to shaman and healer at Spiritual U wasn’t easy.
“I started to ‘remember’ myself and tap into my spirituality as I went through many transitions around a particularly ‘dark night of the soul’ in 2023,” Ren said.
The “dark night” actually started 12 years ago, when her childhood sweetheart was shot and killed, leaving their one-year-old daughter fatherless.
A manager at Kay Jewelers, she had faced numerous “grab and run” robberies and had a gun to her head in another terrifying robbery attempt. But then the gunman turned and left, empty-handed!
Later, a medium explained why: ¨He saw a blue shield around you.”
“That’s when I realized this didn’t happen to me; it happened for me.”
Ren left Kay in June 2023, but while there she started studying what would become her life’s purpose.
“I discovered Reiki while trying to get a massage—I signed up for Reiki by mistake.” She started exploring energy work.
Then several family members transitioned in rapid succession in 2023, and her brother was fatally shot in September.
Yet another reality check happened after surgery for chronic knee pain, when nerves were damaged during the procedure.
“What do knees do? They help us move forward or take a seat. This forced me to sit down and rest,” Ren, whose name was a childhood nickname, said.
Because her Reiki training helped her through grief and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)¸ she felt called to help others. Now she’s a Shamanic Reiki Master, an accredited sound healer, and certified chakra and crystal healer.
“I’m more in tune with the Earth, spirit, animals. My practice includes the elements, singing bowls, chimes, gongs, tuning forks, and drums.
“Every session is different,” she says, “more than just energy healing. I trust that spirit brings people to me who are ready to align with their purpose. One size doesn’t fit all; mine is not a cookie-cutter practice.”
As an “intuitive soul guide,” a session with Ren may include Reiki, crystals, shamanism, tarot or oracle cards—“whichever way spirit leads me.”
Spiritual U, based in Lexington, also offers Gaia Light Essentials: crystals, candles, incense, jewelry, balms, all “grounded in love and guided in light.”
Ren concludes, “At the heart of my work is the reminder that we already carry what we are seeking. When we create space to listen to our bodies, the land, one another, we begin to live with greater clarity and care. My hope is that people leave feeling more at home within themselves, and more connected to the world around them.”
Gun Violence and Black Americans
“Gun violence is a racial justice issue that disproportionately impacts Black people,” according to the nonprofit organization Brady United, the country’s oldest gun violence prevention group.
Black men face a vastly disproportionate burden of gun violence compared to white males, Brady United reports. Data shows they are 22 times more likely to die from firearm homicides than white men. Young Black men (15-34) are particularly vulnerable.
With firsthand experience with gun violence, and because Spiritual U’s mission includes support for grief and loss, Ren is part of a monthly gun violence support circle in Lexington.
“We hold sacred, safe space and help people heal from trauma,” she says.
Because elected leaders disregard the systemic factors of inequality and gun violence, Brady United warns, “This Black History Month we must recognize how Black people have been and continue to be marginalized,” and focus on strategies to protect Black lives.
Ren Gaia is an intuitive soul guide, Shamanic Reiki Master, and sound healer based at Spiritual U in Lexington, NC. Her work is rooted in trauma-informed, earth-connected healing and shaped by lived experience, resilience, and deep spiritual practice.
Ren supports individuals through grief, transition, and awakening using a blend of Reiki, shamanism, sound healing, crystals, and intuitive guidance—meeting each person where they are and honoring the uniqueness of their healing journey.
Mary Ellen Hettinger—GHC Volunteer Staff Writer
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