Laural Virtues Wauters is an artist, author and storyteller. She holds both a Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) and a Bachelors Degree in Communication Arts (BA). Laural is also a graduate of the Four Winds Healing the Light Body School of Energy Medicine created by Alberto Villodo. She is a certified mandala facilitator through Dr. Judith Cornell (Rajita Sivananda) and a mesa carrier based on the teachings of Andean maestro Tupaq Ttito Kuntur (Adolfo Ttito Condori).  Laural was born in Frankfurt, Germany, grew up in Wisconsin and currently lives in Grants Pass, Oregon.

My personal story:

I was born in Frankfurt, Germany between WWII and the Cold War. I had an idyllic childhood unaware of the political changes happening around me. I played with my brother in Holzhausen Park, which was filled with enchanted trees and a moated castle. It was in this park, at the age of six, that I met a “tree spirit.” Shortly after that encounter, in the summer of 1961, we moved to the United States.

Growing up in the states during the 60’s & 70’s, I advocated for equal rights, women’s rights, civil rights and the rights of the disabled. After college, I joined VISTA (Volunteer’s In Service To America) where I worked as a community organizer for underprivileged children and teens. After VISTA I was the developmental disabilities coordinator/counselor for the 51.42 board in Kewaunee County, WI, where I also provided emergency intervention services for people struggling with mental illness, abuse or addiction. During this time I set up the first Planned Parenthood Clinic in our county.

In 1989, on my first birthday after both of my parents passed away, I received the first of several mysterious phone calls. These calls, from my maternal grandmother in Frankfurt, shed light on the fact that I had been adopted under false pretenses. It’s a heartbreaking and complicated story, but fortunately I was able to meet my birth mother and my three siblings. Unfortunately she passed away nine months after I met her. Before she died she asked me to uncover the truth of our story and to write a book about my life, which I did: The Guardian Tree – The True Story of Carmen Sylvia.

During this time I had changed my career from Social Work to Communication Arts. In 1997 I was asked to become president and creative director for a full-service branding agency in Green Bay, WI, after the unexpected death of the agencies owner Bob Goltz . To maintain a sense of balance during this tumultuous time I lived in the country on 40-acres with my husband and son. We were surrounded by ponds and the beauty of weeping willows, box elders, poplars, junipers and arborvitaes as well as apple, pear, cherry and plum trees.

After the horror of 9/11/2001, I was inspired to untangle the shared roots of world belief to heal the fear and separation within me and around me. I researched the origins of belief and world religion from 40,000 BCE to present day within each continent. This led me to look deeper into the story of the Tree of Life vs the Tree of Knowledge to better understand what “knowledge” actually meant and why it was “forbidden”. As I dove into its origins, I realized that this knowledge had to do with understanding our soul’s true nature.

In 2007 I left my career to heal my personal story and to fulfill my mother’s wish. To help facilitate this process I immersed myself in the healing arts of the mandala, indigenous energy medicine and cross-cultural healing modalities. Several years later I began facilitating healing circles, retreats and mandala classes. This led to the creation of Mandala Chakra – Awaken the One Within.

In 2017 I moved to the Pacific Northwest with my husband Paul Wauters, to live near our son and his family. It was here, among the redwoods, Doug fir and madrone that I created Tree Spirit Tarot – Return to the Garden. Recently, I began collaborating with Lanvi T. Nguyen on a series of children’s books, based on the Everlasting Forest – A Worldly Adventure. 

It is my dream to inspire and empower others.

Namaste (respect) and Munay (love) to all.  Laural