about ell

Hello and welcome, my name is ell. I am a licensed massage therapist, singer, ritualist, and seeker of deep relationship with the world. In my free time, my favorite thing to do is learn and practice various forms of traditional/ancestral vocal music. I am also an artist, fantasy nerd, dog person, and auncle to two magical kiddos. My gender pronouns are they/them.

I was born in Ramaytush Ohlone land at the fall equinox. I grew up in Duwamish territory near Seattle, and have spent most of my adulthood in st̓əč̓as (Steh-Chass) territory, also called Olympia, WA. My blood lineages include Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, west Germanic, and north Germanic/Norse peoples.

I am queer, trans, third gender/nonbinary, neurodivergent, and living with mental health disability. I benefit from white supremacy, living as a settler on stolen land, class privilege, Christian hegemony, and physical able bodiedness. These lived experiences shape my life and motivate me to reach toward justice and liberation.

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about my practice

My practice is always evolving. Currently I offer intuitive massage therapy and earth-based ritual, with currents of music and creativity woven through it all. In massage I use deep tissue, relaxation and myofascial techniques to address physical pain and discomfort, and my intuitive skills to attend to subtler cues of the nervous system and energy body. Clients have shared that my touch communicates deep grounding, strength and gentleness. People often report positive emotional and spiritual, as well as physical results from working with me.

In ceremony, I collaborate with beings of earth, spirit, and ancestors who are well and invested in the same goals as myself. I offer this work in hope that it may support our collective growth in relationship with ourselves, spirit, other beings, and the earth. I do ongoing work directly with spirits/beings/places with whom I am in relationship, and this is at the center of my life. Some of this work creates tangible outputs; some is invisible. Music and song are integral parts of my magical life, as well as my creative and social spheres. Making music and doing ritual in community are essential human practices that have been stripped out of modern, western life; I am trying to remember, and help others remember, so we can live together in a better way.

As a many-generations descendent of settlers, colonizers, and the colonized, I do not carry an intact lineage of practice. I do not offer a reconstruction of something from a past time and place, and I believe ancient peoples were just as complicated as we are today. I also believe our bodies carry the gifts of our forebears, along with their wounds and mistakes. I hope to support others in accessing those gifts in service of healing and freedom.

Most ritual technologies I work with are, to my knowledge, inspired by land-based practices of pre-Christian Celtic, Germanic and Norse peoples, and shaped by modern neopagan movements. My intention, in work and life, is to center the liberation and protection of Indigenous, Black, POC/PoGM (people of the global majority), trans, disabled, queer, and sex worker loved ones.

testimonials from clients

(names excluded for privacy)

  • "Ell did massage work on me for several months during 2021-2022. They put a lot of care and intention into their work, and I noticed marked improvements in my chronic pain after each session. In addition to performing excellent body work, they were also very supportive emotionally during some challenging personal struggles I was going through at the time and felt comfortable to work with even when it was hard to be around people in general. I would highly recommend working with them!"

    -past client

  • "The several times I have received massage from Ell it has been exactly what I needed that day. Some days they have relieved my neck and shoulder pain and helped with relaxation and sleep. Other days they held a supportive and kind space while I cried on the table. I appreciate their professional but caring and completely non-judgmental presence."

    -past client

  • "Ell is an incredibly gifted healer. In both my massage sessions and ritual support, they have provided gentle, caring and poignant services. I truly trust Ell’s intuitive sense and connection to the spirits and ancestors and feel so seen, held and supported by them. I would highly recommend Ell’s offerings for anyone seeking guidance, support, inspiration and very healing touch and body work."

    -current client

formal education + training

  • SoMassage Essentials course at the Soma School of Structural Integration, June 2024

  • 1 year study of old Norse rune magic with Espen Artio

  • 2022 graduate of the 525 hour professional licensing program at Port Townsend School of Massage in Port Townsend, WA

  • 2020 graduate of four year study in earth-based magic and ritual leadership at the Blue Iris Mystery School under Colette Gardiner

  • 2 years supervised ritual leadership and TA work with Colette Gardiner

  • 4 years magical coaching and mentorship with Maeanna Welti

  • 1 year study of trance journey work with Joyce Netishen

  • 3 years study in sociology, language and community studies, wood and metalworking at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA

  • 1.5 years study in music performance and education at the University of Colorado at Boulder

  • 2014 graduate of crisis advocate training with the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties

  • 2011 graduate of 40 hour mediation training and 20 hour advanced family mediation training at the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County

experiential background

  • 2.5 years’ experience in professional massage therapy, in private practice and spa settings.

  • 5 years’ experience as a Home Care Aide through DSHS, providing in-home support to adults with disabilities and chronic illness.

  • 3 decades of learning and making music

  • Many years of magical study and practice in community, in participant and leadership roles.

  • 10+ years learning how to be an animal from my dog familiars.

  • Personal experience navigating mental health disability, transphobia, and other challenges through therapy, ritual, recovery work, and creative practice

  • Several years’ experience in administrative and cooperative business work.

  • Ongoing mutual aid and justice work with various local community care projects.

  • Dance and movement practice

  • Years of work with my hands and body in many fields, including food service, construction, and childcare.

other practitioners I like