hi! my name is carol ann, daughter of elpidio and dina apilado, granddaughter of isidro and marcelina toralba, and susana and pedro apilado. i've been told by another teacher i'll find a name that resonates with my essence but i'm not there yet. in the meantime, many people call me care as well if that's easier. my pronouns are she/her.

i was born in oslo, norway but my family come from what is now known as the philippines - a group of islands colonized by the spanish for over 300 years, occupied by the japanese, and currently dealing with american imperialism. i am currently a settler living in beautiful tkaronto (so called toronto) on Anishinaabe Territory. it is the sacred land belonging to the 7 Anishinaabe Nations including the Bodéwadmi, Odawa, Chippewa, Mississauga, Algonquin, Nbissing, and Saulteaux. It is now also home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. i am so grateful and honoured to live and be in community here and i strive to deepen my relationship with the land, its original caretakers, and all beings here.

i am an artist and previously a set designer with a bachelor in interior design. i haven't resonated with the design part of my life for a while but could see the potential of spatial energy consultation/work (i.e. feng shui and elementals) in the future. i am a dreamer. i am a student in loom weaving. this is a craft i want to remember because i learned a few years ago that i come from a lineage of weavers on both my maternal and paternal sides - spiders show up to me often. i also come from a family of farmers, people who worked the land and knew the plants and their medicines back home - ancestral plant medicines i've been working on remembering as well. i believe working with plants is a part of my healing medicine. oh, and for the last couple years, i've been collaborating with a friend on sacred geometry-related art installations in the city. everything i dabble in sounds like a lot but i feel like they also all relate somehow.

i used to be more open to seeing spirits and ancestors as a child but have found ways to turn that way of seeing off. i still have sleep paralysis from time to time but not much since i started my healing journey. i've been told i have a way of seeing in/the shadows, mediumship, clairvoyance but i'm really not down with jump scares. hope to figure out how to not be afraid.

excited to be here!