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Nicole Barton5 min

The Myth of ‘Readiness’ and Alchemising With Archetypes

November 14, 2025

As the nights draw longer this winter and we descend into November’s misty darkness, many magical women are feeling the call inwards to stillness – to healing and embracing a more meaningful path, perhaps even as a healer or guide to others.

Yet, as we begin to admit our desire for that, often we can feel a sense of not being ‘ready’ – not being ‘able’ to hold it all, not being ‘qualified’ enough, not being ‘confident’ enough, or not being ‘certain’ enough. We sensitive souls can take this fear as a stop sign, but on my journey into healing and becoming a healer, I’ve come to know that the idea of ‘readiness’ is a myth. The truth is that often, fear is the first calling to healing ourselves and stepping into the role of healer for others. When we feel fear, the true invitation is into an initiation of courage. Our healing begins when we start to see that we have the power to answer the call – right now – instead of waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment. Working with our inner apothecary of archetypal remedies has us come to know this. In particular, Archetypal Silver is a remedy that helps us to remember we don’t have to be perfectly ready – we can just courageously begin our journey, right where we are.

5 signs you’re already being called to heal

There are five common signs you might be what I call a ‘Secret Witch’ – in other words, a magical woman who is being called to embrace her hidden inner self-healer. And they’re not all ‘I love moon magic’, either – some of them may surprise you (though loving the moon may also be a sign too!) If you’re being called to become a healer for yourself (and others), you may feel some of these:

Fear won’t leave you alone

The presence of fear is a big sign you are being called to healing. Fear isn’t actually the block we have been conditioned to see it as – it’s the call inwards to rediscover ourselves.

You’ve spent a lifetime trying to ‘fix’ yourself

You feel broken, and you’ve been seeking answers outside of yourself, hoping that you’ll feel more ‘ready’ when something external fixes you. This is an innocent desire – because this is what we are taught – but the real medicine is within you.

Your body is screaming

Aches and pains, fatigue and exhaustion, anxiety or reproductive system symptoms… These are actually messages, not malfunctions (but you’ve been taught that they’re ‘symptoms’ rather than sensations to guide you).

Synchronicities keep calling you

Maybe you’re having recurring dreams, or you’re finding feathers or seeing angel numbers. This isn’t coincidence, it’s the universe telling you to begin.

You feel a secret calling to help others as a healer

You may even be so focused on helping others that you prioritise that over your own healing. Spoiler: healing yourself is actually the initiation into becoming a healer. Each of these signs is actually a threshold – the soul’s way of nudging us to say ‘You’re ready’ – though it’s unlikely you’ll ever feel it. This is because what wounds us becomes our gift. We have to walk through the scary void and reclaim our gold from the dark to be able to pass on the wisdom gained on our own journey into healing. In other words, we have to have the courage to walk into facing ourselves in order to heal. The archetypal remedy that helps us do this is Silver.

What are archetypal remedies?

We each have an inner apothecary of energy remedies within us. Instead of sourcing our healing externally, when we hear the call to healing, we are able to call upon the archetypal energies within for self-healing and illumination. Archetypal remedies are energetic mirrors drawn from the natural world – plants, animals, minerals and even the mystical – and reflect our inner world, holding up a mirror to our wounds and gifts in particular. In essence, they help us to reclaim lost parts of ourselves via the universal principle of ‘like cures like’ – which means what has wounded us will also cure us. In this way, magical healing’s foundational principle is that fear (of what has wounded us) is the first doorway to our healing.

Silver’s medicine: courage in imperfection

Silver as an element belongs to the Metal Queendom: reflective, alchemical and intimately linked with the moon. Her properties make her soft yet strong, shiny yet easily marked. Where other metals harden, Silver softens and conducts, carrying energy and emotion like a current of intuition running through the body. Symbolically, Silver holds up a mirror to both our fragility and our quiet strength, showing us that true courage doesn’t come from being unbreakable, but from being willing to shine even when we feel dented. Her surface tarnishes easily, yet she polishes bright again, teaching us that dullness is never failure – only part of the cycle of renewal. Silver reminds us that we don’t need to be flawless to begin, only courageous in our imperfection, willing to reflect and transmit the light we already hold, and to trust that being just ‘good enough’ is often the bravest alchemy of all.

Silver’s shadow, or wounded expression

If we are in her wounded state, Silver has:

Performance anxiety, or fear of being ‘not enough’ as she is
Perfectionism and self-criticism
Overthinking or needing certainty before acting (in case she gets it wrong)

Silver’s gold, or healed expression

In her healed state, Silver has reclaimed:

Courage to act while afraid – she chooses to cross the threshold
Authenticity, even in her trembling self-expression
An ‘all-is-welcome’ approach to her imperfections

Silver teaches us that fear isn’t a stop sign, but a doorway – a shimmering threshold between who we have been and who we are becoming. When we meet ourselves in the trembling with tenderness, rather than trying to banish it, fear transforms into the very power that carries us forwards into our healing and deeper gifts.

Silver new moon ritual

During the next new moon, archetypal Silver invites you to cross the threshold from ‘hesitating’ to ‘choosing’.

Create your ritualistic space, gathering a mirror and some silver objects, and place a candle beside them. You could also wear a piece of silver jewellery to remind you of your courage.
Gaze into the mirror. Notice all the places you are in Silver’s shadow of feeling not enough, being self-critical and overthinking.
Journal on the following query: where do Silver’s themes show up, having you hesitating about your healing?
Hold your silver object and declare, ‘This new moon, I embody Silver’s courage to cross the new threshold, authentically, just as I am. I am willing to begin, even when I don’t feel ready’.
Breathe deeply, letting the shimmer of your reflection remind you that courage is already within you. Bring your mind to one intentional next step that feels like a Silvery soft-edge to nudge you deeper into your healing and journey of becoming a healer.

Remember, this is just the beginning – and you only need to be willing to lean in. True healing begins not when we feel ‘ready’, but when we choose to step through the doorway of fear just as we are. Fear isn’t proof we’re not ready; it’s the proof we’re being called. In the hush of autumn, as we move towards the darkness, remember that you have the inner Silver courage to integrate what’s revealed, with the shimmer of Silver’s light guiding your path home. Readiness isn’t something we wait for – it’s something we choose.

Nicole Barton

Nicole Barton is a soul guide and Creatrix of the Archetypal Apothecary™ healing modality. She is a witch on a mission to help other sensitive women heal themselves, reclaim their powerful, magical true soul expression, discover and embody their healing gifts and actualise them in the world.

Click here to find out more about Nicole’s work.