Elise GourlayElise Gourlay FISM GLCM ALCM is a certified astrologer, artist and music educator, born in Edinburgh in 1965. Her father, the artist J. Fainges Gourlay inspired Elise to paint from a young age. Music was encouraged by her mother Doreen whose family were violinists and the Scottish violin makers, John, Alexander and George Raeburn.

Since early childhood Elise has had a love of art and music with a deep fascination and connection to the mystery and wonder of the universe. Her artwork is inspired by her spiritual and esoteric journey along the shamanic path.

As a graduate of the London College of Music and a Fellow of the Independent Society of Musicians, Elise has performed in many prestigious venues nationally such as The Royal Festival Hall, Westminster Central Hall and the Usher Hall to name but a few.

In the late 1980’s Elise developed a great interest in astrology and began studying it with a passion, using astrology as a tool for self discovery and self development, and later, went on to gain her certificate from The Mayo School of Astrology in 2003.

However, it was in 1993 that Elise felt compelled to move from London to Glastonbury and did so, taking up a peripatetic teaching post with the Somerset Music Service. During this time she taught violin in over fifty different schools and colleges and directed county string groups. This gave her the opportunity to travel across, experience and connect intuitively with the sacred and mystical landscape of the south west of England, which proved to be life changing when she started to experience past life memories and other phenomena. This led Elise to delve deeper by having several past life regression sessions. She then went on to expand her knowledge of karmic astrology, studying under the mentorship of karmic astrologer Gloria Bowles for several years, which enabled Elise to understand the deep patterns and story that was being revealed whilst cross referencing details with historical documents that were available.

This journey opened the doorway to further explore her personal origins and the wider possible origins of humanity, the deep wounds we all have as a species and how we can heal, raise our consciousness and move forward to a higher level on our evolutionary path.

Elise has spent many years at sacred sites such as Avebury stone circle, Stonehenge, Glastonbury Tor and many other mystical places, intuitively linking into them, which has deepened her connection with the earth and the stars. It is through her artwork and poetry that she translates some of her experiences and visions.

In 2013 Elise moved back to her Scottish roots in Fife where she has created and delivered Transformational Creative Arts Programmes funded by The Big Lottery, and continued to teach violin. She has given astrological readings and exhibited her “zodiac series” at The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh in 2019 and continues to practise astrology and develop her artwork as a visual teaching and healing tool to inform, inspire and transform.

Elise has also been a partner and co-founder of Freedom Community Music LLP, since 2022.

For Elise, life is a multidimensional journey to be embraced and explored.