When life feels like it’s unraveling, where do you turn? For Prue Rustean, the answer was nature. Diagnosed with lupus and facing a series of life-altering challenges, Prue found herself seeking something bigger than the pain and uncertainty that consumed her. In the stillness of her backyard, she began creating Earth Altars—delicate arrangements of flowers, leaves, and stones that became her way of sending prayers into the universe. What started as a simple act of connection grew into a transformative practice that healed not just her body, but her mind, heart, and spirit.
Today, Prue is the creative force behind Earth Altering, a practice that blends art, healing, and spirituality to inspire others to reconnect with nature, themselves, and their communities. Through workshops, courses, and personal coaching, she’s sharing the profound wisdom she gained during her journey, reminding us that even in our darkest moments, we can find beauty, grounding, and growth. In this interview, Prue opens up about her personal transformation, the magic of Earth Altars, and the joy of helping others discover their own path to healing.
The Birth of Earth Altering
TBN: Prue, you’ve shared how Earth Altering began during a difficult time in your life. What was it about nature that first called you to create these beautiful portals? Also, could you share more about what Earth Altars are and what they mean to you?
PR: I was very unwell when I discovered the Earth Altar practice. I was experiencing extreme inflammation in my body, sore, and swollen joints. I was in a lot of pain, I had no energy and at my worst, I could barely move. This led to getting diagnosed with Lupus (an autoimmune condition). During the days that I wasn’t in a hospital bed, I turned to nature for support.
I think that when you’re going through something big, often your friends and family have their own grief around what’s happening to you. Although I had a lot of beautiful people around me, I found that nature felt most supportive for me to process everything I was going through. No need to talk, explain the tears that would often pour out of me for no reason, or support someone else through their worry and sadness around my current reality. I felt like the Earth was holding me like a baby as I cried, prayed, softly stretched, and rested on the grass under trees, surrounded by nature in my garden. I couldn’t do much, I had a lot of time on my hands and started creating simple little Earth Altars out of flowers, leaves, sticks, and stones – they felt like little portals for me to send my prayers and hand over the things that I needed to release.
My Earth Altars started to get quite intricate and extravagant. I had seen them before but I never knew the deeper meaning behind them so I started doing research about the history of this temporary art. I learned that almost every culture in the world has a similar practice in their history where they create natural mandalas and work with them as a medicine wheel. So, I started incorporating the directions (north, east, south & west), elements (fire, water, air & earth), and parts of myself (mental, physical, spiritual & emotional) into my Earth Altars. I would make my way around my Altar, tune into the elements, and check in on the different parts of myself. The healing I started to experience within from connecting deeply with my surroundings and myself was profound and is still part of my daily practice today.
TBN: Do you remember the emotions or intentions behind your very first Earth Altar? How did it feel to create it?
PR: Yes, I was at a “rock bottom” moment in my life. I had been told I had to move out of the place I was renting, I didn’t know where I was going to go, my health was rapidly declining and I was going through a relationship breakup. I felt an element of desperation to connect with something bigger than me; if there was anyone or anything out there that could help me – I wanted to connect with it and ask for support.
A vision of a flower mandala literally popped into my mind (perhaps a coincidence or perhaps a sign from something bigger than myself. Let’s just say I NEVER ignore the seemingly strange thoughts that pop into my mind anymore). I picked myself some flowers from the backyard and created my very own little portal. I wanted to send my prayers really deep into the particles of the universe so that someone or something would “catch” them and hopefully send some answers back to me.
I asked who or whatever was listening “for support and for everything to turn out far better than I could even imagine” that day. The whole process took around 10 minutes and there was something about this little ritual that felt quite powerful and significant. Little did I know just how significant this moment really was or how much this practice would become a huge part of my life.
The Healing Power of Connection
TBN: You talk about how creating Earth Altars helped you heal mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Can you share a moment when this practice brought you the most clarity or relief?
PR: For me, the most profound healing was in my emotions. Since I was around 6 I haven’t easily been able to cry. I would feel the emotion but something in my body would suppress it from actually coming out. I was feeling some BIG emotions during the time I discovered this practice and found myself trying to hold them back and stay “strong” in front of my friends and family.
I remember the moment I first faced the direction of the West on my Earth Altar and tuned into the Water element and my emotions. Something about being held by the Earth and feeling comfortable, safe, and witnessed by the natural world helped to unlock something inside of me, and that day it felt like I cried a lifetime of tears into my Earth Altar. It was a huge release and my gosh it felt good. It was almost like whatever I unlocked was coming out like a shaken-up bottle of coke and I couldn’t turn it off. I was crying all over the place, in front of anyone, at very unusual moments but with time things came into balance. I am now able to healthily express my emotions, cry when I feel the urge, and let it go.
TBN: How has connecting with the Earth shifted your perspective on life and the challenges we face?
PR: Feeling a strong connection to Mother Earth has helped me to fully trust and surrender into my life. The Earth has been my most reliable support system over the past few years. Learning to trust that the Earth is literally always there for me, inspiring me, guiding me, healing me, loving me, and supporting me has helped me to flow more with life. To be open to opportunities I never could have expected, trust in the cycles, embrace the highs and lows, and inspired me to remind people to connect with nature and the Earth so that it doesn’t get forgotten about.
A Journey of Transformation
TBN: Your journey has taken you across Australia and into many new landscapes. How does the environment influence the Earth Altars you create?
PR: I have a very different way of traveling since being immersed in this work. I am constantly noticing the abundance and beauty of different natural materials along my journey. I am connecting deeply with the land and the new places I find myself and am super creatively inspired when I come across natural treasures I’ve never seen before.
Creating an Earth Altar is one of the first things I do when I arrive in a new place. It helps me to get my bearings, allows me to tune into the energy of the environment, and introduces myself to the land. It’s extremely grounding during times of instability and a lot of moving around. I try to only use materials foraged from the area I find myself so the Earth Altar is a reflection of the place. Simple Earth Altars only using materials from the area have been some of my favorites!
TBN: What role did creativity and self-expression play in transforming your healing practice into a fulfilling career?
PR: When I started sharing my creations on Instagram I quickly started gaining quite a lot of interaction and interest. The more I started sharing about my journey, the more I had people reach out to me with similar stories and health issues. It became very apparent to me how much this work is needed in the world right now and I started to have a strong drive to share as far and wide as possible so that others could receive the healing benefits I had experienced myself.
This project has taken on a life of its own and very organically grown into something that not only supports my health but is also supporting me financially too. I never expected it to turn into a business but it feels like the most aligned thing I have ever done. I think when you are creating something from your heart and soul and authentically expressing yourself, people who resonate at the same frequency get attracted to you like a magnet and the universe supports your offerings in miraculous ways to reach the people who need it.
Sharing the Magic
TBN: What has been the most rewarding part of sharing the practice of Earth Altars with others? Have any particular stories from your workshops or events stayed with you?
PR: Every workshop, course student, email, or 1:1 coaching call I do is SO rewarding for me. The fact that people are investing in me and my offerings still blows my tiny little mind. Hearing about and seeing the healing that takes place during the process of this practice reminds me of the importance of sharing and expanding my offerings.
I have connected with so many amazing people through Earth Altering. Every person I have come into contact with through this work touches me deeply. Whether it’s through something they share, an email, a review, their own Earth art, or the countless generous gifts and offerings I have received from people. I am constantly receiving confirmation that this is what I am here for. I’m simultaneously blown away and not surprised at all by the interactions that unfold through this work that are quite hard to describe in words but felt so deeply in my heart and soul, that I have tears of gratitude after every encounter with someone in the community.
TBN: For someone just starting out, what advice would you give to help them connect deeply with nature and begin creating their own Earth Altars?
PR: My advice would be to carve out some time in your day (even just half an hour) to immerse yourself in nature, become still and quiet, and allow yourself to get bored. This is where your senses will become stronger, you will hear the sounds around you, you will notice the smells and you will start to see things you may have never noticed before. This is the place where inspiration often lives. You may receive an urge to put your bare feet on the ground, hug a tree, smell the flowers, collect some sticks, or forage up some materials to create an Earth Altar. You may not have any of those urges but you will receive inspiration unique to you – it’s where the field of pure potential lives and if your intention is to create an Earth Altar while hanging out in that space, I can guarantee it will be beautiful.
I also offer a 5-day free journey that is a really great place to start if you are curious to explore this practice: https://www.earthaltering.com.au/earth-altering-journey-form
Vision and Legacy
TBN: Prue, your work bridges art, healing, and spirituality. What do you hope people take away from experiencing your Earth Altars or participating in your courses?
PR: My main intention behind my offerings is to inspire people to connect deeply with nature, themselves, and each other. When we intentionally connect in this way, we open up the potential for art, healing, and spirituality to come through – sure, but we also open up so many other possibilities too. You may find things you didn’t even know you needed through connecting in this way.
We are living in a fast-paced world where there is so much technological stimulation fighting for our constant attention. Disconnecting from technology and connecting with the Earth is something we now need to be reminded about. When we drop deeply into the space of connection and creation in nature there is so much potential for us to gain clarity around exactly what we need to live a life full of passion, purpose, and pleasure, and my hope is that everyone finds that for themselves.
TBN: Looking ahead, what dreams or visions do you have for your journey and for Earth Altering as a practice?
PR:
- I have a new online immersion about to launch very soon! It’s called Natures Medicine – you can sign up to my mailing list to find out when here: https://www.earthaltering.com.au/natures-medicine
- I have been working on a physical product that I plan to also launch this year. I am SO excited about it (hint – think ritual box, booklet to learn how to create and work with your Earth Altar, and cute treasures to start it off).
- I’ll be in Bali for the first half of the year where I plan to immerse myself in the culture and learn about the rituals and offerings from the Balinese people while I’m there.
- I want to put some roots down somewhere and be more still for the second half of the year (still not 100% sure where but I’m feeling the Sunshine Coast in Queensland at this stage).
- And continue to be open to opportunities, collaborations, and inspiration – I know this work takes me exactly where I need to be and I will continue to honor that.
Other offerings:
- The Art of Earth Altars online course: https://www.earthaltering.com.au/online-course
- Create your own Earth Altar workshop/ceremony 1:1 coaching call: https://www.earthaltering.com.au/coaching
Click here to check all the interviews from our “Empowered Women Empower Women” series.