What a month June delivered to us. Astrologically, we experienced two eclipses. Mercury retrograde joined Venus retrograde and we welcomed the first day of summer and celebrated the longest day and shortest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. As the wheel of time continues to turn, we entered into the waning half of the year. Until the winter solstice, the light of the days will slowly shorten as the nights lengthen. Since we are in the height of summer, this will not be noticeable for a few months. But as we edge towards the autumnal equinox in September, the daylight hours will shorten and the temperatures will begin to cool. For us here in Arizona, that will be a welcomed relief!
The Adventure of Self-discovery
I have so much that I want to share with you this month. I continued my studies with Tommy Rosen and have experienced so much joy, insight, motivation and gratitude for his work and for the discoveries I have made. The 8-week intensive just completed and the 13-week Kundalini and Vinyasa yoga classes that I attended every weekday are on break for the month of July. Tommy is taking that time off to write and rest. He has given so much of his heart and soul to us students these past few months. We wish him well on his break. (If you are interested in finding out more about Tommy Rosen’s work, here is a link to his website and offerings.)
Continuing on The Path
I was contemplating what I was going to do after this course, having been so immersed in his work and with this tribe, but I didn’t have to wonder long. I met a beautiful student of Tommy’s and indeed a soul sister. She is taking me and 3 other women into a deep dive for the next 9 months starting mid-July. I am extremely excited to be a part of this adventure.
I continue to receive more and more information and guidance regarding my work as a healer and wellness and recovery coach. I am developing some juicy programs that I will roll out in fall. Meanwhile, I am open to working with anyone one-on-one via Zoom. (See details)
I ended my last newsletter promising you I would continue to take you on my journey of awakening with me. What follows is the next chapter on that journey. These offerings are a part of the memoir I am writing, with the intention to publish in 2021. I very much appreciated your comments and feedback after my May newsletter and continue to welcome them.
The Journey Continues
Chapter 2
Divine Grace
It was time to move from the wonderful Italian Villa near Healdsburg to my own home, so I began the search in earnest. I explored diligently from Santa Rosa to the northern Sonoma county line but found nothing suitable. Back to the drawing board! I created a “wish list”, a vision board, prayed and meditated. Soon after, I saw an ad for a house for rent in Cloverdale and drove up to take a look. It was perfect! I filled out the required paperwork and waited. I quickly received a call back from the property manager asking if I’d like to view the home. I found out later that many people had applied for this little gem. Why was I considered and chosen out of all the applicants? The only answer I have for that is Divine Grace.
The Move
My friends rallied to help me with this move. I had stuff in storage, stuff stored with friends and I needed to sort and release even more stuff. All in all, the move came together with as much ease as possible and I immediately settled into my little cottage in the quaint town of Cloverdale. I would be here for the next 2 years, enjoying the bucolic surroundings, hiking and biking among the hills and vineyards. In this peaceful setting, I was able to immerse myself in my spiritual practices. Alongside the beauty and quietness, there were also challenges—like trying to figure out how to make a living so far away from my previous work in Napa and Marin. And there were times when I was lonely. I had one friend in Cloverdale but knew no one else nearby. One day, as I was looking online for work, I noticed an ad for a nurse practitioner in an integrated health clinic. I applied and without ever being interviewed in person, I was hired and offered more money than was originally listed in the ad. I loved that job which took me to clinics in Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Ukiah. I particularly loved the patients in Ukiah—just down to earth folks, many were old hippies, some were professionals who were tired of the fast pace and high cost of living of the Bay Area and others just looking for a lifestyle more closely connected to the earth.
Settling In
For the next two years, I commuted to these clinics, kept a few hours at my Napa and Marin offices and saw a few clients in my home office. Even though I was driving a lot and getting tired of spending so many hours in my car, I loved this time of my life.
Change is the Only Constant
Two major events happened during this time that were completely unexpected. I met a man who would later become my life partner and change things significantly for me. And I would be offered a job that was different than anything I had ever done before. Todd moved in briefly with me in Cloverdale, but we would soon relocate to Petaluma to be closer to his work and to the San Francisco Airport since my new job required air travel.
As I look back at the events over those few years, it is clear to me now that only a presence so loving and so magnificent could have orchestrated this Divine Plan. As Tommy Rosen puts it, I felt that “my case was being considered.”
“Despite my worrying, my fretting and my fears, I was consistently carried and cared for by a benevolent loving energy of the Universe that I now identify as the Divine Mother. I began to see that even the challenges were there to develop my inner strength. “No mud, no lotus,” as Thich Nhat Han says.
Learning to Trust
In the next newsletter, I will share the adventures around my new job, establishing life in a partnership, my granddaughter’s decision to move in with us and our eventual move to Asia. I think by now you are seeing a central theme in my life: Divine Grace, guidance, protection—however you define it, is always present. Our task is to slow down long enough and learn to develop the stillness and intuition necessary to remove the blocks to listening and receiving that guidance.
Rachelle Goering, MA, FNP 