Are Your Desires Making You Miserable?

 


Lately I've been thinking a lot about the difference between desire and attachment...

When I was on a ten day silent meditation retreat over the holidays, I began to see how my mind would obsess over the same desires over and over again. (Mostly about achieving more, doing more, having more...)

It became crystal clear that those desires - that had once been born out of pure innocence - had become attachments and they were causing me suffering. 

In a moment of realization in meditation, on Christmas Day, when I had been feeling quite a lot of pain in my body, I broke down in tears, realizing I had been creating the cause of my own suffering by focusing so much on what I didn't have, and what was not in my present moment reality.

So I did what I could to clear those attachments away. I focused on what was happening in my body and breath and released the need for anything to be different than it already was.

An image flashed in my mind of myself being completely stripped down to simple clothes and a shaved head, meditating - settling into a state of stillness and total presence. 

From this state of complete patience, self-lessness and letting go, a ground zero of sorts, I asked myself what was really important to me - and the answer was so simple: time in beautiful natural environments with my beloved, singing and being a teacher and mentor, walks in the back field with my cat, Quan Yin, and going out to dinner with friends. That was it... 

From that day forward in the retreat, meditation became so much easier. Pain began to lift on my body, and in the times when it came back, my relationship to it was completely different. I had developed a patience that hadn't been there before. I allowed the sensations to be there, the thoughts to be there, witnessing, knowing at some point they would pass, and they always did. 

Carrying these insights into my life, I've found a state of more ease and gentleness.

But what about our desires? Isn't it good to have goals and ambitions? I think it is good to have desires, goals and ambitions, but when we find ourselves suffering from those desires, it's time to ask if we have become attached.

It has been a great relief for me to enjoy life (and all that I already have) from a place of nonattachment - allowing everything to just be as it is.

I can't say I've figured it all out, and sometimes those old attachments linger back into my mind, but that's when I come back to my meditation practice, noticing the sensations and breath, and remembering all that is real and perfect in this moment.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my latest podcast where I share the introduction of my book due to release this summer. If you missed my last email, you'll hear all about the new title, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India. And, if this message resonates with you, I'd love to hear in the comments.

With love, 
 Meredith

 

026 | Announcing a New Title for My Book + A Bonus Reading

 
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I wanted to share an update on what's happening with the book I wrote of my travels in India! After raising over ten thousand dollars in the Kickstarter campaign last Fall to publish it, I got right to work with my publishing team.  

Right now the manuscript is being copyedited, the official release date is August 22, 2017 and Kickstarter supporters should receive their early copy in July. 

After much contemplation, research, and discussion with my publishing team and kickstarter supporters, I have decided to change the title of my book from Synchronicity to Just Be: A Search for Self-love in India.

After my publisher approached me with the suggestion to find a title that was more direct, short, and to the point…something that would immediately speak to what the reader would be able to take away from reading this book, I began to tune into the total stillness and wisdom of my heart and asked the universe to send me a sign. (To hear the full story and hear the introduction of the book, listen to today's podcast episode)

When I was asked to "look at where my attachments lay" and make a decision that was best for the book I laughed to myself, because literally the last sentence I had written in my book was, "If I was able to release my attachments to the outcome, I knew everything would fall into place…"

Soon after, I found myself recording a podcast interview with Achintya Devi, an amazing woman in the world of women's spirituality and empowerment, and we began having technical difficulties - getting disconnected, coming on the line but using different links, about 15 - 20 minutes passed while we were just trying to begin the interview…

Frustrated, I found myself saying a new mantra over and over in my mind without realizing it, "Just be. Just be. Just be." Within a moment Achintya came on the line, and we recorded a powerful interview to close out the year.

Just Be happened to be one of the titles I was considering for the book, and in that moment, I knew this was the sign I was asking for.

Very little will actually change in the content of the book - I still share of synchronistic events and happenstance, but I’m seeing how synchronicity fits in as a natural side-effect when we tap into a space of “just being…”, releasing our attachments, and allowing the events of the universe to unfold magically around us…

I am feeling ever-more resonant with this new title and direction. After reading through the book last week, I saw how present the theme of “just being” is shared throughout. It just took having an outside perspective to point this out to me.

I believe the message of just being is so relevant and needed at this time - in a world so focused on achieving and doing…

This belief was affirmed to me a couple weeks ago when I received an email from one of my readers, Clare. She wrote in response to a newsletter I sent about letting go of goals and action plans for this year, and rather asking how we can bring more love, gentleness and service to every moment:

“When your email came in, I was initially afraid to open it, I was afraid that I was going to see yet another mention about New Year resolutions which would in turn make me feel shitty about the lack of my own. I had already seen plenty, and I was just about done feeling bad.

I opened your email, and it was the comforting hug that I needed, to remind me of that whisper in my heart that told me to spend more time nurturing myself, taking better care of myself.

After your email, I continued having similar signs pop up everywhere -- telling me that it's ok not to have everything figured out, and it's ok to take it slow. To JUST BE.”

I've been thinking more about what I want for the woman I wrote this book for…and I truly want her to experience what it is to just be...

...To fully accept herself as she is… And from that place of presence, self-love and acceptance… to follow her dreams and experience deep connection and synchronicity… but from a place of truly tuning in, and first finding stillness and silence, and listening to her heart.

After all of this I went into a 10-day silent meditation retreat, where I watched the busy-ness of my mind and found myself coming back again and again to this new mantra, "Just Be" and knew I was being guided to change the title.

My wish is for you to have an open heart and mind, and see how this mantra, “just be,” may come to play in your life…

This whole experience has really shown me the power of releasing my attachments. And how very often when we release those attachments, we end up with a solution that is even more in alignment. Who knew the process of publishing a book full with spiritual lessons would be so full of…spiritual lessons…? :)

What’s the latest update with the book now? We are putting final touches on a whole new cover - something that encompasses the magic and colors of India and the theme and message of just being…so stay tuned.

I’m so grateful for all of you. Thank you all for bearing witness to this journey. I hope you enjoy today's show.

With love, 

 Meredith

P.S. Congratulations to "Ksenia" and "Jokerofthenines" for winning the New Year Giveaway! I loved reading all of your podcast reviews and am so grateful for the time you took to share your stories. "Ksenia" and "Jokerofthenines" can email [email protected] to schedule your free coaching session. If you'd still like to write a review for Rising Women Leaders please do so here.

 

025 | Astrology, Asteroids & Feminine Archetypes with Rebecca Farrar

 

"For me, astrology is about enchantment...When I am looking at someone's birth chart, I am looking at their soul's patterning. I am looking at the moment they were born and the heavens froze, and this special moment becomes someone's soul process." ~Rebecca

If you are a sensitive being like me you are probably feeling all the energies around what's happening in the news, the world and our country.

At one time or another, you've also probably turned to astrology to learn more about how what's happening in the stars reflects upon what's happening in the world, and within ourselves.

I'm happy to introduce you to Rebecca Farrar today, an astrologer who I recently interviewed for the Rising Women Leaders podcast.

In one of Rebecca's recent posts, she shared about how Uranus began a year long dance with Jupiter at the end of 2016 which will offer some astrological insight into this coming year.

"The themes of Jupiter revolve around philosophy, morality, travel, celebration, or success. In its more shadow expression it leans towards excessiveness, over-consumption, self-involvement, and hyper-morality. In relationship to Uranus it can invoke a revolutionary spirit against things that may not seem moral or non-humanitarian. (I think we have all felt this energy building since the 2016 U.S. election.)"

Today's episode will take you into the world of astrology, asteroids and feminine archetypes and how you can use them  to gain deeper insight into yourself and the world.

"Astrology tells me about their evolution as a soul, it tells me about where their challenges are, what their relational patterns are, how they can self-soothe with their emotions, how they can take care of themselves better. It gives a sense of enchantment with the self, letting you understand you are a part of this huge cosmic thing and you have an important role to play..."

There is a very specific reason you are here. Consciousness is shifting so quickly at this time and you are needed...

In this episode you'll discover:

  • What is the sun, moon and rising sign and what do they mean about yourself?
  • The magic and mystery of the witch and priestess feminine archetypes 
  • Embracing our weird & wild ways
  • How feminine archetypes show up in astrology 
  • How Rebecca uses the asteroids in her birth chart readings and how it affects our charts 
  • What to look out for in 2017 and how astrology is affecting the times we are in - calling us into social justice and revolution
  • How Rebecca uses ritual in her life to honor different times of the year and phases of the moon
  • Rebecca's journey with self-worth, facing fears, leaving a  full-time job and allowing herself to claim authority in her field and in her life

To learn more about Rebecca's birth chart readings, astro-locality readings, and to join her email list with tips and rituals for the full and new moon, visit her website, wildwitchwest.com. 


Rebecca M. Farrar, M.A. is an astro-priestess, wild woman, writer, and lover who lives in San Francisco (or Man Franpsycho as she likes to call it). She provides astrological guidance with a down-to-Earth approach utilizing her studies on the evolution of consciousness and psychology. Before coming out of the "broom" closet, she worked for more than a decade in PR and marketing and had brief forays as TV reporter, speed dating hostess, spokesmodel, yoga instructor, and world traveler. In 2013, she completed her M.A. In Philosophy at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her thesis, titled “Stargazing: Re-enchantment Through Language,” combines philology, consciousness studies, and enchantment with the stars. (Warning: She will talk your ear off if you ask about it.) When not staring at her transits she can be found "force" cuddling her cat, posting on Instagram, or curled up with a good book. Read more on her site: www.wildwitchwest.com


Want to win a free 75-minute coaching session with our host?

Rising Women Leaders is running a New Year Giveaway between now and February 11, 2017 for a free 75-minute online coaching session with our host, Meredith Rom.

In this video call we will take the space to reflect on what you want to cultivate for the new year, how you want to show up to take care of yourself, your spiritual practice, and your service and contribution to the world.

Meredith will also answer any questions you have about starting or growing your business, branding, leading workshops, podcasting, finding your voice, or crafting and sharing your story.

To enter, write us a review on iTunes!

  • Follow  this link
  • Click the blue button on the side bar that says, "View in iTunes"
  • Click "Subscribe" under the Podcast Image then Click "Ratings and Reviews"
  • Click "Write a Review" where you can choose your rating, write your review and click "Submit"(you may be asked to login with your Apple ID)

You can also search for "Rising Women Leaders" in iTunes on your desktop or on the Podcast app on your iPhone to write a review.  

Positive reviews on iTunes will support our community to grow, thrive and reach the women who are seeking the powerful wisdom shared by the ladies featured on this show.

The winner will be announced on the podcast just after February 11! Thank you for participating, Good luck!!

 

024 | Next Level Purpose, Pleasure & Prosperity with Jillian Anderson

 

Jillian Anderson inspires us to heal our root and sacral chakras, step into a life that is truly next-level and remember that yes, maybe we can have it all. It just starts by remembering our true feminine power inside...

In this episode you'll hear about:

  • Jillian's story of having an unassisted homebirth
  • How her son is a mirror for where she is growing in her life 
  • Sacral chakra healing and what that has to do with our ability to experience pleasure and live prosperous lives
  • What we can learn from our difficult emotions like anger
  • What is spiritual wealth?
  • What is a jade egg practice and how to start one?
  • Jillian's input on the question, "Is it really possible to have it all? To be a mother, a loving partner and have a thriving business?" and how she finds her balance
  • The fear Jillian has faced this year around her finances and personal growth
  • Permission to Prosper - Jillian's new ebook and online program

As a writer and coach, Jillian fuses her background in ancestral healing to help women break free of old patterns and self-imposed limitations. She believes that pain is potent medicine, and that we're each assigned a divine soul curriculum that offers us the opportunity to not just survive, but to truly thrive in all areas of life: relationship, career, creativity, and beyond.

Jillian works with women to make space for what really matters, to unearth blockages, and to direct soul desires into manifestation. Her greatest fulfillment comes from witnessing a woman become the powerful Creatrix she is.

Jillian's mission is to make material reality sacred again. She believes that by healing the separation between matter + consciousness all of humanity is uplifted into a higher alignment that can only be described as Heaven on Earth. You can find her work + offerings at www.jillian-anderson.com


Want to win a free 75-minute coaching session with our host?

Rising Women Leaders is running a New Year Giveaway between now and February 11, 2017 for a free 75-minute online coaching session with our host, Meredith Rom.

In this video call we will take the space to reflect on what you want to cultivate for the new year, how you want to show up to take care of yourself, your spiritual practice, and your service and contribution to the world.

Meredith will also answer any questions you have about starting or growing your business, branding, leading workshops, podcasting, finding your voice, or crafting and sharing your story.

To enter, just write us a review on iTunes!

  • Follow  this link
  • Click the blue button on the side bar that says, "View in iTunes"
  • Click "Subscribe" under the Podcast Image then Click "Ratings and Reviews"
  • Click "Write a Review" where you can choose your rating, write your review and click "Submit"(you may be asked to login with your Apple ID)

You can also search for "Rising Women Leaders" in iTunes on your desktop or on the Podcast app on your iPhone to write a review.  

Positive reviews on iTunes will support our community to grow, thrive and reach the women who are seeking the powerful wisdom shared by the ladies featured on this show.

The winner will be announced on the podcast just after February 11! Thank you for participating, Good luck!!

 

023 | Wellness for What Makes Us Women with Denell Nawrocki

 

When I first met Denell Nawrocki, I learned she held a vision of educating and empowering women on alternative methods of birth control, and about gynecological and women's health.

Only months later I saw a string of workshops pop up around our town that Denell put together on Cervical wellness.

I attended her workshop to hear her healing journey - how she cleared her system of HPV and cervical dysplasia, completely naturally. In the workshop she also offered tools for other women who may have received an abnormal pap test at their last women's health exam.

Millions of women in the US alone receive results of an abnormal pap test at least once in their life, yet they are given little information about what they can shift in their lives to alter future test results.

This episode is full with wisdom if you or anyone you know has received an abnormal pap test before, or if you want to learn about preventative health for women's wellness.

I think you'll also be inspired by Denell's story if you feel the call to share your own healing journey and be of service to others as Denell speaks about releasing her fears and vulnerability around using her voice to share her message.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • How our deepest callings are often what scare us most 
  • Denell's personal story of healing naturally from HPV and cervical dysplasia
  • What you can do to take your health into your own hands if you ever receive an abnormal pap test 
  • A 5-step protocol for optimal cervical wellness and health
  • Herbs and self-care routines that are beneficial for women's health
  • How to move from healing yourself to sharing your story and addressing the fears and doubts that come up along the way

Denell Nawrocki is a facilitator, shadow guide, and coach specializing in Women's health and nature connection, an ethnohistorian, and devout follower of Earth's magic and guidance. 

Earning her Masters's degree in Integrative Health Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, Denell is passionate about guiding, and empowering women to nurture and honor their unique body experiences. She looks to historical records to learn how Women supported themselves and one-another in the past, and applies these methods to modern times.  

Her organization Generative Health is about becoming informed, aware, and empowered in the magic of being a Woman. Her current work focuses on holding space for women in their gynecological experiences and hosts Cervical Wellness classes and workshops. You can find her and Generative Health on facebook and instagram, on the upcoming Painless Period Summit, or on her website www.generativehealth.org.


Want to win a free 75-minute coaching session with our host?

Rising Women Leaders is running a New Year Giveaway between now and February 11, 2017 for a free 75-minute online coaching session with our host, Meredith Rom.

In this video call we will take the space to reflect on what you want to cultivate for the new year, how you want to show up to take care of yourself, your spiritual practice, and your service and contribution to the world.

Meredith will also answer any questions you have about starting or growing your business, branding, leading workshops, podcasting, finding your voice, or crafting and sharing your story.

To enter, just write us a review on iTunes!

  • Follow  this link
  • Click the blue button on the side bar that says, "View in iTunes"
  • Click "Subscribe" under the Podcast Image then Click "Ratings and Reviews"
  • Click "Write a Review" where you can choose your rating, write your review and click "Submit"(you may be asked to login with your Apple ID)

You can also search for "Rising Women Leaders" in iTunes on your desktop or on the Podcast app on your iPhone to write a review.  

Positive reviews on iTunes will support our community to grow, thrive and reach the women who are seeking the powerful wisdom shared by the ladies featured on this show.

The winner will be announced on the podcast just after February 11! Thank you for participating, Good luck!!

 

022 | The Call of the Goddess with Achintya Devi

 

Subscribe on Itunes here

On the first day of 2016 I took off my clothes and jumped into a freezing cold body of water.

For so long I had avoided cold water, knowing that my body already runs on the cold side and I wanted to do everything I could to stay comfortable.  But on New Year's Day, when I was on a hike with a group of friends and we came upon a gorgeous pond, I just knew I had to do it.  

I felt amazing afterwards. 

But a week ago I went up to Orr Hotsprings with my partner and found myself avoiding the cold plunge at all costs.

I watched as my partner jumped in the icy cold pool on the first night and wondered how he could do it when it was already so cold outside.  Even though I knew I would feel amazing afterwards, I was still avoiding it.

Until one moment I just knew I needed to jump in. It was time to stop procrastinating and just go for it. 

So I did.

And what I noticed as I jumped out was that I could suddenly fully sustain being in the cold air outside.  My body was warming up more quickly from the inside.  

Suddenly I stood a little taller, spread my collarbones a little wider and walked with confidence upon the cool, hard Earth. 

So often in life, we do everything we can to avoid the "cold plunge."  Those things that scare us, those things that feel difficult or challenging.  We procrastinate and put them off...

But the thing is, as soon as we stop avoiding it, we feel bigger and stronger than ever before. 

This is what the past year has been like for me - continuously jumping into a cold pool of water.  It has not always been easy, and at times it has felt like too much...

But as I sat interviewing Achintya Devi for the Rising Women Leaders podcast and hearing her speak of finding the gifts in our challenges and difficulties in life, and how relieved and powerful we feel when we face them head on, I knew it has all been worth it.

Achintya spoke:

"It is the medicine of your pain or fear to walk towards it.  If we keep turning away from it, it's going to keep perpetuating in our lives...and when we can look that challenge in the mirror...and when it is fully felt through the body, something shifts, energetically, in our DNA in our brain structure, in our cells and in our hearts and we understand there is a deeper truth that lies underneath it. "

As we close out 2016, I knew this was the perfect episode to leave you with.

Achintya speaks so powerfully of what is happening in our world right now, how women are being called to embody their divine feminine sovereign power and how we can fully activate and align on our path.

For this episode especially, I urge you to listen all the way to the end.

About three quarters of the way through we touch on some deeply meaningful topics that I think you will want to hear. You may want to have a tissue on hand.

From Achintya:

"We really need you right now...

Every single one of us is completely unique.  There is a grand tapestry being woven right now and each and every one of us has a unique color and frequency... it is going to be incomplete without your thread...

I invite you to trust that your presence matters.  You chose to come to this earth for a reason.  You are holding a particular frequency that is medicine for someone or something..."

And we need you.

In this episode we discuss:

  • Achintya's recent visit with the spiritual teacher Amma
  • Rising above times of darkness and challenge - how to see the gifts in our difficulties
  • The call of the goddess and what is happening at this pivotal time
  • How Achintya left a relationship that was no longer serving her, followed the call of her heart to move to Maui and create her dream business and partnership
  • The advice Achintya has for YOU if you feel the calling of the feminine rising but ever find yourself held back by fear or self-doubt from fully stepping into your power
  • Moon Temple Offerings in 2017! More info here

Tomorrow I will be entering ten days of silence at a Vipassana meditation retreat with my friend Karen.  

I know there may be some challenge and difficulty that arises with meditating for ten hours a day, ten days straight, but I am willing to embrace it to invite a deeper state of peace and equanimity.

 I welcome any good thoughts coming my way (I will be in silence and away from all technology December 20 - 31).

Know that I am wishing you an empowered and loving end of 2016 and I deeply look forward to connecting and sharing more inspiring content with you in the New Year.

With love, 
Meredith


Achintya Devi is the Founder of Goddess Rising, a Global Sisterhood and School of Women’s Wisdom & Moon Mysteries, dedicated to activating and empowering the Wild Sacred Feminine within women worldwide through Moon Priestess Trainings and Leadership Certifications, Wild Sacred Women Retreats, a HerStory Rising Publication and an Online Global Moon Sisters Temple.

As a Women’s Wisdom Guide & Teacher, Ordained Priestess, Wholistic Health Practitioner, Acupressure Therapist and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher, she is especially passionate about women reclaiming and embodying the rhythm of their Womb Moon Wisdom and rising together in sisterhood to reawaken the collective Feminine Power for lasting transformation within and to serve as Sacred Feminine Leaders in this era of great Planetary Awakening.

Achintya is from British Colombia, teaches and travels internationally and is based on the island of Maui.

www.goddessrising.org

Read the Transcript:

Meredith Rom:

Welcome to the Rising Women Leaders Podcast. We are a sisterhood of women stepping into courage, self love and feminine leadership. I'm your host, Meredith Rom, and here I'll be sharing personal insights, as well as interviews, with inspiring leaders and entrepreneurs, so you can create more daily magic in your life and also grow your business without losing sight of spiritual values as a rising woman leader. If you like this podcast, use our hashtag, #risingwomenleaders. Follow me on Instagram, @MeredithRom, and sign up for email updates at RisingWomenLeaders.com. You'll receive all the new and inspiring content, including insights I only share on email. Now get cozy with a cup of tea, light a candle, and grab a journal to listen to this week's magical radio podcast.

 

Hi everyone, it's Meredith. I wanted to premise this episode by just letting you know that there are some really powerful insights and wisdom that come through about what's happening in the state of the world, and with women in particular and listening to the Call of the Goddess and coming into there rising. I just really want to encourage you to listen to this episode all the way to the end, especially around three quarters of the way in when Achintya starts speaking of some really powerful wisdom. She has a beautiful invitation for you as well, to take into your heart, as we end this year and begin again in 2017. I'm about to go into a 10 day Vipassana silent mediation retreat where I will be in meditation for up to 10 hours a day, leaving. You might even be listening to this while I'm there, so you can think good thoughts for me. I thought this was just the perfect episode to share with you, to close out this year, to come into your heart and your intentions for what is ahead. I am sending you all so much love.

 

I can't wait to share all the episodes that I have waiting for you in 2017. Have a beautiful day and enjoy the show. Namaste.

 

Hi everyone, I'm here today with Achintya Devi, who is the founder of Goddess Rising, a global sisterhood and school of women's wisdom and moon mysteries, dedicated to activating and empowering the wild sacred feminine within women worldwide. As a women's wisdom guide, and teacher, ordained priestess, holistic health practitioner, acupressure therapist, and kundalini yoga and meditation teacher. She is especially passionate about women reclaiming and embodying the rhythm of their womb moon wisdom and rising together in sisterhood to reawaken the collective feminine power for lasting transformation and to serve as sacred feminine leaders in this era of great planetary awakening. Thank you for being here Achintya.

 

Achintya Devi:

Thank you for having me, Meredith, and for everyone listening. I'm so honored to be with you in this space at this time.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. I know that. You live on the great island of Maui, right?

 

Achintya Devi:

Yes.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yes. You were just spending some time in California, where I live. I would love to just start off by hearing about your travels and what was happening for you there.

 

Achintya Devi:

I did used to live in Northern California as well, just further north of you. I lived there for a long time. I first moved to California to go to the Heartwood Institute, in 2000. That's up in Humboldt County. That was a gateway for me to really have a lot of years, a lot of chapters in my life, in Northern California. I'm really familiar with the landscape there and the energy there. That is another home for me. I'm in California at least twice a year with friends and reconnecting to the land and also for work, for hosting trainings and for Moon Temples, Red Tents, and for being with Alma, as well. As which we were just touching on before our recording here. Yeah, this past journey was a quick one. One of which I wasn't quite sure if it would lead me home to Maui or to North Dakota, at Standing Rock, which is still sort of up for the spirit, for the guidance, to be there.

 

It's a powerful time right now and just returning home, settling in, from really some deep feeling of my well, I feel, with Alma, who's been my spiritual teacher since I was 19 years old. It's part of that six month trajectory to always be with her and in her presence. That was a big part of my journey and spending time with my beloved, [inaudible 00:06:06], and him and I reconnecting with his family and some of our dear friends. Being with my dear sister, Amaya, who I co-teach Priestesses of the Moon with at our Wild Sacred Women Retreat. It was a full time being with nature, being with Alma, being with friends, being with family and in creation of some goodies that will come out in the new year as well.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. It's so good and so important to take those times of self reflection and retreat, especially as women who hold a lot of space. I find that it is really important for us to take that time for ourselves to, like you said, fill up your own well spring. I'd love to hear more about Alma. I feel like we've connected through the Instagram world a little bit, and then I had listened to an interview of you where you talked a bit about Alma, and I just felt my heart open. Anyone, I feel, that has a heart connection with Alma, there is just something special there for me, as she was a teacher that really helped me in a time when I was at the very beginning of my spiritual path and discovery and led me to travel to India and have a lot of openings. I'd love to hear about your time with her and also just how you came to find her.

 

Achintya Devi:

There is so much, I feel, I could share about my time being with Alma. For those of you that don't know, she is the form of the divine feminine incarnate, great mother, alive on the planet, who's truly here as the embodiment of love and is with us. Being in her presence truly, I can become speechless, and at the same time I feel like I can share a lot. My journey first began with her, as you were asking Meredith, when I was 19. My aunt and uncle, who had been with her previously, invited me to this meditation retreat. Little did I know that that weekend would for sure change the course of my life, or alter and enhance, the journey of my path. I had some of the most profound experiences in my meditations with her. It became very clear to me that she was for real and that I was meant to really continue to connect with her, even though I didn't fully understand it on a mental level at that time. My experiences of God or Goddess had really been through nature.

 

It did take a little bit of time for my mind to understand that, yes, this is happening through the form of a person as well. Which, after years and years, I feel really, truly, it still correlates to energy. Nature, being the momma goddess, Alma being the mother goddess in human form. Just that this is truly about connecting with the presence of unconditional love, which essentially is all of our nature. Yeah, really I feel like her presence has been a huge guiding force and light in my life, as I felt really inspired after a couple years of, "Being with her," or, "Having sense met her," where I felt the large pull to go to India.

 

I first went there, 2002, and have had about eight different journeys to India to go to her Ashram and be on her travels, on her tours, the North India Tours, the South India Tours where she is in full force giving blessings and her programs and her teachings in addition to all of the incredible humanitarian charities that happen through her. It's so amazing to me because really, she is such the icon for me of leadership, where she is sourcing herself from the infinite source, which she is completely connected to. She is offering this to the world. She's offering her presence, and suffering, is offering her work, too, and poverty, is giving of this infinite well to benefit others.

 

It's absolutely, to me, still after 21 years, absolutely, completely jaw dropping, inspiring, to see how she is with every individual with full presence and how she is utilizing every single breath of her life to enhance humanity and to shift the things that need to be shifted on the planet so that people are not suffering, so that we are truly walking as leaders in the world rooted from a place of spirit within, having spirituality be the force of which all of this has derived from. People ask her all the time, and I feel the same too, it's like, "What's your religion?" She shares, "Love and service." There's a little window.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. It's inspiring and that's beautiful to hear that this is one of your guiding lights, someone that you look to as an example in leadership.

 

Achintya Devi:

Yeah, it was really actually her that, through being with her, that Goddess Rising was birthed. I had an experience of being in her Ashram in 2012 where I really wanted to give forth a new years resolution workshop, because this was a big year, the Mayan calendar ending. I had this experience within that time, and it was just for women, that that's really where it all coalesced for me. I had a really strong experience of her presence coming through me where I had this, almost, revealing of the path in front of me, and that everything from this lifetime, and perhaps other, had come and arrived at this moment. Where, I knew clearly, without a doubt, that I was now meant to really serve women, to serve my sisters, to utilize all of my gifts in support of women rising together in remembrance of themselves, of their power of the goddess.

 

It was really through my experience with her, then, that she was like, "All right, you've done enough of serving in the Ashram and doing this certain work in your life. Now it's time to go do this." My time at her Ashram has been less and less and less, since then, because I feel as she does with so many of her children, is say, "Okay, now it's time to go and fulfill this mission. This is why you're here." In that way I feel like we're, as woman, I feel that are committed to awakening on the path and serving in leadership, that we are essentially all working for the Queen Bee, that Queen Bee of the goddess, of the mother. We're really all under her divine wings that are here for the same purpose and utilizing our gifts to serve that purpose, to walk our purpose.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. Our work can really reach new levels when we approach it from that place. Honestly, just really wanting to give and to serve and watch, to be of help to other people in their path. I can just think of that shift when I became a yoga teacher. It was that first big shift of, "Wow." At first I thought I was going to this training to do something for myself, and to learn. Then, suddenly it's like that shift into, "No, there are actually really a lot of people who need this right now, and if I can just be a vehicle of that."

 

Achintya Devi:

I love that. I really feel that it's this constant place of always being a student of life and serving and teaching and leading, that we really can't have that leadership without continually being a student, of having that attitude of humility and the welcoming in of the next level of what we can expand or what we can deepen into, what we can learn. We're human and we are constantly having the opportunity to come to another place of embodiment within our own selves to be able to share that with others. That's my experience, anyways.

 

Meredith Rom:

I agree. I'm curious what you were holding in your heart, in particular, this recent time being with Alma. Any wisdom or insights that came to you from just this past visit?

 

Achintya Devi:

This is something. I feel this Autumn has been a huge time of great impact, where there's so much uncertainty in the collective and there's a lot of celebration and there's a lot of empowerment and there's a lot to be grateful for, and simultaneously there is a great uncertainty in the unknown in the direction of our planet. Some of this was brought forth, I guess, for me and my heart, it was many things. One of them being in my commitment to serve and to serve out of love and to truly share teachings and wisdom and embodiment for women to rise in the empowerment of their selves, and really informed by the rhythms of the moon, the power that lies within the wisdom of the womb, and to really be connected to the earth and leading from this place.

 

I took it upon myself to really have one of my intentions to have some of this time be for me to fill up. I am holding deep space for a lot of women at this point in my journey and I know that for me it's really important to be able to just surrender to the goddess and be her daughter and to just be in her presence. That was, I was saying, part of filling up my well. Also, at the same time, is really this place from the perspective of being committed to this path for my own self, and being a priestess on this path of serving love and serving the goddess and walking in a way that I can be of best service. I have had the inquiries and the holding of the collective in my heart of feeling how, with the recent elections, and all that's happening at Standing Rock, as two of our most strong events that have taken place recently, that this place of the future and how do we move forward in this unknown and where there's a lot of collective fear.

 

One of the things that took place is that that was actually vocalized by a dear brother of mine in his questions. Alma's response was really profound. It really was so simplified by this story, which I think is just we can all relate to. I think that's what's so powerful about Alma is that she shares these stories in which we can all relate to to learn through them, where there was two boys in a pool and there was no lifeguard. One of them didn't know that he could swim. He started to drown, but he didn't have any fear. The other boy that was there said, "Aren't you scared? You're about to drown." He said, "No, I'm not scared because I know that my mother's here with me."

 

I felt like the whole room just had this sigh of understanding that even in these times where we feel like we're drowning or we feel despair for the collective, for our own selves, for what is out of our control, that when we have faith, when we have the great mother, when we have God, when we have Goddess, when we understand, or feel, more importantly, feel that we are actually being guided by spirit and that we aren't alone that the fear dissipates. For me, this isn't to say that we don't act. This isn't to say that we just give that responsibility over to the divine and we don't do anything. It's that it's informing how we act and how we serve, knowing that, at least for me I can say that I know that there is a grander purpose.

 

I believe that all that's happening right now on the planet is happening in divine order, even though I don't like a lot of what I'm seeing. I understand that it's a part of the shadows that have been hidden away that are now coming to such a great light for us to no longer hide them, but for us to really see them, so that we can take action for healing or for peace, or for justice. I'm seeing that. I'm seeing that with our collective coming together at Standing Rock and around the world, to make a difference and say, "No longer are we going to stand for our native peoples of this land and lands all around the world to be perpetrated in this way. No longer are we willing to allow for the pollution of our waters. No longer are we allowing for corporate greed." In this larger sphere, I see how this is the Kali Yuga. Kali, being the goddess that is taking out her sword to cut away the ego.

 

Part of that is for it to be exposed. We have this opportunity, I feel, to do this beautiful and often can be challenging, inquiry, of like, "Where have we perpetrated? Where have we been disrespectful to the earth? Where can we be accountable for our own selves and move forward from there?" The other piece being that, which I have felt for years and years, and I feel like it's finally there's more of us, I feel, who are seeing this and believing this too, or experiencing that, this trust in the government, speaking of apparent leadership. Yes, there are incredible things about the governments around the world, and there are ways in which clearly we can see that the way that they currently are in bed with larger corporations are truly destroying the earth because they have their bottom line of top dollar over the preservation of mother earth and all of her peoples.

 

It feels this incredible time right now where we're all rising and calling bullshit on the things that are the lies that we've been fed for so long. To say, "Nobody else is going to lead us out of this but ourselves," and truly that we are the ones we've been waiting for. There is no one here that we can just be our savior. It's like, "No, it's time to mobilize on mass, together, to make a shift." That's why I believe those that are listening right now and those that are our in our spheres of people that we connect with have a similar resonance with this. We recognize that we are all here to serve as change agents, as change makers, to truly catalyze this shift and be the solutions and to implement these in the world, from the inside out. Okay, that was lengthy, but there you go.

 

Meredith Rom:

Wow. It's so powerful and such, just potent wisdom that is really needed at this time. Wow. I'm just thinking about all this, and you holding this space. I'm curious, did you always feel this calling? Growing up and coming in to more of your power and holding that space, what did it look like for you? Was there a moment of awakening? Was it always a part of you? I'm curious around that aspect of your journey.

 

Achintya Devi:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, I feel like it's both. I feel like for us to have come into this world choosing the family that is on the spectrum, pretty much on the path of awakening and a really loving family, large family. Not necessarily like my nuclear family, but my greater family who I'm really close with. I feel like I have had great support from my family from a very young age, which has truly made a huge impact for me. Of course, we all have chosen our challenges to catalyze us through different rights of passages to bring forth our strength, for us to see ourselves, and in these times of great challenge to forge ahead. I've definitely had a few of those, for sure.

 

One of them being in my early twenties where I was experiencing severe menstrual cramping, which I relate to. This is sort of two-fold, which is really interesting to think about the earth right now, what we're speaking about of leadership and the earth's resources, and how our bodies are representations of the earth as well and how there's pollution to the earth and how there has been pollution to our bodies. I was preparing to go for a journey to Ecuador and Peru and I was on the fence about getting certain inoculations, which I ended up doing, and really was a poisoning of my body.

 

That effected me in great ways. I had severe menstrual cramping for years. Shortly after that, and also really intense acne. Those two things really were great teachers for me. I see this now, it's like how we take in the poison, that of the snake's poison, or being the medicine ... Wait, I'm going to reframe that. Having the medicine of the serpent, like taking poison and transmuting it into something else. Which, is gold. Transmuting it into gold, to a gift. This is definitely part of what I can see now that really assisted my journey into being in the leadership that I'm in now and the empowerment that I'm in now, from that. I had no idea at the time that those inoculations were vaccines. They were rabies shots, actually, among other things that were going to really alter my body in significant ways.

 

The cramping really was so intense for me that I had to journey deep, deep, within. It's like going into the deep underworld of pain and of apparent separation, and to the places where I then understood and felt the greater, global cramp, the cramping of how women are really manipulated into feeling disempowered by advertising, by the collective, by society. The ways in which we stuff ourselves away from feeling our pain and our anger and our emotions. All of these greater epidemics that I see on the planet of how women are challenged and are struggling, I experienced through this great physical pain in my early twenties. That really catalyzed me into the deepening of the blood mysteries and healing and my lineage and of both blood and the cosmic lineages, and always have felt this understanding of walking the path of the priestess that I felt since a very young age where I started to feel like this is the deepening of that. Sort of didn't understand at the time where it was going to lead.

 

It was sort of like following those bread crumbs of the great mystery. The second part being, having really intense acne at a young age, or not a young age. This is the thing is I had it later in life because of the rabies shots in my body completely reacting and trying to get this poison out of me. That was extremely challenging to have to then go into deep vow to myself to be completely authentic from my heart without judging or criticizing the way that I looked, that I didn't like the way that I looked. I think that that's truly another epidemic that's on this planet. I think most women on the planet, in some way, don't like something about them. They can easily say, "I don't like my thighs, I don't like my eyebrows, I don't like this." Depending on how deep that is or how ingrained that is, can be so detrimental to our precious hearts, to us as women and as human beings.

 

That really was a great catalyst for me to be able to have deep self love and compassion. Those are definitely a couple things that come to mind in relation to this greater conversation that were sort of my underworld journeys and to rise from that. This is something each and every one of us have. We each have something no matter how much grace and love is in our lives. We've chosen to have certain challenges to bring us into greater remembrance and reclamation of ourselves and what our dharma is in the world, how we are chosen or how we choose, to then serve. To take that poison and offer it now as gold.

 

I feel like I've come greatly full circle and risen from that to be able to really be in this space to catalyze.

 

Meredith Rom:

A lot of my work is around connecting that self love, to allow ourselves to just be exactly as we are and to go deeper into that self love. I'd love to hear just a little of how you began to connect to that self love. For anyone that may be listening that is going through a challenge or a hard time or a difficult relationship to their body, what do you have to offer for them? What wisdom do you have to share around that?

 

Achintya Devi:

Isn't that just like the whole journey of this life, right? That's a really powerful question. I really feel that everyone's deep journey with this is so unique and different. Yet, at the same time it's so interwoven because when we come down to our innate nature as human beings, spirit living inside this body, our nature is love. That is who we are. Whatever ways have come forth on each of our paths that have challenged us are, in a way, truly the the things that test us to still come home to the love within ourselves. I know that there are so many of us on the planet that have ... Everyone has experienced pain on some level. For some of us, it's been more traumatic than others. I feel it really is the pain and the joy or the pain and the love, or the fear and the love, are truly all just two sides of the same coin.

 

There's such an opportunity to have this lens to integrate because when you're experiencing really deep pain or a continual chronic, negative, self talk and beliefs that are really pulling you towards fear and away from love, when there is at least some sort of recognition of this and the choice that we all need to make. I think this is the wisdom piece. Nobody can do this except for yourself. It's to say, "I'm going to choose something else." Then, when that is there, when there's that moment of really empowered choice, it's been my experience, and I've witnessed so many women as well, where there's this opening to go deeper into the pain. When we go deeper into the pain and fully feel it for what it is, then naturally it shifts. There is truly, I feel, it is the doorway to the things that we feel in our lives that are uncomfortable or that are painful or that are super challenging. We've been so conditioned to turn away from them that it's not pleasurable. It doesn't feel good.

 

It's really the medicine of that pain to actually walk towards it, or the fear, and walk towards it. If we keep turning away from it it's going to keep perpetuating in our lives and the same patterns are going to be repeating themselves and this endless cycle, like a hamster wheel, of some sort of level of dissatisfaction or continued chronic fear, or self doubt, and on and on, and on and on. When we really can look that challenge in the mirror, if it is anxiety or if that is feeling scared or beliefs of not being good enough, or whatever that is, it's truly that part of the pain when fully felt through the body, something shifts. Energetically, in our DNA, in our brain structure, in our cells, and truly in our hearts. Recognize, "There's actually a deeper truth that lies underneath this."

 

For every person, that's going to be slightly different. Yet, at the same time, it's, "Yes, I am love. I am the embodiment of love. I am not separate from God, Goddess. I am not separate from the spirit. I am not separate from my fellow human beings on this planet." There's such this incredible healing and opportunity that arises from this. It's my belief that it's so important for us to continually in our lives walk towards what feels uncomfortable because there's truly medicine that is there for each and every one of us. Deep insight and powerful revelation that can only be had when we do turn to face that.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yes. It's so true. This makes me think of two things. One is that I'm about to go into a 10 day Vipassana meditation course.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yes. 10 days of silence. 10 hours a day of meditation. I've done it once before a few years ago and it's potent medicine. Everything comes up from the pain in the body to some tense, past emotional pains. The practice is about becoming the witness to it all. Not being in a place of aversion or craving, but rather just watching it and letting it be, feeling it, going deeper into it and watching that it isn't permanent and there is something that it transforms into.

 

Achintya Devi:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

 

Meredith Rom:

The other thing that reminded me, I just went to a hot springs and there is the cold plunge at this hot springs I went to. Orr Hot Springs? Maybe you've been there?

 

Achintya Devi:

Yes, many times. I used to live near there.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. Yeah. The whole time I was avoiding the cold plunge. At first I was like, "No way. No way. I'm not going near the cold water. Can we go in the hot water, get really cozy in here?" At the same time, every time I got out of the hot water I would just be so cold and it was really uncomfortable. As soon as I was like, "I'm going to go for the cold plunge." I just went for it. I got out and I felt invincible. I felt like my body [inaudible 00:40:54] myself up and suddenly I could stand in the cold air because I was willing to go deep into that cold water.

 

Achintya Devi:

Yes. Oh my gosh, I love that because what the cold does is it pushes the heat in you. In that same way, it's like, when I go into my resistances, as I go into my aversions, it actually pushes the truth and the love back into me. Yeah, that's powerful. I love that and I love Orr. I love that place.

 

Meredith Rom:

It is such good wisdom. I'd love to hear your insight and take on what is happening right now in the world and what is happening with women and coming into their power and this idea around Goddess Rising and what is happening with women right now.

 

Achintya Devi:

Right to the core. Here we go. Yeah, wow. The great Goddess Kali comes direct in this moment. For those of you that are listening, I know that you have either heard about Kali, this goddess, and if you haven't, definitely read up about her. We're embodying her right now. We're actually in, in the great cycles of time, and we have the cycles of the moon and the cycles of the sun and the cycle of the seasons and these greater cycles of time. We are in this great Kali Yuga. Kali is a goddess who is about destruction. She is here coming forth onto the planet in her essence, rising through us, as women, to destroy our egos, to destroy all that is keeping us from our power.

 

Kali is this goddess, when you look at her and how she's depicted with the skulls around her neck and she's slaying all these demos with her sword. She looks super fierce and scary from the outside, but from the inside she has the biggest heart and is the great mother in the form of this incredible compassion. She loves her children and us so much that she comes forth to strip away, to cut away, anything that is truly not serving to be on our path, that is not serving our upliftment, that is really here to destroy the beliefs that we carry, that we have been taught, that we've been conditioned, into that keep us in patriarchal subservience, that keep us from loving each other, that keep us from uniting as sisters, as brothers and sisters, as a family on this planet.

 

All of this destruction that we see that's taking place all around us in Aleppo right now, at Standing Rock, as the earth has been raped and is being raped, that is being pillaged out of greed and out of fear. This is where Kali comes to the earth and is like, "I am here to cut all of this fucking bullshit away to realize and recognize who you truly are and what is really important." All of that, which I see around, that's taking place on the planet, and all that can be challenging to look at, I believe does serve this greater picture and this greater dance that we're in that can be so hard for us, for women that are on this path right now of awakening to their power. It's like, "Okay, what is power?" When we look around and we see big corporations and the governments that claim to be of service and of power, that's actually not power. That's manipulation and control. This is where Kali comes to cut this away.

 

She's putting this all in our face so that we can make that choice and say, "I want to choose another way. I know there is another way." It's like, everything that's happening on the outside is truly what's happening on the inside of our global human consciousness that we're all connected with. The feelings that we may feel that are anger and sadness and despair and grief and maybe start crying out of nowhere, we, as women, we feel and we are true and we are intuitive, we are made of water. The same water that runs around the globe that is being polluted, and the pollution that's inside of us that's now getting extracted, it's like, we are tapping into, not only our own personal story and how that weaves with a larger collective, but we're tuning into the transpersonal, where sometimes it can get a little murky. We're like, "Is this mine or is this that of the collective?"

 

We're all connected, I think that that's another piece that we get to really refine ourselves and our own boundaries and say, "That's something else, but yet I'm feeling it." That's because we are midwives and we are midwifing. We're midwifing the [inaudible 00:47:43] the planet. I know that this is truly why we are gathering together as women, that we're not only just midwifing love back to the planet but we're midwifing the return of the divine feminine of the goddess to come and unite with the masculine and where the masculine is going through its own rebirth, in men and in women. The goddess, there is so many specific goddesses from countless cultures and places on this beautiful earth. In essence, the goddess, the divine feminine, has been repressed, has been shamed, has been hidden. At the same time, she's chosen to go underground for some time and now she's choosing because it is time to return. She doesn't return just outside of us, she's coming through us.

 

Kali is pushing out all that that is within us that is keeping us from truly being in freedom and being in our sovereignty and being in our divinity and being in our unity and this is the journey of the modern woman right now that no longer can ... We live our lives just for ourselves but that we're living this life in remembrance of truly what it means to be a human being to serve on the planet, to live our dreams and make the necessary steps to offer what we can and our gifts to work and to change the world for truly how we wish to live, for ourselves and for our future generations. This is no joke. This is why we're here.

 

I feel I could go on and on, and it truly feels like it's like this is why I do the work that I do. I feel that for so many other women, but just speaking for myself in this moment, it's like this is why I choose to get on the computer every day to show up, to be accountable, to act with integrity, to truly be the best that I can be in devotion to love and service, to midwife, Goddess Rising again on the planet, in her true, powerful, beautiful essence, that is really the nature of each and every woman on this planet and encompasses all beings.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah.

 

Achintya Devi:

Thanks for bringing that forth Meredith.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. I'm going to breathe that in. It makes me think about how, because Kali is wild and messy.

 

Achintya Devi:

Yeah.

 

Meredith Rom:

Transformational. It's not all always going to be easy. There are going to be some real things we have to face within ourselves and around fully stepping into power and our greatness and of being that high lights and beacons to be of service. I imagine for you, I imagine connecting deeply to this why and connecting to what it is that you are really here to do and why you're here to do it. It has helped you to work through fears and challenges and doubts that come up along the way. I wondered if you could speak directly to imagining there is a woman out there right now, and I know are many of them who are doubting themselves in stepping into their power, what you would say to her. What you would say to those women?

 

Achintya Devi:

That we really need you right now. That the gifts that you were born with, the gifts that you may have repressed or have said goodbye to a long time ago, that which has really given you great joy and pleasure as a young child, the talents that you have, the ways of being that truly are the essence of uniquely who you are, we need that right now. Every single one of us is like a snowflake that is completely unique. If we imagine in the same way that there's this grand tapestry that's being woven right now, and each and every one of us has a specific color or energy or frequency to creating that tapestry, it's going to be incomplete without your threat. I really invite you to trust and to open to the great potential and possibility that your presence matters, that your gifts do make a difference. These voices, like, "Who? Me? It's just this," and how we can put ourselves down in that way.

 

If you are feeling this right now, just really inviting that invitation that on a really deep level that you chose to come to this earth for a reason. You are holding a particular frequency that, yes, there actually is medicine for someone for something. It's so helpful sometimes to understand that or feel that because when we, as women, offer ourselves in service, there's a bigger draw where we have our purpose. I believe that this self doubt from this place of being scared to step into your power is also an invitation to really redefine what power is for you. Power isn't control and power isn't always leading in a particular way. Power is not domination. I know that in these feelings, like scared of being seen. Scared of being seen and feelings of rejection or what are people going to say because I don't want to feel what I felt before when I felt pain in this way.

 

At this time, it's like, there is no more time, in a way. It's like now is the time to make that choice of mustering that deep love, the essence that's really inside of you and trusting that and saying yes to that, because that is your power. That power is the thread that we need in this great tapestry. I ask of you to take a step in this next week, whenever you're listening to this. To take a step in this next week to do something that scares you, to do something that's going to challenge your courage and to take a baby step on that razor's edge. There's a lot of, I believe, that is coming for us on this planet, so much that maybe you really unexpected and it's already here. At the same time, we really need each other. We need each other's gifts and we need each other's support and we need to be fully present with each other.

 

It's my request to you, as a sister on this planet, for you to take that step and to take your place into this great orchestra and this great sisterhood that has been coming to the planet for however long and that we've been together for lifetimes. We're remembering each other once again. We need you. We need each other. That is my request, and knowing that you're totally supported and that you do have women around this globe that are walking this path with you alongside of you. Some in front of you, some behind you, to assist each other as we all really are here to catalyze remembrance with each other and to uplift one another and rise together. That is this other aspect of the goddess that's rising. She's rising through our sisterhood to truly remember what that is so that we can unite and move away from separation and competition and jealousy and come into celebration and come into collaboration and honoring of one another.

 

This is a place that I would love to meet you in.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yes. Yes. I wondered if you could share a fear that you have faced recently? Anything that you have overcome or worked through or been really loving to yourself with? What has that been like? What have you learned? How did you do it?

 

Achintya Devi:

That's a really good question. I can't think of something that's super recent, but I could say in this last chapter of my life, or I guess it feels like more chapters now. I think this is something that a lot of women can relate to also, you may have experienced. It was, I don't even know how many years ago now. I just feel like this is what's coming through. It was this fear or challenge of letting go of a relationship that lasted and lingered for quite some time. Actually, in hindsight, was my final saying no to that and saying yes to myself was truly what catapulted me forth into creating Goddess Rising Sisterhood and our Mystery School. That's a really powerful piece for me on my path. I would say that I really had challenge of saying goodbye. I'm like, "Okay," because I want to work through this  challenge or to truly be in this catalyzation of creating another way of being together.

 

After quite some time of these challenges of looking at my own fear of the future. Okay, what's this going to look like if I leave and everything coming up of full spectrum of leaving the home, not having anything, really detaching fully and listening. Really, through this, it's like listening to my deep intuition, listening to my voice. It's time to go. It's time to complete. I am cutting these chords. It's time to say goodbye. It's time to move forward, and doing that. When I did I had a transition time of actually being a hospice for my dear angel dog, spirit guide, passed him on to the other side. Then, I moved to Maui. It was this great call that I had received, truly from the goddess, very specifically to come to Maui. Everything really has, from that time, catalyzed into my deeper sense of purpose and my deeper path of service and as priestess and deeper alignment with relationship.

 

Now I am living with, and just bought a home with, truly the king of my dreams. He is freaking amazing. He is truly my beloved and my best friend. It's something that I have felt. I had desired and wanted since a very young age, knowing that there was someone that I really, truly, was meant to be in this life with in that way. It's happening now. That's happening from me having the courage to be like, "No. I am saying no to this and I'm saying yes to this." I'm really following my heart and I'm following the guidance that I'm receiving from within myself. I think that that is a continual test for all of us, as women. It's like, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years ago when we were trained to really be exercising our intuition and our gifts in this way, it was a lot easier to navigate. We're dealing with so much in this modern world that challenges us to be in our heads all the time and not so much in our bodies and in our intuition.

 

We're constantly needing to tune into our truth and our intuition in this way, to really listen to what's there, because that is our compass. That is our guide. That is the goddess living inside of us. This is our soul guiding us inside. I think that that really comes down to this great learning and this opportunity to constantly be tuning within to listen and no seeking the answers outside of ourselves. When we do that, that we are truly guided and that we're guided into living our dreams. I was guided into being here and walking the sacred path, right now, in this particular way. Yeah, that's what comes up right now when I think about that and the importance really of saying yes to the voice and the feelings, the gut intuition that lies inside of us.

 

Meredith Rom:

Following your heart, and from that place you had to take the leap. You had to really trust in the universe that your next step was going to lead you into something even greater than you could have ever imagined.

 

Achintya Devi:

Yeah, absolutely. On an emotional level, on a financial level, on a spirit level, in every way. It's like, "Okay, here we go. Here come the wings as I leap." We each have to take that leap. That truly, it's called the leap of faith for a reason. We've got to change that. That's when the wings sprout.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yes. Such amazing work and wisdom that you've done and that you've shared. I wondered what you were excited about in your business, now? What is happening for you and if there is anything offerings, things that you're doing now, that you'd like to share with the women listening?

 

Achintya Devi:

I really, first and foremost, want to share that we welcome any woman here to come into this deeper recognition of her own power to the power of our body and the power of our cycles. There is a free moon charting map that I invite all women to have by their bedside table to be charting and to have this be a sacred ritual to do once a day or once every couple days besides your bed, to get to know your rhythms, get to know your body and the way that it connects with the moon phases and your emotions and your sexual cycles. It's truly, I feel, this 101 of the modern woman right now. It's coming home to, "What are my cycles?" How our power comes from that. It is cyclical. That's what I'm super passionate about is this cyclical power that we have as women.

 

You can download that for free on the website. We have free rituals for you to come to at the High Holy Days on the wheel of the year to celebrate your connection with the earth and sisterhood and your own journey of empowerment and awakening and healing. Those are just really heart offerings for any woman at any time. In terms of going deeper with the mystery school and things that require tuition, we are about to ... I think we're doing this in February, right? This is a February?

 

Meredith Rom:

I'm feeling pretty inspired to share it sooner.

 

Achintya Devi:

Okay. Whenever this is going out, just stay connected. There's two things for 2017. It's all timeless. We're beginning the next year of our Moon Sisters Temple. That is truly a global Moon Sisters Temple that's a membership for you to step into a quarter or step into as long as you want, leave whenever you want. It's truly a temple space of living by the moon. It's like your living guide to what is happening in the cosmos and bringing this down to earth and how this is impacting us. Really, it's an invitation to join in global moon rituals to truly be in a reawakening of and remembrance of and empowerment of your feminine wisdom for your life, for your love and for your leadership. 2017 is lunar power for us to recreate as the revolutionary, for us to join as the priestess and for us to step into the reawakening as the medicine woman. That's what's in store for the first quarter of January, or of 2017, which is January, February and March.

 

Then, in February, my dear, beloved, priestess sister, Joanne Ameya Cohen, her and I, are going to offer our fourth round of our Priestesses of the Moon initiation training and Goddess Rising Moon Temple facilitation training. This is really a next level deepening into the moon mysteries and the womanly arts and for all the women that wish to bring this power and wisdom of the moon into their communities to be a part of our Goddess Rising Moon Temple collective. Our next facilitation training is happening in 2017. Priestess of the Moon is the first step that's required before that training. It feels like a really big year. I'm excited because I can feel the momentum of us, as a sisterhood rising, and how when each and every woman who feels this call to deepen into her power, there is this innate connection to our hearts, to the moon, to nature, to rhythm, where we realize that we're really not separate from that.

 

Let's remember all of these cycles that live inside of us and how we get to, then, embody all of these different phases for our lives, to live our dreams for our own love and all of our relationships, and to truly rise in our leadership. That's what we're being asked to do as a global sisterhood. I see it. I see it all around me. I see it within you, Meredith. I see it within our mutual web of women entrepreneurs and sisters and I'm seeing it around the world. This is what I'm offering for 2017 and truly welcome you to jump on in because it is time for us to rise. It's time for us to shine and to do so from a place of being really nourished and feeling really howled and supported.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah. I'd like to express my gratitude for you being here today and sharing with us. I wondered if you would do the honors of sharing a closing prayer?

 

Achintya Devi:

Thank you. I want to really honor you, Meredith. Thank you for holding this space and for guiding me into some potent questions to journey into, really in service for our sisters. Feeling the sacred space and the power and the seat that you're holding, I really appreciate you.

 

Meredith Rom:

Yeah.

 

Achintya Devi:

Yeah. Okay. Let us close all together. I would love to invite you to place a hand upon your own heart and a hand upon your womb space. To give yourself three deep breaths. As you feel this heart beat underneath your hand, this rise and fall of your womb space of your belly with your breath, for you to know and to feel in this moment that that is the beating of the one heart, the one pulse of life that is here holding and supporting you. That is the heartbeat of the goddess. That is the heartbeat of love. As you feel the rise and the fall of your womb space, your belly, that you offer into this belly, this womb, this portal of your creation, this true center of your creative power, for you to plant in a quality or a desire of how you wish to feel in these coming cycles that are changing into this new year. To plant in, maybe that's courage. Maybe that's self nourishment. Maybe it's connection.

 

Maybe it's completion or boundaries. Whatever, right now, from this conversation, from this transmission, that you feel you could really need or that you could use or what would feel like medicine for you to plant that into your womb space. As we do this all together, no matter when you're listening, because animals of time are truly seamless, that we honor all that we're each planting in this sacred womb, this deep web, where we're all connected. Where we meet to celebrate, to witness, to affirm, and support all of the medicine in which we need. To know that it is in its own timing, coming forth, and for you to receive that as a blessing. To feel the love that's coming from your heart, breathing that in and giving that to your womb. To that intention, whatever medicine that is, that you need, that you water it with a deep breath of your love.

 

From the heart space that is generating this, for you to feel this flame of true connection here in this one heart, as well. The truth that lives here, that your voice matters, that your presence matters, that you are valued, that you are supported and you rest in to the rhythms of your body when you rest into the earth, when you rest into the goddess, that you are truly howled and supported. From this place of support, asking you to take your next steps to truly rise and the incredible woman that you are and the goddess within her. I would love to close, to seal this all up with a mantra that I know you know too, Meredith, if you want to sing it with me. The mantra of , and in this way, this ancient sand script prayer, that I first heard years and years ago from Alma, that we extend out our heart for all being and all the worlds to be happy and at peace. That our presence and our actions can attribute to this. We can do one ohm and chant it three times.

 

I'm inviting you, if you know this, to chant with us as we truly are connected to all of creation and offer this transmission and this conversation and this podcast to benefit all sentient beings. May this be support for that.

 

Inhaling. Exhaling. Inhale for the prayer to close.

 


 

 

Peace, peace, peace, within and all around. Where the reverberations and all of the soundings we offer this. Thank you for your listening sisters and joining us in this sacred time with your presence. I'm so honored to be here with you, Meredith. Thank you so much. I'm handing it back to you.

 

Meredith Rom:

Thank you Achintya. I'm going to just bring my hands to my heart and bow in gratitude. Namaste.

 

Achintya Devi:

Namaste.

 

Honoring 5 Years with 5 Tips to Thrive in Love & Relationships

 

Five years ago I reconnected with a man I once felt divine love with.  It was at Amma’s ashram in San Ramon, California.  It was just months after I returned from India and was finding my footing living in the Bay Area again.  I went to Amma’s that night, excited to re-immerse myself in the energy of India. 

I had spent the last year and a half in a deep inner transformation, becoming a yoga teacher, attending meditation retreats, visiting spiritual teachers across India, and learning powerful lessons from another experience of love in my life.  When my previous relationship ended, I realized I was okay, having found a deep love within and for myself through my spiritual inquiry.  

I showed up at Amma’s, to pay my respects for all I had learned and to pray for this new phase of my life.  I happened to walk up to the temple at just the exact moment Amma was about to arrive.  Everyone around me was dressed in white, praying and waiting in silence.  

In a moment, a white car pulled up and the door opened for Amma.  She walked through the entrance smiling and waving at people as she walked inside.  Just as she passed, I locked eyes with a familiar face on the other side of the aisle.  

It was a man I had met a year and a half before, before I went to India, before I had become a yoga teacher, before I had done this deep inner work.  His name was Michael.

I met him when I was first living in San Francisco when my housemate, a musician, invited me to join a music-walking tour he was a part of through the Marin Headlands and up to Point Reyes.  The musicians had planned an acoustic folk show for every night along the way and were going to hike on the Pacific Coast Trail and camp between shows.  All the musicians met at the Golden Gate Bridge, where I first met Michael.

But back to that moment at Amma’s, I immediately recognized him and remembered the love I had felt for him long before, standing above the Pacific ocean on the Golden Gate Bridge.  That moment of recognition quickly dissolved as Amma began to speak, guiding the group through a meditation.  Afterwards, I went over to Michael and gave him a hug. 

“You were the first person to tell me about Amma,” he said.  “I spontaneously said yes to an invitation to come here this evening…”

It’s been five years since that night and Michael and I are still together. This past year in particular has brought about huge transformation within myself and within my relationship, so I wanted to honor this milestone by sharing a few of the lessons I’ve learned over the past five years of falling deeper in love…

1. Be Honest and Transparent

Honesty establishes trust. 

I remember attempting to string together lies when I was younger, and it just never ever panned out the way I wanted it to.  I quickly learned honesty was the only answer, and that even if honesty was sometimes hard, I could always find a way to be honest at the same time as being compassionate and loving.

Honesty is about speaking the truth when you are asked, and transparency takes honesty a step further.  Transparency is when you speak the truth even when you are not asked.  Imagine something comes up that involves you and your partner, and you are holding on to feelings or emotions...

Transparency is when you speak up right away and get to the heart of the matter rather than holding it in and keeping it to yourself.

In order to be transparent we need to feel safe.  We need to create a space of non-judgement for our partner and ask that they hold that space for us as well.

An example where Michael and I have found ourselves to be more transparent in the last year, is if one of us feels attraction with someone else.  In the past it felt scary to speak of it, it felt like it needed to be some big secret we could never tell the other, but now, we just name it.  We allow there to be non-judgement.  We bring humor to it.  We remind each other we are human, and we are safe with each other and our experience is completely valid.  

We have even supported each other to explore those attractions, and spend time with the person we feel attraction with.  What I have found in those instances is that attraction does not necessarily need to go in a sexual direction.  Oftentimes there is an attraction when we have medicine and lessons to learn through spending time with that person.  Giving myself permission to explore those attractions has only deepened the love I have for my partner.

I realize now that there is nothing I could share with Michael that would cause me to lose love. 

Finding that sense of security and trust has been so healing.  Holding that space for him has deepened my ability to love unconditionally and provide a space of healing for him as well.

2. Communicate

You know how sometimes you can just tell your partner is upset about something but they are being all quiet about it?  You ask what’s going on, but they just shrug it off as nothing?  You then begin to feel distance, wondering if you did something wrong, unsure of how to re-establish a space of love and connection again?

I’m going to teach you the exercise that has literally saved my relationship, countless times in this exact situation.  It’s called Acknowledgment and Request.  I first learned about it in the book Kindred Spirit by Matthew and Terces Engelhart (some of you may know them as the founders of Cafe Gratitude).

Simply ask, “Is there anything you want to be acknowledged for?”  Allow your partner to speak, and do the best you can to be present and aware in your listening.  When he or she finishes ask, “Is there anything else?” 

Keep asking, “Is there anything else,” while intently listening and doing the best you can to remember each thing.  Now, it’s also important not to react or reply to what your partner is saying.  Simply give them the space to speak and have the floor.  When he or she is complete, lovingly repeat back each and every thing that was said, acknowledging him or her for it. 

When that is complete ask, “Do you have any requests?” Do the same thing - asking, if there is anything else after each request.  When the requests are complete, repeat back each one, sharing that you would like to honor those requests to your best ability.  

Sometimes it makes sense for both partners to have the floor to be acknowledged, and sometimes it makes sense for just one of us. 

Every time I have used this exercise, it has felt like we are starting fresh again with a clean slate.  it has allowed us to create a container of safety and honesty to let go of all the stories and illusions we may have been carrying and fully see each other with love again.  It has helped us to fully let go of and forgive, without the need to hold on to past upsets.  

To have a more in-depth, step by step guide of how this process it works, read my article here.

3. Create Layers of Support

A year ago I had a rude wake up call when my partner was away for two weeks and I realized how much I had been relying on him for support in my life.  

One of my friends Kevin shared, "If you're only relying on one person in your life, it's like you're standing on top of a flagpole.  That's a lot of pressure on one person, especially if his or her life is calling him or her to be elsewhere." 

I imagined myself standing on top of a flagpole, shaky and worried of falling.

He continued, "However, if you become like a spider, with many legs supporting you, it's okay if one of them takes a break.  You still have seven other legs to lean on." 

When you are supported in all directions, your weight is evenly distributed.  It is so much healthier.

I think it's really easy to get swept up in relying on just one person for our emotional, physical and mental needs. However, when we create more structures of support through friendships, therapy, coaching, healers, and especially in community, we can really thrive.

Over the past year, I brought awareness to becoming the spider and creating layers of support so my weight would always be easily distributed.  

This year, when my partner went away for the same retreat for two weeks, I felt infinitely supported. 

My days were full with connection and love.  I realized how much I had transformed over the past year, and how my ability to receive support created a deeper sense of freedom and independence within the relationship.

4. Find Intimacy Outside the Relationship

Are you finding intimacy with yourself?

Do you find intimacy in your friendships? 

Or do you wait to experience intimacy solely in one relationship?

It’s a lot of pressure to expect to receive all the love and intimacy we want in our lives through just one person.  This past year I’ve looked at where I am giving and receiving intimacy in my life and have experimented with deepening intimacy outside of my relationship.

The first place I looked was with myself.  I found when I could experience a deeper sense of intimacy with myself, it always improved the relationship.  This is where my practices of self-love came in - taking long bubble baths, massaging fine oils into my skin, repeating loving affirmations while I brush my teeth, keeping up with my yoga practice and making a delicious and healthy meals for myself, even if I’m eating alone… (For more self-love & self-care tips download my 4-day self-care reset here)

I also began to bring intimacy into my friendships.  I brought gifts.  I asked deeper and more intimate questions.  I shared loving touch, essential oils, sometimes brought flowers or chocolate.  

Finding intimacy outside of the relationship this past year for both of us has deepened the intimacy within our relationship.  

When I am feeling filled up, I am able to be so much more generous and offer that love to my partner.  However, if I show up depleted and expect my partner to give me that feeling of wholeness, it’s just not going to work.

Love is so much about generosity and our ability to give, and it takes us showing up as our best selves in the relationship, not just expecting the relationship to give that to us.

5. Share Appreciation, Everyday

After reading the book, Calling in the One by Katherine Woodward Thomas, I decided to try out one of her exercises of writing a letter to God, or the Universe.  

The idea goes that you write about all your challenges in a letter to God and sign it, “Sincerely, your name.”  Then turn the page and begin a new letter, this time from God to you.  

I tried out this exercise once when I was feeling some challenge in the area of relationship, and one of the things “God” or really, my higher self wrote back to me was to share what I appreciated about Michael with him every day.  

The task immediately took me out of a feeling of lack and brought light to all that was wonderful about this person in my life. 

I don’t think our minds are naturally looking for all the good in our lives and what we appreciate.  It just took a bit of awareness and training in order to switch my mindset around to see and appreciate the people in my life, and really, everything in my life.  

If you are looking to create or call in a thriving relationship, I highly recommend checking out Katherine's book, Calling in the One.

Bonus Tip:  Lead by Example

After speaking with my friend Luna Love about how she attracted the love of her life into her world, I felt inspired to add one more bonus tip for you all.  This is especially helpful for those of you ready to call in partnership in your life, but it also works if you are already in relationship.

Write a list of everything you want in your ideal partnership, and what you’d like your ideal partner to be like.  Then look at that list and ask yourself, “Am I embodying every one of these qualities?” 

Relationships are powerful mirrors, and often what we want to see more of in ourselves is what we say we want to see in our partners. 

However, we can take the pressure off our partner to be someone else by simply becoming that ideal partner we want to attract.  That is when we inspire change in those around us and call in the kind of people we want to be surrounded by.

People don’t change because someone wants them to. People change because they are inspired to...

For more on this topic, check out my other post, 6 Secrets to A Fulfilling Love Life.

 

021 | Shakti, Sensuality & Feminine Wisdom with Ashly Rose Wolf of Femme Rising

 

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Hello beautiful sisters,

I have a new podcast episode for you today with goddess Ashly Rose Wolf of Femme Rising.  I have been admiring Ashly's luscious images and designs on her instagram feed for some time now so was *over the moon* excited to sit down with her and ask my questions about shakti, cycle syncing, sensuality and feminine wisdom.  

"You're worth it.  You're so worth it.  We need you to do this work. We need you to show up. We need you to heal. We need you to be yourself. We need you to be authentic and expressive. We need you to share your magic. We need you to heal and save the planet. You're worth it.  You can do it.  We believe in you. And if you need help, we're here, please reach out." ~ Ashly Rose Wolf

Here's what you'll find in today's episode:

  • How to release shame around sexuality and let  go of the "numbing out" that is so prevalent in our culture

  • Tips to tap into your natural, sensual, feminine nature

  • How to access the magic that lives in your hips!  

  • Why sensuality + cycle syncing + shakti are key ingredients for self-love and living an empowered, confident, feminine life

  • Tips on what to eat and how to plan your lifestyle around your body's natural rhythms throughout the month

  • Tuning into the cycles of the moon and how to use that energy to feel empowered around your own natural cycles as a woman

I hope you enjoy today's episode!  If you're traveling you can listen to it on the iTunes podcast app on any iPhone for easy listening.  

Wishing you all lots of rest, self-care, self-love & time to tap into your sensual nature this long holiday weekend... <3 

With love, 
Meredith

MORE ABOUT ASHLEY...

Ashly Rose Wolf is a Women’s Health and Sensuality Coach who helps women reprogram their relationship with their bodies so they can live healthy, sexy, beautiful lives.

Using cycle syncing, sensuality practices, holistic nutrition and an ancient yogic science, Ashly helps women activate their sensual and cyclical wisdom to unlock their full feminine potential.

When she’s not leading the sensual revolution with Femme Rising, you can find her doing sensual yoga, playing outside with her little adventure dog Zuri Girl, soaking up Vitamin Sea and always, always, always stopping to smell the roses!

You can find her on instagram @femme.rising and on her website here.


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Write an iTunes Review For Us Here!

Subscribing on iTunes and writing a review helps increase our visibility to reach more women like you...

TOGETHER WE CAN INSPIRE MORE WOMEN TO LIVE, LOVE AND LEAD FROM THEIR HEART

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  • Follow this link
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020 | Standing Rock & A Message of Hope with Lyla June Johnston

 
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"All Nations Rise" Music Video

When I first watched Lyla June Johnston's music video, "All Nations Rise," it gave me  chills and I felt an immediate calling  to interview her for the Rising Women Leaders podcast.  

Lyla's video  soon went viral on Facebook, with over 1.6 million views, providing a powerful platform for Lyla to share her message of compassion, peace and prayer during turbulent times. 

I spoke with Lyla just days after she returned from Standing Rock last month.   I left this interview feeling filled with so much hope, passion, and devotion to our Mother Earth as well as my own dreams and ambitions.  I hope you will find the same.

Please take the time this week to listen to the  full episode, and I encourage you to share it with your friends.   The time has come for us all  to rise together.

Love, 
Meredith

"What you may think of as failure is actually a success ...because you tried... Creator doesn't want you to be  perfect, Creator just wants you to try."

In this episode Lyla shares:

  • Her experience at Sacred Stone Camp at Standing Rock
  • Her powerful story of overcoming  dark times of drugs, numbing and sexual abuse to find her light and power to be of service in this life
  • About a prayer circle where she received clear messages from her guides
  • The message she has for women who believe they have something powerful to share and give in their lives
  • What we can do to cleanse ourselves of fear
  • The role prayer plays in moving through turbulent times
  • How the Purification Lodge Ceremony has affected her life
  • A closing prayer in her native language

Links in this episode:

Lyla is calling in assistance,  management and administrative support in organizing her performances and speaking opportunities.  If you feel called to learn more, please contact her here.

Lyla June Johnston was raised in Taos, New Mexico and is a descendent of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) lineages. Her personal mission in life is to grow closer to Creator by learning how to love deeper. This prayer has taken her on many journeys and materializes in diverse ways.

She is a student of global cycles of violence that eventually gave rise to The Native American Holocaust and the destruction of many cyclic relationships between human beings and nature. This exploration birthed her passion for revitalizing spiritual relationships with Mother Earth and cultivating spaces for forgiveness and reconciliation to occur between cultural groups. She is a co-founder of The Taos Peace and Reconciliation Council, which works to heal intergenerational trauma and ethnic division in the northern New Mexico. She is a walker within the Nihigaal Bee Iiná Movement, a 1,000-mile prayer walk through Diné Tah (the Navajo homeland) that is exposing the exploitation of Diné land and people by uranium, coal, oil and gas industries. She is the lead organizer of the Black Hill Unity Concert which gathers native and nonnative musicians to pray for the return of guardianship of the Black Hills to the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota nations. She is the also the founder of Regeneration Festival, an annual celebration of children that occurs in 13 countries around the world every September.

In 2012, she graduated with honors from Stanford University with a degree in Environmental Anthropology. During her time there she wrote the award winning papers: Nature and the Supernatural: The Role of Culture and Spirituality in Sustaining Primate Populations in Manu National Park, Peru and Chonos Pom: Ethnic Endemism Among the Winnemem Wintu and the Cultural Impacts of Enlarging Shasta Reservoir. She is a musician, public speaker and internationally recognized performance poet. Lyla June ultimately attributes any achievements to Creator who gave her the tools and resources she uses to serve humanity.

She currently lives in Diné Tah, the Navajo ancestral homeland which spans what is now called New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. She spends her free time learning her engendered mother tongue, planting corn, beans and squash and spending time with elders who retain traditional spiritual and ecological knowledge.

 

019 | The Power of Self-Love with Meredith Rom

 
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On Friday I made an instagram post for the women in my community who I knew were feeling the energies of what is happening at Standing Rock.

As sensitive beings, we can so easily pick up on the emotions in the air around what is happening to our Mother Earth as well as the anger and emotions from the tribes protecting their water.  

I wrote this message as a reminder that we are all doing our part to heal the collective...as I believe how we treat ourselves is a valid place to start in healing our world.   (Scroll to the bottom of this message to read the full post).

And today I have a new podcast for you, on the power of self-love. 

To me, self-love is about knowing how to show up for ourselves when challenges and difficulties arise.  When we create that foundation of self-love, that's when we can live beyond our fears and fully share our gifts with the world, knowing that no matter what happens, we will be okay. 

In many ways, it's much easier to do acts of self-care like yoga practice, meditation, and healthy eating when everything is going smoothly...

But if you can call upon these acts in times of challenge?  That is where the real work comes in.

What I share in the podcast, is a talk I wrote under the guidance of KC Baker this summer as part of her speechwriting course.  (If you are planning to join me for my Celebration event, Yin Yoga, Tea & Book Reading, you may like to wait to hear it in person there.)

I share the story of one of my greatest challenges, where the world felt like it was falling apart, and instead of becoming a victim to my circumstances, I chose love, awareness and forgiveness.  I also write about this experience in detail in my book, Synchronicity.

That single choice made in a moment of complete distress, went on to dramatically alter the course of my life. 

Learning how to hold myself with unconditional love allowed me to find a deep forgiveness and truly love others without conditions. 

Choosing to love and forgive is not always easy, I know.  But I believe it is a true path to miracles.  I hope my story will inspire you in your own path of self-love and forgiveness.

There are only 4 days left to pre-order your early copy of Synchronicity and donate to the Kickstarter campaign (special thanks for how StartMotionMEDIA produced my video.  We are so close to reaching the goal!  Check out all the latest stats and make a contribution right here.

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. In the podcast I reference one of my past podcasts, "Fall in Love with Yourself" that includes all my favorite self-care tips.  You can find that right here.

Thank you @theessenceoracle&nbsp;For this beautiful image, via @daniellebertoia

Thank you @theessenceoracle For this beautiful image, via @daniellebertoia

Sister, I want you to know you are doing your part. 

By healing your own psyche, you are altering the collective consciousness. 
By loving yourself, you are healing the collective consciousness. 
I believe how we as a whole, are treating the world is a direct reflection of how we as a whole, are treating ourselves. 
Tearing up the Earth, using up our resources solely for financial gains, polluting the airs, polluting the waters...How many people do you see in the world today treating their own bodies this way? 
As we heal ourselves, we naturally heal the collective. 
Sister, every time you shift a thought of self-hate to self-love, you are doing your part.
Every time you show up to your yoga mat, you are doing your part. 
Every time you nourish your body, every time you meditate, every time you pray, even every time you do something that brings you joy, you are doing your part. 
I believe when we AS A WHOLE, collectively love, nurture and cherish ourselves, it will be directly reflected in how we love, nurture and cherish our Mother Earth. 


Let's rise together. 
In our prayers. 
In our devotion.
And in our ability to take small steps toward healing ourselves, healing all beings and healing the great mother who holds us all. 


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018 | Love & Magic: A Book Reading with Meredith Rom

 

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Have you ever found that it's in the moments that you are totally happy and content with yourself, at peace with exactly who you are and what you have in your life, that you begin to manifest your desires?

Today I'm sharing one of the more fun and playful readings from my book,  Synchronicity. 

I was sitting in a chai shop having just arrived in a new town when a man walked in wearing all white with red puja dust on his third eye.  

I almost instantly fell in love with him... In this story you'll hear how I met Shankara, one of the main characters in the book.  You'll also hear more about the holy mountain of stillness and light, Mount Arunachala in the town of Tiruvannamalai, India.

To pre-order your copy of Synchronicity,  follow the kickstarter campaign here.  Specials thanks to the Crowdfunding Consultants at StartMotionMEDIA for helping me fundraise!

With love, 
Meredith

 

017 | Amma, Service & Finding My Voice: A Book Reading with Meredith Rom

 

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Last night I held my first book reading in Berkeley, CA at the community meditation house I used to live in.

The living room was packed, and at one point people were even spilling out into the hallway!  

What happened there, was pure magic.

I sang with the harmonium, told stories, answered questions from the audience and shared the first in-person reading from Synchronicity. 

It's amazing to think that only three years ago I never would have imagined my life would look like this.  Singing and telling stories in front of a group?  Me?  I don't know if I would have believed you!  

However, what I've learned about my fear over the years is that confidence comes from actually going out and DOING the things that scare us.  

Confidence comes from taking action.


It's only when we are in the non-action - the waiting and procrastinating that our minds run wild telling us stories that aren't even real.

Every time I've done something that scares me, it always feels like a crazy leap of faith, but every time I have made the jump, I have been met with so much love, synchronicity and magic. 

Today I have a new Synchronicity book reading to share with you!  It's all about Amma, service and finding my voice as a teacher.

In this episode you'll learn about:

  • Teachings of Amma, the hugging saint and my experiences at her ashram 
  • What it was like to teach English to hundreds of children at an orphanage in India
  • My experience of teaching my first yoga class and discovering my authentic voice as a teacher

I'm curious what fear you have been hiding from?  What small step could you take to walk towards it?  Let me know in the comments below.

There are just 10 days left in the Kickstarter campaign! I am so grateful to everyone who has gathered together in support of this project. Really, I had no idea my heart could expand with this much love.

Warmly,
Meredith

 

016 | Mysteries of Mary Magdalene with Faye Wylder

 

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This past week I have been immersing myself in the life and teachings of Mary Magdalene.  My friend recently brought out a pile of books she was giving away where I picked up The Magdalene Manuscript  and began to learn more about the mystery and magic of her life.

As life's synchronicities would have it, Mary Magdalene happened to be the topic of my next podcast interview with Faye Wylder.  Faye has been such a positive force in my life, and brings so much light, love and encouragement to other women.

I'm beginning to really see the power of calling upon ascended masters like Mary Magdalene to reconnect with source energy.    If you have been intrigued to learn more about Mary Magdalene and want to learn more about how you can work with the unconditional love she has to offer, I highly recommend you listen to today's show.

In this episode you'll learn about:

  • Mary Magdalene's message and magic
  • The meaning of sovereignty
  • Faye's experience of pregnancy and motherhood
  • Faye's definition of affluence
  • How Faye recognizes when fear arises and how she continues to spread her light 
  • More details about Faye's Magdalene Mentorship program

With love, 
Meredith

Faye Wylder is a Lightcaster, Spiritual Mentor, Mama, and Dancer. She is very, very Human. 

Faye mentors EnterpRising Feminine Leaders, to activate their sovereignty, and amplify their light, naturally increasing their spiritual and material affluence. She works closely with the over lighting mentorship of Mary Magdalene, streaming her mystery, message, and Unconditional Love into modern entrepreneurship and living. 

In her group program and private mentorship container, Faye weaves embodied divinity with practical, aligned tools, empowering women to upgrade their nervous systems (because making stuff can be scary!) and really, truly, vibrantly, courageously shine the Light they came to shine, creating and anchoring new paradigms of Love for humanity through their thriving enterprise. 

Join the #Lightcaster love fest on Instagram via @fayewylder and learn more about Faye's offerings at fayewylder.com

 

015 | Heartbreak, Visions, & My First Big Leap: A Book Reading with Meredith Rom

 
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I believe we all have the power to transform our greatest moments of pain and suffering into our greatest moments of awakening.

But I know from personal experience it is so hard to see the light when it feels like the world is crumbling beneath our feet.

Today I want to share with you one of my more difficult moments in the first reading of my book, Synchronicity, on the Rising Women Leaders podcast.

I take you back to over six years ago where I found myself sobbing on the floor after going through  total heartbreak (something that I know so many of us are familiar with).

I share about the challenges and hardships I faced that eventually led me into my greatest moments of awakening...the moments where I began to live beyond my fears and follow my intuition first across the country and then to the other side of the world to India.

This book is a story of finding forgiveness, of transformation, of healing and ultimately of finding love within.

I  look back and see my hardships as profound gifts.  It was these moments that prompted my greatest awakening, and I hold them in my heart with gratitude.

But today I wanted to share with you where I was and what my life was like before I found the inner peace I speak of now.

If you feel called to hold the book in your hands and read the whole story of transformation, I invite you to  watch the kickstarter video and contribute to the campaign.  

Supporters have a chance to receive an early signed copy of the book, coaching sessions for women on a heroine's quest, a self-care gift box, and 40 day meditation practice, among many other rewards.  Check them all out right here!

I hope you enjoy this  podcast and opportunity to learn more about my story. 

Stay tuned for more podcast episodes and sneak previews of the book coming soon...

With love, 
Meredith

 

014 | Let it Out: Books, Journaling & Body Image with Katie Dalebout

 

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First I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to watch the video and contribute to the kickstarter campaign for the release of my book, Synchronicity.  I am so grateful for all the love & support that has been coming in!!

And I'm excited to share a new episode today on the podcast! I sat down with one of my inspirations, Katie Dalebout to talk about podcasting, book publishing, journaling and body image. 

I first discovered Katie's podcast, Let it Out (formerly the Wellness Wonderland) through my friend Jasmine who was raving to me about it.  Over the past year I've enjoyed listening to the inspirational speakers, authors and experts she has on the show.  I also recently read Katie's book, Let it Out and was amazed reading the introduction of how this book came into manifestation.  (Listen to the episode to hear Katie tell the story herself).

I'm so glad to be back to sharing these interviews with you!! 

Here's what to expect in today's episode:

  • How Katie magically landed a deal to publish her book with Hay House
  • The importance of releasing our attachments in manifestation
  • Katie's story of finding love for her body and how journaling played a role in her healing
  • Katie's perspective on when it's right to be a full time entrepreneur and when it works to stay with a full time job
  • How she handles vulnerability and being looked up to as a leader in her field
  • Katie's favorite morning and evening rituals 
  • All about Katie's latest book Let it out!

Love, 
Meredith

Through her writing, workshops, and podcasts, millennial blogger, yoga teacher, and podcast host Katie Dalebout explores creativity is a gateway to developing a positive body image and true holistic wellness. She’s a contributor to Refinery29, Mind Body Green, and her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Yahoo Health, and The Daily Mail. Her first book was published with Hay House in April 2016 is a collection of journaling tools to help people find self acceptance beyond their physicality. Sign up for her weekly newsletter and receive her ‘Favorite Things: Quick Start Guide’ here or visit her blog, or on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

 

24 Hours of **Magic**

Click the image to watch the video!

Click the image to watch the video!

Over the last month I've ridden the waves of fear and trust as I prepared to start the publishing process to share my book with the world.

...And since launching a campaign yesterday, I am humbled and AMAZED by the outpouring of love and support this project has received...

Check out the latest stats to see how far we've come in only 24 hours.

This book was written to help you take bigger leaps to stand up and share your gifts with the world...

If there's anything I've learned in the last day, it's that we're all in this together.  
You can now watch the project video and be one of the first to join the community ready to experience my new book, Synchroncity.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me cross this threshold.

With immense love & gratitude, 
Meredith

P.S. Your help makes all the difference!
Please like, comment, and share this post on facebook to continue spreading the word.  In your post please include the project short link http://kck.st/2dTEZpS so people know where to go to view the project!

Yoga, Kirtan & Book Readings!

11/4 ~ Yin Yoga, Tea, Book Reading & Celebration! in honor of finishing my book, 'Synchronicity' 6:30 pm at The dhyana Center

10/27
Kirtan! 6:30 pm at Alive Yoga in Sebastopol

10/24 ~ 
Kirtan & Book Reading at the Dhamma Pad 8 pm in Berkeley, CA


Please contact me if you'd like to invite me for a book reading, kirtan or yoga event during the campaign :)

Do You Have a Dream Gathering Dust?

Have you ever had a dream that just felt crazy to actually accomplish?

That’s how I felt five years ago when I was traveling in India and a friend of mine handed me a handwoven notebook and said, “Meredith, you’re going to write a book one day, and I got this for you to start.”

A book! The idea felt impossible, overwhelming, and also kind of scary.

But over the course of the 6 months I traveled in India by myself, the events that happened were almost too magical for me to not write a book.

So I began.

I wrote.  Then I stopped.

I moved through resistance but at one point it just got too hard and I stopped altogether.

Almost two years passed with my stories growing dust, just sitting on the desktop of my computer. 

Until one night I went to sleep and had a dream.

I found a book of a woman’s travels, and began flipping through the pages until I realized, this was supposed to be the book I wrote...and I hadn't done it yet.

The next morning, I recommitted. Even though I didn’t know how, I trusted I would be guided.

Three months later I was led to an editor who for a whole year and a half I sent 5,000 words to every two weeks.

Just a few months ago I finished.  I did it.  I finished writing the book.

I'm taking the steps forward in copyediting, design and printing, and next week have an exciting announcement on how you can experience the stories of synchronicity for yourself.

But I chose to share this story with you today to remind you, your dreams are still possible.

Maybe YOU have a book gathering dust on your desktop, or a far-off dream to travel to Europe, or drive across the country...

Maybe you've always wanted to quit your job, make a feature film, write poetry, give a talk, or lead a retreat... the list could go on.

What dream are you ready to recommit to?

It will probably take support, encouragement, and trusting in the universe to take your next step, but I know you can do it.

Trust in your divinely guided dreams and ambitions, even if they feel crazy to the rational mind.

I can speak from experience that you will be glad you did.

I'd love to hear what dream you are called to commit to in the comments below.

If you don't feel called to share now, I still invite you to share it with someone when you're ready. Think about who in your life may be able to offer you a little bit of support and encouragement. 

And stay tuned for my big announcement next week! 

With love, 
Meredith

The Secret to Finding a Four-Leaf Clover (and Manifesting Other Desires...)

 

I remember growing up and feeling envious of how my mom had a way with finding four leaf clovers.  

I sometimes spent hours in a patch of grass looking for those four leaves, perfectly bound together.  I would immediately grasp my fingers around anything that looked close. But I didn't find one.

It wasn't until one day I met a British man in India who told me the secret.

"The secret is you have to believe it's there waiting for you..."

He handed my friend a four leaf clover, then crouched down again and moments later stood up with another one for me. 

I later thought, "Isn't that the secret to life, and really anything we want to manifest?"  We have to believe with our whole heart that it is possible.  

We have to believe the universe is on our side, even conspiring in our favor to help us manifest what we want and need...

But months passed and I still didn't find one.

"I believe!" I told myself, but I continued to be disappointed.  

Then finally, I released the idea that I ever needed to find one. 


I found myself at the headwaters of Mt. Shasta a few weeks later sitting in a patch of grass.  I looked down, and there it was.

There was my first four-leaf clover waiting for me.

It was that moment I realized I needed to release all attachments to the outcome in order to manifest my desires.

I've learned this is an essential part of manifestation.  

When I believe, trust, and let go, I am met with exactly what I need.  

Again and again, I've seen this play out in my life.

I live for moments like finding that first four-leaf clover.  It is in these moments of pure synchronicity that I feel most connected.  

That's when I feel like there is a higher power...something greater at work that is guiding me and protecting me.

That is when I know I can offer up my fears, my need to control, and trust in the universe.

This is why I chose Synchronicity as the title of my book. The book tells the stories of the chain of events I experienced in India that linked together in an almost too perfect way.  

And it was those synchronicities that brought a deeper meaning to my life. 

I've spent the last few weeks revising my final manuscript to prepare for publishing.  I have some really exciting news to share (in about two weeks) and I can't wait to give you a chance to be one of the first people to get your hands on a copy so that you can experience this magic for yourself...

With love,
Meredith

P.S.  Click here to see the collection of four leaf clovers I have found since learning this secret...

 

What an Elephant Taught me About my Fear

 

In the weeks before I left for my trip to India I met a man in San Francisco named Josh. 

We immediately connected over our passion for music, tea, yoga, and astrology.  We spent long mornings chatting together in the three days I had in the city, and in the weeks that followed, we continued our conversation through letters and emails. 

I knew I could have had a promising romance in the States if I stayed, but I chose to follow my dreams, bought my ticket to India and left for Amma’s ashram in Kerala.

To my surprise, two weeks after my arrival, I found a message waiting from Josh in my inbox:

“I bought a flight to visit you!!  I’ll be arriving in just a few weeks.”

I was flattered, but also shocked — “You’re traveling halfway around the world to see me??” 

I had enjoyed our romantic emails in the weeks before I left, but I knew in my heart I was making the trip to India for myself and no one else.  I had so much to discover there and part of me knew I needed to do it on my own.

But then I thought of leaving the safety of the ashram premises (where I had been safely meditating). I hadn’t been outside of the ashram yet and I had no idea how I would feel navigating the trains and buses around the country by myself.  “Wouldn’t it be nice to have this man with you for a sense of security?”

I knew it was safer, more secure, and I was scared of the unknown. 

So I replied, “I’m excited you’re coming!”  Over the days that followed we talked about riding an elephant into the sunset together and watching the full moon rise over the beach on his birthday...

A week before Josh arrived, I felt a strong desire to go out exploring on my own.  I took a train to a nearby beach town and every step of the way surprised myself at how at home I felt making all the decisions by myself.

On the beach a huge elephant walked by on a nearby path.  I went closer to admire it when a man leading it asked, “Do you want to go for a ride on Ganesha?”

“A ride? Me, by myself? Up there?” I thought. I remembered my dreams of riding an elephant with Josh tightly holding my hand as we watched the sunset.

Then for a moment I imagined myself up there on the elephant all by myself, with the breeze on my face, looking down at the world around me. It felt liberating. 

Josh probably wouldn’t mind if I did it on my own, I thought. “Yes, please!” 

I ran closer and waited while one of the Indian men moved his hand over the side of Ganesha’s face and whispered a few words in his ear. He patted Ganesha’s front leg and the elephant bent down. The Indian man advised me to step on his hoof so he could hoist me up. 

I followed his directions and found myself belly down on top of the elephant trying to swing my leg over to the other side. The little hairs on his enormous body brushed against my face.

When I successfully swung my leg to the other side, I sat up slowly, finding my balance. The Indian men were laughing and clapping as I looked around, a little shocked by the new perspective.

The ground was a good ten feet away. I ran my hands over his grey, wrinkly skin. As I found my composure, the shakiness I felt at first began to dissipate.

I sat with poise and confidence like an Indian queen greeting the villagers of her kingdom. 

Then I thought, "I don’t actually need Josh to be here with me to feel safe." I realized a big part of the reason I had initially been so happy to have Josh come visit me was because I had been afraid of being on my own.

The prospect of having a man with me while I traveled to a new country felt safer. But now that I had found my own way from the ashram to this town, I felt fine.

I felt more than fine—I felt confident in myself.

I didn’t need Josh to be there with me to feel safe. I didn’t need him there to ride the elephant, and I didn’t necessarily need him there to travel with me around India.

I still felt excited to see him, but an old, limiting belief had been lifted. I no longer felt a need to depend on a man outside of myself. 

The more steps the elephant took, the more I realized I wasn’t carrying any fear at all, just excitement.

I felt awake, present, and invincible.

I realized that doing the things that scared me brought me fully into the present moment. Once I was doing it, there didn’t seem to be any more fear.

Even more than that, I realized in doing the things that scared me, I walked away with more confidence. I reminded myself, The only way to get rid of my fears, is to simply go out and do what I'm afraid of. 

I had spent so much of my life in fear. I was afraid to speak up in class, afraid to travel on my own, I was even afraid of driving on highways. I always wondered, "How do I gain more confidence?"

I was so busy avoiding the things that scared me that I had never learned the pathway to more confidence was simply doing what scared me.

When I did that, the fear became more familiar, and less scary. Each fear I faced gave me more confidence to face another. 

Deep within myself, I knew if I were to travel on my own for the rest of my time in India, I’d be okay. I needed to ride the elephant by myself to discover that. 

I lowered down closer to the elephant’s ear and whispered, “Thank you Ganesha for clearing this path for me. Thank you for this new wisdom.” 

To find out what happened next you’ll have to keep reading in my book.  Stay tuned to find out how you can receive an early copy...

In the meantime, I’m curious, what fears or limiting beliefs have you been holding?  And what action could you take to live more fully beyond your fears? I'd love to hear in the comments below.

With love,
Meredith

 

Why I Cut Off My Hair When I was 22

 

When I was 22 years old I cut off most of my hair.  

It was in a salon, just hours before my flight to India.  I didn't know how long I would be gone or when I would be coming back. 

I remember staring at my long, golden locks in the mirror thinking about how much I had identified myself with my hair.  Men often complimented me on it.  It made me feel beautiful. 

But it was also a place where I would hide.  I remember when my skin broke out in cystic acne and all the products and creams I used stopped working all together.  To feel comfortable going outside, I put on layers of makeup and let my hair cover most of my face.

I remember hiding behind my hair in class, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on me, terrified that my voice would shake if I was asked to speak...

But in the moments before boarding my plane to India, I knew I was done with hiding.  

I stood looking in the mirror and thought, "What if I cut it all off?"

It was like standing on the edge of a cliff. I felt tingles from my toes run up my shins. 

It took courage to take the leap I was about to take, to travel half-way around the world without an end date or a plan...

I would be entering a place where no one knew me.  I realized, I could be anyone I wanted to be.  

And I was ready to stop hiding. 

So I walked into the closest salon and told her to cut my hair to a boy-short length.

I watched as the golden locks hit the floor, wondering how men would look at me now, and how I would feel about myself when I looked in the mirror.  I wondered if I had made a mistake.

But then I realized how brave I was in making a conscious choice to leave my insecurities about my appearance behind. 

"I am doing this for myself and no one else.  I am doing this to see my own inner radiance," I told myself. 

I took these before and after pictures in the salon mirror...

Before and after pics of my haircut in the salon bathroom

Before and after pics of my haircut in the salon bathroom

Walking out, I ran my fingers through my new short cut, tied a scarf around my head and hours later, boarded my flight into the unknown.

More photos from my first week in India at Amma's ashram in Kerala, 2011:

Photos of me during my first week in Kerala, India

Photos of me during my first week in Kerala, India

As self-conscious as I was in my first weeks with short hair, it was also incredibly liberating.  It helped me drop the identity of the person I had been up to that point, and helped me stop trying to put on an appearance for the outside world. 

It helped me reconnect to a love within myself and for myself, that had nothing to do with my appearance.

I share this with you today to remind you of your own inner radiance. 

Where have you been relying too much on your outer appearance?

I don't think we all need to go as extreme as cutting off all our hair - but what if you chose not to wear makeup for a day? Or wore your hair pulled back, away from your face? 

A simple act like that is for you and no one else.  May it help you remember that at your core and your essence, you are pure radiance. 

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. This story is also a scene from my upcoming book about my travels in India.  Stay tuned for more stories like this coming out this month...<3