As I watched an eagle fly over me yesterday, my inner voice spoke up, and said, "Hey! Get on a plane and go visit a spiritual center in Oakland, California that has an opening for a woman to move in and use the center as a home base for her teachings."
I felt the zing of truth in my body, so I boarded the plane and took off! A great thing about flying and the animal medicine of the eagle is when you get the opportunity to see the big picture from a higher perspective. Aligning with this big picture is why I so often pack up my bags and “Just Go!”
One of my bestest friends Becca Kannapell, who is a healer as an occupational therapist and part of the Pound Jewelry creative family team, said she was going to go to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and I really wanted to go! I told her how I had just taken a road trip out to to Utah to teach, and she expressed that she really wanted to explore the Southwest and be warm since she lives in Chicago, where winter is no joke. I said, “Hey! Why don’t you fly to Utah, and we’ll drive down to Tucson together, then I’ll take the long way back to LA!” (Like the 10 extra hours long way :-) She said yes and booked a flight the next day.
She and I were willing to “Just Go!”
And guess what? We had the BEST time. See our photos below of stumbling into a place called Mystic Hot Springs in the middle of nowhere Utah. We were reverently in awe at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. We drove through rain, sleet and snow with an amazing soundtrack (here’s the Spotify playlist we listened to). We climbed the Cathedral Rock Vortex and danced with the powerful energy there. We got to Tucson, where we first met in college 15 years ago. The highlights of this trip weren’t taking these amazing pictures. The first gift was the luxury of time to really be together - to have time, space and breath to share an adventure without being in a hurry or having a million other things going on. The second gift we received was to honor the strong desire in the body that called us both on the adventure.
I’m finishing up editing my first book about Qoya, and it focuses on the physical sensation of truth in the body.
If there is one thing I can tell you, it is listen to that voice.
The best way I know how to learn how to listen to that voice is through Qoya. Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is wise, wild and free. We remember the physical sensation of truth in the body, and we learn how to set that as north on our compass, knowing that it will often give us suggestions that are non-linear and require a leap of faith, but like the eagle we spread our wings and trust we can fly.
To listen to the truth in your body, you have to find a way to reconcile the voices of the wounded human ego who feeds on fear, scarcity and negativity. The trick is to not be attached to what will happen, but willing to be honest with the deepest truth you have access to and go from there.
Those days when your heart beats strong and steady with a vision that you feel in your bones, leap! Not out of wishful thinking, not out of irresponsible credit card charging, not out of fear of missing out. Make it simpler. Leap when you are uniquely called in your life to leap. You’ll know when it’s right and when you don’t know, that’s a great time for a bath, a nap and a cup of tea to sit still and create some space to feel as deeply as you can.
The big picture of why we are here is to live our soul’s journey. There’s no way you can do it wrong, and the way you know you’re doing it right is that it feels good. You're doing it right when you can look in the mirror and smile at the person you see. It’s when you feel truth in your body and express that truth in the world. It’s when you remember that life is not something to be accomplished, but something to be danced, something to be lived.
If you’re feeling foggy, three quick ways to clear it out are:
#1 - Shake!
#2 - Do a despacho ritual. The energy around a new moon (Feb 18) is a great time for a despacho!
#3 - Go to bed early. Eight hours of rest is better than eight hours of analysis. Sleep on it, and ask for visions in your dreams and help from your guardian angels. **Remember, when it comes to angels, you have to ask for help. They can’t intervene without your invitation :-)
If you feel the call inside you to Just Go on a Qoya Retreat, we are doing a Last Call for Costa Rica. The retreat center opened up 2 more spaces. If one of them is yours, reach out and let’s make it official.
You can also just go to Miami or Woodstock if those are calling your name. We'll be releasing details on our Bali retreat soon as well, so save the dates - September 15-22, 2015.
When you follow your heart, the world conspires on your behalf, so Just Go!
See you on the other side!
With love,
Rochelle