Dear wonderful person who is here with me,
I have been wanting to write to you for some time. Life has been full and busy. It sometimes feels overwhelming with all the things we have going on as a family – music, dance, jiujistu, homeschool co-ops, acupuncture, theater, etc, etc.
But last weekend, I went to a Buddhist retreat center in Vermont for a silent weekend meditation retreat. I had never done a silent retreat exactly like this. After the beginning and end introduction and debrief, there was no talking aside from “functional (necessary) speech”). It was absolutely wonderful. Being with a group of 13 other souls and just eating, sitting and walking together without talking was a transcendental experience!
Here’s a bit about what it was like:
In a magnificent golden, yellow and red shrine room, as I was sitting on the cushion and doing my best to move past physical discomfort, I would alternate between focusing on the breath moving in my belly, on the inhale/exhale in my nostrils, or on snowy branches of the fir trees out the window (that appeared to be different shapes of animals).
After the first day of just trying to clear my mind without my legs falling asleep, on the second day, I had a few moments of just pure bliss. While fleeting, it was still there – this sense of oneness with all that was around me, and of true love for the other humans in the room with me.
I then was aware of some intuitive information coming in (meditation is a powerful way to open up to receive higher guidance). I could clearly see my spirit guides and my guardian angel in new ways (even their hair and eye color). And then, a wise, ancient master (Lao Tzu maybe or the Buddha himself?) was sharing with me why I experienced such an intense and scary health challenge last year.
The experience was about moving through suffering. And that through suffering, I learned empathy. And then from that empathy, and that suffering I reached a sense of liberation.
It’s true that once you face death, it’s like there’s nothing left to fear. And this can bring true freedom from all the worries that now seem insignificant and silly.
Of course, life goes in cycles, and hardship is part of being human. As they say, pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional: we don’t need to attach stories to the pain.
I am at a place now where I am taking more time to do what I enjoy, and while I still love seeing clients, I am doing so only when I feel like it! And this helps me be of service in a genuine way – helping people because I want to, not because I feel like I should.
At any rate, I share this all with you in the hopes that you experience freedom/liberation from unnecessary suffering as well. It takes grace to remove ourselves from the addictions of drama in the world around us, from all the toxic distractions of the news and of social media. And yet, by quieting our minds, we can find a sense of inner peace and tranquility that can help us feel truly content (which is really the goal in life, right?).
That’s all I got for now. Last week, I started teaching the sold-out 2026 hypnotherapy certification program with an amazing group of 8 brave souls, and I have just set a date for an in-person sound healing/hypnotherapy mini-retreat that I’m offering with my husband Chris (who happens to be a gifted musician) coming soon here in Maine! Stay tuned for more on that.
With appreciation for you being here,
Rachel
