Why did I write this book?

Thank you for asking me to write this blog and add it to yours. My name is Gloria De Pietro. I am a past life regression specialist. That’s a mouth-ful I know, but what I do is I get my clients in touch with their former lives to help them understand and learn from what they’ve experienced before.

The reason I wrote the book; A Soul’s Journey is because I feel that this is the time that has been written about for a millennia in every major religious text known to man, from the book of Enoch to the Koran, to the Old and New Testament and even the Vedic writings from 5,000 years ago which all speak about a new age dawning, when our creator will establish a new earth, a heaven on earth. This is an opportune time for all of us to move forward in our evolutionary path. It is difficult to embrace a higher level of consciousness, one of love and living in our fourth or even fifth dimension, when we are still killing each other, starting wars, harboring thoughts of greed and power, and bickering with each other about how we should live. When we realize that we must atone for our every thought and action, we would think twice before we act contrarily to the universal law.

You cannot attain a light body while living and thinking with a third-dimensional mindset. We live in a world of duality of cause and effect; we are mostly living in our reptilian brains, which is the thought process of survival. Once we learn that we are our own judge and jury, then perhaps we’ll start acting accordingly. I do not profess to know better or to tell you how you should think or act. I do not judge anyone because I know we act out our belief systems according to what we have been taught from our past experiences. This is why I have dedicated my life to helping people release old belief structures and forgive themselves for what they have done in their previous lives.

Think for a moment if you were tortured and killed by the medieval inquisitors. How do you think you would feel toward the church now? Or perhaps; you were a courtesan in the 15^th century who tried to help children who were sold into the sex trade. How do you think you would feel about abused children today? I have memories such as these from my past lives, one as a monk who lived in the 12^th century and one as 15^th century woman who lived in a bordello. You might think that’s it’s impossible to remember such lifetimes, but it’s not impossible or difficult for me, and I know how to help anyone release these memories.

How can you remember lifetimes from so long ago?

The question is not whether we’ve lived before ̶̶ this is a fundamental truth. Rather, the question is, why do we continually return again and again?

My research on this subject has brought me to the understanding that we come back to learn important lessons, to finish business left unresolved, and to forgive and let go of deep-rooted prejudices and resentments. The soul is an energy form that cannot be destroyed. It attaches itself to a physical body to experience this life of duality to purify itself, for the sole purpose of returning to its original state of perfection. This realization brings us to the understanding that every thought and action creates an outcome. This state of being makes up our reality of the third dimension. Everything here is based on the principle of cause and effect. It makes perfect sense that universal law is ruled by karma; this is how we learn.

As children, we learn that if we touch a hot stove, we will get burned. Once we feel the pain of our burned finger, we remember not to touch the stove again. The pain becomes an imprint. The memory wants to be resolved in some way, and how we correct the situation is open to a myriad of possibilities. You can leave the kitchen altogether, you can ask someone else to remove the burning pot from the stove, or you can put on a protective glove. We have free will to choose how we want to overcome our defeats. It is up to us to decide. We can remember the past lives by going within and asking our bodies to tell their stories using the imprint that is there. I know the regression techniques taught to me by my teacher Dr. Roger Woolger; it is easy to remember past lives with a trained practitioner. We remember the lives we’ve lived before that are still resonating with us today because our souls want to heal and move on. It can be because the lesson hasn’t been learned yet or because we have come back to make amends or  just rectify the wrong that was done.

The past lives reviewed in this exposé were analyzed for their content, and the criteria were as follows: (1) What was the main purpose of that life? (2) What lesson was learned? (3) What was left unresolved? (4) How was the lesson integrated into the soul’s overall understanding? (5) How did the lesson fit into the bigger picture of the soul’s evolution?

Taking responsibility for our every thought and action is the only way to block the effects of karma and to end the cycle of death and rebirth. No more pointing fingers or blaming someone else for your reality. No one is coming to save you. You have to save yourself. You must take responsibility for your own actions. Once you get to that place, you will develop compassion and empathy for those who are still on the path of self-realization. A Soul’s Journey is a story of traveling through time to find the truth. You are the truth; you are the way.

What makes you qualified to write such a book?

I have been a certified regression therapist since 2010, having studied with renowned Jungian analyst Roger Woolger Ph. D. since 2006. I have performed hundreds of regressions and have researched this particular book for 15 years. I have also worked with trauma victims as an art therapist since 2000. I have put my hours in, and I am confident that the material presented in this book is authentic and has not been presented in this manner before.

I began to investigate karmic patterns as a way to understand my own life to help answer the question why am I here and what is the purpose of this life. It was while studying with Dr. Woolger that I began to understand how the wheel of karma teaches us the lessons we need to learn here and now.

Thus, this lifelong journey has taken me to do this research on how past lives influence our current thoughts, deeds, and actions. This book can explain many of our unanswered questions about our origins, and it is timely and relevant. 

******************

For more information you can visit:   www.pastliferegressionny.com

1. You are a hypnotist specializing in Between Lives Soul Regressions (BLSRs). What exactly is that and what do you do?

A Between Lives Soul Regression or BLSR (also known as a life between lives regression or LBL) is a sacred experience in which you can return to the nonphysical realm you call Home between your earthly incarnations and so experience and remember your identity as an immortal soul. A Between Lives Soul Regression is a powerful and deeply healing way to gain an expanded awareness of who you really are and a profound understanding of the plan for, and purpose of, your life.

A Between Lives Soul Regression begins with some preliminary steps that are intended to help you relax deeply. I will then guide you briefly into a past life. The past life will be one that is directly relevant to your current lifetime. For example, you may see something that was left incomplete in a past life and that you planned to complete in your current incarnation. Or, if you’re struggling with something in particular, Spirit may show you a past life in which you had success with that issue as a way of saying, “You succeeded in this area before, so you can succeed again.”

After the past life ends, you can talk with one of your guides about why you were shown that particular past life and how it impacted the plan for your current lifetime. We then ask your guide to escort you to the Council of Elders. The Council consists of the wise, loving, and highly evolved beings who oversee the cycle of reincarnation on Earth. The Council knows everything about you: the plan for your current lifetime, as well as everything about every past life you’ve had. You can ask the Council any questions you have about what you planned for your current lifetime, why you made those plans, how you’re doing in terms of fulfilling your plan, and what you can do to better fulfill your plan. You can also ask any questions you have about any of the significant people and pets in your life. Many clients describe basking in the Council’s pure, unconditional love and total nonjudgment. Often the Council will provide a powerful energetic healing.

Talking with the Council is a wondrous opportunity to ask any questions you have on any subject. After a Between Lives Soul Regression, many clients state, “I received an answer to every question I asked, and I have no more questions about my life!”

2. Part of your work is to help people discover what they planned BEFORE they were born for their current lifetime. Can you give any interesting or compelling examples of someone you worked with and how this was able to help them?

In my second book Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born, I share the story of Caroline, who lost her only child Cameron to suicide. In a channeling session in which Caroline and I talked with Jesus, he told us that if a suicidal person has the slightest willingness to change their mind, Spirit knows, and Spirit stages an intervention. What this means, then, is that every suicide preventable by outside forces was prevented. So, if someone reading this has lost a loved one to suicide, please know that there was literally nothing you could have done to prevent the suicide. This is on pages 410-411 of the book. I consider this to be perhaps the single most healing piece of information I’ve come across in all the years I’ve been doing this work.

3. What role does free will and destiny play in your work? For example, if someone planned to do something before their life, does that mean they are destined to do it or do they have the free will to choose to pursue that during their life? 3a. If free will is involved, why do you think some people accomplish what they were hoping to accomplish or planned to accomplish BEFORE they were born and other people do NOT accomplish what they were hoping to accomplish or planned to accomplish before they were born.

When I say that things are planned before we’re born, I mean that most things are planned as possibilities or probabilities. Very little is set in stone. Whether a particular possibility actualizes depends upon our free will decisions. This is how we learn and why life on Earth is a great teacher. If everything were predestined, we would be nothing more than automatons, and no learning would occur.

4. What are some helpful suggestions you have for people to better understand what they planned to do BEFORE they were born and how they can accomplish that during their lifetime?

The most powerful way to find out what you planned and how best to fulfill your plan is a Between Lives Soul Regression. That’s a direct experience in which you yourself talk with Spirit; you aren’t relying on someone else to be accurate in retrieving information for you. Other ways to learn about your plan are: meditation, dreamwork, astrology, numerology, palmistry, automatic writing, The Michael System (a body of channeled literature; you can have a session with someone who channels Michael); mediums or channels; Chinese face reading; nedi leaf reading (you have to go to India for this one); Akashic Record readings; a soul plan reading (the Blue Marsden system). General indicators you’re on track with your plan: feelings of joy or excitement; following aspirations and inspirations; engaging in any activity that creates time distortion or what some call the “flow” state.

5. What advice would you give to counselors or coaches who are working with people who are severely depressed and considering suicide and do not believe they have any soul plan or purpose in life?

Tell your clients that if you weren’t learning and growing, you wouldn’t still be in body. The fact that you are still here means your soul sees some beautiful and great purpose being served by your life. Your work is to shift from body-personality consciousness, which sees only a small slice of the big picture, to soul consciousness. My books Your Soul’s Plan and Your Soul’s Gift can help with that.

6. Do you have any interesting examples of serendipity or synchronicity in your life or work with people and how that has helped them accomplish their soul plan?

In Your Soul’s Gift there’s a chapter about the pre-birth planning of miscarriage and abortion. The miscarriage story is about Rebecca, who loses so much blood during her miscarriage that she nearly dies. She is saved when one of her spirit guides assumes human form and instructs the emergency medical team as to how to save her. I can’t do justice to the story here, but it’s an amazing example of how the Universe creates “serendipity” to help us fulfill our life plans

7. Anything else?

Only the most courageous beings choose to incarnate on Earth. The fact that you are here in body on Earth automatically places you among the most courageous beings in the Universe.

1. What is your book “What was in Buddha’s Left Hand:Tantric Teachings to Transform Neurosis into Sanity” about and why did you write it?

The answer to the first part of your question, what is this book about, is in the subtitle. Tantra is about working creatively with negative emotions and neurotic states of mind in order to transform them into their essential state. A concrete example of this is how a grain of sand that gets lodged in an oyster, causing considerable irritation, produces a pearl. When we work skillfully with our problematic states of mind (and these methods are described and explained in the book), we are able to use their energy to highlight their positive aspects.

I wrote the book because the teachings of the five wisdom energies, modeled after the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space, which is what my book is about, is a cycle of tantric teachings that my Buddhist teacher taught beginning in the 70s. These teachings are extremely powerful, and remarkably, they are under represented in the modern Buddhist world.

2.  How can we transform our neurosis into sanity if it has been ingrained in our psyches for many many years

    Neurotic patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior are primarily reinforced by our ceaseless inner dialogue. Learning how to bypass our “story” and communicate with the energetic aspect of our problematic patterns, we decrease their electrical charge. In other words, by not feeding our patterns with a repetitive problem-saturated story, we starve of them, liberating ourselves from their power to shape our thoughts and feelings, and habitual behaviors.

3.  What do you mean by tantric teachings and how can the average person use them to help their life?

Tantra teachings and their methods distinguish themselves by their direct approach to working with the stuff with everyday life—money, food or substance, sexuality and power, as well as our negative emotions and behaviors. Tantra holds the view that neurosis and sanity, samsara and nirvana are inseparable. If we know how to work creatively with our unruly thoughts, conflicting emotions, and dysfunctional behaviors, we can elicit their positive aspects. Each of the five wisdom energies, represented by earth, water, fire, winter, and space are five different aspects of how we experience life. Each of the elements is associated with specific techniques for how to work with our unique personality. 

4.  You’ve been a psychotherapist for the past 25 years, integrating spiritual vision with psychological process in an effort to return ‘soul’ to the helping relationship. How do you that? Can you provide any specific techniques or interventions?

This is a big question and not easily answered in written form. To put it simply, the fruition of working with the Tantric teachings is to discover beauty in the places we’d least expect to find it—-in our everyday bread and butter world. The perception of beauty opens our mind and body, heart and soul, and disposes us to love the world. It should be understood that this beauty is not the saccharine version of beauty of a Hallmark card. It includes the raw and rugged aspects of life that may be painful. With the meditative state of mind we’re able to perceive the isness or beingness of ordinary things, and this gives us confidence and inspiration to explore the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful of ourselves and of life.

 Specific techniques or interventions make sense when they appear in the context of particular situations, which my book provides examples of.

5. In general, how do you integrate spirituality into your psychotherapy practice?

  The world has become disenchanted and most of us have lost the sense of life’s miraculousness that we felt as children.  In essence, the spiritual path is a growing awareness that we are in dialogue with an intelligent, living cosmos, of which we are an intrinsic part. We are both embedded in nature, and life force animates every cell, every molecule and atom of our mind and body. Spirituality is the process of deepening this understanding and dissolving the false sense of separation from nature and the world.

5a. And, Is this ever difficult for people who do not have any spirituality, religion or spiritual beliefs? Does that change the way you work with them?

It’s crucial that we meet our clients where they are. Having religion or spiritual beliefs can sometimes be a huge obstacle to having direct and immediate experience of oneself and one’s life. My emphasis with my clients is on developing an embodied presence—being in the body, here and now, with a growing courage to experience whatever is going on. We don’t have to call this spiritual. Even the most gnarly emotional states have a pearl of great price embedded in them.

6.  A lot of people have difficulty with meditation because their mind is so active. What advice would you give those people to help improve their meditation practice?

Well, this is the perennial question that’s been asked for thousands of years. There’s no quick fix, but it does help to get a good instruction (which my book includes) that cuts through the comic book version that many Westerners have about meditation, ie. We’re not supposed to have thoughts when we meditate; alternatively we’re only supposed to have spiritual, philosophical, or good thoughts. Of course this is nonsense, and it causes many people to stop meditating. The five wisdom energies, which is the theme of my book, suggest a number of different methods for how to bring the meditative state of mind into one’s ordinary life.

 It’s also very helpful to have regular communication with a seasoned meditation teacher who can correct your approach and make suggestions.

7. Have you experienced any serendipity or synchronicity in your life journey or the creation of your book? If so, what?

It’s been my experience that whenever my attention focuses intently on a particular theme, that theme will begin to echo throughout my life. There will be seemingly random events that crystallize the theme of the very chapter that I’m currently writing.

More generally speaking, the more that we evolve as conscious beings, there will be a higher degree of meaningful coincidence or synchronicity. When I began meditating four decades ago I couldn’t help but notice such auspicious coincidences occurring with greater frequency.

1. What is This is All He Asks of You about?

This is All He Asks Of You is a novel about twelve-year-old Luna, a girl living with her mother in a suburb near Washington DC. Luna has a secret passion: the light she sees in people, and the light she senses in the world. She wants to know what it is and where it comes from. 

The story expresses Luna’s desire to connect with her long gone father, described by her mother as “a waste of space in search of cheap miracles.” Luna worries about being a “waste of space” too, and starts an imaginary correspondence with a father figure who represents the possibility of an enchanted world existing in the midst of mashed potatoes, homework and a gray city. Luna writes, and her words are all for him. 

The first part of the book follows Luna over a summer where her life changes forever and all lights disappear. In the second part twenty-two years old Luna goes on a journey to reclaim the light she lost as a child.

Luna’s story describes the direct knowing of the sacredness of life many children have. It also depicts the pain that can accompany this kind of sensitivity through difficult life events and the pressure to conform to a rationalistic world view. 

It is a story about the necessity of finding one’s own way of attuning to the underlying wisdom of life, in order to see and hear the many ways in which we are led, held and supported in the unfolding of our particular soul.

2. Why did you write this book and where did you get your inspiration from?

I was inspired by the last character I played as an actress. After having performed for twenty years in theaters across Norway and the UK, my final act was to play the protagonist of the beautiful monologue Spoonface Steinberg, by British playwright Lee Hall. This is a story about a dying autistic girl who perceives the light at the center of all things. Embodying this character was a profound experience for me, and some of the lines from the play never left me. It was as if this girl did not want to leave me alone. Then one day, as I was playing in the back yard with my young daughter, and she was telling me how the trees talked to her, I finally knew what was asked of me. I sat down and listened, and heard the voice of Spoonface Steinberg blending with that of my young daughter, and then finally transforming into the voice of twelve year old Luna. I started taking notes as Luna’s voice grew stronger, and This Is All He Asks Of You was born.

In my work I’m interested in bringing forth voices of people who might be seen as different, or are marginalized in some ways. I am drawn to the fringes of what is viewed as normal, and I wish to bring forth the beauty of diversity.
One of my goals as an artist and author is to keep speaking up for ways of being and expressing and perceiving that might not conform to standardized or prescribed norms. Another aim is to invite readers into a deeper relationship with themselves, with others and with the natural world. At the heart of these goals is my desire to invite a curiosity of the incredible mystery of being alive. This is also true about the work I do with my coaching clients, who often aim to rekindle sparks buried by the routines of living. As they gain clarity on what life is really asking of them, they become more grounded, creative and fulfilled.

One of my readers captured well what I aim to provoke through my writing: “I felt as if I was shown a tiny sliver of the mystery in all our lives, why we are here, who travels with us, and ultimately what we can really know.” 

3. The book centers around a twelve-year-old girl writing letters about her life to her long-gone, unknown father. Why did you choose to make this about a relationship between a father and daughter?

Luna’s story deals with a deep spiritual longing which we all might feel and call by different names. Her longing for intimacy with the mystery of life is projected into her desire of connection with her distant father. I wanted to find a way of writing about the longing for connection with the miraculous without putting it into religious terms.

In Luna’s young voice, this longing took on the image of a long-gone father. This is how Patriarchal societies have often pictured the divine – in the guise of a distant Father. As a grown up woman, Luna is closed down and resigned to life. When she finally meets her father, she realizes that the answers to her childhood longings never really lay in the hands of this man, and begins to re-claim her connection to Presence and to the Mystery in a more mature and individuated way. 

4. In the book, you also write about the importance of the connection to the natural world. In one part writing ‘If you stand still, the trees will find you, and they will know you.’ How can we enhance our connection to the natural world, especially in parts of the world when the weather is bad or it is unsafe to walk outside?

For Luna it  is quite easy to commune with nature, and experience oneness with the natural world. I believe children have this capacity, and can cultivate it if given a chance. Differently than grown-ups, they often experience life directly through their whole embodied beings, and not just through their minds. When we feel the world in this way, like Luna does, we know directly that the natural world around us is completely alive and intelligent, and that it has the capacity to know us, too, just as we know it. As adults, sensing the natural world around us as acutely as Luna does, often requires cultivating a certain kind of attention and embodied presence; a state where our busy minds become more quiet. Depending on how addicted we are to removing and numbing ourselves to our embodied experience of life, it might take a lot of practice to develop the capacity to experience the natural world directly. But when we do, we will know intimately that we are part of the web of life, and we will sense that each tree, each flower and rock speak with a particular and unique quality. 

I see this in my work as a somatic teacher and coach, I help people to connect more deeply to themselves through the medium of the body. What I observe is that when we come into greater contact with our selves; when we  begin to inhabit our physical bodies, deal with our traumas, and cultivate our capacity to be present, then there is really nothing we need to DO in order to connect with the natural world. The connection is already there; we just have to be present, quiet and embodied enough to experience and know it directly. The trees will literally find us!

And we don’t need to go to a forest! Regardless of where we live, we can look up at the sky, notice the weather, feel the ground under our feet, see trees in the park, even in big cities, and have plants in our homes. There is always some elements of the natural world present in our lives. When we feel at home in our bodies, when we don’t see them just as structures designed to carry our clever heads around, we start being drawn towards places where we can connect with the natural world. In a simple walk around the block at lunchtime we can notice trees along the road, the pattern of a leaf, the buzz of a bumblebee, the color of the sky, or the particular quality of the weather that day. We can take some deep breaths and notice how placing attention on the natural world instantly feeds us, settles us, opens us up, and brings us back to ourselves. This makes whatever task or interaction we are facing a little bit easier to deal with, and is the opposite of experiencing ourselves, others, and nature thing-like. Like Luna says in the book, we often risk to start treating each other, and the natural world, like things – “and it doesn’t matter much what we do to things, right? Like trow them away or chop them down…” 

Connecting more to the natural world is available to all of us, and it brings us back to our bodies, to our souls, to our humanity and to our shared responsibility for this planet that we live on. 

5. Is any of this book inspired by events or people from your life? If so, would you mind sharing a little bit about any significant event or person from your life and how that affected the book?

Like Luna, I used to ‘swim-fly’ in golden light as young girl in Norway. I remember feeling protected and held by the forest I used to roam in most weekends by my family’s cottage. Although Luna’s story is completely fictional, her particular way of seeing and being in the world is very close to the way I experienced the world growing up. It can be disorientating being wide open, taking in more information than one’s conscious mind can filter. It has taken me a long time to learn to live with and hold this sensitivity. Also, like Luna, who meets Garrick, a sage-like character who becomes a friend, teacher and a mentor, I have had the great fortune to be led to spiritual teachers who have helped me develop my capacity for direct experience of the Mystery. I also have a Garrick in my life, a wise and compassionate friend who I met at a difficult time in my life. This man helped me, and saw something in me that I did not even know myself, and after twenty years of knowing him, I am still lucky enough to talk to him on the phone every week.

Maybe because I also always feel the kind of longing Luna has for the Mystery, extraordinary humans have always shown up in my life at just at the right time to guide, help, challenge and point the way towards what is being asked of me. I am forever grateful, and It is my hope that I might return the good fortune I have had in meeting these people by being of service to others when that is asked of me. 

6. Have you experienced any serendipity or synchronicity in your journey? If so, what?

I feel my life is full of serendipity and synchronicity, from the way I met my husband, to how we find houses we live in, to the people I meet!

Synchronicity has also gifted me spiritual teachers. One interesting story is how I met a wonderful teacher of mine. This story goes back twenty-five years in time, when a friend came to stay with me for a few days when I was living in London. She forgot a book at my place, I Have Become Alive, by Swami Muktananda, and never took it back. I was not drawn to this book, but for some reason I kept it and it survived all my clean-outs and frequent moves across countries and continents. Then one day, about seven years ago, as I was sitting in my living room in Washington DC, I suddenly became aware of it. I picked it up and thought how strange it was that I still had it, but had never read it, and as I leafed through the pages, I felt an electric energy in my body, which I recognized. This jolt of energy was a bit like Luna’s “beep in the ear,” alerting me to something important. So I paid attention and finally spent the night reading the book. The next day a friend brought me to a meditation group, and when I met the teacher I felt the same energy of the day before. This teacher turned out to have a very special connection with Muktandanda and became a very important person on my journey. He inspired my desire to learn to articulate my direct experience of Being, and of the Mystery. In a sense, This Is All He Asks Of You is a direct product of this synchronistic encounter.

7. Anything else?

As we witness the world around us spin into chaos, I am reminded about the danger of splitting off from our wholeness and living only in our minds. In Garrick’s words:  

‘“The mirror broke a long time ago…the atom isn’t the only thing that splits….we split too…crack like glass, because we are in there…in the picture, in that mirror…splitting off from who we truly are, from what makes us human…and then nothing really matters any more….So it becomes easy to treat each other like things……Because you understand, materialism… and should I say fundamentalism, give us a world where nothing really holds together. Our puny minds cannot hold it all together…It splits everything into million of things that we can label and study and control and make into rights and wrongs.… taking us further away from what is whole and holy….we become stupid when we are too rational and forget that nature and symbols can hold it all together.”

For too long we have been neglecting symbolic, direct and embodied ways of knowing to favor hyper-cognitive mindsets. This has left our souls dry and thirsty, and reduced our bodies to objectified improvement projects. In these turbulent times, there is an opportunity to remember, embrace and reintegrate the somatic and spiritual qualities that make us human. 

What is The Magdalene Lineage: Past Life Journeys Into The Sacred Feminine Mysteries about and why did you write it

The Magdalene Lineage : Past Life Journeys into the Sacred Feminine Mysteries is about the story of an incredible woman – Mary Magdalene, her life story, her teachings, her legacy, which was carried on by her equally incredible daughter, Tamar. For two thousand years, she has been shrouded in mystery, a feminine caricature, either honoured as a Divine being, or vilified as an immoral soul. Through past life regression, backed by academic research and oral tradition, The Magdalene Lineage walks us through Mary Magdalene’s life from the age of 6 to 60 – in which we see her transformation from being a child to a woman to a wife and a mother and a revered and respected teacher of the Sacred Feminine Mysteries.

I wrote this because I wanted to shed light on Mary Magdalene the -woman. In this book, she is portrayed as a accessible and relatable woman, doing extraordinary things. If she, a normal woman, can go through the normal (and sometimes extreme) trappings of life, and doing extraordinary things – just through embracing an expanded consciousness, then so can we. She is an accessible example who is so inspiring.

I also wanted to introduce her equally amazing daughter too. She is not only the result of Mary’s principles on motherhood, but also embraces and perpetuates the Sacred Feminine teachings that Mary was sharing – in a bid to lift both women and men from a patriarchal consciousness to Oneness, Non Duality and Balance. Their teachings of Sacred Femininity is very relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.

The other reason I wrote this book is because of how her accounts match Gnostic beliefs and teachings. Before this, I did not have too much exposure to Gnosticism… but researching for this book has connected me to Gnosticism and I think that the teachings are so beautiful, deep and in accordance with Mary’s accounts, and I wanted to share that with everyone.

I loved gathering the past life accounts and writing this book. The book inspired me, and I hope that the book inspires all who reads it. ☺

How does Mary Magdalene embody the Divine Feminine? And, how can her legacy help women today embrace and empower their Divine Feminine?

Without giving too many spoilers away, the past life accounts of Mary Magdalene in this book goes into great detail about how she was severely abused and disempowered by the patriarchal society of ancient Judae. She was beaten, degraded, and had everything that she cared for so dearly, including her reputation and dignity stripped away from her because she found the power and the means to leave that abusive situation, when she joined Jesus and his followers.

What I found incredibly inspirational though was her strength and compassion. After taking some time to heal, under the loving ministrations and support of Jesus and those closest to him, she not found her own inner radiant light, but she used her voice to spread that light to the many disenfranchised women living in ancient Judae. She used her voice to empower these women by spreading her teachings of the Sacred Feminine Mysteries – mysteries because she prudently taught women (and some men) to see themselves not as Society sees them, but through their own inner radiant light.

She brings to light the beauty of physical femininity, that was shunned or taken for granted by society – both by men and women. She saw and shared the beauty of menstruation, the beauty and purity of sexuality, the intention and connection of conception, birth and motherhood.

I think different people will take different things away with this book and the life of this extraordinary woman. There is just so much in there. My biggest take away is that because she could see her own light, she also saw the divine light in everyone, including the patriarchal system who had abused her the most. There is an amazing passage in the book where she was asked if she had forgiven a particular person. Her answer was that there was nothing to forgive. That person had their own Inner Light and she was her own. That person tried to dim her light because that person could not connect to theirs. However, she saw that that person was a Divine Soul in their own right – so there was nothing to forgive. In saying so – she showed how empowered she was, and she empowered this person.

One could say that no matter what she went through she did not see herself as the victim. She healed, and through her healing, she empowered herself. She showed that those who are empowered empowers others. Those holding on to the wounds will deconstruct others.

I love Mary Magdalene’s take on the Divine Feminine. To me, she is the epitome of the empowered Feminine… and it is time for this story to be told.

What advice do you think Mary Magdalene would give people who feel disenfranchised or judged today?

I think her strongest advice is through her example. In the Magdalene Lineage, she always focused on the one unifying factor that everyone has – their own inner radiant light. By appreciating and honouring their own radiant light, they can then flow with what is in resonance to their inner self, and opposed to validating what is happening outside of them.

In the Magdalene Lineage, Mary was incredibly disenfranchised and abused in the culture that she lived in. When she could not longer handle the abuse, she found strength within herself to follow her heart and her resonance to leave everything that she was used to, and the trappings of the external world, and live a different life. In that move, she lost everything – her family, her material wealth, her societal status and even had her reputation shredded and her dignity maligned.

But what she found was far more valuable to her. She found her own inner radiant light and she found an entirely new way of life that was in resonance with her inner radiant light. She found what it felt like to be unconditionally loved and empowered for who she was – and she empowered all those around her to notice the Inner Light within themselves and others – no matter what gender, what socio economic status, what belief system.

In that inner Radiant Light – all are equal.

She lost everything to find her own inner radiant light. Her gift to others is the empowerment to find their own inner radiant light and use that to voluntarily make choices that are in resonance, as well as to see themselves and what’s around them as equal and One.

In the book, you also write about integrating the Sacred Masculine with the Divine Feminine. How can we do that? And, what advice would you give men today who would like to develop their authentic masculinity, but either adhere to rigid traditional societal norms of masculinity or completely deny or repress their own authentic masculine traits?

To answer this question, I am going to refer to my course, Empowering the Divine Feminine, which was inspired by both the Magdalene Lineage and pulls on some Hindu principles.

In Hinduism, we have Lord Shiva and his consort, Shakti. Shiva is the archetype representation of the Sacred Masculine essence, and Shakti the Divine Feminine essence. Shiva and Shakti are as inseperable as fire is from heat. Shakti is the energy that moves and Shiva is the spaciousness that holds the energy. Each person has Shiva and Shakti within, and harmonising and balancing Shakti and Shiva is crucial reach Oneness within and without.

Aspects of the Divine Feminine include (but not limited to) emotion, intuition and receiving. The Sacred Masculine aspects include (but not limited to) drive and focus, rationality and doing.

The Divine Feminine or Shakti essence has been suppressed in men leading to what I refer to as ‘False Masculinity’ which is driven by deep insecurity and fear and an attempt to increase power

How many men have been told as children that they can’t cry or be too emotional otherwise they are not man enough? How many men value rational analysis and dismiss intuitive signals? How many men have the drive to do, or feel the pressure of being the provider and find it difficult to sit back and receive?

Everyone’s inner light is comprised on the balance of the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine. In order to incorporate the Divine Feminine aspects, we first have to drop all pre-conceived notions, judgements and cultural conditioning of what it means to be a ‘Man’ and balance, heal, honour and integrate our Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine energies to move towards Oneness and Wholeness.

Of course men need to play an important role in balancing both their Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine essence within, but society also needs to support this and not label and judge what it means to be an ‘Ideal’ man or woman- to find the balance within and walk in the Divine Light of Oneness.

What do you think was the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus and what did you learn about Jesus in your research?

According to the accounts in The Magdalene Lineage – Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife…. But it went much deeper. Through the ceremony of the Sacred Union that she talked about, they became One in spirit. It is a truly pure spiritual love story.

I love that question – what did I learn about Jesus in my research. To answer your question, I think I have to give a bit of context.

I grew up a Hindu in Malaysia. I then had a period of being an atheist before embracing the spiritual path nearly 15 years ago. All I knew of Jesus and Christianity was that Jesus died on the Cross and Christmas.

This book’s entire journey started about 6 years ago – when I stumbled into my first regression in the Biblical times. My client came for a Between Lives Spiritual Regression session and spontaneously went back to the life of James, the brother of Jesus. As I was facilitating the session for her, I was transfixed by her accounts because I did not even know Jesus had a brother. Then, I had another client who came from Denmark to see me for another Between Lives session, who spontaneously went back to the life of Disciple Thomas. The debrief of this session was so funny because neither of us knew that there was a Disciple Thomas in Jesus’ life until we looked it up on the internet. LOL!

Then, over a period of 4 years, I stumbled into 8 different people, from all over the world, most of whom did not know each other, who came either for therapeutic sessions or were being taught to be Past Life Regression therapists, who all spontaneously regressed back to the biblical times as people who were close to Jesus. All their accounts differed from the mainstream narrative yet dovetailed intricately with each other.

I took all their accounts and did some research into it and realised that their accounts were in line many historical and academic findings as well as oral tradition. So, this culminated in my first book, Shrouded Truth.

So I learnt a lot about Jesus from Shrouded Truth. I came from virtually no knowledge to writing books about that period for the past 6 years. There is so much that I learned that I put in these books. However, the most pertinent aspect that stuck with me is how authentic he was.

He was living in a time of great change, and he was spreading a message that went against and challenged the established religion, the established ruling class, the established culture – and his teachings (and that of his followers) were about breaking down existing belief systems to open the eyes to what could be, and to open the hearts to love. For challenging the established ways and the establishment, he was publically denounced, degraded and sentenced to be executed. Yet, he never wavered and was always authentic because he saw his own inner light, and he saw the inner light of even those who punished him.

It reminds me that we are going through a similar time of change now – and it is well worth us seeing changes with open eyes and heart, to not judge but to hold an expanded consciousness – whether we agree or disagree – just as he did.

Part of you book is involves past life regression. Can you provide any compelling examples from your work doing past life regression?

Past Life Regression is a process where we take people back to their past lives. This can be done for 2 reasons – we affectionately call one reason Past Life Tourism… where we guide people back to past lives just for them to see and experience what they were in the past.

My passion is Regression Therapy – where we follow a person’s challenge to the source of the wounding – which is in the past life – to heal and transform that wounding so that it no longer interferes in the current life. This work involves working in the past life, on the current life, if the wounding is present in the current life, and sometimes also the ancestral timeline. It provides amazing transformation for clients. The analogy we use is that instead of putting a band-aid on the splinter, we use tools to gently pry the splinter out, while working on the wound at the same time, to ensure that we not leave gapping hole, but a healing imprint. Past Lives can also help transform consciousness in the same way.

I think the most compelling example of that is the culmination of my books, Shrouded Truth and The Magdalene Lineage. I do not present the accounts and the research in my books as the only truth. I have presented the narrative in my books as an alternate story – and I ask readers to make up their own minds and hearts, which feels right and true for them.

I cannot tell you how many people have read them and have said to me how the story resonates so deeply and so vividly with them. I even have readers who are Christians who have reached out saying how much the books have changed them. I admire these readers greatly – because I can understand it was hard to turn each page as it challenges deeply held convictions and beliefs… and yet they persisted, feeling something in their souls with the accounts in the book.

You also do Between Lives Spiritual Regression Therapy. What is the difference between that and past life regression and can you provide any compelling examples from that work for how that has helped someone improve their life?

Where Past Life Regression takes people back to past lives, where they were incarnated in a body, Between Lives Spiritual Regression is a profound process that takes people back to the space in between their last past life and their current life. In this space, we can explore a person’s purpose for being incarnated, soul contracts between themselves and significant others, the reasons behind some of the significant events in their lives. The process can also connect people to their Spirit Guides or the Wise Beings of Light who helped with the planning of their lives. It is a beautiful, deep and profound process, and most people come away from the process having a deep understanding of why they are here, now, and it changes their perspective on life.

I had a client, whom I saw for several sessions of regression therapy because she was so badly abused (physically, sexually, psychologically and emotionally) by her ex-husband, and was strong and brave to go through multiple sessions to heal from the experience. After multiple sessions of regression therapy, she felt whole and complete but the one thing she could not open up to was to another marriage.

She then decided she wanted to go through a Between Lives session to learn and understand the contract between her and her ex husband, as well as her purpose for being down here and going through such a harsh experience. One of the many things that she found out is that her soul wanted to learn all aspects of love. So she learned love from her parents, love of her children, and she also learnt the lack of love through her ex husband. From a soul contract perspective, her soul had made this contract with the soul of her ex husband for her to learn this. And the contract was fulfilled.

I understand that from a human consciousness, this is tough to hear… but she was getting the information through her soul consciousness and from a soul perspective, one of her and his higher self.

A few weeks after that session, she came back for a follow up session and she said that she was ready now, to find a partner in life. One that can help her understand partner / husband love. She also found the deeper meaning in what had happened – that it did not just happen randomly. She could then let go of any lingering hurt from the experience and move forward – free and clear.

I love doing this work. It is so profound and it just changes perspectives and shifts consciousness. It is a deep and meaningful way to help people.

Have you experienced any examples of serendipity or synchronicity in your work or journey? If so, what?

Oh my gosh – these books are the culmination of synchronicity and serendipity. Firstly, having grown up a Hindu in Malaysia, I was quite satisfied in my limited, almost non existent beliefs about Christianity. I was not seeking to know more and I certainly was not looking for people who regressed back to the biblical times. Synchronicity played a major role in bringing all the relevant people to me at the right time to regress for these books.

Also, I am not a life long student of Christianity and I really did not know where to start looking for academic or oral evidence to back up and validate the accounts, giving them depth. So I sent an intent to the Universe to lead me to the right books…. And synchronicity answered. I remember this one time I was looking for toothpaste on Amazon, and an ad for a number of books came up that were so pertinent for the doing the research for books. I regularly teach in Mt Shasta, in California, and a couple of time, books that I needed just dropped off the shelves in my hands.

I am convinced that without Synchronicity and serendipity, my books would not have happened.

1. What is “All We Need Is Love: In Service to the Light Book One” about and why did you write it? 

This first book is about the ascension process we are all going through together. The ascension includes every single person on Earth, our pets and other animals, the rocks and trees and water, the planet itself (actually, Herself), and even beings on other planets in the Universe. As humans are waking up, they are realizing that we are all part of an immense, interconnected web that binds us all together – it’s like the Force (haha)! I wrote this book because it’s what I was put here to do…because being a way-shower in written form is my reason for incarnating on Earth at this time. I was literally put here to be just a few steps ahead, so I could write it down and, in essence, tell people, “OK, just around this next corner, here’s what you should expect, so be ready.” To do that task, I listen to what “My Team” says and use automatic writing to put it down on paper in journal format. The next book (coming soon) will continue the messages and will focus more on the “how” of ascension: in a word…Gratitude. 

2. In your late thirties, you realized you had the extraordinary gift of clairaudience, meaning you could hear and speak with angels, ancestors, spirit guides and other sentient beings. What exactly was that like? For example, could you hear actual audible voices or were they more like feelings or intuitions? And, how did you differentiate them from your own thoughts?  

Yes, I can hear actual voices, but it’s more like hearing yourself in your head when you read a book. You’re almost reading the book aloud, but inside your head. At first, I didn’t realize that they weren’t my own thoughts. Well, that’s misleading. They ARE my own thoughts, because My Team uses my language, my sentence structure, my frames of reference as a middle-aged white female from the USA to send through information that will be understandable to others. I learned to differentiate the Messages (I always think of them as a proper noun) from my own thoughts by listening closely. Honestly, at some point, there’s no difference. When you’re allowing the Divine to flow through without getting in the way, it’s a partnership – “They” give information but use my knowledge and experiences to say that information in such a way as to be accessible to John Q. Public.

Another important thing: there are lots (and lots) of way-showers in many different places doing this work. There are many, many inspiring spiritual writers out there. Some of my heroes include Mike Dooley, Matt Kahn, Ken Carey, Deepak Chopra, Bob Frissell, Martha Beck, Suzie Ward and many others.

3. Can you provide any examples of how these messages have helped you or anyone else improve their life?  

Every single day, I learn something more about the world around me and my place in it. Often times when I write in my journal, I don’t even really know what I’m writing – I’m just zoned out, moving my pen on the page and “transcribing” what I hear. Afterwards, I go back and read it, and more often than not, I think, “Wow – that’s amazing! I had no idea that X, Y, Z.” So it’s a learning adventure for me, too. 

One specific example of how the messages have helped someone: an acquaintance of mine used to own a spiritual bookstore and crystal shop. She held classes, and hosted book readings, and was “into spirituality” before I woke up to my own mission, so I always saw her as several steps ahead of me in a spiritual context. She recently bought and read my book and wrote me to say she cried in relief in several places, and she felt that I had “written the book just for her.” As an author, I appreciate it when people enjoy my book. As a channel, it’s very validating to know that I’m receiving and passing on information in such a way that people can actually hear and use it.

4. Why do you think some people can connect to angels and spirit guides, but other people cannot? 

Everyone can do this. It’s part of our Divine birthright to be connected and Awake. I think that the reason most people don’t connect to their angels and spirit guides is that they aren’t aware it’s even a possibility, or perhaps they are boxed in by religion or their beliefs, or they are worried what people will say if they start announcing, “Hey, I can hear angels!” It took me a decade to decide that I hear what I hear, and I believe it is the truth. If others think I’m nuts, or don’t believe in it, that’s fine – they aren’t ready to know this information yet. (Believe me, this was a hard one!)

5. You talk about universal truths related to emotions…Would you find sharing some helpful insights or ideas related to emotions? 

My guides tell me that emotions are meant to be signposts. “If it feels good, keep doing that.” If it’s sad or depressing or makes you angry, turn around as soon as possible and choose a different path. The sneaky part is that most people are taught not to trust their emotions – that “being emotional” is a worthless strategy and has no place in the “real world,” like business, or science, or law. That facts and written, demonstrable proof, are the only valid ways to make decisions. 

And some people are addicted to the “high” that results from a good, old-fashioned bitch fest or blazing anger. All this is part of being human and experiencing everything there is to experience. But know that you are a co-creator of your own Universe, you have a choice in the matter, and if you don’t like what’s happening in your world right now – you’re sad, or lonely, or angry, or depressed, or sick, or tired – you are absolutely, 100% allowed to choose again, and again, and again, until you get a result that makes you happy.

6. How do angels and spirit guides connect with us? And, what advice would you have for people who might be guided by angels or spirit guides but question the guidance because it appears irrational or impractical? 

Angels, spirit guides, and other advanced beings connect with us when we reach a certain level of consciousness – when we have ascended enough, and are vibrating fast enough, to hear them. It’s simply not possible to hear with ears that have not yet been “turned on.” After that, it’s pretty much automatic. They are always there – like radio frequencies are always there, but you can’t hear them unless the radio is turned on and tuned to a station that’s transmitting.

I’m not 100% sure what you mean by guidance that appears irrational or impractical. I’ve never received anything that wasn’t completely perfect for me at the time. Sometimes, you may get information that doesn’t yet make sense, because all the events surrounding that information have not completed. But usually within a few days or weeks, I go, “Aha! So that’s why I got that information!” and it all comes together seamlessly, and often in unexpected and beautiful ways.

I think maybe if a person is receiving guidance that is “irrational” or “impractical,” perhaps that’s a sign that it’s not actually “guidance,” but rather the Ego and the “monkey mind,” which is all the other stuff swirling around in our heads all the time making a lot of noise and trying to control everything. When it’s real guidance, it’s a quiet little voice, it’s simple, it’s easy, and it makes perfect sense.

7. Did you experience any serendipity or synchronicity in your journey? If so, how?  

I couldn’t think of how to say it better, so I went to the book and found the passage I was looking for, quoted here. This is Archangel Michael speaking as the mouthpiece for the entire Team. And yes, they laugh with me, and at me, all the time!

“Synchronicity: a magical coming together of people, places, and things to create a miraculous outcome.  In Truth, this is an everyday occurrence and as such is not so special (of course, it is special, as the entirety of the Universe moves to create it!), although in your 3D perception it seems a rare happening.  The mistaken belief is that most of the time, things go wrong, and cannot be stopped. But nothing could be further from the Truth! In reality, every “second” is another opportunity to create (co-Create) again, causing a different outcome. In Truth, there is no judgement about “things going wrong,” because even “bad” things become lessons or reveal paths that were unseen before.  In Truth, all experiences are just experiences, with no value judgements attached.  What some on Earth would call “bad luck” is nothing more or less than a system attempting to correct itself by shifting in another direction, or a lesson being learned. Sometimes, a lesson is taken too far or learned too well, and a Soul is mired in the consequences of the decisions. This is also divinely inspired, although those Souls need much more Light beamed to them to recover. As your Matt Kahn says, “when someone is hurting or angry, he needs more love, not less.”

So, Beloved, We feel that you think We’ve strayed off-topic, but We have not.  (laughter) Here is how all this ties together, neatly enough to satisfy even you. (more laughter) Every moment, even those moments which seem to contain “bad” things, are synchronistic! We have said it is perceived by many humans as a rare occurrence, but in fact it is not.  Every precious moment, every Now, is a blossoming convergence of every available potential springing forth into the most beautiful lesson available in that Now!  This is Truth – that every moment has the stamp, or mark, of synchronicity on it, and is the only available option. Your free will allows you to choose to embrace the synchronicity, the momentousness, of each Now, or you may overlook it and wait for another, “better,” synchronicity next time.  (laughter)”

You chose to write about environmentalism, feminism, and resistance.  Is there a common theme between them? 

Nature is mostly about cooperation and interconnectedness. Women understand this interdependence. Women know we’re in the web of life together; we’re not separate. We all rely on rivers and rain and grass and the water cycle; we rely on photosynthesis; we rely on insects. If the insects all died out, according to E.O.Wilson, we wouldn’t last more than a few months.

Environmentalism honors this truth, and women are in tune with interdependence, which is a fact of life. Women are interested in community, and so are trees: Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist, has found that trees in a forest nurture the whole community, feed ailing trees, and take care of each other. 

You lived in a tent for 20 years. What inspired you to do this? What was the experience like and what did you learn from it?  

I didn’t start out thinking I was going to camp in the wilderness for 20 years—I started out camping in the summer, and it made me so happy, I kept doing it. I’m a writer and artist, and I found nature was my muse: I drew landscapes or wrote poems about rivers and animals. 

I loved simplifying my life: all I had was my tent, my notebook, my binoculars, a sleeping bag, my canteen, my stove, some food. Contrary to what the culture tells us––that more stuff makes you happy—I found happiness in having almost no stuff. 

Being in the wilderness was a relief because it took me away from my boring preoccupation with myself.  It gave me a sense of belonging, and it made feel connected to animals, trees, and stars. 

And the wilderness is beautiful. Being surrounded by beauty—watching the stars blur in a lake night after night––made me tremendously happy. 

There have been studies that show the benefits of living close to nature or spending time outdoors. Have you experienced these benefits personally and which stand out for you? 

Spending time outdoors restores my sense of wonder and curiosity; allows me to slow down and feel grounded; reduces anxiety and worry; makes me creative and inspired; and allows me to live in the present much of the time. Nature is always authentic and real, and that’s a relief—it’s an antidote to meaningless chatter, superficial parties, and worries about pleasing the boss.  

New studies show that trees and greenery can even encourage a longer lifespan. What are some of nature’s additional surprising benefits?

Kids with ADHD who play outdoors have milder symptoms. Pediatricians write prescriptions for kids to spend time in parks. Patients recovering from surgery heal more quickly if they can see trees.  

I, myself, tend to get flustered and scattered. Nature makes me more centered, embodied, and relaxed. It’s the original meditation teacher. And I’ve had many encounters with animals that are comforting: once, after a loss, I was crying in the middle of a field and a chickadee landed on my shoulder; I felt better immediately. 

Why do you think it’s especially important that your work has been published in this election year?

I’d like to inspire people to elect senators and representatives who have a great conservation record –The League of Conservation Voters site lists these folks—and 

vote for anyone who has a great track record working on climate change issues. 2020 is going to be a year that could make a real difference for the climate. 

How much can an individual do to help save our environment? Isn’t it mainly nations that have to lead the way to make great change?

Politicians tell us is they don’t hear from people about climate change. Well, now, hopefully, they will. It’s important to write senators and representatives about the environment. 

Kids are increasingly leading the way against environmental destruction. Are they the key to protecting our planet?

I’m inspired by the Sunrise Movement, (an American youth-led political movement), by Greta Thunberg, and all the kids who are working on these issues. They’ve raised awareness about climate change and made a huge difference.  But we can’t leave it up to the kids. What I’m advocating is working on climate change the way one meditates.  Taking small steady actions on a regular basis. My mantra is action.  Every time I start complaining about what’s happening to the earth, every time I start worrying about the news, I stop talking and take action. 

After earning $75,000 a year, a Princeton study shows that you don’t become happier if you make even more money.  What do you think about this?

I feel as if I’m witnessing a tragic mistake. It seems that oil barons and CEOS of corporations—the people who are cutting down forests and poisoning the rivers and oceans–– believe that making a trillion dollars rather than a billion dollars will make them happier. And it’s not true. The earth is being sold off and chopped down and burnt down and poisoned because of a misunderstanding––that more and more money brings happiness.

Why did you call your book SWERVE?

One thing we know from history is that there are sudden swerves. One day there’s the Berlin Wall. The next day, flowers and champagne. One day, apartheid. The next day, freedom for South Africa. One day, DDT. And then—thanks to one woman, Rachel Carson–– the Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, the Wilderness Act, the Endangered Species Act, the EPA, and the very concept of ecology. We don’t know what the future holds. In one of my poems, At Any Moment, There Could be a Swerve in a Different Direction, I mention a polluted Ohio river that was so toxic it caught fire. Yet suddenly, within a few years, it got cleaned up. We have turned things around before. We can turn things around again. 

Do you feel you’re making a difference with your poetry and words? 

Jung said that poetry carries the soul of the culture, and that’s because poets tell the truth.  My book speaks about the grief people feel about what’s happening to the earth—a grief that’s often unspoken and unrecognized––but leaves readers with a sense of hope. 

What other unique ways can more of us contribute?

Finding one thing that calls to you and working on that can make a difference––something that uses your gifts, something that you enjoy. One of my neighbors is working on Reclaim Our Vote. Another friend is working on Stop the Money Pipeline.org, which aims to cut the roots out from under the fossil fuel industry by diminishing their investments. I think it’s important to pick one thing to focus on and do that with steadfastness. And don’t do it alone; find other people working on your project, and hang out with them. Otherwise, it can be overwhelming. Optimism and action are contagious.  

What do you feel is the best way to convince people to take action?

People need to have hope to take action, and there is hope. We’ve had victories, and we can’t lose sight of those. Earth Justice, for instance, has done an amazing job protecting the environment. 

What do you think is the most effective form of resistance?

To me, the most effective form of resistance this year is to get out the vote. We can vote for candidates endorsed by LCV—the League of Conservation Voters, who keep a scorecard about who’s who: who has a great conservation record, who’s working on climate change. 

We can support groups like Reclaim Our Vote, Swing Left, Indivisible, and the Sunrise Movement. We can volunteer for the Sierra Club, 350.org, Clean Water Action, Stop the Money Pipeline.org. etc.

It’s been said that we only have ten years to beat climate change.  How does that make you feel?  

Sometimes I get depressed and think, “Oh my god, we only have ten years! But then I think, Wow, we still have ten years to make a difference! What a time to be alive. I’d better get busy.”

Although physicist Stephen Hawking called this a dangerous time for our planet, you still believe in what Christiana Figueres, who helped broker the Paris agreement, calls relentless optimism. Why?

It’s clearly a dark time for the earth.  But we have come through dark times before and come out victorious. When I was in college, Rachel Carson was doing her great work.  I wasn’t an environmentalist back then—I was just worried about my exams and my boyfriend—but if I had been an environmentalist, I would have said that Rachel Carson’s ideas about DDT are great, but she’s never going to win.  Nobody’s going to ban DDT. The polluters and corporations are too strong. And I would have been wrong. Pessimism leads to apathy. What’s needed, I think, is a kind of relentless optimism, which translates into a calm, steadfast action, which is the only antidote to despair and the only antidote to the mess we are in. Everyone on the planet can make a huge difference with their life right now. 

What is Finding Venerable Mother about and why did write it?

My life has been a spiritual journey that took on new dimensions when I moved with my husband and teenage son to Bangkok, Thailand for three years in 2005. Early on I met my teacher, Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first fully ordained Thai Theravada nun⎯an encounter that opened my heart and changed me forever. This deepening relationship led to writing my memoir, Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughters Spiritual Quest to Thailand, which chronicles my adventures along the spiritual path.  

Initially, the book didn’t start off as a memoir; I intended for it to be a biography about Dhammananda. However, once I began writing, my perspective shifted and it became more about my spiritual relationship to my teacher rather than the story of her life. I still want to write a book about Venerable Dhammananda to be able to share her wisdom with others. In fact, I am in the process of writing a second book about her now.

Finding Venerable Mother follows your journey to Thailand with your husband and son where you found yourself immersed in Thai Culture. What were some of the challenges? Joys? And, how did that effect your relationship with your son?

In the beginning it was difficult to figure out what I wanted to do. It is customary for ex-pats to hire domestic help, which we did. The woman we hired, Durga, was incredible. She was my eyes and ears in a country I didn’t understand. She spoke five languages including fluent Thai and English. The whole family came to rely on her. Once Durga was settled into her routine, she became the caretaker of our family in terms of cooking and cleaning, jobs that had previously fallen to me. I felt kind of lost for a while, having relinquished my former role and responsibilities. In addition, I had to have major back surgery for a chronic problem, and spent three months recovering. Durga was there to take care of me.

Over time I healed, and adjusted to having so much free time. It’s quite a privileged lifestyle living abroad, and everyone in our family enjoyed the advantages of frequent travel throughout Southeast Asia. Also, I met Dhammananda and began to spend more time at the Temple. As our relationship developed we became very close, like mother and daughter. She loved me unconditionally, which helped me to heal from an emotionally fraught relationship with my own mother. I will say more about that later.

In terms of my son, it was a life changing experience to live in a foreign culture. He started venturing out on his own with friends in Bangkok on weekends when he was fourteen. That was quite common for ex-pat kids. The longer we lived abroad, the more confident he became. Of course, he was still a teenager so I managed a lot of his activities, but I would say we both grew from the experience and he managed to gain a degree of independence while we lived abroad. I may not have granted him the same independence had we still been living in the US.

Did you experience any serendipity or synchronicity in your journey?

I love this question. I experienced serendipity throughout my journey. I recently read The Four Sacred Secrets by Preethaji and Krishnaji. Preethaji gave a very good definition of serendipity. She said, “Synchronicities are meaningful coincidences.” Throughout my time in Thailand, I felt led by an invisible force that seemed to lure me on. When I signed up for the conference and first heard Dhammananda speak⎯that was synchronicity at work. I can’t explain why these things kept happening, but I simply followed along and was guided by such a powerful and loving force.

You wrote about forgiveness. What advice would you give to someone who has difficulty loving his or herself? 

I can only speak about my own experience here. During the three years I lived in Thailand, I bonded with Dhammananda. Compassion and loving kindness flowed from every cell of her being; I just soaked it up. Through her love and unconditional acceptance, I was able to accept myself. She showed me a path to healing. For me it was important to heal the relationship with my mother before I could begin to love myself. 

With Dhammananda’s love, the anger and blame I felt for my mother for so long, dissolved, and my heart opened into a greater acceptance of both my mother and myself. For those interested in learning more about self-compassion and forgiveness, I recommend the author Kristen Neff who writes about self-compassion.

Do you agree that writing can be a spiritual practice? If so, how?

Another great question. I do believe writing can be a spiritual practice, one in which we feel connected on a deeper level to ourselves and others. When I am really connected to my heart, the words seem to flow from a place deep inside me. I know when I am experiencing this, because there is a universal wisdom in what I want to say. To access this place, I have to be really peaceful and centered; my mind can’t be going in a million directions. Meditation is a great way to open and connect with our essential being.

Anything else you would like readers to know?

Please feel free to contact me at www.cindyrasicot.com. My book will be published on May 12^th and I will be making several public appearances around the country. The details are listed on my website. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my experiences with you today.