Dear Soul on the Other Side of the Screen,

When I sat down to write this blog, I found myself struggling, trying to find the right words that would build a bridge between us, where even though we are all quarantined, we are connected. I want to honor all the different situations we are in. Some of us are struggling with security, with loved ones who are ill, with the unknown. I laid down to sleep and asked for a prayer to be guided. In the middle of the night, my son was crying, and as I woke up to care for him, I needed to change his clothes. I reached for a onesie and saw that there were whales on it. It made me think of this story that moved me deeply, so deeply that I didn’t really share it. I share it with you today in hopes that it supports all of us to reflect on our interconnection through time, in ways we may have been prepared for this time.

In January of this year, I was in Hawaii leading two Qoya retreats and a workshop. On one of our last days, we were staying on Maui with a close friend who took us to the beach. She took my husband and her father to go paddle board, while I stayed on the beach bouncing my son Desmond to sleep. As I watched them, I was elated to see whales surface close to where they were. Very close to where they were. I was so happy for them and was curious what it would be like to be that close to the whales. After an hour or more of immersing themselves in the magic, they paddled back and arrived radiant and beaming! Our friend shared that even though she lives on Maui and has seen the whales out many times, she had never been that close to them. They encouraged me to paddle out and see if the whales were still around. I declined. I have found the old advice to be true, "Don't wake a sleeping baby."

We were about to leave when our friend's father asked one more time, "Are you sure you don't want to go out?" Just then, Desmond started to wake up, so I said, "Ok!" Without thinking, I felt my body throw a hat on, grab the paddle and board, and start fervently paddling in the direction the whales had been. When I got closer, something didn't feel right. I didn't want to impose on these whales. Instead of actively trying to pursue them, I had an idea to simply speak to them from my heart. If they wanted to hang out with me, it would be much easier for them to swim to me than me paddle board to them, especially since they were underwater, and I wasn't really sure where they would surface next. I started to share my dreams, hopes, struggles, and gratitude for them and the frequency they hold. After 10 minutes or so of my potentially one-sided heart to heart with the whales, a baby humpback came above the surface, and I gasped. Then the mama humpback gently came above the surface about 20 feet from me. I looked around, wondering if they would come up again and if so, where? The baby then came up again in a playful spirit spouting water that made me laugh. I looked down and as I did, through the crystal blue water, I saw the mama humpback swimming directly underneath me. She looked about 40 feet long. A whirlpool of water formed close to me, responding to her movements. This is probably a good time to tell you that my biggest fear in life has always been that I would be swallowed by a whale.

Many times, I've had an intense fear and then been surprised when my real-life experience of it was completely different. The fear tends to be much more difficult than the experience itself. The closest way to explain how I felt when I saw one of the biggest animals on the planet swimming no more than 20 feet underneath me is to tell you about the time I was in a strong earthquake in California. It was so strong that the floors and walls became like waves in the ocean without breaking. I had the co-occurring experience of concern, "Is this it? Will I live through this?" and feeling such awe at nature's force and power to bend the reality of the floor and wall without breaking it. This simultaneous experience of fear and awe also happened when I saw an avalanche while hiking in Peru. The Western people on our tour started to scream and run in terror, while our Q'ero guides started to jump up and down in joy as if cheering the Earth on. Afterwards, they shared that they felt it was a great blessing to see Mother Earth's power up close.

After the whale passed underneath me, I froze for a moment. I wanted to linger there for eternity, and I also wanted to paddle back to my son as quickly as I could. I took a deep breath in the fleeting present moment as it started to move into my past. As I began to follow my need to reconnect with my son, I was physically struggling to keep up my stamina as the waves and winds were starting to pick up. I got confused if the direction I was heading back to shore was right. My visual reference point seemed to be moving, and I lost confidence I was going the right way. The current was moving me faster than I could resist or redirect it, so I tried not to focus on the fact that I had never been that far out in the ocean in my life. I started to focus on what I could control: my breathing and imagining what it would feel like to reunite with my son. I also prayed to the winds and the water to be patient with me as I gathered the strength and resilience to stay present with the challenge in front of me. I did make it back eventually, and it took a lot longer than I was expecting. It was a wild inner and outer journey.

As I reflect back on this story a few months later, I'm thinking of Rainer Maria Rilke's words:

"The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens."

I can sense that facing my biggest fear, testing my stamina, being in awe of nature, and letting the highest love I've ever known inspire me to carry on are helpful in this ocean of unknown we all find ourselves swimming in. I can also see in this story, I experienced something beyond my imagination. Never in my life had I imagined that I would have a such an intimate exchange with a mother and baby humpback whale. I choose to hold on to that seed of surprise, that maybe there is something ahead beyond our imagination of what we can see now. I ask myself, "Can I let myself be pulled forward by beauty and trust?"

I want to be clear. I don't mean to draw a correlation to the privilege of my experience in Hawaii and some of the serious challenges people are facing now. I simply mean to point to the universal teachings from mystics, leaders, and wise elders across time, and invite us to look for the places in our own unique life journeys where we have looked fear in the eye, lived through hard times with great love, and been resilient.

Like many of us, I also feel the resistance to holding a positive vision. I often take time to honor that I have been well initiated into fear many times. I'm confident in my capacity to be suspicious, how to doubt myself and others. Those things are not difficult for me. I also sense they are not what inspired my spirit to incarnate on earth. I feel for myself that my personal growth edge is to continue to trust life. I don't always trust pharmaceutical companies, mass media's representation of reality, the intentions of technology tracking systems, or any institution not rooted in honoring life's inherent interconnection, but I do choose to trust life.

The whale gave me an opportunity to live into and through one of my biggest fears. Even if it is seemingly irrational to you, it was very real to me. I hope that we will look back at the fears we face now and see that they were so much worse in our minds than when we lived through them.

It's normal to be scared at this time. It's also normal to seek solace, to know yourself better, and to balance your angst with your angels. It's normal to resist change rather than receive it as an invitation to get stronger and softer at the same time. It's normal to feel your flow with change evolve many times.

As you read Rainer Maria Rilke's words, "The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens," I invite you to ask yourself:

What events in your life feel like they have prepared you for this time? Poetically? Practically?

If you close your eyes, take a deep breath, and trust what comes to mind, what embodied lived experiences have transformed you as if they were gifts from the future? Gifts from this time? Can you explore your memory as if having a message for you? See if there is some spiritual seed needing to be nourished to grow?

I just looked up the story in the Bible about Jonah and the whale to see if there would be any potential insight. The gist as I received it is that Jonah refused to accept his divine mission, there was a storm, he was swallowed by a whale. When vomited out, he felt grateful to be alive and committed to his divine mission. This really struck me as one of the most powerful psychic experiences in my life was a memory of choosing to be incarnated at this time. I felt an energy trying to restrict me, but then I exercised my free will with full abandon and felt myself yearn to be here with in human form during this turning of the ages. I feel this as true because I feel terrified and grateful at the same time. In the land of "both and," I feel the space to feel how I feel and be where I am. What is true for you at this time? What does truth feel like as a physical sensation in your body?

If you would like to gather in the spirit of these questions, this is what Qoya is about.

Qoya is a sacred space for us to feel how we feel and be where we are. The gifts of this are often a feeling of fulfillment that comes with being in alignment with our authenticity and integrity. It's also how we trust life. By honoring how we feel, we come into resonance with the observer, the part of us that even in the midst of many emotions, can access the physical sensation of truth in our body that knows. I personally have found it very difficult to feel a deep connection with myself, others, nature, spirit, and all life if I am not rooted in my body, or am too much "in my head." Maybe that's true for you, too. Maybe you've been able to come back to your essence and remember what's true through movement. Maybe you've noticed that moving your body isn't only about physical exercise. When we move in Qoya, we can clear our minds, honor our emotions, connect spiritually, move through what's ready to be let go of, and reclaim and receive what's ready to be remembered.

Some upcoming offerings:

Saturday, April 4th: Join me for a FREE gathering hosted by shamanic astrologer Tami Brunk called The Earth Sky Woman Summit: Gathering Our Tools. Sixteen women from New Zealand to New York are gathering in circle, each of us sharing the most powerful tools we have for navigating our current moment of great darkness and great possibility. The event will open and close in ceremony and features ancestral healing, sound healing, prayer making, indigenous women's voices, astrological guidance, intuitive tools, soul healing, guided meditations and activations, and more from genuine, trustworthy, grounded yet magical women.

I will be sharing a dancing despacho gratitude ceremony. Bring a minimum of three offerings for the land where you live. Listen for what the land where you are would like to receive, and come ready to dance.

To learn more, see the full schedule and register for this free event. I'm honored to be a part of this and recommend every session! I also want to let you know that Lainie Love Dalby, Gemini Adams, and Samar Ciprian are all Qoya teachers.

If you cannot attend live (though we highly recommend it if you can!), all who register will receive all the recordings from the summit Sunday morning, made available for a full 48 hours after posting at no cost.

Another offering is to join the Woman Speak circles for free. There will be a session each Wednesday in April starting next week. Each session will begin with embodied movement session, great content, and breakout rooms to connect and share. I'm honored to be leading on the 3rd week, Wednesday April 22nd at 1:00pm EST. Click here to learn more and register.

Flowing with Change Qoya Class and Ritual with Rochelle

Sunday, April 5th: Qoya class 2:00pm-3:30pm followed by a ritual 3:45pm-5:00pm

Cost: $22 (or $11 if that feels better to you right now)

Join me for an online Qoya class and ritual to listen to the wisdom in your body in these times of great change. Let's take a break from all the information surging in our minds and dance with the flow of change as we feel it in our bodies.

No experience necessary. Wear clothes that feel comfortable to move in for you. Bring a journal and pen for class and the ritual as well as some water to sip.

You'll need a strong internet connection and may want to receive this with the best speakers you have access to. For example, the volume listening on your computer will be more than your phone. Some people said they were able to hear better when listening on a bluetooth speaker or in their bluetooth headphones. If you're going to join us, please know that there will be breakout rooms to give you an opportunity to share with other participants. If you would rather not share, you can simply take time to journal or whatever is the best way to take care of yourself.

Click here if you'd like to join us.

Thank you for being part of this Qoya community, in which ever way you are. As a student, teacher, novice, or elder, Qoya has always been about strengthening the circle of interconnection between us. For those who are struggling at this time with personal loss, with fear of the unknown, with empathic grief for the collective, may there be nourishment for you in all you do and do not do. For those in this moment who are filled with strength of spirit, seeing silver linings, and soaking up joy like a sponge when it's available, may there be nourishment for you in all you do and do not do. For those who are riding the wave of each unique week, day, breath, and moment, may we find comfort in knowing we are not alone, inspiration to support others, and courage to stay open to receive the help we need.

With a broken open heart,
Rochelle

p.s. A reminder that we have a page full of free and low cost resources to support you during this time. Please share with those who you sense may be moved to move in this way.

p.p.s. Some sharing of things that have been shared with me that I was glad to have heard, seen, or read them:

The Mother Earth Delegation of United Indigenous Nations of the North

What Hopi and Navajo Teachings Tell Us About Pandemics

"The Coronation" by Charles Eisenstein

"The Great Change Meditation" by Richard Rudd

Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure

Love this blog?

Enjoy more Qoya movements, rituals, and philosophies in our online course, A Call to Create, which helps you embody the wisdom of our book, Qoya: A Compass for Navigating an Embodied Life that is Wise, Wild and Free.

For free support, check out our library of movement rituals, our free e-course 10 Days of Qoya Love, the Lifestyle of Reverence podcast, or browse the archives over on our blog.

RETREATS TO REMEMBER YOUR ESSENCE

Sacred Valley, Peru with Rochelle Schieck (with adventure add-ons to Lake Titicaca before and Machu Picchu after): June 8-13, 2020 - click here to receive an email notification when enrollment opens

Kripalu Retreat in Massachusetts with Rochelle Schieck: June 28 - July 3, 2020

Multiversity Retreat in California with Rochelle Schieck: July 26 - 31, 2020

INITIATION TEACHER TRAININGS

Dorset, England with Sonja Lockyer: June 26 - 28, 2020

Kripalu Retreat in Massachusetts with Rochelle Schieck: June 28 - July 3, 2020

Sydney, Australia with Jill Lacina: July 10 - 12, 2020

New Zealand Initiation with Samar Ocean Wolf Ciprian: July 18 - 19, 2020

Multiversity Retreat in California with Rochelle Schieck: July 26 - 31, 2020

Ibiza, Spain with Kate Taylor: October 10 - 17, 2020

France Initiation with Claire Garin (training will be taught in French): November 21 - 22, 2020

INTENSIVE TEACHER TRAININGS

Online Intensive with Rochelle Schieck: May 1 - 10, 2020