Hey, beautiful.
On the night of New Year’s Eve, my partner, Aaron, and I joined a group of conscious, spiritual friends in Las Vegas, Nevada. For nearly two hours, we took turns reflecting on our personal journeys, what we learned from 2017 (and those we met), and how we were going to shape 2018 to be the best year yet.
For weeks leading up to the evening, I had this very strong intuition that things were going to shift — very fast — once 2018 arrived. It was an odd feeling, as I’ve never given too much thought to the idea of a “new year, new me.” But it felt right.
One of the practices of the evening was to write down our intentions for ourselves, the year ahead, and to “release” them into the fire which is both cleansing and purifying. Before finishing that task, I agreed to receive rapé medicine.
I received the sacred shamanic medicine which, in this ceremony, is blown up both nostrils. Native American cultures believe the practice balances both hemispheres of the brain and contributes to higher consciousness. Read more here.
Within seconds of receiving the medicine, I felt like my world had been turned upside down. I was connecting with new friends on such a deep level, and I could feel and hear everything. Before long, the psychoactive properties began to kick in. I tossed my “intentions” into the fire and headed toward the couch, a bucket in tow.
After heaving a good share of my dinner, I headed outside to where it was quiet and I could be alone. I cuddled myself on a chair and went within, battling my demons on the way to my heart center. It was a really odd and surreal experience. I felt as if my chest — or my heart chakra — was a piece of cheese, and only a few holes had been unclogged to allow love in. This realization was curious, as the main goal I intentioned for 2018 was to “live from my heart and be myself completely.” The universe took my promise literally (good), and wasn’t waiting to deliver.
After about 20 minutes, I felt as if the “shit” I felt in my heart center (I say this word because it felt like absolute shit — guilt, fear, not feeling good enough, feeling physically sick, etc…) needed to purge. As someone who has experienced Ayahuasca several times, I can say the purging experience was quite similar.
On my hands and knees, I crawled toward the edge of the yard and allowed my body to expel years of fear, self-loathing, and caution of the unknown. I felt bare, vulnerable, and completely exposed. And for the first time in years, I resonated with it.
Of course, I was still physically sick, so after making a mental reminder to warn the hosts (and offer to clean up the next day), I made my way back inside, said goodbye to everyone, and asked Aaron if we could go. My beau is so amazing, he cared for me until I felt well again.
The next day, I felt different but very, very clear. It was as if I could hear the “hum” of the universe (or the machine) again. To bring some balance back to our beings, Aaron and I smoked a little marijuana flower and then talked about our experiences.
He had experienced little to no purging but agreed that he felt very clear. It was in this space we began to talk about our future, when we would be moving, and how we would be taking action. The conversation was desperately needed. This is because despite being confident in our future together, there were many questions left unresolved pertaining to when we would be moving and when exactly our next step would be. As you might expect, not knowing (yet sensing all would be revealed) caused some strain. It didn’t help we wanted to leave Las Vegas as soon as possible.
Don’t get me wrong — the city has been quite good to us. But, it is “sin city,” after all, and we — as people — don’t quite resonate with the area, the money-hungry mentality, or the desert climate. Perhaps it was the beginning of a new year, the tobacco medicine, or the beautiful ceremony that inspired clarity, but all of a sudden, we felt guided. Within the day, we had a plan.
Days later, Aaron and I both became sick with the influenza flu that’s been going around. Despite being forced to slow down and work from home, we were able to sublet our apartment to the first interested party and even speed up our move out date within the month!
Most interesting, I think, is the fact that SO many developments occurred at numerically-significant times. For instance:
- I received the first call from the interested applicant at 11:11 AM
- We received confirmation that they would sublet at 3:33 PM (a few days later)
- The road trip we will be taking is 1,420 miles
- Emails and texts concerning our plans keep occurring at 7:21 (my birthday), 11:11, 4:20, and 12:12.
For those who are new to angel numbers, it is believed that our angels and Ascended Masters (and the universe, of course, of which we are all an extension) remind us we are in the right place at the right time, doing our purpose, through number sequences. Each number holds a vibration, so when we see repeated sequences, we are reminded of messages. 444, for instance, means the Ascended Masters are guiding your path. Aaron and I settled on our next venture (detailed below) at exactly 4:44 PM.
To skeptics, this might seem pretty crazy. (And, I get you!) It takes faith to believe that life has a “flow” and you can live in it. But, both Aaron and I have seen too much evidence to doubt that there is an Intelligence that runs and is everything. I must also acknowledge that he was a skeptic of numerology, in general, up until yesterday.
Where We’re Going Next
Last June, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to learn. And that, we did. Aaron was very blessed and managed to get a job at Reef Dispensaries, the fastest-growing dispensary in the nation. All the while, I managed our brand, worked as a freelance writer online, and grew this blog/business, Bloom for Life. Our experience here (in Las Vegas) is over now, however. It served its purpose, it revealed a couple pieces of the “puzzle” (of life), and now we’re ready to leave.
What’s next? Well, after returning to South Dakota, USA, at the beginning of February, we will be slightly remodeling a camper van gifted to us by my parents. From there, we will be traveling around the US (in a sustainable fashion) with our three fur babies (our husky and two cats). At the same time, we will be (fingers crossed) building our business in Colorado. Hopefully, by September, we can unveil this awesome, inspired project which seeks to give back in so many ways.
As I might have mentioned, we initially planned on leaving Las Vegas at the end of our lease in July. However, when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. It’s just incredible how fast everything has happened, especially so soon after taking the rapé medicine and putting forth strong intention to live in alignment.
I want to clarify that I’m sharing this story not to gloat, but to share my experiences. I think that we all are being called to live in alignment with the Creator, the “Oneness” from which we all stem and will return. When we can let go of fear, greed, and anger and live from a place of love, happiness, and intuition, incredible things do happen. Our life is proof and will continue to be.
Please join me on this journey. It’s not too late to say “Fuck it, life’s too short not to be happy” and make 2018 the first year you live for YOU.
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Get ready for some fun sustainability-related content, now that we’re taking Bloom for Life on the road. I hope your start to 2018 has been just as educational and hopefully more enjoyable (stay healthy!).
Namaste,
