I never set out looking for “teachers.”

Life simply guided me into the presence of women who had been walking the path a little longer than I had — women whose lives carried quiet wisdom, humility, and heart.

Over time, real relationships formed.

Not built on hierarchy, but on honesty, laughter, tears, truth, and mutual respect.

Those relationships have become some of the greatest blessings of my life.

The Purple Building and the Hair Tie

Years ago, I wandered into Aquarian Dreams — the magical purple building so many in our community know. That’s where I met Cheri, and where I began returning to her Spiritual Development classes again and again.

Not because she made herself larger-than-life…

…but because I felt safe there.

One evening after class, she asked:

“How does everyone feel?”

“I feel great,” I said, “except my wrist really hurts.”

I looked down and realized a tight hair tie had been digging into my wrist the entire time. I slipped it off — and instantly felt better.

We laughed until we cried, and we still laugh about it today.

Such a simple moment — yet such a truth:

Sometimes the pain we feel comes from something we’re unknowingly still holding onto.

With Cheri, lessons arrived that way — naturally, gently, often through life itself. And to this day, when we sit together on her porch watching the ocean, sharing stories, tears, and laughter, I feel deep gratitude for the authenticity of our connection.

The Woman With Jaguar Eyes

Years later, another elder crossed my path — Deborah, Willow Fire Woman.

By then I had trainings, certifications, and a healing practice, yet I still felt like I was discovering who I was as a healer and as a woman walking this path.

A friend brought me to Deborah’s Shamanic center. People waited in line to see her. When it was my turn, she looked into my eyes with a presence that felt ancient and said:

“You will step away from the masculine and move into the feminine.”

I didn’t fully understand at the time — but something inside quietly shifted.

And over the years, the meaning unfolded.

What stayed with me wasn’t only the message.

It was the steadiness.

The groundedness.

The example of someone who kept showing up with authenticity.

What My Elders Truly Taught Me

Looking back now, I see the deeper gift these women gave me.

They taught me to stand on my own two feet.

They helped me discover that true healing rises from within — not from someone handing it to us.

They reminded me:

I can listen.

I can trust myself.

I can heal.

I can walk my path.

And at the same time…

They are still here for me.

When I feel lost, I know I can reach out — not to be saved, but to be mirrored. To remember what I already know when I momentarily forget.

And they will always have my respect.

Not because they sit on pedestals —

but because they have walked this path longer than I have,

with authenticity, patience, and heart.

They walk before me — not above me.

And I carry their presence as a blessing:

grateful for their guidance, grateful for their humanity, and grateful our paths crossed exactly when they did.

~Apu Mama Aku

A Question For You

Take a quiet breath and reflect:

Who in your life has walked ahead of you — not to lead you, but to remind you of who you really are?

And what have they quietly taught you about your own strength?