At the top of Cloudripper, shortly before falling and breaking my foot

As with every human incarnate, I have experienced challenges that continue to mold and shape me. I endured years of abuse by intimate partners, in the form of physical, emotional and mental abuse. Despite focusing on the relationship of violence against women and HIV/AIDS, I was scarred by the trauma of having to leave South Africa because I was raped and needed to seek treatment to prevent HIV transmission. While in Paraguay, I became acutely aware of the horrific treatment of native Indigenous communities and the continued destruction of native lands for greed and profit. Years later, while staying at a Buddhist Monastery in Myanmar, I once again found myself at a crossroads of a country deeply entrenched with violence. As I reflect to the state of our own nation, I am keenly aware that we, having once proclaimed human rights across the globe, have committed atrocious violations and genocide since our founding. Despite the struggles that persist here and across the globe, I continue to be moved by the care and compassion of humanity. At the hardest of times, I am reminded that in the depths of pain lies an invitation to heal.

Teaching at Kaung Su Wai Monastery in Yangon, Myanmar

Whilst returning to the US, the world became enmeshed in a global pandemic. As countries shut there doors, I understood it as an opportunity to delve deeper into the practice of energy work and meditation. I developed a serious adverse reaction to the vaccine, which resulted in extreme pain throughout my entire body. Going from a top athlete, the complete loss of my mind and body was catastrophic. Skills that once were easy, suddenly proved challenging beyond words. All the things I once valued were taken. I was on crutches, at times in a wheelchair, and became unable to articulate words in a cohesive meaningful way. I sought respite in the comfort of the path inward as meditation was the only way to ease the pain. It was during some of the darkest of moments that Joseph and I found Two Crow. As though the mountains were calling, seeking to heal and be healed, we were blessed to find this beautiful sanctuary.

Linda and Joseph enjoying the sunset

Pain and trauma are intricately intertwined. At times our world seems to be falling apart. But just as my travels across the world taught me, it is in the darkest moments that we find an invitation to heal. The mountains taught me how our bodies hold on to all our memories, and if we don’t integrate, and understand, our experiences, those traumas resurface as disease. They invited me to look at the global tragedies from a different perspective, one of healing and rebirth. They showed me how everything in life happens for a reason, and all the pain and struggles we experience, are spirit’s way of welcoming us in, teaching us to let go and have faith. Without the abusive relationships, I wouldn’t have learned to build and appreciate a beautiful relationship. Without the physical pain, I would never have stopped long enough to feel the energy pulsing through me that connects us to the life force of the cosmos. While we continue to care for the land at Two Crow, we welcome friends and relatives who are looking to reconnect with the Great Mystery. We welcome those of all spiritual and religious traditions that seek to respond to the violence and destruction with healing, love and compassion. We are all connected and only by realizing and honoring this connection, can we together build a better place.