Rebecca Romanelli — Interview
Rebecca Romanelli is a true storyteller…I am never able to skim through what she writes, but instead become immersed in the momentum of her journeys into the dream world and into reality. Her voyages at all levels explore the truth of who she is and offer us a connection into who we are. She layers her stories in dimensions of awareness, showing us how we can be more than we believe we can be — if we listen to Nature and if we welcome the presence of our inner voice.
For thirty years, no surprise, Rebecca has helped people through her practice in the healing arts and through her embrace of spiritual and sacred themes.
In one story, the one that first captured my attention, she wrote:
Ancient Egyptians believed that they would be asked two questions after death. The first was “Did you bring joy?” The second was “Did you find joy?”
From Giving From Our Hearts Instead of Our Heads…Winter Solstice and a Return of the Light:
“Buddha once incarnated as a Golden Banyan deer who could speak to humans. He became a leader of his herd and saved them from suffering at the hands of ruthless hunters.
From this legend there arose the symbol of deer which translates to harmony, happiness, peace and longevity. Deer are aware of their surroundings and gentle. They represent innocence, kindness, grace and good luck in Tibetan teachings. Seeing a deer is considered fortunate and can mean your spirit guides are present and watching over you.”
From The Very Bearable Lightness of Being:
“I’m a silent observer without an I.
I breathe in Golden, Glimmering, Nectar. It courses a path through my body down to my small, bare feet planted on the earth. I am connected to all that is. The pulse of life. The heartbeat of our planet. We are one, no separation.”
From Guardian Angels Saved My Life:
“Subtle energy sensations and dynamics occur more frequently and increase in strength when they are recognized. Highly Sensitive People are tuning in to subtle frequencies on an ongoing basis. If you’re reading this, you’re one of them.
A greater vastness than our self exists and is expressing continuously. It even dictates our subconscious choices at times. Doesn’t it make sense to explore it?
A buddy and I were traveling through Costa Rica on the way to South America in 1976. We decided to explore the Caribbean coast and landed in a small village named Cahuita…we ended up renting a room from Wagner, a dude in his mid-twenties like ourselves. He told an enchanting story of a golden river flowing into the sea a mile down the beach and suggested we check it out. He also strongly cautioned us about unpredictable weather patterns springing out of nowhere, creating great danger on the beach.
…A succession of waves assaulted me as I struggled for a breath, choking on saltwater instead. Relentless waves dragged my imprisoned body closer to the breaking surf and coral reefs. I couldn’t gain traction or even begin to stand upright. Each wave became fiercer, rolling me closer to the hungry sea…I began shaking as Karen and I whispered about what she had seen and I had experienced. My moment of levitation. If she had not been behind me I would’ve thought it was a figment of my imagination. We were in an altered state of wonder, concerned for my welfare and still vibrating intensely from experiencing Direct Source energy
…Wagner came back inside and retrieved a jar of salve smelling strongly of Eucalyptus. The wind was howling and the front door shaking as rain pelted the roof in a rage. The sea had lost her meal. Kneeling on the floor, he began to slowly, very tenderly, apply the salve to my injury…At that moment, I realized multiple divine forces had been involved. One arrived from the fields of light. The others were embodied as humans named Karen and Wagner.”
From Reclaiming Your Joy:
“Red-winged blackbirds sent out alarming trills, joining our merriment from overhead branches. I reached a point of ecstasy when two Anna hummingbirds whirred in front of my face, hovering over my magenta jacket in pursuit of nectar. I love you, I called out as they darted away. A total bliss freak.
The more I shift into gratitude the more I spot the many ways in which my life is blessed. It’s almost like the field around me magnifies and registers this enhanced state as well.
A phone call from a dear friend will chime, a coyote appears and we have an exhilarating stare down before she swaggers off with a look of disdain for the silly human before her. One never knows what or who will show up when gratitude is activated, but you can bet you will like it.
It’s in our power to create and activate micro-moments, fueling your sense of happiness and perhaps even pointing the way to a trail named Joy.”
“97% of British women between the age of 18 and 24 have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. 97%! A young woman who hasn’t been sexually harassed is becoming an extinct species!
I was so very fed up with the personal safety threats women have been subjected to for eternity.
For my own sanity, I decided to go way back to one of the original gender legends and offer an alternative interpretation. Perhaps men could profit from a female perspective. Here I’m giving you my updated version of Adam and Eve’s original sin….
The last thing we need is more fear in our world. There’s way too much of it as it is. We deserve the same freedom men experience. And it’s not a man’s job to grant it. It’s a human right.”
“I raise up my voice — not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” Malala Yousafzai
Welcome, Rebecca!
Please introduce yourself…tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing for Medium.
I knew, at quite an early age, my life path would not be “normal.” I was the eighth of eleven children in a most unusual family.
My parents grew up in New York City and had their first six kids there until relocating to California. They were both oriented to the arts, although father was an electrical engineer and mother went back to school at age 49 and became a nurse.
They were determined to expose their children to international art and music and the written word was considered close to holy…
Bookcases lined our walls and reading to younger siblings was mandatory at some point in the day. I had a favorite sister nine years older who doted on me and loved me unconditionally. The feeling was mutual.
When she was in high school her class was reading Jane Eyre, I begged her to read the entire book to me when I was six and she complied. I had fits of angst over Jane’s plight and would grab sis’s arm in agony. “Why does Jane have to suffer so much!”
It was this book which showed me the transporting wonder of word alchemy and imagination.
I ploughed through the classics at home, but I didn’t begin writing for myself and others until I began traveling the world. Once I set out on the road, I sent a steady stream of aerogrammes with writing so tiny on the one allowed page that everyone complained they needed a magnifying glass to read them.
I didn’t know this at the time but many of these letters were saved, copied and sent back to me by the recipients with a note. “You don’t keep a journal so here’s your letters to jog your memory in the future.”
I was mortified my parents sent a 17-page letter I wrote after a two-month journey down the Amazon River to extended members of our enormous family.
One of those people was my mother’s cousin who authored 90 books in her lifetime. She contacted mother and told her I was a writer and should start a book. I was bent on exploring the world and it took many years to get my ya ya’s out. After finally settling in one place, I created a healing arts practice and taught yoga as well. I was an entrepreneur and put a lot of life force into my practice, so there was little time for writing.
I retired at 65 and signed up for my first and only writing course in the memoir genre. The class was intimidating at first since it was at a prestigious University and many of the 21 students were professors who had written and published books.
I make friends rapidly, so it didn’t take long for me to get over myself and launch into the class wholeheartedly. It was the encouragement from my fellow students and teacher which led me to submit an Op Ed article to the city newspaper. It was accepted!
I penned a Readers Write piece and sent it off to The Sun, my favorite magazine. Four months went by and I was sure it had been rejected when a notice arrived in the mail that my submission would be printed in the April issue of their magazine. I was overjoyed!
A guest speaker in our class had mentioned blogging on Medium so I decided to check it out. I knew nothing about blogging and was clueless about online technology. The first piece I wrote I couldn’t even figure out how to insert a photo until I sweated through a shirt.
What gives you your inspiration into the articles you write? How do the ideas come to you?
I have no idea what I’m going to write until my dearly beloved, mischievous Coyote muse demands to be heard. The topics that trickster comes up with can be disconcerting and I sometimes rebel to no avail. It is She Who Must Be Obeyed who presents my subjects.
Nearly all of my ideas surface in nature. I’m very connected to the natural world and have been all my life. I walk five miles through an enchanted forest every morning. The firs whisper and raven wings spread magic as they swoosh by. I leave my mind behind and open fully to my senses. This is when topics appear.
What inspires you to relate to the theme and style you have, which I find are distinctive?
I was born feisty and my mother was an early feminist who encouraged my independence and freedom. At one point in high school she turned to me and said, “You have a voice, now use it and never dumb yourself down.” I’ve remained steadily true to creating my own path.
What theme — or themes — engage you most of the time?
Spirituality is a big draw for me. I began having spiritual transmissions at the age of 6. I thought everyone had them until I began telling my best friend about my visions in elementary school and she thought I was crazy.
Nature is another subject I never tire of.
I have been steadily committed to female liberation and equality too. Human equality in general also lights my fire.
I’ve been an anti-nuclear arms activist since I was in high school and there’s plenty of ongoing material in that arena.
And lastly, family and relationship dynamics.
Are there people you feel have definitely influenced your work, no matter their field of interest and experience, or does the writing come from your own life experience and thought?
Since I spent 16 years exploring the world I write from my personal field of experiences. I’ve been privileged to meet some extraordinary people and all of them have had an influence on my writing.
I began studying the Tarot deck when I was 14 and became very intrigued by archetypes. Curiosity sent me to Carl Jung and his work fascinated me. His work answered all my questions about archetypes and encouraged me to work with my vivid dreams. This tied in nicely with my spiritual life as well.
Do you concentrate on creating an atmosphere or mood or focus for your thoughts, or does that evolve as you write each article or story or message?
My mood is different with each article. Sometimes when I’m writing about spiritual events my body flushes with heat and words move through me effortlessly and rapidly. Some pieces come out in spurts on the mental plane. When the subject is intense or upsetting, I write in short blocks and take breaks.
The writing I have the most fun with is humor. That material just pops out on the page and I end up self-entertaining with my absurdities.
Writers are always asking questions. We are always exploring the unknown. What subjects draw you into doing this?
Our bodies are fascinating to me and new discoveries in the medical field instantly grab my attention. Some of the devices Heart Math Institute is using to measure energy are instruments I’ve seen in my dreams.
Any material about subtle energy, a field which is hidden from view, will land on my desk as a must-read.
I have read your articles and have favorites. Do you have an article or story you like more than any other you have written?
Here’s a confession. I can’t stand to reread anything I’ve written after it’s been published. I see all the useless words I could’ve edited out, any typo I didn’t catch and when I digress from the topic. Ugh! I don’t torture myself with what has been, I simply move on.
Who are you writing for? Do you have an audience in mind, or is it just a general idea?
I never think of a particular audience. Some of my spiritual pieces have been read by people not inclined in that direction which has surprised me. The same can be true for me when I’m scrolling through articles. Reading. Humans are fickle and unpredictable in their inclinations. I don’t spend time thinking about what might attract others to my work. That practice could easily distort one’s authentic expression.
Do you like to network with other writers on Medium? If so, why? Do you have favorite writers you read often on Medium?
There are several Medium writers I’ve Zoomed with and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our discussions. I read as many of their articles as I can. One of the greatest joys I have on Medium is finding creatives immersed in subjects I hold dear to my heart.
Another huge draw is the global connection I can activate from my home. Tapping into other cultures is extremely important to me and Medium has been a bridge in that regard.
Would you call yourself an extrovert or introvert?
I’m evenly balanced in inner-outer expression. I relate easily to the collective as a whole, including individuals running a very different program than I have going. I engage and make friends easily and have always had an inner circle of nurturing relationships.
Since I grew up in a large family and had so much exposure to others in my younger years, I am now frequently drawn to being alone. I relish days when I don’t have to consider other’s needs, one of the reasons I traveled by myself.
What do you enjoy most about being a writer?
The flow zone holds me captive. I’m very satisfied with cheap thrills too. If something emerges on the page that tickles my off-beat humor, I’ll get a big kick out of it.
I’m a passionate person with a lot of emotional energy and writing helps diffuse and channel the force.
How have you evolved both as a writer and in your writing after writing for a while on Medium, do you think?
I sincerely hope I’ve evolved in writing. One of my biggest issues used to be the length of my sentences. I read letters I wrote from my past and flinch. A sentence a paragraph long for instance. Rambling, stream of consciousness thought causing me to question my own sanity.
I’ve managed to reduce sentences to a nibble instead of a mouthful most of the time, but I still ramble on too much for online blogging.
The Writing Life
Now, these next questions cannot be avoided. They are the ones everyone usually wants to know about a writer, whether their focus is nonfiction or fiction, article or book.
What is your writing schedule? Do you plan your writing time or just do it when you are not at work or maybe at lunch hour? Or is your time pretty much free to create whenever you feel inclined?
I’m retired now so I can write when I’m seized by the desire. That being said, I also have frequent interactions with people in my community and can rarely determine the amount of time I’ll be allocated undisturbed space. I don’t get uptight about it. I figure when the time is right, writing will happen.
Do you write in a notebook by hand, ever? On your phone? Laptop?
Always on my laptop. I prefer to write outside on my deck when weather allows, and a laptop is easy to shift around. In the winter I write in my living room filled with floor to ceiling windows, so I still feel connected to the outdoors.
I also type faster than I can write, one benefit of using my hands in my career.
What does your writing space look like?
As long as I can see nature, I’m content. I created a writing space in our spare bedroom. It has a lovely desk with a view to an exquisite Madrone tree. I only use it for paying bills. That’s the story of my life in terms of well- laid plans.
Do you have any rituals to get yourself ready to write?
Other than telling every and anyone to buzz off, none. I do like to make an afternoon latte before I begin if I’m writing during the day, however.
For Fun
What do you do besides writing that brings out your creative self?
I used to teach yoga and my personal practice remains an integral part of my day. It soothes my nervous system and helps me sort out priorities. Pranayama or yogic breathing engages my heart.
I’m very immersed in nature on many levels. Creativity pours out of me effortlessly when I’m communing with Earth. The expressions take many forms.
I love to read as much as possible, but I can’t sit still for hours without physical breaks.
I would say some of my strongest creativity is in the arena of relationships. Many don’t consider communicating verbally a form of creativity. I consider it to be an art and one of our strongest potentials for personal growth. I’m immensely intrigued by what makes people tick.
Where is your favorite place to spend time?
Again, nature. The first date I had with my husband of thirty-three years made him laugh. He asked where I wanted to go, and I answered, to the park. Same with our second and third get-together. He said I was the cheapest date he ever had.
What is the best advice you have ever received or read about writing?
The advice my mother gave me when I was young. Find your voice and use it. There’s a lot of opinions about writing and the form it should take for our maximum benefit. None of it has worked for me. Like everything else, I’ve had to forge my own path and I’m fine with that.
If you could meet several writers — time travel being no obstacle — in a coffee shop for a chat, who would they be?
This would be quite an extended list, but I’ll throw out a few.
My first choice for a get-together would be Tara, from the Tibetan Buddhist lineage. I’m not Buddhist or religious but Tibet is my spiritual homeland and her teachings resonate deeply in my soul. She’s an original feminist and told the high Lamas who thought women could not reach enlightenment they were clearly wrong. I loved that!
I’d also love to meet Carl Jung, Ram Dass, Elena Ferrante and Baird T. Spalding who wrote Life and Teaching of the Masters From the Far East.
Spalding’s five volumes came to me in a dream and the title was written on my bedroom wall in glowing silver letters when I woke up. Three days later the person who moved into the apartment below me in a triplex knocked on my door and told me the books had asked him to deliver them to me. I didn’t even know the letters referred to books. The material resonated through every level of my being. These synchronicities happen very often in my life. One reason why I believe in magic.
When you are not writing, what are you up to?
I’m an adaptable improv person and up to exploring whatever surfaces in my consciousness. Something new presents on most days.
I’ve lived life spontaneously with the sure knowledge whatever arises will most likely be beyond my limited imagination. I’m a big fan of surprises. I’m not a person who needs plans unless they are necessary. I never had an itinerary when I traveled. I opened maps and let my heart lead the way.
I also used this system to establish my career and basically everything else in life. Trusting intuition and a higher intelligence than myself has steadily opened doors to unknown realms, increased my perspective and promoted growth.
If you had the chance to board the Starship Enterprise for a long mission, what five books would you bring with you for the journey? Or would you assume a stunning updated version of the Holodeck (maybe crystal-driven) would suffice?
I would definitely go for the Holodeck. In my dreams I’ve already been aboard Starships and had experiences so real I woke up in altered states.
This happened recently when I was dreaming and got up to use the bathroom in the middle of an alien adventure. The full moon was beaming through the large skylight over our bed.
I was in a hypnogogic state, staring up into the skylight and said ‘Beam me up” out loud. Hubby woke up and said, “Where are you going?” I fully woke and pointed to the Moon. We both laughed. He’s constantly entertained by my weirdo self.
And finally, one last question: Who are you, Rebecca, in fifteen words or less?
An intrepid explorer of consciousness who is not afraid to go where no one has before.
That’s sixteen. Forgive me. 😎