Ahimsa & a journey to compassionate living

by Rachel Hastings (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown Jamaica

I had a vision in which I was on an island looking at houses. I approached one of the houses in ruins to find what appeared to be an entire colony of wild dogs & abandoned pets. I was brought to my knees in tears. It was beautiful. I always believed in magic but I didnt quite understand that the whole world was magic & mysticism wasn't just a thing of fairytales. I struggled for a year battling a nasty divorce in which the very essence of my being & all that I believed in were stripped away from me. I watched helplessly as the world as I knew it crumbled around me. A husband, two dogs, 2 cats, 10 chickens, a beautiful home on 3 acres & a lucrative business just in its beginning stages of blossoming. All gone in the blink of an eye. The gut wrenching pain of losing someone I loved deeply for 9yrs woke me up & I began my journey to live ahimsa. I adopted a vegan lifestyle & started practicing yoga to cope with the stress & anxiety of all the changes happening in my life. I was making great strides in my healing process but wanted to do deep soul work to heal myself from a lifetime of trauma. Like magic I found a yoga retreat in Jamaica that centered around reggae & relaxation. I booked it & set out to get my passport. All signs pointed to this being a life changing event for me. That I would find the peace I had been longing for through this retreat. I was right. I watched the synchronicities unfold before me as I became more aligned but as the trip grew closer I remembered my vision & pondered what it meant. The day arrived & my anxieties grew. I was still learning to adapt to my new vegan lifestyle & becoming aware that I was an empath. The day finally came to take the flight & my brain was overloaded with what felt like static. I couldnt focus, couldn't remember how to get to the airport, was having trouble with basic motor skills. I missed my flight. It was unlike me. I was truly excited for this trip. My superstitious side was screaming to stay in Texas but my soul wanted to be free from fear. I rebooked a later flight & boarded the plane. As I landed in Jamaica & didnt see my cab driver waiting my anxieties returned so I took matters into my own hands & got a cab myself. I was 33 but had never left the country & never traveled so far alone. I wasnt scared, i was excited to embark on a new journey to find what peace meant to me. The smell of the island, the crisp breeze blowing over the water through the windows, the warm sunshine on my skin, it was beautiful. I arrived at the retreat that boasted a natural lifestyle & was welcomed with love. The ushered me over to the cliff just outside my room to see the waves crashing against the rocks. I felt what must have been nirvana. I was completely whole in that moment. As the tears welled up in my eyes I had never felt so much love. Love was not causing suffering. Love was not ego & attachment. Love was looking out onto the water, listening to the loud booms of the waves crashing & feeling Gods magic at work. Love was the return home to the natural state of man & woman. Non-harming, compelled by compassion, respect for mother nature & taking time to admire all her beauty. My last day there I set out with a guide to look at houses for sale. One of the houses we happened upon was high up on a hill & had dozens of dogs happily running free. It would later become a place I called home.