Shakti Is Calling You

I grew up in a land of karst topography, beautiful smooth limestone riverbeds, fresh spring rivers and abundant caves to explore. The area down the hill from my house was a wild, magical forest where time seemed undefined or even nonexistent. The most-of-the-time dry creek bed we called Whitetop offered endless opportunities for exploration and the excitement of lurking danger, like when a turned over rock in shallow water revealed a nest of water moccasins springing out in all directions. I don’t know how many hours I spent walking down the gravel road to explore, sometimes with siblings, friends or just alone. I doubt my parents ever even knew where I was, while for hours I entertained myself painting my face with caliche, hiding in caves, and imagining I was a thousand-year-old resident of the land.

One day my older brother and I were down at the creek when a truck rolled up. Unnoticed, we hid and watched with heightened curiosity as a man dumped a load of kittens and then drove off. We ran over and my brother picked up a beautiful little bobtail kitten that we brought home and convinced our mother to let us keep. On the hike back to the house, (to this day I have no idea how we came up with this) we decided on his name: Clarence Sir Duke of Ellington III, aka Clarey. It was one of the more exciting memories of my childhood, cementing my emotional connection to that spot of earth forever.

Then one day the bulldozers came. I looked out the front window of my house and wept as it razed the trees that were my friends and companions. It still stirs up a deep well of grief when I think of it. “What’s wrong with you?” I was asked. All I could say was, “It’s never going to be the same.” And I was right. As upsetting to me, was the fact that no one else around me seemed to feel any particular way about the massacre unfolding before us.

I often think of my life’s experience in terms of my relationship to the land, to places where I’ve felt connected, real, attuned to my deepest self. Cibolo Creek, Canyon Lake, the San Marcos River, Barton Springs, the Blanco River, Cypress Creek, the Guadalupe River, Great Sand Dunes, Arches and Canyonlands, Big Bend, the Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, Ambergris Caye, Loosdrechtse Plassen, Tulum, the Atlas Mountains, the Gila and Apache National Forests, Zion, the central Oregon coast, Mt. Shasta, the Big Island, the Olympic Peninsula, the Columbia River Gorge. These are many of the place markers of my life – the backdrops that give meaning to my existence and remind me of my connection to all life.

I often wonder why, as early as I can remember, I’ve always felt that deep affinity for the natural world around me? It resonates as a deep kinship. And more importantly, I wonder why some people don’t feel it?

One by one many of these places have changed. My magical forest of caves and creeks is paved over with houses on streets with names like “Forest Trail”. Many of my other power spots are threatened with climate change, removal of preservation protections, and resource depletion to profit the rich. Perhaps those of us fortunate enough to hear the call of the earth energy and recognize our place in this beautiful interconnected whole, are here at this time for a reason. It seems obvious that we should be helping others wake up to the deep reality that we are one cosmic whole. The earth is one divine, living being and we are that cosmic being.

After teaching high school for 25 years and doing my best to inspire in young people a fundamental appreciation of the planet and a connection to the life and cultures around them, I wonder if it is even possible to teach this truth – that we are not separate from the earth or any other living beings – that we are part of everything and everything is sacred. Given the current state of things and the seemingly ever-expanding ignorance, it is easy to lose heart. I grew up in a time before computers, cell phones, the internet, and social media. I wonder if it’s even possible for children now to hear the inner voice calling them with all the noise, distraction and distortion of information in the way. I truly hope so. It’s almost impossible now to imagine a child of 7 or 8 wandering unaccompanied for hours playing with nature, listening to rocks and talking to trees as I did. Today their parents would be arrested for neglect.

I was so fortunate to be able to hear the inner voice all my life that told me I was connected to the earth and all living things. What is that voice and why doesn’t everyone hear it? I believe the voice is heard when one tunes into the right channel. One can stumble upon the channel by chance while enjoying a beautiful spot in nature or by actively pursuing something deeper than the observed surface reality. It sometimes comes in the shower or bath. It is a frequency more easily tuned into for some than others. It is the voice of the Divine Feminine.

The Divine Feminine, the creative life force, in yogic terms is called Shakti and is the dynamic power that moves though all things on the planet, animate and inanimate. It is the power that changes mountains into sand, carves canyons and shifts land masses. Shakti is the creative principle that shapes pure consciousness into form. In honoring this creative flow, respecting the earth, and the feminine, we become conscious of Shakti flowing through us. We become one with the most powerful force operating on the planet. Shakti is the bringer of change. When I remember this, I am able to see these right wing corrupt officials currently in power who are trying to hold back change and harness the feminine for their own pleasure and ego-driven power in a different light - their true light. They are so small and insignificant. Have no fear, they are no match for the creative force of the universe!

While there is plenty to grieve and much work to be done, I believe Shakti is making her move and it’s time for us to celebrate it. Time for us to channel that Shakti energy and embrace the change she is bringing without fear. When I start to mourn the destruction of sacred places, the loss of human rights and the brutality enacted against so many of our kin at this time, I remind myself that Shakti cannot be destroyed and that we have the capacity to fearlessly channel her energy. We need to summon that capacity now and boldly, loudly and publicly honor Shakti by celebrating all of her creation.

Imagine all the people sharing all the world. You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. We must be getting close to John Lennon’s vision, because the opposition forces are resorting to force to maintain their power. It’s time to rise.

Take heart. The future is bright.

This article was written by Michele Renée 8/23/25