Reflections on our Earth Sanctuary Journey with Jaap Van Etten Ph.D

I just wanted to share some reflections on the amazing weekend events that culminated our Earth Sanctuary program.  As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I had a life-changing experience out on the red rocks of Sedona in October 2012.  My dear friend, Laurie Price, and I went on a vortex tour with Jaap Van Etten, Ph.D.  Jaap is a biologist who has expanded his learning to understanding the Earth and the role these energies play in our spiritual evolution.  Through this work and other study, he developed his own intuitive and healing gifts, which all who were blessed with the opportunity to work with him last weekend can attest to.  After this experience, I started to work with Jaap once a month to continue the process of clearing out false identities and becoming clearer on who I really am and why I am here.  Through our work, I found myself drawn to reconnect with nature and the Earth in a way I hadn’t done in years.

In December, I had a really strong vision that guided me to begin an Earth Sanctuary program in collaboration with Jaap.  Jaap had kicked off the program by teaching us a bit about Earth energies and how they worked.  After that, I worked with four groups through guided meditations focusing on each of the seven chakra energy systems in the body to bring them into harmony with the energies of the Earth.  I also did monthly empowerment readings with small groups.  The culmination of the program ended this last weekend with an opportunity to work with Jaap directly at our spiritual home base, the Blessed Foundation, here in Ohio where we had created the chakra mediation places during the nine month program.

Jaap’s visit started with a tour of the Blessed Foundation property where he found the naturally occurring energy centers available.  He located fourth, seventh, and two ninth chakra vortexes; kidney, gall bladder, and small intestine meridians; two consciousness vortexes; and two portals.  Jaap shared how the property was deeply connected to Angelic guidance (especially through Archangel Raphael) and how Dee Curci is clearly the spiritual caretaker of the space while her husband John is the physical caretaker.  He was very impressed with how Dee and John had instinctively created such a dynamic and powerful energetic space through the placement of the Chartres labyrinth and its statues of Archangel Gabriel, Mary, and Jesus.  The Jesus statue is directly in line with the seventh chakra vortex behind the retreat center and a consciousness vortex is in the labyrinth’s center!

Jaap spent the rest of the day having private sessions with our community members.  My own session was shared with my Sedona partner, Laurie.  Jaap helped us to see what we were focusing on to complete the transformation process that began in Sedona.  For me, the focus was on establishing a more secure first chakra.  It was time for me to fully integrate how to create a sense of safety for my inner child and my adult self.

On Friday, we had a gathering of those who had participated in the whole Earth Sanctuary program since January.  We came together to set the intention for the upcoming vortex tours over the weekend and also for some fun!  Jaap had his very first s’more!

Saturday morning was the Role of Earth Energies in Our Spiritual Journey Workshop.  We had a group of 20 wise and loving souls participating!  One of the participants mentioned looking around the circle of those gathered and feeling very awed by the amount of collective knowledge gathered there.  Jaap’s insights and sharing provided us all with new understanding of our roles as caretakers of Mother Earth.  After the sharing, we went out to experience the vortexes and kidney meridian.  I so enjoyed feeling the gifts of the Earth energies and the collective love of all those gathered!  It was a magical experience.

Saturday afternoon, Jaap and I went out with the first vortex tour group from our Earth Sanctuary program.  For this experience, I found myself working with how to be a good parent to my inner child.  I realized that I often sacrifice my needs out of a misguided wish to save those I love from suffering.  Jaap and the kidney meridian helped me to understand that only doing what is mine to do is truly the way to help empower others.

On Sunday morning, we went out with the second vortex group and because of the rain, I don’t have any photos. I found myself in very yin/feminine energy during this event.  Archangel Raphael came to me in each meditation, inviting me to work more closely with her/him.  I found myself in a receiving state and had a very clear vision of what my soul’s balance is for the masculine/power/consciousness, feminine/wisdom/creativity, and child/love triad looks like.  Jaap had suggested we draw a pie graph depicting the current distribution of these aspects within ourselves and then drawing a second graph of what our soul path needs it to be.  That is when I had the vision of the center being the child/love with an equal distribution of the feminine and masculine energies surrounding the child.  The feeling of deep security that brought was amazing!

On Sunday afternoon, we went out with the third vortex group.  This group’s members were central to the whole Sedona experience and Earth Sanctuary program coming into being.  Angie and Ken Lyons are the ones who invited Laurie and I to stay with them in Sedona (Laurie is also a member of this group).  They are also the ones who found Jaap originally and recommended we do a vortex tour with him.  For this group, my intention was to focus on the child.  On the fourth chakra vortex, I found myself able to really connect into the feeling of being loved more deeply than I had on any of the other visits.  I really felt surrounded by loving support, both Angelic and through the people who were there with me.  It was a good thing that happened because at the kidney meridian, my child’s grief came pouring out in a much unexpected way.  I found myself gripped with a terrible anxiety and then crushing sadness.

At first, I couldn’t even verbalize or consciously understand what was happening.  All I could do was curl up in a ball and let Angie hold me while I sobbed.  When enough of the grief cleared for me to speak, I found myself pouring out all this fear of disappointing people or of not saying what was needed to keep them from suffering.  It was as if my very young child self had felt such a responsibility for the well-being of others that it never was able to feel it was good enough.  When people suffered, the child felt it had failed.  Jaap helped me see that the tears and the releasing were my way of finally freeing the child from carrying this unfair burden.  As each of these wonderful people affirmed my place and value to them, I felt the child in me begin to heal.   While not a fun experience, it was another life-changing one.  Much love to Jaap and the entire group for their kindness and support as I processed this deep wound, so it could heal.

Monday was Jaap’s last day of private sessions.  Laurie and I had a second session with him.  I found myself needing to ask questions, so that I could understand what had occurred.  For this experience, it was finally coming to recognize fully who I am and what my soul purpose is.  As I connect with the aspects of myself and the four Divine beings that guide and support me, I am able to help others connect to their deepest self.  As I teach the tools and techniques I have learned to heal myself, I help others to be empowered as well.  As I remember that my job is always to come from love of myself first, I am able to bring balance to the expression of wisdom and power in my world.

Today, I find myself feeling more secure in my inner sense of myself than I have ever been.  I feel more deeply connected to the four Angelic beings who guide, nurture, support, and advise me.  I find myself feeling so grateful to Jaap for all the generous wisdom and love he shared with me and others over this weekend.  I am also eternally grateful for the beautiful soul friends who have come to be part of my journey.  As Jaap said, you are all such beautiful people.  What a gift you are to my life and our world.

Now, I find myself looking with joy as I contemplate the next phase of the adventure.  Jaap, Laurie and I are going to continue our collaboration with the intention of helping us all enhance our abilities to connect and nurture the Divine, Mother Earth, each other and ourselves.  I had this vision of a beautiful valley protected by mountains.  In the center, there was a beautiful blue lake, gentle hills, and green fields.  I saw homes there and felt the message was this is the world to create.  We work from where we are by creating this place in ourselves, in our families, and in our community.  As we do this, we send this peaceful, harmonious way of being into the collective and into the energy lines of the Earth.  That is how we bring peace here.  We start within ourselves; we start with love, and let it spread from there.  I’ll be sharing more soon!  

Love to all!

Nancy