Crepuscolo sul mare
There are places on Earth that are worldwide known by people to be healing, transforming, and rejuvenating. There are spaces standing against time, wind, and rain; through the passage of time, they still beam their healing power and help people reconnect with their essence.
We all know these places. We have heard of them or have already visited them. The pyramids of Gizeh, Stonehedge, Lourdes, Uluru... They hold a special place for us as a collective because they not only heal, they also tell a story. The story of how humanity keeps on believing in the unknown and the invisible through centuries. No matter the social, industrial, or economic revolution we go through, we always go back to the Earth. To where we come from.
And there are your places.
These are the ones that hold even more elixir. These are the ones that propel your soul to realms that no one but you can access. These are your personal portals to your inner flame.
I recently came back from one of my favorite places.
Sorrento, in Italy
Two steps away from the Amalfi Coast and one step away from Napoli, I have this special home where I go that is very special to my heart.
When I came back from my trip, I realized something deep and transformative. I realised that this place where I go to in Sorrento, the same house, the same olive trees are a magnetic place that my soul calls to go back to every time I feel lost, numb or in between hallways.
It’s been fifteen years that I come here. Same olive trees, same sun, same house.
Each time I come, it marks the end of a five-year cycle. The end of a chapter in my life.
The first time, I was 23.
I was running after other people's dreams in Paris. I couldn’t find my place. I did not really know what to do with my life. Left a secured job in the fashion world at a moment when the world was already very fragile economically. Left everything behind to move to L.A, wanting to live the American dream. Cute. Spent the time of my life and found a job that brought me to Asia, where I discovered myself for the first time as a strong, powerful, creative woman.
The second time, I was 28.
I was at rock-bottom.
I kept on fooling myself, moving mountains for other people's illusions in the fashion world. I hated a lot of things, but I mostly hated myself. Nothing felt right. The only one that felt like a safe space was Yves. Always next to me when life got complicated. Once again, I left everything behind. Then I created The Place, my first big solo accomplishment where it didn’t feel like working but playing.
The third time is now, I am 33.
What will I leave behind this time? Where will I start again?
— wrote these words a few weeks ago on my private instagram —
There is a force that emanates from the Italian ground that helps me recalibrate to who I am. Not the same force as the Icelandic ground that I talked about a few months ago. More delicate strength. The one we find when we watch a garden grow, a flower wither, or a sun settle on the horizon
The soil of Italy feels to me like it perpetually honors and cherishes life. Life in all its shadows and colors. Life in the light, life in the dark.
Last winter was quite hard on my heart. It has been long, dark, and mellow. I felt, for a big part of it, disconnected from my body, myself, and my soul. It was the winter cycle of a woman becoming another version of herself. The moment where you can’t avoid letting the fire turn you into ashes
It sounds incredibly dramatic, and it is. But at the same time, it isn’t. Ashes are the best fertilizer for a garden.
You let the fire burn in the fireplace all winter and use the ashes to help your roses bloom brighter in the spring. It’s a blessing in fiery disguise.
Before leaving for Italy, I remember asking my guides, "So you haven’t been very chatty for a while, and that’s ok; I understand why. But would you be so kind and send me big signs I can’t miss during my trip to Italy? Something so powerful that it hits and shakes me."
The moment my soul landed in Italy, my entire body shifted into a more open center. My chest instantly opens up, ready to receive. My throat stretches to the sky, ready to sing. My spine becomes more flexible, ready to dance. It’s un-deniable. You can see it in my eyes.
No matter if it rains or if it doesn’t go according to plan, the fact that my feet touch the Italian ground every morning is enough for me to accept the exhausting death that Winter brought on my doorstep. Nothing matters because I am here, alive with the ones I love the most in the world, in the middle of lemon trees (and, let’s admit, eating pasta every day).
These were already the big signs I was waiting for. I told my guides, "Thank you for this; I see what you have sent on my way; I see Life. Thank you for walking next to me."
I had a deal with my fiancé: every day I would walk solo in nature. To be with myself and call in the creative spirits of the Earth so I could hear new melodies that maybe would inspire me to regenerate in a way I was not expecting. Every day, I went walking. With myself and with nature around. The sound of crashing waves, the sound of olive branches moving with the wind, the sound of my footsteps on the rocky, sandy ground beneath me. All of these were enough for me to let the energy move in a way that I couldn’t do back home.
And one late afternoon, as I was walking in a field of olive trees, the most surreal, scary, and mind-blowing thing happened.
A black, long-ass viper slid next to my feet.
A VI-PER.
I sh*t you not (yes, I’m dropping my poetic words and metaphors here because I’m still a little bit in shock).
Put this into context. Imagine a blonde, candid woman wearing white and sha-la-la-la-la naively in a field of olive trees while the sun sets and the apero time is about to ring. Imagine the gorgeous light beaming on the blonde hair. It almost looks like a proper Instagram picture from one of your favorite influencers. You got the image?
Ok now. Imagine that same woman running as fast as Ussein Bolt, dropping all the elegance and charm behind her like there is no tomorrow.
That was me. And that was a viper.
I mean, a viper.
You can imagine that I obviously sipped two processos straight up when I ran back home just to process 1) how fast I actually could run (who knew!) 2) the freakin’ snake that almost touched my feet.
The morning after, back into my spiritual daily walk, back into my sha-la-la-la type of mood, 12 hours after my little encounter with Madame the Viper, guess who walks next to me? A fox.
The wildest animal you could encounter.
This time, I did not run. Maybe because a fox has a higher cuteness coefficient than a snake, but mostly because it just hit me.
The viper has the spiritual meaning of the death of the shadow, it’s Lilith’s work. It’s the embodiment of death, transformation and subtle force. It’s a symbol of protection and invicibility. "Do not fear Death" says the Viper but she also says "do not stay stuck in your own mind-poison." Like her, you can choose how you use strenght. You can destroy or you can build. You can choose to rot or you can choose to evolve.
And the fox..well the fox is all about going back to your wilderness. The fox tells you: "what about you move forward without looking back at what has been done in the past?" The Fox moves onward and never looks back. He goes from one wild field to the other while always tapping into his purest essence: the wild.
Here I was standing in the middle of nature, mouth on the floor, looking at the sky, telling my guides, "Ok, well received. Thank you Team"
_
This little spot near the Amalfi coast might not make you feel anything but it feels like the world to me.
When you start to look beyond the veil of expectations, the veil of what travel is supposed to be, you connect to different realms inside and outside of yourself.
We all have our own personal places. The wells of your soul. Space where you’ve been coming to for many lifetimes and new locations you are now discovering for a specific purpose.
Some places don’t have to be far, some places are in our backyard.
But most of the sacred places are in our hearts.
To the places and the people that help you come back to your essence, thank you.
May you remember to travel always within.
[ A PLAYLIST FOR THE ITALIAN LOVERS — L’ARTE DI ESSERE FELICI ]
