Welcome to the Trust Talk Sessions. Join a collective of former guests and I for a 19 day dive into Trust to celebrate 100 episodes of Trust your Sacred Feminine Flow. Each conversation offers an intimate glimpse into the challenges and extraordinary moments experienced in our journey to trust.
Wendy Havlir Cherry, MA3, is an author, mystic poet, teacher, spiritual mentor, practitioner of shamanic sacred arts, and akashic records reader. If she could only share one thing about herself it would be that her passionate purpose is to call you back to the wild and holy sacred that longs for you.
Wendy holds three master’s degrees — two from St. John’s College — one in Eastern Classics with a concentration in Sanskrit and another in Liberal Arts. The third is a Master’s of Counseling in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University.
Currently a retired psychotherapist, Wendy has worked for many years with individuals, groups, children, and adults, to uncover, reclaim, and empower their own inner wisdom and deep, intuitive knowing. She is a long-time student of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and the mystical lineage of devotional poets.
Wendy combines professional and academic applications with esoteric wisdom, mysticism, and life experience grounded in practical devotions and daily practices. Both her personal and professional life are infused with writing, mindfulness, altar building, sacred space creation, ritual, the shamanic sacred arts, and ceremony.
She delights in traveling to sacred destinations (in both the ordinary and non-ordinary worlds) to understand and connect with the medicine of place, teaching and guiding those who are exploring the path of soul nourishment to trust, deepen, and express their own unique gifts and wisdom.
Wendy recently moved to Asheville, NC, to begin a new life exploring the woods, writing her next book, and creating a life with the woman she loves.
The Mistress of Longing is her second book, published by Womancraft Publishing and launched internationally in November of 2019. It has been seen in women’s hands all over the world, including Pakistan, Sweden, Singapore, Italy, and France. The Mistress of Longing is currently being translated into French. Her first book, The Reach is (W)holy; Poetry Inspired by the Sacred, was published in 2017.
For more information about Wendy, her books, current offerings, upcoming retreats and sacred circles, visit www.shegathersbeauty.com and @shegathersbeauty on Instagram and Facebook.
https://www.shegathersbeauty.com/
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Listen to Wendy’s Trust Talk Session by clicking the play button on the audio player below.
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Read the Full Transcript Here:
Joni
Welcome to the Trust Talk Sessions. I am your host, Joni Advent Maher, and it’s my great pleasure to welcome back Wendy Havlir Cherry today. Wendy was first on the podcast about a year ago. Her episode is number 73, the Heart of Devotion. And if you haven’t heard it, I strongly encourage that you give a listen. She is the author of the recently published Mistress of Longing and last year we were discussing that, well no actually we weren’t discussing that. We were discussing her earlier book of poetry. Her first book, which is called the Reach is (W)Holy. Wendy is also a teacher and she is a shamanic and sacred arts practitioner and she is a powerful transmission in her own right. And so I am so glad to welcome you Wendy.
Wendy
Thank you Joni. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now. I can just feel our connection and I am so happy to be back. Thank you.
Joni
Hmm. It’s wonderful to have you. And I would love to hear how trust is weaving through your life these days, whether it’s through your life or your work or, or what’s, what is, what is up for you with trust?
Wendy
Hmm. You know, what perfect timing. This morning when I was doing a shamanic journey, I was reminded by my primary helping spirits of some downloads that I received a few years ago, and this is before the Mistress of longing actually came to me. I was receiving downloads nightly and the dream time for several months about Rose quartz. And there were these cosmic hands that were above me and they were sifting the pentacle point, like Rose quartz down to me. And through the Rose quartz coins, they just kept giving me all of the information and data and filling me like a storehouse full of this Rose quartz medicine. And they kept sharing this is the medicine for your time. And they were instructing, you know, use Rose quartz and all of the ways that you can and in fact use any form of Rose in all the ways that you can because it will nourish you and heal you and restore you. And, I was reminded of that and then they shared this morning they said that was a preparation for another download that you received six to seven months ago. And that was that “these are trusting times”.
Joni: Oh yes, yes, I remember.
Wendy: Yes, yes.
Joni: But I remember but I forgot.
Wendy
Yes. Exactly. Me too. And doesn’t trust sometimes work that way. This gorgeous truth of practicing trust I think is something we do forget. And I love it so much because when I received, these are trusting times, when that came through it seemed very clear and I was very grateful. And I also can giggle a little bit right now because boy, I had no idea just exactly what they were getting to. And I know that in my own personal life I have, leaned and pressed down hard on trust. And I know that all of us at this time are being asked to really press down hard on trust and our faith and allow that to be a practice. And so it is something that I am actively engaging with every day on numerous levels.
Joni
Mmm. So, yeah. Yeah. So I’m guessing you didn’t quite know the magnitude of what that statement was going to entail when you received that download of these are trusting times.
Wendy
I did not. I did not. I mean, not only was I not aware of the Coronavirus that was on its way, and that we all are working with. really being invited all of us to come home to ourselves through the portal of trust, I think. But it was, when the download came, these are interesting times it was also shortly before the Mistress of Longing was about to be launched into the world, which would create this vast oceanic, blessing and life changing experience for me. Because it was shortly after the Mistress launched into the world that I also it became very clear that it was time for me to terminate my marriage to a man that I’ve been with for 20 years and who is still my best friend. But that it was time for our relationship to shape shift. And for me to step into something I have myself longed for for years. And I fell in love with a woman. And since that time I have left Santa Fe where I used to live. I am now in Asheville, North Carolina, and creating a new and beautiful life with the woman that I love. And that has taken immense trust, on so many levels for the grace that has been occurring simultaneously along with the bone knowing and deep heart openings that have happened in this new relationship.
Joni
So yes, yes, yes. Yeah. So you really have been rooting deeply into trust in so many ways. And I would love to just ask you to share a little bit about the Mistress of Longing and even about your book and, and is there a way that dovetails with this trust practice for you?
Wendy: I have tingles happen. Mmm. Oh my gosh. Like how much time do we have?
Joni: We don’t have all day.
Wendy
I know. So I’m really checking in deeply just to see what the most potent medicine that wants to come forward for everyone right now. So the Mistress of longing came to me as a declaration that it is time to trust your longing. That abandoning our longing is a very old paradigm that goes along with life has to be hard, you should only limit yourself to things being just enough, or settling, staying in some sense of survival mode. Something that I know most of us on the planet in some way, shape or form have been indoctrinated into that paradigm. And the Mistress of longing came forward and said, I have been here with all of you since the beginning of time. And it is time for you to return to me and for me to return to you and for you to know that your longing is the holiest experience you can have because it will always lead you back to your home coming. And is a practice of trust because it is something that we are relearning. And remembering along with that we have all of the messages of if I turn toward my longing, what does that mean I have to step away from? Who will I hurt? What do I have to say goodbye to? Am I being selfish? If I’m being selfless service, doesn’t that mean that I do everything but step into my longing? I mean there are 1,000,001 different stories that we could spin around that and so she is really inviting us to step across the threshold toward her and to be long.
Joni
Hmm. So I know you have made the generous offer to, to gift one of our lucky listeners with a copy of your book, the Mistress of Longing.
Wendy: Mmm. Yes.
Joni
And for those who, so first of all, let me just say that if you are interested in winning that copy, you can go to our Facebook group we’ve created for this series, which is the Trust Talk sessions, Facebook group and all the details will be there. However, if you don’t happen to win the book but are interested in it, and I do recommend it because it is, it is like a transmission with a cover and you can open to any page in the book. And it is that kind of a, a text that provides an opening or a passageway to this state that Wendy was just describing to that sense of belonging, which comes from, reconnecting with or communing with our longing. So if listeners wanted to purchase that book how can they do that?
Wendy
Mmm. Well there are many ways they can do that. And I would say the easiest way would be if you would like to just go to my website, which is shegathersbeauty.com, you can order it directly from my website. It’s also available on Amazon or directly from the publisher, Womancraft Publishing.
Joni: Yes. We spoke with Lucy earlier in the series.
Wendy: Mmm. How lovely.
And so if you heard Lucy’s episode we were talking about Womancraft Publishing. So, thank you for that. And also Wendy’s book, The Reach is (W)Holy is also her poetry. I have said, and I really don’t say this lightly in my experience, her poetry takes me to places like Rumi’s poetry or Hafiz as poetry or any of the other mystic poets. I believe that that is the essence of what you bring through.
Wendy: Wow. Thank you. What a generous, beautiful compliment. Thank you.
Joni
You’re welcome. So I’m wondering if there, if there are any other pieces related to trust, because I feel like we have in a way we’ve gone down to the center of the earth and pulled out this nugget of gold already and what you have shared, but is there anything else feel called to name or share about trust?
Wendy
So what I would really love to add is that for those people who are not yet familiar with the book, the Mistress of Longing, this is the book that was co-authored with a numinous presence who calls herself the Mistress of longing. Shortly after finishing the book, during times that felt challenging, she would often come to me and say, I am your proof. I am your proof. Trust yourself. When you listen, when you listen and allow yourself to listen, that is trust. It can be that simple. And she kept reminding me, just look at me, look at my pages, look at my words, look at the cover art, do a journey and come talk to me. I am your proof. And so I would invite anyone who’s listening right now to take a moment and close your eyes and feel into your heart, feel into the tiny sparkle inside your bones, and think of at least one time when you listened to some truth that was beckoning you and you gave yourself over to that truth. That was a passionate act of trust. And let that be your proof. And find a way to remind yourself of that daily.
Joni
Hmm. Thank you. That was very powerful. Thank you. So thank you for taking the time to be with us. And, and B being the voice for the Mistress of Longing that is so needed in the world.
Wendy
Thank you, Joni. I can tell you quickly that she is still using her voice through me and I have officially started writing the second book and she is now teaching, she’s providing me and all of us with the teachings, beneath the teaching. So I will keep you posted on how that’s going.
Joni
Wonderful. Yes. I can’t wait for that next installment. And I would encourage my listeners, if you’re interested in Wendy and having, I would say, regular contact with the wisdom and the transmission that comes through her. I first found her on Instagram, She Gathers Beauty and I know you have a Facebook presence as well under She Gathers Beauty and she is regularly posting her poetry and excerpts from the Mistress of longing. So that is another way to connect with her.
Wendy: Yay.
Joni: Yeah. So thanks for being here, Wendy.
Wendy: Thank you so much Joni. I loved every second.
Joni: Yay. Me too. It’s fun, isn’t it?
Wendy
It is fun. Thank you for doing what you do and the gifts that you bring to all of us. Yes. May all of your beautiful work send ripples of boundless blessings out into the world.
Joni: Hmm. May it be so and so it is. I’m taking that into my heart.
Wendy: Mmm.
Joni
And we couldn’t do this without you dear listener. So thank you for being with us today and sending those boundless blessings out to you and to your heart and offering you the reminder as always, to trust what your heart knows.