Why Santa Fe?
Everyone asks me why I moved there....
As I mentioned in my previous post, a friend and an astrocartography reading helped me decide to move after 30 years in the same city (25 in the same apartment). But why Santa Fe - besides what the planets said? Everyone I’ve spoken with over the past six months has asked that question.
In order to narrow down my options, I made a list of things I wanted in a new area, including -
Spirituality
Room to breathe
Mountains & streams
High desert (coolish southwest type area)
Four seasons
Diversity
Art and culture
Food
As I enter into the next phase of my life, I don’t care about material status and success at the expense of my health, so I knew I wanted a calmer pace along with the things on my list. I saw no reason in moving from one big city to another - I mean, where do you go after NYC? - so I had no interest in metropolises.
I also believe that endlessly working does not get you what you want - I learned that from experience - manifesting what you want is all based on the Law of Attraction. There will be much more on that topic in future posts.
Santa Fe checked all my boxes. I also felt called to be here - I just didn’t hear the voice until after I arrived because I’d been so caught up in trying to force an outcome. The city is a special place - many people are called here by some unknown energy. Many stay a few years and move on; some put down roots and stay for the rest of their life. I have no idea yet what camp I’m in - all I know is that I need to be here.
There were plenty of signs pointing the way, including:
After I planned my move, I found out my Buddhist group had a presence here, so Santa Fe got a personal check mark for spirituality.
I started falling flat on my face. Literally. It happened three times before I left. I haven’t even tripped once since I got to New Mexico.
A few days before leaving NYC, a massive six-alarm fire destroyed a beautiful church on my block in the East Village. Water from the fire hoses ran down the street and shorted out the underground electricity outside my building, so there were also flames shooting out the manhole cover outside my front door. I knew I had to get out of there soon!
The day I left the city, I filled my rental car with personal belongings I didn’t want the movers to take. I got in and as I started the engine, “Thunder Road” started playing through the sound system. I had plugged in my phone so I knew where I was going, but I hadn’t turned on music. Then, as I got to the Holland Tunnel, “Born to Run” came on. If you don’t know me, I’m a huge Springsteen fan….
I had an eerie feeling driving Interstate 40 through Oklahoma and across the tip of Texas - the area made me uneasy and even queasy, so I was worried about the decision I’d made to come out West, but more auspicious signs happened during and after the move.
The second my wheels crossed into New Mexico, everything changed. My eyes teared up, goosebumps spread up my arms, and a wave of energy flowed through me. I knew in an instant that I’d made the best decision of my life. I felt like I had just completed a harrowing journey - much more than just driving through Texas - I had gotten the Ring to the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. Really.
My brother and sister-in-law had kindly followed me out in their car - we communicated cross country with walkie talkies. When we crossed into New Mexico, the first thing I radioed to them was, “A girl can definitely breathe out here,” because I felt like I’d exhaled about ten years of stress in one breath.
The space, the sky, the clouds! No photo can ever truly capture the beauty, energy and expansiveness of New Mexico. It opens your soul.
My apartment was the ultimate sign to me. I thought I was going to face a parking lot and walls, but as I pulled into my parking space and got out of the car, I could see two mountain ranges in the distance. The apartment faces west, so I get to look at the mountains and watch the sunset every day. Coming from 25 years of staring at the backs of buildings and into other people’s apartments, I cannot begin to tell you how my heart sings every day as the sun goes down.
I was in my place a couple months after moving. I walked into my kitchen and froze. It hit me. For years, I had talked about wanting a two bedroom, two bath apartment with a patio, washer and dryer, decent-sized kitchen, and a community space. I looked around the apartment and realized I had manifested exactly what I had been talking about in NYC. I simply didn’t know it was going to be in New Mexico.
So am I going to stay here for the rest of my life? Maybe. Maybe not. The important thing is that it doesn't matter anymore - I’m learning to let go of the need to control things. I’m meant to be here at this point in time. I don’t need to predict the future anymore, so, right now, for today, I’m going to watch the clouds grow above me and float peacefully across the sky. And breathe.
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Join me each week in the Whole Health Journal as I write about experiences lived and dreamed and explore my spiritual side. You can also check out the Change Food Dispatch to explore the world of healthy food for all.
All photos except church fire ©Diane Hatz