Addendum to Came to Believe

“You either walk inside your story and own it,

or you stand outside your story and hustle

for your worthiness”

-Bréne Brown

So, a lot has happened since I published Came to Believe, A Journey of Trust, Faith and Perseverance. My stance has changed about some of the people I wrote about in this book because they have changed. I, too, have evolved from my continued spiritual and therapeutic journey and also because of the deep work I am doing in my Marriage and Family Therapy Master's Degree program. I realize that just as I can move on from people, people can move on from me. It is all good.

It is June 5th, 2020. I am typing this amendment during a full moon and lunar eclipse in Sagittarius and two weeks after Mr. George Floyd's murder by the hands of racist cops. A lot of emotions are swirling about in my heart and soul that keep knocking on my intuition's door, begging me to take a closer look at my life and the people in it. A lunar eclipse can ignite a need to reexamine relationships and determine who in our lives is contributing to a reciprocal balance of energy and love. Lunar eclipses magnify our evolutions and encourage us to move on from attachments that served us before but aren't necessary to our growth anymore. When there is a lunar eclipse, it is also an excellent opportunity to clean house, get honest about everything, and let shit go. So here I am, continuing with being vulnerable and authentic and sharing my current truths concerning the following people who were mentioned in the book:

Doreen Virtue

When Doreen Virtue denounced all of her old work with the angels a few years back, I thought about re-writing the parts in this book about her. But, I choose to keep them. I credit her for a lot of my spiritual awakening because I would not have found this part of myself if it wasn't for her work. I no longer follow her, but I choose to keep what I learned from her and trust that she meant it and believed it at the time. If you weren't aware of Doreen's new views, you could read this article "An A-Z list of New Age Practices to Avoid, and Why," that she posted July 21st, 2019, on her blog.

(https://doreenvirtue.com/2019/07/21/an-a-z-list-of-new-age-practices-to-avoid-and-why/) I disagree with everything in this blog.

Yogi Bhajan

In February 2020, I was made aware of credible allegations against Yogi Bhajan for sexual abuse of women and children after hearing about the book, Premka, White Bird in a Golden Cage, My Life With Yogi Bhajan. This was almost three years after Came to Believe was published. I had heard of these allegations when I was taking my kundalini yoga teacher training, but everyone I asked danced around the issue. I did not read the book because I was worried it would trigger me. Just hearing about the book confirmed what I already suspected about Yogi Bhajan when I first asked about him. I did do a lot of research about him. I read many first-hand stories confirming these abuses. I was mortified and went through a month of sleepless nights. I was upset that I didn't listen to these allegations earlier, being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse myself. I felt so sad for all of his victims and their families and heartache over the turmoil it caused the community I loved. I am still trying to work out how I will move forward with my kundalini yoga practice. I have practiced kundalini for about fifteen years. I do know that I love kundalini yoga, and it has helped me mentally and physically. Some of my favorite times in my life were during my kundalini yoga teacher training. I have met some amazing people in this community. With all that being said, I can no longer promote kundalini yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan. I can't teach it using his name, and in the ways I did in the past. Currently, I am not teaching kundalini classes, but I can take classes from teachers who do not deny these allegations.

The Spirit Junkie Community

I spoke a lot in this book about my time in the Spirit Junkie community. Like in my kundalini yoga community, I have met some beautiful people. I learned so much about myself and was able to reveal hidden parts of me for the first time after doing some work from Gabby Bernstein's books. Have you heard the saying, "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime?" One of my friends reminded me of this when I talked to her about how torn I was about leaving this community that I loved for four years. Gabby Bernstein and the Spirit Junkie community was exactly what I needed when I found it back in 2016. The Spirit Junkie community allowed me to find my authentic self. My time here moved me to write and publish this book. However, I am no longer a part of this community. My heart and intuition had been telling me for the last year that I was ready to move on, but it wasn't until this full moon and lunar eclipse that I was willing to take action. I wasn't meant to be a Spirit Junkie for a lifetime, but I am grateful for the reason and the season that I was.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this book. I didn't write it to make millions or to be a New York Times Best Selling Author. I wrote it as a critical step in my healing journey and to help others heal too. I am not sure if I will write another book. Something is cooking in me that I want to keep to myself, for now. I am also no longer a social media coach for spiritual entrepreneurs. I decided that it was more important for me to continue to work with the company that has provided for me in many ways for ten years. I can still be a spiritual girl in a corporate world and spread the "woo woo" when it is appropriate. Today, I am focused on graduating with a master's degree and becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I will use my experience in healing my own trauma to help children and women who grew up in addiction and have suffered from childhood sexual abuse heal too.

Came to Believe has been updated on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form. You can also follow my author page here.

Be well,

Tara

Book Design by my beautiful friend Kate. www.kranack.com

Book Cover Photo by Dawnley. www.dawnleybphotography.com