Gail
I have been working for many years to try to heal my physical self from the challenges of chronic respiratory disease that, I believe, resulted from my "need" to do everything perfectly. It has been challenging for me to balance all of my roles as daughter, wife, mother, and professional to the level that I expected of myself. At my physical worst, my deepest desire was to toss everything and go live in a monastery where I could focus solely on my own spiritual evolution. If I could escape to the peace and tranquility of a monastic life, all would be well. That was a fleeting idea as it became very clear that my job was not to hide in the hills, rather it was and is to learn to integrate all of these different aspects of myself in "real life", practical ways as part of attending to the evolution of my soul.
One of the most valuable things I have learned in working with Cecilia is the ability to meditate at a very deep level. She taught a variety of techniques in a one-on-one counseling format which gave me the space to focus on my own challenges and to obtain individual guidance for a rich meditation practice. The process of learning to integrate different aspects of my Self, has freed me up to bring forth creative solutions for issues in my own life as well as to more effectively serve my clients and all those with whom I come in contact. As an Individual and Organizational Development Consultant, focusing on the expansion of self awareness, personal leadership and executive development, I facilitate processes with others so they too may experience their own creative potential and move to places of greater coherence and wholeness. I suppose the saying is true, "You teach what you need to know". My work is richer and more multi-dimensional as a result of consciously working my own process along the way. I am no longer stuck in the world of the past but moving toward the world of possibilities.
In addition to my consulting practice, I have the honor and the privilege of serving as a member of the Board of the Jacinta Fellowship with specific responsibility for the Chicuchas del Peru Children's Program. As part of this program, support is provided to the children living in the jungle of Peru for food and for materials from which they make crafts such as purses and jewelry to sell in the city of Cusco, Peru.
Joanne
I am Joanne Sabato and I work as an event planner and as the Chief Operating Officer of the Jacinta Fellowship. Prior to this I directed a Speech Therapy Center in New York for 18 years. When I worked with the children I took a particular interest in relating to the children and in training the Speech Therapists so they could address the deepest needs of our child population. I have always been interested in children and their wellbeing.
For about 12 years before I started to work with Cecilia I suffered anaphylactic shocks that would take me to the hospital every so often. Under her guidance I learned to take more control over myself and my body. My family and my work relations began to improve as I learned to meditate and to focus my mind on the inner aspects of myself.
After working with Cecilia for a while, I realized I had strong feelings of guilt about personal situations with my family and I was trying to compensate by being “good” beyond what was reasonable. My episodes of stress decreased and my health began to improve greatly as I learned to access deeper layers of my wellbeing.
I have now practiced meditation and learned much of what Cecilia teaches and I am able to experience the depth of the silence long enough to hear the” Call of my Soul”. I feel I am the architect of my own life; building bridges of light, understanding and coherence. I am coming into myself and welcoming the light and the dark, the uniqueness that is me. I have come to understand that I have the power to create my own reality.
I feel deep gratitude to Cecilia and through feeling gratitude I am able to connect with my own Divine Essence. I realize that as I am connected to her embodiment of the Sacred Feminine, I also connect to my own. I feel very accomplished in my work with children and I have been able to channel my help to them through The Jacinta Fellowship, a non profit organization that helps children in Peru. The Fellowship also provides support for Cecilia to teach and write the wisdom of the Ancestors that she knows so well. I feel connected to the earth, the ancestors and the universe through the work we all do in The Jacinta Fellowship.
Soni
Eight years ago I became very interested in learning about meditation. Working as a pediatric intensive care nurse in a fast paced environment was very stressful on my body and mind. In an effort to ameliorate this stress, I began to practice jyothi (light) meditation. I practiced this meditation in the solitude of my home for several weeks by following the steps outlined in a few books. Although I achieved some level of quiet within myself, I did not fully understand the importance of a good meditation practice in one’s life. My true understandings about meditation and its impact on my life began when I met Cecilia Montero.
Cecilia and I met at a devotional singing gathering for Sri Sathya Sai Baba in February 1999. A few meetings later, she casually mentioned in our discussion that she taught meditation in group workshops and on an individual basis. I was completely intrigued by Cecilia and her perspective on meditation. I called her the next day and scheduled a personal session.
For the next several years to come, I began to learn the principles of meditation from Cecilia. Focusing my awareness on the silence was the most important principle of meditation Cecilia helped me understand. She taught me various techniques on how to cultivate and integrate the practice of focusing on the silence into the daily functions of my personal and professional life. Cecilia taught me how to create from the principles of meditation a system of approaching a patient’s illness in a balanced and harmonized way.
Today, I continue to receive advanced training from Cecilia on meditation. As my Teacher, she helps me further my process of integration, silence and focus of the mind through meditation.