It Takes a Village

Sep 11, 2015

By Robyn Whatley-Kahn


 IT TAKES A VILLAGE

By

Robyn Whatley-Kahn

 

Where does a sixty seven year old start to relate in a biographaphical form, who and what she's done and been in life thus far?  I guess, it's like the one thousand mile walk,---you take one step at a time.

For starters, the fast track; I'm a mother, grandmother of six, and wife of twenty eight years with my mate David and have been involved in BodyTalk since 2003.

 

I was born by a river in Alexandria, Louisiana which is very near New Orleans. My father, later in life said teasingly that they were going to name me River Queen Whatley.  He was a paralyzed disabled war veteran that started writing songs, as natural musical talent ran through his family of ten.  He wrote the hit country song called 'Sawmill' from his experiences working at the local sawmill.  So, from him I received music, the appreciation of movement, stubbornness, and the appreciation of a strong body.  I got my love and interest in the healing arena from my little northern yankee mother who was a nurse.  So I weaved these two careers into one. I sang with the Dean Martin Golddiggers and was the opening act for Frank Sinatra, as well as walking home on a goat trail in Greece carrying a leg of lamb as payment for a BodyTalk session.  Life's been interesting!

 

From my maternal grandmother and great grandmother, I learned about my genealogy family lines of sixty different ancestors dating back to the 1300's.  While reading the stories of my grt.grt.grt++++ grandfathers, uncles, etc. I was totally 'hit' with the fact that I/we are 'all' experiences from the myriad of our ancestors.  We have DNA cellular knowledge of everything passed on/encoded to us.  Each night I was enjoying the stories about the many many Knights, then the three women relatives burned at the stake in Salem, a city which yet another relative, Roger Conant, founded.  Of course, I wouldn't do the dishes after reading that three of my relatives were the Kings of England.  Of course, the next night was about the rum runners in the Caribbean, the Senators, and the teachers.  It was such a mixture that I 'got' it.  Each one of us is made up of all experiences.

 

I had lots of travel in my formative years (does 10 schools by the time of 12th grade count?)  I learned how to be able to walk into literally any situation and blend in.  I balanced my two careers over the last 35 years by doing what I loved. I sang professionally and when not on the road, got a massage certificate and started down 'that' delicious path of alternative health modalities. One thing led to another, the way it does.  After studying with the founder of the Touch for Health System, teaching and practicing for years, then moving to Hawaii and learning Reiki from the granddaughter of Mrs. Hawayo Takata, it was all wonderful. However, I still felt like something was missing. Nothing felt like 'it'.

 

A few years later, while living in the Caribbean with my husband, I went to a BodyTalk introductory meeting.  It was arranged to have the people of Grand Cayman learn more about what CBI Marita Kufe did to restore health to a 3 year old that was deathly allergic to many items. From anaphylactic shock and ambulance rides to being able to eat anything after the BodyTalk sessions was big news.

 

The rest is history. I walked up to Marita that night and said I want to learn this.  I love the respect the BodyTalk System has for the individual/clients innate wisdom to heal more rapidly when given the priority links. I've been humbled and am still in awe of the results amongst my clients, students and of course, personally.  Any session I facilitate, I, as we all do, receive a session as we are all one.  I'll never forget in CBI Debbie Moran's Fundamentals 1&2 class when we were standing around the demo person on the table... Debbie said, " breath for him". Read more...

 

The interesting fate of my life has us now living on a little remote Greek island in the Northern Aegean called Ikaria...(Think of the myth of the winged man, Ikaros, flying to close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell.  He supposedly fell to his death here and so the sea was named the Ikarian Sea).

 

The locals here, on this newly voted Communistic island, believe in community. The old people, who live to be in their 90's and 100's very often, are still functioning people, totally respected and useful. There are no old folk homes here. They share what they have, monies are raised with feast nights for people that cannot afford surgeries, or the kids going on field trips etc.  It's definitely like living in a BreakThrough all the time. Changing cultures is always a bit tricky and the culture of 'this' island is a little rare, even for Greece.  Of course I came in with my belief system and am humbled in the different one here.  There have been articles in the London Times, LA Times, and TV specials on CNN, PBS and BBC all having to do with 'Ikaria, the land that time forgot' exploring why these people live such long and healthy lives. (If interested look up Ikaria, Blue Zone, Land of Longevity – Dan Buettner).

 

These people are living the simplest of lives putting into practice the wise thoughts of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and being content with little and sharing what they do have. They know that they have a bit of a paradise here. It makes me think of a lovely African concept of UBUNTU.  In the African Xhosa culture it means: "I am because we are" To be human is to affirm one's humanity by recognizing the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish respectful human relations with them.

 

Ubuntu - Great story:

An anthropologist proposed a game to the children in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that whoever got there first would win the sweet fruits.  When he told them to run they all took each other's hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats.  When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ''UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?''

 

The world truly seems to becoming one large community.  Just like our BodyTalk family and the concept of a Global Village.  Perhaps the concept of Ubuntu will be thought of and acted upon in our daily processes.  Just think of the possibilities.    As I learned in Greece, my new life's motto.....Tha Dhuma (we'll see)

 

For information/session appts./ seminars/Skype remote sessions/retreats  email me at robynwhatley.seminars@gmail.com . My SKYPE is robyn-david.

My blog webpage is: www.bodytalkgreece.wordpress.com -

Call Robyn in Greece   (01130) 6980-827372 and Let's Talk ........ BODYTALK!!! 

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