The Freedom to Begin Again
“The secret to happiness is freedom… And the secret to freedom is courage." — Thucydides
Ileana preparing for her time alone in the forest
July 6th, 2026
📍House of Loto — Salida, Colorado, USA 🇺🇸
Greetings from the wilderness!
As many of you celebrated Independence Day with family and friends, I spent the long weekend at home preparing for a different kind of transition. Over the coming months, Scott and I will be finalizing our divorce.
While there is certainly grief in bringing a sixteen-year chapter of life to a close, there is also a quiet sense of peace. I've come to believe that freedom isn't always something we fight for. Sometimes it is something we surrender into. It grows through honest conversations, open hands, and trusting that Life continues to unfold in ways we could never have imagined (or wanted).
Freedom is my 2026 word of the year. Freedom to release old identities. Freedom to become more fully my Self. Freedom to trust that endings can be sacred, too. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through (to Scott’s and my credit, this is the most loving and kind divorce that I have ever heard of), and I am so grateful for all of your Love and support these last two years as I’ve been navigating this major life change.
As I was wrestling in my inner wilderness, Mother Ileana was embracing one of her own.
Over the holiday weekend, she returned to the high country above Salida, hiking above Billings Tunnel (12,000 ft in elevation) where she spent two nights alone among the mountains, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of altitude, weather, and solitude.
If you've spent any time with Ileana, this probably won't surprise you.
Having participated in multiple vision quests with her spiritual community in Chiapas, Mexico, she has long understood that nature has a way of revealing what everyday life often conceals. The mountains have always been one of her greatest teachers.
She returned home safely—with incredible stories to tell, a heart full of gratitude... and Achilles tendons that were less enthusiastic about the adventure than the rest of her.
Watching Ileana walk through the world reminds me that freedom isn't simply something we think about—it's something we embody. It takes courage to step into the unknown, whether our path leads us into the mountains or into a new chapter of life.
If you'd like to learn more about Mother Ileana and the beautiful work she brings to the Loto community, I invite you to visit her profile on our website. I'm deeply grateful that our paths crossed in our Janzu training and that her wisdom has become such an integral part of this growing community.
With Love,
Jennifer
P.S.—I’d love to hear from YOU! Rather than emailing me or dropping me a DM, please post a comment below 👇
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