Greetings, readers! Today I share great joy over my daughter, Rachel Chase, having her autobiographical story published. It appears as a chapter in the recently released anthology, Unbreakable Spirit: 18 Stories of Feminine Resilience, Blessings and Renewal. (Laura Joan Cornell. Ananda Press. July 17, 2025.)
This is a beautiful book full of wisdom borne from women’s trials that turned to healing when they chose a different path—a path towards light, love, and creativity.
Rachel’s story
Some of you know I spent many years in a fundamentalist cult, The Way International™. I wrote and published my memoir, Undertow, that tells that story. Rachel was born while our family was enmeshed in the cult. When we escaped in 1987, she was only twelve years old.
In Rachel’s story—in Unbreakable Spirit—she describes that part of her life, the confusion that followed after we escaped, and her journey to wholeness. Not only did she recover from serious traumas, she now flourishes as a dynamic counselor and healer. I’m profoundly proud of her.
My review on Amazon
The book is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon. Here’s my review there:
I admire these women authors for their courage in sharing their very personal—and often traumatic—journeys towards a more fruitful life. Their autobiographical accounts in Unbreakable Spirit are profound testaments to the resiliency and power of the human spirit. Many show how resiliency sprang from consciously using the breath—a powerful skill—which brought peace and healing. Often these women learned this from yoga and meditation. We see how it was essential in their recovery from an array of illnesses, fears, and ordeals. As one author puts it, she decided to ‘breathe on’ every little thing: “I knew I needed to learn how to deal better with my stressful emotions, so I did this intensely for the whole year.”
Their resilience, too, inspired my heart as I read how their lives took dramatic, often harrowing, turns, yet they worked through it all. One author says she realized “resilience wasn’t something to chase but something to embody, moment by moment, breath by breath.” I’m struck by the bravery these women mustered with open hearts, how it led them into their current creative lives. Another author shares that “Reiki, meditation, art making, and yoga practice help me find my intuition and trust in myself. Now I can be adventurous in a grounded way. Now I can see and follow the Universe’s clues on a path to wholeness.” Stories can teach and inspire us, move us to aim ourselves towards more wholeness and love. The stories in this book do that.
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A few years ago, I introduced Rachel and her creative work on this blog. To get acquainted with my lovely daughter, click this link: Rachel Chase & Creative Empowerment | Charlene L. Edge
Thanks for reading!
Your writer on the wing,
Charlene
