My husband and I built our 75 foot schooner, SATORI, in California, and sailed her to the Caribbean in 1977. We chartered the islands for fourteen years. We were good at it, and had many testimonials from guests inspired by our love for each other, our yacht and our vocation. My husband often said, "We do it for the love, the money is just a souvenir." In our salon, a framed poem decorated the wall:

SATORI
is the Zen way
of acquiring a new point of view
for living
and looking.

Not creating something new-
but seeing
and touching
in a different way.

It approaches religion
from the inside
letting it emerge
from MAN
rather than being imposed.

It finds
a revelation of the divine
within human experience
within life itself.

from Please Touch

SATORI was our opportunity to share that consciousness of everyday magic with our guests. But, finally, the luster of the American Paradise tarnished. A more stable environment became desirable. We were tired of hurricanes, outrageous insurance premiums, market fluctuations that provoked poor tourist seasons, rapidly escalating crime, and the high cost of living. Hurricane Hugo, with its 180mph winds, was our turning point. Although we had survived without physical damage, the subsequent loss of business, hassles of living in a decimated environment, and fear of future storms led to our decision to leave.

We sent 350 past guests a letter asking their input on a new location for our family. We had 5 requirements:

1. Blue skies - the occasional snow flurry was okay, but not a gray canopy 4 months of the year.
2. Abundant nature - to be able to walk in forests, unlike the impenetrable St. Thomas bush.
3. Low crime and a family orientation.
4. Water - a river, lake, even a good sized stream would suffice.
5. Good schools - we were paying $3,000. a year for preschool.

Within a month, 3 people wrote that Asheville suited our needs. It was the only location to receive more than one vote.

When the Chamber of Commerce packet arrived, a small brochure from Black Mountain invited us to let our spirits soar. It depicted exactly what we wanted. Posted on the wall with our own drawings, we began the process of visualizing the setting where we wished to live. We then subscribed to the Asheville Citizen-Times. A classified in the first received issue caught my attention:

"NATURE LOVERS: 70 acres backed up to National Forest. Grouse in the meadows, trout in the stream. Contact Appalachian Realty."

Kaimora, a psychic we had seen 8 years before, again vacationed on St. Thomas. She had properly "called" difficulties with my daughter’s birth 2 years before her conception. Kai did not remember us, and we only said we were looking for direction in life. She held my husband’s beads, which he had worn over 20 years, and said, "It’s time for you to leave here, you have done all you can to help… but it is time to move on. I see you in Asheville, North Carolina, by September."

Coincidence? Or, synchronistic? Privately, we had been discussing a summer trip to both coasts to check Asheville, and Ashland, Oregon. We hadn’t told any of our local friends we were thinking of selling SATORI, or leaving. At Christmas, we did so. A few months later, I received an inheritance. We put our villa and ship up for sale, and left in July.

In Black Mountain a wonderful new friend, Gay Fox, located a beautiful glass-and-redwood , furnished house for us to rent. We made numerous friends in a short time. We were introduced to Unity, The Light Center, The Earth Center, and Crystal Visions. Seekers, most unsure why they were being drawn here, told us of the magic of these Blue Ridge Mountains.

We wanted acreage. Black Mountain was too expensive, and too vertical. A friend told us of 117 acres in Pleasant Gardens, backed up against the Pisgah Forest in a south-facing cove. It had been a boy scout camp in the 40’s. On the morning we were to view it, as I was dressing, I heard a deep voice say, "This is it." Goosebumps raced my spine. I’ve had some psychic experiences, but never heard voices! I told Ed. He shook his head in wonder.

We hadn’t even seen inside the house when Ed offered the owner a $10,000. down payment to hold it. We had $20,000 in the bank, no jobs, and no idea of why this was it, but it certainly was it! There was a breached dam and old lake bed, a creek flowing to it, innumerable springs, two meadows, wildlife, and a three bedroom house. The owner agreed to hold it, but needed $50,000 additional in 2 months. He gave us a total of 7 months to buy him out, or lose everything. We took it.

Life was a roller coaster of ups and downs as sales in the V.I. fell through and began again. We virtually came within an hour of losing the initial $60,000. With our families support, our magic held and finally it was ours.

We have since built an acre pond and stocked it with trout, which Ed sells. It has become the paradise we envisioned with a pavilion by the lake, and gardens becoming realities. Many of our acquaintances previously lived on this acreage, with stories of babies born in tents, and the magic and energy that is an inherent part of the landscape. We named it Eco-Cove, a wildlife sanctuary. Swans grace the lake, bears forage, and even a cougar has visited our meadow.

There are times we feel at a loss as to what comes next. But this place has the same elemental magic that was SATORI. The tranquillity of the pond, the strength of the mountains, the glory of the forests and seasons, the animal visitors and the joy in just being here tells us we are in the right place. And if we can be patient, our part in this magical world will become clear.