In life, we are all confronted with two fundamental questions – why am I here and what happens next? The uncertainty posed by these questions is often the cause of grief and anxiety that deter us from living a full life.
After a devastating divorce, Margaret Waddell felt like her entire life was unclear. But one night a dream awakened her to the spirituality that has provided her with the guidance she had been looking for.
“I kept going through these different religious spaces… But I ended up in this meadow watching my mother, who had been a large woman during her lifetime, sway her heavy-set hips to a song that I was singing,” Waddell said. “From that moment on, I knew my purpose.”
Waddell says her dream called her to become who she was meant to be in this lifetime. In 2012, Waddell opened her own music studio where she teaches singing lessons to people of all ages. However, another important aspect of her life dedicated to spirituality.
Waddell has known spirituality her entire life. She was raised Catholic and has always taken comfort in the songs, rituals, and promises of the faith. However, over the course of her lifetime, Waddell has embraced learning and expanding her consciousness through other religious paths. Waddell has studied Native American traditions, the philosophy of Buddhist Monks, teachings from the Good Medicine Society, and medical intuitives such as Sobonfu and Malidoma Somé.
“Every religion I have ever experienced tells us versions of the same story; that it is better to live from a place of peace and open-heartedness,” Waddell said. “I believe that there are universal truths in this world and everything is connected.”
Her spiritual practice has allowed her to develop a closer relationship with the earth, her ancestors, and her community. She regularly works on a piece of land on Crystal Lake in Stover, Missouri. In addition to the land connecting Waddell to nature, it has been in her family for 5 generations, connecting her to the family that came before her.
“When I am here I feel at home,” Waddell said. “I want to add to what my ancestors have given to me and leave something for those who come after me. I want to create a place where people can come together and enjoy the beauty of this world we share.”
Creating a sense of community is another important aspect of Waddell’s purpose.
“We need people more than we know,” Waddell said. “When we share our experiences with people joy is multiplied and grief is divided.”
Waddell spends a lot of her time engaging with communities to share in her spiritual beliefs. She regularly holds events that allow the community to share in times of loss and organizes chants to signify times of change.
“No one is ever truly alone,” Waddell said. “We need to remember that life doesn’t just end, it lives on in the connections we create throughout our time on earth.”