Who Likes Change? • Lecture by Regla Winterflower Robinson

Sunday lecture from June 14th, 2026

We welcome you to watch/listen to the video, read the transcript below, and/or share your thoughts in the comments!

About the Lecturer

Regla “Winterflower” Robinson brings a rich and diverse background to the Metaphysical Chapel of Life. A former certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician, she earned her B.S. in Community Health Education and served as a certified domestic violence counselor for over 30 years.

In 1991, she co-founded a Native American nonprofit, first serving as Clan Mother and later as Principal Chief. Alongside her leadership, she deepened her spiritual practice, becoming a Reiki Master and Animal Reiki practitioner.

In 2013, she opened Nenaa Wellness Center, offering Reiki healing, angel therapy, and spiritual counseling. Since moving to Virginia in 2022, Winterflower has continued her spiritual journey and now serves as a psychic reader for the Chapel, offering angel oracle readings at psychic fairs and on Zoom.

When not serving others, she enjoys writing fiction and poetry, volunteering, and hugging trees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRUU3f5FFe4

Lecture Transcript

Thank you, Brandon. That was a beautiful meditation, by the way. I have a little frog in my throat, so yeah, I don't know where they got that one from. But good morning, everyone. Good morning. Happy Pride! It was pointed out to me that most of my lectures are on spiritual connection to the particular month that I'm speaking at. I thought about that and I said, hmm.

They're right. When I jokingly said this to the person that I'm gonna change it up the next time I lecture, they said very graciously, no, no, no, no. They found it interesting to hear about the different months and the spiritual [significance] of those months. So with that being said, I'm gonna change the format a little bit, but not completely.

I'm still gonna throw in a couple of little spiritual significances of the month just for good measure. Plus you're gonna see how it ties into the topic.

The Spiritual Significance of June

Now, June is symbolized for the growth, renewal, abundance, spiritual awakening, inviting reflection, personal growth, connection to nature and community. It also marks the transition from spring to summer. Nature is flourishing. Just look outside, you'll see it. Life is abundant. Spirituality, it represents spiritual growth, self-discovery, opportunities to set intention. With the summer solstice and spiritual illumination, you'll get clarity and an awakening. It is a time to explore truth, align with your higher inner self, go on your personal journeys. This month encourages communal experiences for the kindness and support of spiritual growth and development. This month hosts energy. Reflection with action connects to the natural world and again your inner self. So it's a lot of inner self workings in June. This is a month of light, vitality, and transformative potential.

The color associated this month is green, which symbolizes new life, prosperity, harmony. And it's tied to the heart chakra, which promotes healing, balance, compassion, and connection to the natural world. It is a time to embrace the energy of the divine feminine.

It's Gemini and Cancer in astrology. The gemstone is pearl, which symbolizes purity. And the flowers associated are rose and honeysuckle. So there you go to the person that said they enjoy it. Names will not be shared.

A Glimpse Into My World

This Sunday I'm going to give you a glimpse into my world, something I do not normally feel comfortable with doing. I'm going to let you into a particular struggle of mine. However, I suspect I'm not the only one in this room or on Zoom that has this problem. How many people in the room or on Zoom have a problem with change? Raise your hand. Ooh, goody. I'm not alone. Well, I do, big time for most of my life. Or should I say thus far? I say thus far.

Because I am a work in progress. Every day I have breath in my lungs. I am still learning, still growing, still struggling, trying to find trust, trust in the universe, but more importantly, trust in myself. I can't remember a time where I did like change. I didn't like changing jobs. I had my first job when I was 14 years old, part time, of course, because I was still in school.

And of course, with 14, you're not going to keep the same job. So I did change jobs. However, the job that I left, I had that job for thirty-five years. I stayed in that hospital for thirty-five years. And I'll probably still be there if it didn't close. As a child, I took the same route from school. I attended Catholic school.

So we had uniforms. So I didn't have to worry about changing my clothes. Yay. My room. My room pretty much stayed the same. Didn't change the decor, kept the furniture where it was. I had an aunt that would change her living room and bedroom almost every other month. Change curtains, put the furniture here, there, the other way. And I just stayed the same way. I didn't care. It was comfortable. Now, has any of you hung on to an old t-shirt?

Even though it was tattered and colors and the symbols are long, long gone. Why? Why do that? Why? Because it's familiar, it's comfortable. We tend to stay with our jobs, which we really don't care for, in relationships that are not healthy. Why? Because it's comfortable. It's familiar. Growth requires change and change requires growth.

Yeah, let that sink in. To let go of things, people, places that no longer serve you, it's uncomfortable. It's frightening and it can be debilitating. As most of you know, and by hearing what Brandon said about me, I moved here several years ago, relocated to Virginia.

That decision was one of the hardest decisions I ever made in my entire life. I grieved what I had to uproot, how I had to change my life. I dragged unfinished business, unhealed emotional issues into this life that I was going to try to create in Virginia. I was leaving a home that I purchased when I was 19 years old.

I lived in that house for fifty-two years. I raised my family in that house.

I lost my mother in that house. I lost my grandmother in that house. I had years of memories in New York, and in a blink of an eye, I was coming to a state I knew nothing about. Moving into a house I never stepped foot on, never seen. Unseen, I was stepping into a new house. I left a congregation and friends behind.

I didn't know anything about southern living. I didn't know about the flying cockroaches and the flies that come in your windows and all these things. I didn't know about all these things. I'm still trying to get used to it. But it was mind-blowing, the whole... journey. And I struggled for three years, now four. Because Brandon told me I came down here in 2022. Forgot about that.

Stepping Into the Chapel

Time flies when you're having fun. Then I stepped into the chapel. But not immediately. I did seek other congregations. I was a Unitarian Universalist, I still am. And I I sought the congregation down here, but beautiful people, but I didn't get what I needed for my soul, for my spirit. And then I was looking online and I happened to see Metaphysical Chapel of Life. And I'm like,

Sounds interesting.

Let me pop in.

And I did.

And as Stanley said on ...Friday... how he came in and he was welcomed. And I felt the same way. Everybody said hello and I sat down and they gave me 50 million questions to answer. But it was okay because I was engaging. So, you know, I'm in a community. And I started to open up to spirit.

And to the universe. I learned I could stay in misery, fight change every step of the way, or learn to embrace change. I could start letting the doors open to joy, to allow myself to begin to live and develop my inner and higher self. There is a joke among the spiritual leaders, and I quote,

"Everyone wants transformation, but nobody wants to change."

Everyone Wants Transformation

Transformation is hard business. It requires us to let go of our former way of thinking and living. Change requires us to go forward in new ways, sometimes in unfamiliar ways. It requires changing out of our way of thinking, our being, our whole spirit sometimes. The good news is that the new way of thinking can be empowering and free us.

It allows us to be authentic self and stop clinging to limiting thoughts and patterns.

Replacing fear of change and embracing the divine spirit allows a love to flow through us and trust the Creator, the universe, to let yourself go and be free.

I knew I had to break out of this way of thinking and bondage. I needed to learn how to be more present, more open, trust in soul timing. I needed to learn how to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.

We all go through change. We all go through change because it's inevitable. And we have to learn to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves. Remain committed to the growth, to take time and effort, but the effort and the time is worth it. Just to slow down, breathe, rest, trust yourself.

Aging Is a Blessing

Aging. Ooh, some of us know that one, don't we? Aging is a process and it's a change. It's a change in our bodies and way of thinking about ourselves and our bodies and the world even. One that most of us... will will go through it. I mean, we can't walk like we used to. We can't do what we used to do. We have our little aches and pains.

And we get into little circles and talk about all our little aches and tingles. But you know, that's it. That's what's gonna be. You know, in the society that we live in, it projects ageism. I was on Zoom the other day and I was asked, "Winterflower, are you gonna dye your hair?"

And I'm like wow. No. Who am I fooling? Look at the gooseneck people. Look at the gooseneck. I can get Botox, but I'm still going to be the age that I am. Nobody asks me. So I choose to go natural, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with if anybody wants to change the color of their hair. Go for it. I am learning age is a blessing.

Some people never get to this age. It allows us to travel in a different path. You know, we're not hooked up on all of that stuff when we're old when you're younger have to look a certain way, be a certain way, talk a certain way to be in the in-crowd, you know. No. When you age you can kinda say things that you want to say and get away with it. So now those of us that are that age, we can just age in grace and serenity and love and not resist and suffer for it. It's a blessing. And it is our choice.

Learning to Accept

The metaphysical chapel of life dragged me out of my comfort zone. goodness, and you folks knew who you are personally that kept dragging me. Won't mention any names there either. But it was in a good way. It took me out of that comfortable, familiar old tacky t-shirt. And I'm learning the new way to grow. At MCL, I was accepted, as I said, for who and what I am.

For what I do and don't bring to the table. Now some people are desserts, but some people are hummus. And it's all works and it's all good. So I'm just trying to accept whatever it is, whatever it is, whatever life offers me. It's hard. For many years I wished that I could go back to my old life, but it wasn't helping me.

And all it did was cause pain and suffering. I'm not saying that I do not still long for my life in New York and my friends and my community. But what did I say earlier? I'm a work in progress. And you know, you do have memories. But I'm learning. And I'm learning to accept the reality of my life and my situation in order to work on solutions.

Carl Jung wrote,

"We cannot change anything until we accept it."

So in order to accept, I realized I needed to seek peace and serenity in my life. I started to say the serenity prayer. I started looking out my window more, sitting on my porch, looking at my birds, hugging the trees, and accepting that this is a gift. Let go, letting God, letting in the living peace of spirit.

June Is a Gift

Slowly I'm learning. I am trying to live in this space called life. And I invite all of you that are struggling within change to embrace the spiritual significance of June. The renewal, the new beginning, the abundance, the balance, the harmony, the transformation, the joy, happiness, and spiritual growth.

June calls us to celebrate life, to find joy in the present moment, and to embrace the journey of becoming our best selves. June is a gift, a time to flourish, to connect, to seek out the beauty of life and the journey of spirit, to incorporate all the beauty that we see in our everyday lives. It teaches us the importance of balance between receiving and giving. Action and reflection, light and shadow.

Now I would like to leave you with a poem that I was inspired to write as I was writing this lecture. And of course, I'm sure all of you can guess the title. Change. Gotcha. You got it.

A Poem: Change

Wrapped up in my comfy blanket,

afraid to turn on the lights,

no idea what is waiting for me.

Do I turn left or right?

Change, an ugly word full of fear,

familiarity is what I want to be near.

There is no sleep, no rest.

My mind is in constant protest.

Wrapped in my comfy blanket

is where I want to stay.

Invisible fingers tug it away,

leaving me confused, sad and alone.

Where is the place I used to call home?

Change happens in a blink of an eye,

all is different, strange and new.

My comfy blanket now in shreds,

there is no going back.

There is so much dread.

Uncertainty lays before me,

panic and anxiety sinking in.

But I must find the strength within.

I look up to my grandmother moon

in the darkness of the sky.

She smiles at me and tells me not to cry.

Clouds part and stars shine bright.

It's my ancestors telling me to fight.

They whisper change is inevitable,

accept it with grace.

We will not let you fall,

that will never be the case.

Trust the Creator, the angels, and the universe.

Their symphony is never rehearsed.

Change can mean blessings, happiness, and joy,

new discovery, perhaps even a new you.

Spirit is there deep in your heart.

Your spirit, souls, and guides

they will never part.

Go with the flow.

Trust. Let God and let go.

Blessings to you all.