"Calling Myself Home: Living Simply, Following Your Heart, and What Happens When You Jump" by Robin Rainbow Gate is the true story of a woman's complete reinvention of herself, a journey that takes her from suburban Chicago to the Pacific Northwest, India, England, and Appalachia, before she is drawn by visions to move to a rural mountain village in the south central highlands of Mexico. She leaves behind a career, financial security, close friends, her possessions, even her old name, and studies with elder teachers and traditional healers, all in search of a new way of living in harmony with the earth and ultimately herself.The book explores simple living, personal transformation, and the pertinence of living traditions in today’s world. At heart it's a love letter to the rural community she adopted, and which adopted her. The core message that it's all about relationship—among people, animals, plants, mountains, the elements, the seasons, the cycles of life, and the beings, seen and unseen, that inhabit the world around us—will resonate with many readers. The book awakens the reader to indigenous ways of knowing and living, in service of a model of sustainability the planet desperately needs.Equal parts travelogue, memoir, and guide to voluntary simplicity, Calling Myself Home will leave readers deeply moved and challenged by Robin's unique journey. Through stories, reflections and inquiry the book inspires and encourages readers to follow their own inner voice. Her story dares the reader to consider whether they're on the right path for themselves, and if not it helps them find the courage to step onto the right one, however frightening the "jump" may be. "You have blended the ancient with the new by living in the ancient way and having the perspective of a modern woman who sees the continuum of humanity. There is such beauty and depth in everything you say and the way you say it." -Frances Noble, Author "Robin, after four years of hearing a call to go to Latin America, responded. Within days of arriving in Mexico she received initiatory teachings from an indigenous teacher-at once demanding and endearing. Thus begins Robin's reeducation: exchanging willfulness for surrender, traveling the long, ego-scraping journey from head to heart, from control to belonging. Most of us won't go to these extremes, but we can learn her lessons as our own." -Vicki Robin, Author, Your Money or Your Life 2018 And Blessing the Hands That Feed Us "Over the years of my involvement with Voluntary Simplicity, people have approached me asking "What is that thing you're involved in, that "self-deprivation" movement? I worked hard to explain that voluntary simplicity was about "living deliberately, making conscious choices about the welfare of people and the planet." But I was unable to explain the beauty and expansiveness and depth that Voluntary Simplicity was about. Now I can refer them to Robin Rainbow Gate's book. The description of her life is astoundingly beautiful--both in what it depicts and how it's expressed. Robin is an incredible writer about an incredible subject. As Thoreau said, "I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow." That's what Robin does." -Cecile Andrews, author of Living Room Revolution , and Less Is More, Slow Is Beautiful, Circle of Simplicity "Gate's remarkable life journey has taken her from Kentucky all around the world and now to a rewarding and simpler life in rural Mexico, all in search of personal authenticity and a way to walk more gently on our increasingly fragile earth. An honest and encouraging story of reinvention and chance-taking, deeply curious and respectful of the indigenous culture that draws her in, challenges her, and teaches her." -Steve Flairty, teacher, public speaker, and author of seven books including the Kentucky's Everyday Heroes series "I read with great interest, and naturally, of course applaud what Robin is doing and how she is living." -Diana Kennedy, acclaimed culinary anthropologist, ethno-gastronomer and author of nine books including The Cuisines of Mexico "What stands out most for me in Calling Myself Home is Robin's implicit discovery that place has a spirit and infuses all who live upon it. This wisdom is present in the indigenous world; people talk about their river, their lake, their mountain as they introduce themselves. It is a lesson that must be learned the hard way by non-indigenous people and I admire Robin's demonstration of the power of place and its role in our lives. It's always fascinating to me to read the stories about how people have negotiated life and Robin's journey is unique and enlightening. I highly recommend Calling Myself Home as a powerful example of the life story genre." -Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, PhD Co-author of Remapping Your Mind and the "Coyote" trilogy Executive Director, Coyote Institute for Studies of Change and Transf