By Carol Fisher-Linn
All love pales in comparison to the love of The One Mother.”
Christy Rounds, a past resident of Ellicottville, hails from her childhood home (and present residence) in northern Minnesota, at the greatest of the Great Lakes, Superior. In conversation, it is notable that Christy is a very spiritual human. It doesn’t surprise. She grew up within proximity to Lake Superior which was first occupied by the Ojibwa people in the early 1600’s who believe that Lake Superior is a scared place, a place where the natural and spiritual world intersect. Surely it became part of her spiritual essence, much like it does for those of us who live in this verdant mountainous and wooded paradise in the Southern Tier. We cannot help but absorb the vibes we get from recreating and living on this land which colors our overall existence. For some it’s the wind in the trees, for some walking barefoot on the lush green earth, or skimming down a snowy mountain or gently paddling in a lake, and for even the busiest of us, it’s the waking to birdsong, jumping into the car, coffee cup in hand and driving elsewhere for our daily work, always looking forward to the calmer, soothing drive back home into our own little Nirvana, our own natural and spiritual space.
In case her name sounds familiar to you, Christy was married to John Rounds. They worked as a team in many aspects of the outdoor industry, re-opening Adventure Bound and creating Ellicottville Coffee Company. Sharing 2 daughters, Gracie and Callie and a son Cristopher, who continues to reside in Ellicottville, they went their separate ways in 2020. The divorce led to an 18,000 mile road trip and an ensuing book, Escape Bound, which for her was a soul-mending adventure and spiritual awakening.
In that book, Rounds talks about the picture-perfect life with beautiful homes, endless travel, financial success, social standing and what appeared to be a happy family life that shifted abruptly. The year was 2020 so her family crisis hit at the same time as the COVID pandemic. Having no practical housing options (in Minnesota her father had just been diagnosed with cancer), she hit the road.
Her folks helped her buy a pop-up trailer and she and daughter Callie spent three months traveling 18,000 miles throughout the American West. Callie, 16 at the time, plotted the route determined by 72 places of interest to gather creative content for the now-popular Instagram travel account, @Callie.Rounds.
Although she learned a lot about herself on this adventure, what probably led to a deeper quest to better understand herself came in 2018 when, (her words here) “during a 10-day quest in the Inyo Mountains of California, Christy had a profound spiritual experience. With hands riveted to the earth, wave after wave of ecstasy poured through her body, and a voice said, “Whether you had the perfect mother, a terrible mother, or no mother at all is irrelevant. All love pales in comparison to the love of the One Mother.” These experiences planted the seed for her second book, Messages from Mom, A Catalyst for Spiritual Awakening. She was led to learn how to practice “channeling,” and in subsequent years, Christy has received and recorded over 200 channeled messages from the Mother.
Her book reminds us, “During times when life feels lonely, confusing or overwhelming, we need to hear Mom’s voice. We need her reassurance that events are unfolding exactly as they are meant to unfold. We need to be reminded that we are protected, guided, guarded and safe. We need to know that we are seen, valued, cherished, and loved. We need to know that it’s all going to be ok. For those who are ready, these Messages from Mom not only provide comfort, they serve as incantations, opening heart, mind, and body to new heightened levels of awareness.”
Rounds’ stories of spiritual awakening brings to mind the Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon by St. Francis of Assisi, where he praises all of God’s creatures, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water, Mother Earth and Sister Death. Much like the Pachmama (Mother Earth in Inca mythology) revered by the indigenous people of the Andes, whom Rounds had strong relationships with, St. Francis recognized our human connection to everything in nature. Perhaps by getting closer to the spiritual nature of the world around us, we might become more aware of not hurting our Mother who only blesses us with all of life’s blessings.
Rounds’ books are available on Amazon: Messages from Mom; Escape Bound, both by Christy Rounds.