In the bustling tapestry of life, we often find ourselves seeking a path of self-discovery, healing, and balance. Rachel Otto, a First Dan Rainbow Reiki Master, Licensed Angelic Healer, and Certified in various Energy Healing Modalities, stands as a guiding light on this transformative journey. As the visionary founder of Way Chill Life, Rachel invites you to embark on a profound exploration of love and consciousness, providing tools to lead a healthy, fully-conscious lifestyle. Something led you to this place, and Way Chill Life is here for you, offering a sanctuary for those yearning to understand the depths of love, both within themselves and in their relationships with others. Through Rachel’s expertise, Way Chill Life has become a haven for individuals seeking to regain and maintain inner balance. The mission is clear — to help you become fully aware of your spiritual guides and helpers, guiding you to step boldly into the truths of life and community. In this unique space curated by Rachel Otto, Way Chill Life unfolds as more than just a healing center; it is a transformative experience designed to illuminate the path to self-discovery, personal growth, and a harmonious existence. Join Mystic Mag and read more.
Can you share a defining moment or experience that led you to discover your soul’s purpose in teaching Divine Love, light, and compassion with energy healing? How did it shape your journey?
Thank you so much, first of all, for conducting this interview today. I’m very grateful for it, and I actually started this journey at the beginning of time. You know, there are turning points in my life that really influenced it. But from the day I was born, I’ve always known that I’m here to be joy and love. The physical defining moment came through a divorce, and it was this moment, living in New Orleans, the party city of the United States, that I was in a marriage that was not for me. It was for him. My whole life was revolving around others, and it still is, but it was revolving around others in a way that I was trying to make them happy. I guess with alcohol, drugs, and other things, rather than what was truly defining – love and life.
Because I have gone through such a massive transition from that moment, literally, we were on the cover of New Orleans magazine, considered the power couple. He was a big artist, and I was big in hospitality. I walked out of my house with my car, a brown paper bag with my pajamas, jewelry, and makeup, and I never looked back. We had just opened a restaurant. I left the restaurant. We had an art business. I left the art business. I was a general manager of a TV station. I quit that. I just knew that I had a higher calling, and it’s kind of a whimsical journey that I took. So, I decided to write a book about it. My book, “From Bourbon Street to the 12th Dimension: Finding Divine Love,” comes out on February 1st, 2024. It explains this journey, and your questions are leading into what the book was written for and what it really was all about.
It’s this idea that we are taught that something’s outside of us. You know, God’s outside of us, happiness is outside of us. We’ve got to go to Egypt, sit in the pyramid, and do Kumbaya, and then everything’s going to happen. But we’ve got to go find it. We’ve got to go do it, and we’ve got to do it fast. We’ve got to do it now.
What I’ve come to find is the opposite of all that. Everything is already within you. God’s in you. You are the co-creator; it says it in the Koran, it says it in the Bible. Did you know that angels are the common thread through all religions, even Buddhism? And yet, they separate us. So I spent ten years, plus – let’s say ten years plus – not working a mainstream job, just doing healing energy work, studying abroad. I studied under some of the greatest energy healer teachers of our time. I got to go to conferences with the Dalai Lama. I got to study under not just the founders of the modern Reiki movement, Frank, Java Petri and Walter Lubick. I got to be the first paid healer in a spa in the state of Louisiana. And I got to bring this divine love straight to the people where they need it most.
So, my journey isn’t over. And yes, there are some defining moments that I had to change my life. I maybe drank too much, maybe ate too much fried food, but it’s all so that the whole world can change together. It wasn’t just me eating too much; it’s not just me that’s disconnected. It’s all of us. So, I decided to go figure it out for the rest of us because, sorry, I can’t afford a $20,000 trip to Egypt.
Your mission involves reconnecting individuals to the Earth, guides, guardian angels, and themselves. How do you tailor your approach to resonate with a diverse range of individuals with varying spiritual beliefs and backgrounds?
I’m so excited that you asked me this question. This is my book, “From Bourbon Street to the 12th Dimension: Finding Divine Love.” I actually explain all the various guides that we have and teach people in the book, through guided meditation, how to connect. Some people like to talk to angels. Angels are what we call beings of light. They are the appendages of God, of the source, of our creator. And, like I said, they are present in all religions. So that’s a real calm and easy one. Everybody feels their guardian angel or they might feel that their grandmother who passed asked an old relative if there’s an angel that they talk to. So that’s a really easy connection.
My personal favorite connection is to nature. I also created a deck of nature cards called “When Nature Speaks to You,” and it’s just pictures of trees and lamps and stars and the moon. The understanding is that everything’s your guide if you just listen with your heart. You could learn amazing things from listening to the birds chatter. You could find out what’s coming up with the weather by talking to the tree. You could just touch the ground and feel the air and know where you should be because nature guides, connecting into the earth, connecting into what exists around us, are constantly telling us what’s going on. You don’t have to be sitting in the most beautiful place. I live near Sabino Canyon, and you know, to go sit under those waterfalls. And whoa, you know, you feel that, but you can get that in your own backyard. And if you don’t have a backyard, you can look out the window and see a tree or a bird or a squirrel or a rabbit. It doesn’t have to be in this romantic forest bathing, in the perfect weather situation. No, it’s go outside and pick up a rock out of your driveway. Maybe it’s a piece of asphalt. Who knows? It still has something to tell you.
My other third type of guide that I talk about, angels being one, nature being another, and the third is well, otherworldly beings. It’s kind of a little far out for some people, and yet it’s very mainstream for others. When we understand that the little blue and green beings aren’t going to come down in a flying saucer to take us down, that they’re actually already physically here and oh, maybe we are them, it’s not too hard to use them as a guide. Because then we get that this learning planet that we’re on, we’re just here to learn to get along, all of us, whether we’re the cockroach, the plastic cup, or maybe we’re the human. It’s a learning of balance, an exchange of energy. So you don’t have to go high on the mountain top of Mount Shasta to feel the alien energy coming down or spend another $10,000 to go to contact in the desert and be a giant rock. Go into your heart. Go into your own DNA, go into yourself, find your guides, your connection, what it means to you. Maybe you’re not ready for otherworldly beings. Maybe talking to the cats and dogs is enough for you, or maybe just the angels are enough for you. There is no right or wrong, and everybody has their own beliefs and what they’re comfortable with and what they’re not. I’m not here to push one over the other; I’m just here to tell people it’s free, it’s there, and it’s for everything, not just priests and monks.
What type of services do you offer?
For years, I conducted private services where we engaged in guided meditation, Kaushik clearings, and massive physical healings. However, I observed that not everyone, but sometimes people got caught not just in spiritual bypassing but also in using healers as a sort of spa experience. It provides a great feeling and a momentary sense of grooviness, but my goal is to inspire lasting change. I don’t want to merely give you a feel-good moment.
As a result, I stopped doing individual sessions and shifted my focus to more group meditations and sound baths. Sound not only has a physical impact but also affects the land and raises the vibration of the entire area and collective consciousness. With my upcoming book, I hope to engage in more public speaking, conduct larger group meditations, and explore new avenues. I’ve already ventured into YouTube (you can find me at “Way Chill Living” with videos and podcasts), but I envision even bigger things.
In the future, I aspire to host a massive rock concert where, at the end, I come out and lead a 15-minute guided meditation, leaving everyone vibrating even more than when they started. My vision has expanded beyond helping individuals to creating larger, transformative experiences. Currently, my focus is on groups, whether it’s for conventions or more lighthearted events like wedding showers and bridal gatherings where we come together for a group love session.
In your experience as a Spiritual Coach, what are some common challenges individuals face in reconnecting with themselves and the spiritual realms, and how do you guide them through these challenges?
I’m so glad you asked that question because these are things for which you can’t find a quick answer on TikTok or Instagram, and when you do find those answers, they always come with a price tag. Have you ever noticed that you could get a crystal that’s supposed to make you better, or a great book that you just need to buy? Yes, I’m selling a book too, but everything in my book will also be available for free on my website because I just believe it has to be out there. So, this is what I’ve come up with, although that’s a lie. I didn’t come up with any of this; it’s all old guided information, channeled stuff from way before my time. They just put it out of my mouth.
Here are the 5 Principles to live by in the now: Love thyself, Heal thyself, Self-governance, Live judgment-free, and Appreciative Gratitude. That’s it. These are not even like the 10 commandments or the pillars of Reiki; they are the principles of life. If everyone lived in the now moment, meaning live here now, not worrying about what happened yesterday since we cannot change the past, and not getting caught up in the future “what if,” then we would have everything we need in this moment.
When we worry about debt and money, it’s because we focus on something outside of us. But if we stop for a moment, what’s the worst that could happen? Someone might call and bother us because we didn’t pay a bill, but we won’t go to jail in the United States. Love thyself is crucial, as many Americans and people worldwide are missing this. We were told that being egocentric is wrong, but we need to love ourselves first to love anything else. Love everything about yourself, no matter your size, color, or shape; you are made the way the source, God, creator wanted you to be.
Healing yourself is about recognizing that when we cut ourselves, we automatically start the healing process. So why can’t we apply the same concept to heal every part of our life? Take responsibility for yourself, practice self-governance by being responsible for your well-being, and live judgment-free. This includes being non-judgmental not only toward others but also toward yourself. Start small, be judgment-free on yourself and your family, and give people the freedom to have their own beliefs.
Lastly, live in appreciative gratitude. Be grateful with meaning, not just as lip service. Appreciate everything around you because you genuinely love it, not because it’s part of a daily mantra. The chaos in the world will continue, but you have a choice to either join in the chaos, misery, war, and suffering or start living in the age of Aquarius in the now. Be joyful, and your joy will shift the collective consciousness, making the chaos less impactful on your life. Natural disasters will still happen, but your joy acts like a shield, making the negative elements avoid you. Connect with nature, listen to its cues, and be present in the moment, and you’ll find yourself in the right place at the right time.
Being deeply involved in energy healing, what role do you believe holistic well-being plays in achieving spiritual growth, and how do you encourage a balanced approach for your clients?
I don’t think that it’s separate, I think those are the same. So, I’ll keep this answer as simple as that: there is no separation. A holistic lifestyle is living; spirituality is just living. It isn’t separate; it’s only acknowledging that it’s within you.
How do you continue to enhance your own spiritual and healing practices?
It will never end until the day I die, and my biggest thing is I have my own healers I go to; I visit Cindy Hamilton, one of my favorite Akashic record readers, for weekly clearances. I also consult my astrologer, Susie Cox, one of the world’s best astrologers, who provides me with a breakdown of my year and what to look for.
The greatest thing I can do for myself and for this world is to go for a walk. I learn from nature, whether it’s a sun dog in the sky, a rainbow, the formation of clouds bringing in great cosmic dragon energy, or simply listening to what the birds have to say, or the flowers and plants conveying their messages. I understand what’s going on because I’m actively listening every day during my walks.
