What kind of name is Raine Shakti? I get asked that question all the time especially from Indian guys who know that Shakti is an Indian Goddess of Feminine power, but can’t quite figure out how a white woman from Chicago ended up with the last name of Shakti.
Raine Shakti isn’t my birth name, but it is the name that I chose for myself after a brutal divorce. When my ex left me, I no longer wanted his last name, but I also didn’t want to go back to my family name because I wasn’t Daddy’s little girl anymore. I realized that I had the unique opportunity to redefine myself so I legally changed my name and chose a name that defines who I am today. I chose Raine as a nod to my birth name because it is a nod to my birth name of Lorraine, Clara in honor of the Catholic saint who helps me find clarity, and Shakti in honor of the divine feminine.
On the surface I live a life of contradictions: I spend my days dressed in power heels working in a skyscraper and my nights lighting candles and worshipping the Old Ones. However, when you look a little closer you see that my life is not quite so contradictory and my vocation and my avocation are really not that different.
I work in the field of organizational change, which means I midwife companies through change. While on paper I work for the companies in transition, I like to believe that I work for the employees in helping them understand and prepare for changes that business transitions mean. It’s my job to help them understand what the change means for them, address their fears and concerns, and train them to succeed in the new system.
My work as a Priestess involves helping people understand and grow from the transitions that happen in their lives. It’s my passion to help people understand that life is about learning and that sometimes learning hurts. We can’t totally accept and relish the good unless we understand how to grow from the bad.
One of the most powerful messages I ever got from a Goddess was a message I got from Erishkegal, mistress of the underworld, she told me very clearly to give my garbage to the goddess and she would transform it. That is what growth is all about, it is about composting the bad stuff that happens to us in life and turning it into fertilizer for building a new and richer life.
I had my own journey into the darkness when after 22 years of marriage, my husband decided he wanted to leave. I was shattered and I completely fell apart. I realized that I had a choice. I could choose to be a victim and wallow in self pity or I could choose to learn, grown, and heal. I chose to be a survivor and learn to heal. Along the way, I met some amazing people who have helped me and guided me and just as I became passionate about my vocation based on personal experience, I also became passionate about my avocation. I went into training to be a priestess with the FOI so that I could help people understand what happens when they journey into the darkness and help them assimilate those lessons into their lives.
My journey has helped led me to the three goddesses to whom I am ordained: Nephthys, who has helped me reclaim my independence; The Morrigan, who has helped me reclaim my sovereignty; and Yemaya, who has helped me maintain my loving heart despite the losses I’ve incurred.
Cairn by Cairn 