Waldoboro resident Raechale Rae Sage stands outside of Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro on Tuesday, July 19. Sage owns the massage therapy practice, Sirius Somatics, located in downtown Damariscotta. (Evan Houk photo)
Ever since she was young, Waldoboro resident Raechale “Rae” Sage has been involved in a wide variety of ever-changing pursuits in a quest for knowledge and self-improvement.
Sage has always been “aggressively curious,” she said during an interview on July 19.
“I’ve always been a person who has to have my hands in multiple things to balance myself,” Sage said.
Among her extracurricular activities while in high school at Erskine Academy in South China, Sage was a writing tutor, played soccer, wrestled, founded the photography club, and was in the physics club and National Honor Society, among other things.
“I was into everything,” Sage said with a laugh.
Nowadays, Sage runs a massage therapy practice, Sirius Somatics, at 49 Main St., Unit 1 in downtown Damariscotta and works at Lost and Found Farm in Dresden.
Since December 2021, the business has grown steadily by word-of-mouth. Sage said she would be comfortable with a few more clients, but doesn’t want to become too busy.
“I want enough space and energy to give whoever does come to me the best experience and really be as present as possible with them,” Sage said.
A reiki class inspired Sage to attend the Downeast School of Massage in Waldoboro last year and incorporate reiki into her practice.
Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that “promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Sage is also very into “swimming in as many different bodies of water as possible” and is always looking for new swimming spots to check out.
“I’ve had so many moments of clarity while swimming,” Sage said.
The water is what ultimately brought her back to Maine from South Dakota after six years in the U.S. Air Force.
Sage grew up in Florida on the Gulf Coast, moving around with her family. When she was 13, the family returned to Maine.
“I spent a lot of time running around, climbing trees, and eating mulberries, and spending all day by the water,” Sage said about her time in Florida.
After one year at the University of Maine in Orono, unsure of how to pay for college and discovering it wasn’t a good fit at the time anyway, Sage joined the Air Force in 2014.
She worked in intelligence, analyzing and researching data and alerting others to threats. She was deployed to Afghanistan for a six-month tour, but spent much of the time stationed in South Dakota.
“It’s a very multifaceted job,” Sage said of intelligence.
Sage credits her “forged in the fire” experience with giving her a “concrete sense of what I wanted to do with my life.”
Although some of the experience was uncomfortable and unpleasant, Sage said it was ultimately beneficial for developing self-knowledge and learning more about the international community.
“It’s as important to learn what you don’t want to do as it is to learn what you do,” Sage said.
After returning to Maine, Sage worked on a few different farms before enrolling in the Downeast School of Massage and eventually buying a house in Waldoboro where she now lives with her partner.
Sage has always been a creative person, she said, and enjoys writing poetry, making short films, and planning parties and “perfect Maine days where you swim, then you get some seafood, then there’s a music festival, and you spend time with your friends.”
Sage is also interested in bringing people together to exchange ideas in person and discuss how people can help each other locally and affect each others’ lives in a positive way.
For more information on Sirius Somatics, find the business on Instagram.
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