There is something bittersweet about endings and beginnings; that transition from what WAS to what IS UNFOLDING. The anticipation of what might possibly be coming next mixed together with the memory, the sweetness, of what no longer is. Our world and our communities and our families and our individual lives are so full of these transitions right now.
For me, one of those transitions was moving out of Colorado Springs, Colorado to Northern Michigan.
Our natural inclination is to rail against the changes that life offers us. To resist, get angry, bargain, shutdown, withdraw, act out, freeze up out of fear, or build up defenses. But changes offer us such incredible opportunities. Opportunities to release old limiting beliefs about ourselves and others; opportunities to explore our oneness with all creation; to soar high as a space ship into the dark sky, with people everywhere applauding our journey, cheering for our success and praying for our safety. Opportunities to heal what is being called forth to be healed and to open up to the fullness and oneness of who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing.
But we have to be willing. It always comes back to that little willingness, doesn’t it?. We have to be willing to stay present, to stretch past the fears and the ego self-talk, and the “tiredness” that our ego uses to encourage us to procrastinate, to stay put, to accept what IS as all that can BE. We have to be willing to open ourselves so wide that we can be filled up and pour out our light with such brightness everyone around us has to wear shades.
It may seem like it takes great courage to do that. In truth, though, courage is nothing but single moments of our littlest willingness strung together like a necklace that encircles our heart. What we often do instead is send out mixed messages to the Universe, to Spirit.
A friend of mine wears a necklace that says “wild hearts can’t be broken.” At the same time she can often be heard singing lines from a beautiful song by Danya River (Robert Gass’ daughter) that says “Love, I pray, that you break my heart so wide open, that the whole world falls in. I confess I’ve been trying so hard to keep it all out, keep you all out…..” The song goes on, finishing with “Love, fall in to my heart, it’s wide open….my heart it’s wide open…” I don’t want my heart broken, but I do want my heart broken. See the challenge here? Mixed messages give us mixed results.
So how do we move into that space where the messages we’re sending out are in alignment with what we desire? We must be willing to let go of everything that we think protects us, everything that keeps us safe and secure. Everything that is familiar. We must be willing to step into the great unknown, that vast sky of limitless power and peace and possibility. We must be willing to launch ourselves out of the atmosphere of what is and into the next unknown moment, newly unfolding. We must be willing to open ourselves up.
Every moment of every day is an opportunity to align ourselves with our purpose, our power, our peace, our true magnificence. When we do, we awaken to the realization that our lives are filled with synchronicity. Our egos want to assign meaning to all these events that unfold but the truth is, they don’t mean anything. They’re simply unfolding in response to our call to remember our Oneness with all creation, our oneness with Spirit, with the Universe, with each other.
I love synchronicity. If only because it gives me a chance to make just enough sense out of the meaningless, that I am inspired to take the next step forward into the unknown unfolding of my life’s magnificent adventure.
I shared a delightful dinner with friends last night and a fellow spiritual leader. When she heard I was preparing to move out of Chicago, she sat thoughtfully looking at me before she responded. She nodded her head with great understanding and said “It is time. In fact, it’s been time for you to go for a while, hasn’t it?” We both knew it had been; that what was mine to do here had long ago been done and that I’d been staying put in various areas of my life simply because I didn’t want to open myself up to the next great thing that was wanting to unfold.
We all have something that’s ours to do in this moment. Sometimes, we need a little time to catch our breath, to get re-centered, to gestate and give our minds and our hearts time to heal and wrap around what was and create room for what is to come.
And sometimes we only think we need a little more time to get used to the idea, or to step out into that unknown, to take that next big, bold step forward into the life that’s calling us forth to a new and greater sense of self. I have a quote in my database, from Joseph Campbell: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
I do not know all of what the future holds, any more than any of us do. I do know that the peacefulness, the strength, and the simplicity of Austin, is calling me back home–and so I venture forth again, to create whatever is mine to create, in this now moment. I carry with me an incredible community of friends and loved ones. I am running toward that new and greater sense of self with my arms wide open today.
Today, I encourage you to do the same. A call to that littlest willingness within you that’s the next link in your necklace of courage, to step boldly into your true Self – that self that is united with Spirit, one with all creation and limitless in power and in peace. The Future is now; what are you saving yourself for?!
May you always know how magnificent you are and may you always source your words, thoughts and actions from that place of knowing.
Live in Joy!
Lilly