This week I had an unplanned and unexpected adventure. I went on a journey that has changed my life forever and I didn’t leave my office! I didn’t plan for it or expect it and it only took about sixty minutes.
So, where did I go? I left my head and went to the ultimate destination – my heart. It is the ultimate journey for anyone on the path of awakening and self-discovery. That journey of moving from theory or concept to experience. I went to a new level of self-awareness that is sought and chased even coveted by many of us. My great journey took place during our Wednesday Wisdom Service where twenty-something of us were gathered to celebrate the summer solstice, connect with Spirit and uplift our lives. We did those things that prepare our heart and mind for insight and inspiration. We chanted, we prayed and we listened to ourselves and to each other. The perfect starting point for self-discovery we were there on purpose and with purpose connected at the place of unity, wholeness and love. The great ‘aha’ occurred during the drumming time. Drumming circles are not new to me and I enjoy them so I joined in prepared for a “good time”. As I was drumming and hearing the rhythm being created by the group I noticed my wanting to set myself apart, to make my own beat, to differentiate myself, to stand out. That is not an unusual attitude for me and I did that even as I noticed that I kept getting drawn into the ‘groups rhythm’ and that my drum was blending with the others to make the whole. Here is where the ‘glimmer’ occurred and the launch from head to heart was set in motion. It only lasted a few moments. This very real and visceral experience that my uniqueness, my individual gift was not because I set myself apart and played my own rhythm, but because I Am my own rhythm, I Am my own beat, and that which I Am is a part of the whole and cannot be separated from it. I had the experience of realizing what I tell others and myself often: we are all a part of this great experience of life and we are all here by right of consciousness to give our gift and to know our magnificence.
How did I know I had taken the journey? Because I experienced in my being, that which I have known for decades in my head. This was not a new idea, I had heard it before, I have passed it on to others as a truth, as a reminder, and as I shared with some friends later they reflected back to me the same thing I heard myself say: “I knew this”. But, now it was different, now I Know this. My life has changed. The other clue that the journey was made is the difficulty in articulating to another person that which I now know in my heart – because it is so well known in the head. The journey is a personal one. I may have had travel companions with me at that Wednesday service, I was the only one who could take that journey for me.
So, I share with you some of the insights I have had the past few days as this realization anchored in my life. You never know who your traveling companions will be and regardless of who is there with you, the journey is completely personal. The suggested preparation for a journey of this type is spiritual practices that open your heart and mind, connect you with yourSelf. Be prepared to depart at any time. Much of the journey occurs in the reflection back. I had the aha in the moment and then I continued to bring it into my life by reflecting on what that means to me. The exciting thing about discovery is that it is an adventure, and sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere. The only thing to pack is an open mind. Carry that with you wherever you go and you will have all you need to experience the truth that you know, the truth of you!