The Thing I Gotta Do: The "How?"

The thought of taking a "walk-about" this spring is daunting in many ways. For example: Where am I going to get the money? How will I travel? Will anyone want to meet with me, put me up, gather their friends for a circle? Will I really have the courage to do this?

I've begun to keep what I'm calling my "pilgrimage catalog." In it I have a page for everyone I want to visit, with their contact information and information about who they are and what they do. It keeps me inspired and motivated and excited. It makes it more real. For example, here is one possibility:

Joyce Kendall

Joyce Kendall is Founder of Earth Heart Farm, a sanctuary for spiritual teachings where people can come together in community to learn, share and support each other in our spiritual walk. She is a Certified Yoga Instructor, Registered Polarity Practitioner, and Practicing Herbalist. She was inducted as an Andean Yachak Shaman after years of study with Ecuadorian Yachaks. During her studies, Joyce formed a deep bond with the indigenous people of Ecuador, learning their many traditions. She has observed how visiting with and learning directly from indigenous cultures has changed many peoples’ abilities to see themselves as part of a new vision. To this end she formed Earth Heart Expeditions, offering shamanic journeys to visit with the elders in South America. These trips are designed to encourage deep healing, personal transformation and an awakening of spirit consciousness.

How wonderful it would be to sit with this woman, and perhaps her friends, sharing stories, experiences, wisdom, and visions. And did I mention that I already have thirty pages of these extraordinary, ordinary people - as I like to call them?

If you know anyone you think I should meet, or if you have stories of when you decided to reach for a dream with all the trials and triumphs, please share them.

P.S. Well, I didn't answer the "how" but I got a good start in naming what I'm up against!

Jody Kessler

Last night we had a lovely circle where we did music, ritual, and sharing around letting go of the old and embracing the new. Guest facilitated by musician and interfaith minister Jody Kessler, we shared appreciations, released limitations, and gave voice to ways we can move forward in the coming year towards our greatest potential and service.

"I'm going to make dreams come true," I heard my Self say as I chose a stone from the altar to keep as a reminder of my intention. As I write, I have it in my pocket, and I take it out from time to time to look at its beauty and feel its smoothness. I think about "the thing I need to do" that I talked about in the previous post, and I hold those thoughts like I hold that precious stone. Like that stone, they have weight and substance, texture and beauty.

And what do I feel I need to release in order to move forward?
...fear, limiting beliefs, addictive behaviors, self-doubt, ingrained habits, and more...
If only they could disappear as effortlessly in real life as they did having been written on dissolve-able paper and tossed in a bowl of water.

But if it is true, as Bill Plotkin and others have observed, that we live in a culture dominated by adolescent habits and desires, then the enduring societal changes we so desperately need won’t happen until we individually and collectively evolve into an engaged, authentic adulthood. Follow the link to see his excellent book on what such an evolution would require.

I certainly can begin by leaving some of my sillier human foibles behind! It's ALL a part of this amazing journey, one day at a time. Still, there's the "how" to do the thing I need to do. Stay tuned.

Walking My Talk

I have something I need to do. It's not clear to me what, why, when, with who, or how, but it's something I need to do. I figure I can flesh it out here, start putting it into words, and see what emerges. So far it goes something like this:

I need to get out on the road. There are people I want to meet and places I want to see. There are challenges I need to face and experiences I sense are waiting for me. I need to do circles and gather art and stories. I want to visit wild places and commune with people who are awake and awakening. This much I know.

Well, so maybe I'm clear on the "what."

I need to do this because my heart and soul demand it and my fears and self-imposed limitations will no longer fly. It's both a quest and a pilgrimage. In many ways it's a rite of passage. It's a way of seeking to do service in and for the world - for my beloved Pachamama. It's a journey into the discovery of the possibilities and processes of The Great Turning."

Good start on the "why."

I hope to do a test run in April (when.) I already have quite a list of destinations in and around the state of New York (who.)

Well, well, well, look what's emerging! Stay tuned for the "HOW!

The Best Year of Your Life

Debbie Ford

"The Best Year of Your Life" is a remarkable book by Debbie Ford and one of the best I've read on how to bring forth your fullest Self with intention, courage, integrity, creativity, and commitment.  I'm going to be working the process of this book over the year (and beyond) and I imagine many posts will reflect that. I'd like to share a few quotes to give you a taste of what it's about.

"The best year of your life depends not on some outside accomplishment but on allowing the greatest expression of yourself to be unveiled. (It's) about becoming the person you always wanted to be. It's about embracing a vision of yourself at your best and developing the qualities that will take you there.

"We each must make a commitment to chip away at our self-imposed limitations and take the time to discover the ways we have hidden our talents and covered up our deepest desires.

"It's time to break through the illusion that the best year of your life exists somewhere out there, in the future....
It's not about getting all the things you think you need to be happy...what it does require is for you to develop those parts of yourself that are yearning to be expressed...it's about living each day grounded in reality, with passion and excitement for life.

She goes on to give a thorough blueprint for bringing all this about, not pulling any punches about the courage, honesty, focus, and persistence that will be required. This book is important to me because it too much of my life energy gets diffused through procrastination, lack of discipline, negative self-talk, limited beliefs, and many other things. It's time to truly step into my power and "be the greatest expression of (myself), knowing there is no finer contribution (I) can make to this world than fulfilling (my) highest potential."

I'm excited about the possibilities this endeavor might bring about; I feel like a kid in a candy store wondering what I might discover, learn, let go of, be challenged by, shift , create, accomplish! Let the journey begin. Join me. Leave comments!