Resting in the Space In Between

It's been quiet lately. Nestled in the Western North Carolina mountains, I've been sequestered from the noise and craziness of the outside world. During the imposed restrictions of the lockdown, I've been resting and allowing life to nourish and hold me while I release the old and make space for the new. My world is shifting gracefully and with purpose, aligning with a new direction as yet only glimpsed but not fully visible. I see shards of light through the haze, but nothing definite or clear.

So I wait. And listen. And trust.

The trees have become my church and my sanctuary, they creak and swish with the wind sending their coded messages into my soul. The morning air is damp with fog and hints of cooler autumn days. It is healing to my lungs. Various wildlife show up here and there: a red fox, a brown bear, a wild turkey reminding me that I am one amongst many living creatures on this sacred planet.

I sense lots of activity and change heading my way soon, so I do my best to embrace this slowing down. It's not always easy. Sometimes I feel restless and impatient for movement, and I want to stir things up, get things going. Life has other ideas. Plus, my intuition keeps telling me to savor this quietude because one never knows when one will have it again.

So I take long luxurious walks in the woods, around one of the nearby lakes or on one of the newly completed greenways. Or I read or write. And when I’m working, I'm planting dozens and dozens of seeds in the many fields in my life: business ventures, creative projects, spiritual engagements, social connections, etc. Those that sprout and bloom will help me determine where I'm headed next.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying doing what’s in front of me to do, including the household tasks of filling and hanging up a new bird feeder, transplanting a couple of houseplants, organizing old photos, cleaning the summer’s dirt off of my patio furniture, etc. This slower pace is revealing a hidden momentum that is unfolding with a rhythm dictated by an unseen intelligence that seems to know just what is needed. I tune in and listen for when to say “yes” or “no” to the many invitations and opportunities rolling my way. This, indeed, being the crux of the matter as a misstep here can wreak all kinds of havoc leading to detours and dead ends, messes to clean up and decisions to undo. This is especially true because of the scope and scale of the current crisis we’re in, in which a tiny miscalculation can turn into a simple decision into a nightmare.

This lockdown has, in a sense, become a bootcamp for learning how to navigate by the heart, not the head. Of course, the head has a role to play, but it makes a terrible leader. Following the heart is about following the energy, and energy never lies. Therefore, we need our energy sensors running at full capacity. Otherwise, we're pretty likely to end up in situations that are not necessary a good match for our soul. Better to tune into the higher intelligence of cosmic wisdom which seems to be imprinted with a map of our soul's destiny (and it communicates with us through the heart). We can avoid all kinds of traps and drudgery this way. Life becomes much more manageable when we align energetically with our surroundings and the people who inhabit them.

Bootcamp is intense, which I suppose is why I’m especially grateful to spend time surround by acres and acres of beautiful trees. They're helping clean all the gunk out of my lungs and my etheric body. In exchange, I let them into my heart and embrace them with my deep appreciation for their existence.

The seeds are out there. More will be planted in the coming weeks while I await instructions from within and rest in the space in between.