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Posted: October 18th, 2007 at 12:28am By: Adele Ryan McDowell
Carl Jung said something to the effect that whatever comes to us suddenly or violently is the hand of God. In other words, all those little, unexpected, unanticipated and seemingly random life surprises that knock us off our feet, disturb our sleep and make us start hyperventilating are actually gifts from the gods to help us grow, develop and evolve.
Who knew? I thought I was just dancing as fast as I could, and here I was, engaged in soul work.
And this certainly makes for an interesting perspective; I can now view my respective challenges and obstacles as opportunities for full-time soul employment. The smart-ass side of me does wonder if there are vacation benefits with this full-time soul service. I can't help thinking of that old adage that says that which does not kill me, makes me stronger. I wonder if these soul contracts are negotiable. And what, in God's name, did I sign on for? I am feeling a little stretched here.
In fact, tomorrow I am heading to Paris and plan to walk around the City of Light with my invisible spiritual pals and avoid any contract work. I am in need of a break. French food and Parisian sites will most certainly refuel my soul and, undoubtedly, expand my waist.
I have had eight weeks of total stretch and challenge here in the UK. This has been an adventure of a lifetime, a journey within a journey. Every aspect of my life has been rotated on its axis. I feel like a changed woman. Every moment has been one or more of the following: new, deepening, demanding, exciting, testing, taxing, mind-boggling, strange, transformational, scary and/or vibrating.
Hafez wrote, "The wise woman jumps over the moon and tosses the keys to the rowdy prisoners." I have been both the wise woman and the rowdy prisoner, and this trip, aptly called a "walkabout" by a knowing soul, has set me free.
I find myself saying, "Yes," as opposed to the more familiar "We'll see." I am open, ready and willing. I am trying new things; nothing out of the mainstream here, but, nonetheless, activities that stretch me beyond my usual comfortability, habit patterns and old ways that, clearly, were becoming ossified.
I feel like a middle-aged adolescent. I have found a taste of freedom, and I plan to take it home with me and add it to my permanent collection.
Today, I was walking on the sidewalk and, BOOM; I fell and banged up my hands, knees and ankle. My fall was sudden, surprising and literally took my breath away. It was so calamitous that a woman driving by — and remember, I am currently in the UK, home of the stiff upper lip — pulled up on the sidewalk and stopped her car.
This woman, all dressed up in a royal blue suit, giving the impression of an efficient business professional, raced to me. I was still down on the sidewalk wondering what just happened. The woman asked, "Are you OK? Did you slip on a leaf?" That's right, she said leaf. There was not much on the sidewalk to literally trip me, but clearly, there was something else afoot.
And, yes, I am a bit of a klutz; grace in action, I say. And when I fall — it does happen from time to time — I laugh at myself and chide myself for not being fully present in my body and off in the ethers, but today I felt there was a message to be had. It took me a while; after all, I had to nurse my tender self, but by the end of the day, I got the message. It won't mean much to you, but it packed a wallop with me.
There was that hand of God, yet again. I am feeling a bit like Paul who was thrown from the horse. I get there is a conversion experience to be had; yet, I am still operating in semi-darkness.
You see, I have fallen, totally unbidden and without cause, three times here in the UK, twice within the last 48 hours. And three out of three times, I was ruminating on the same topic.
Clearly, there is something going on, and my psychologist self does pay attention to patterns. And my spiritual self knows that God is talking to me. It is somewhat like a foreign language, where I understand a few of the words, but I have yet to become fluent in Godspeak. So, I struggle and flip repeatedly through my God to Human Dictionary looking to make sense of it all.
My best translation, so far, is that I am finding a new way to walk, a new way to be — if only I can manage to stay upright.
— — —
Dr. Adele Ryan McDowell, Ph.D., is a psychologist, empath and shaman who likes looking at life with the big viewfinder. Her email address is {email ARMCDOWELL@aol.com}ARMCDOWELL@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Adele Ryan McDowell.
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Carl Jung said something to the effect that whatever comes to us suddenly or violently is the hand of God. In other words, all those little, unexpected, unanticipated and seemingly random life surprises that knock us off our feet, disturb our sleep and make us start hyperventilating are actually gifts from the gods to help us grow, develop and evolve.
Who knew? I thought I was just dancing as fast as I could, and here I was, engaged in soul work.
And this certainly makes for an interesting perspective; I can now view my respective challenges and obstacles as opportunities for full-time soul employment. The smart-ass side of me does wonder if there are vacation benefits with this full-time soul service. I can't help thinking of that old adage that says that which does not kill me, makes me stronger. I wonder if these soul contracts are negotiable. And what, in God's name, did I sign on for? I am feeling a little stretched here.
In fact, tomorrow I am heading to Paris and plan to walk around the City of Light with my invisible spiritual pals and avoid any contract work. I am in need of a break. French food and Parisian sites will most certainly refuel my soul and, undoubtedly, expand my waist.
I have had eight weeks of total stretch and challenge here in the UK. This has been an adventure of a lifetime, a journey within a journey. Every aspect of my life has been rotated on its axis. I feel like a changed woman. Every moment has been one or more of the following: new, deepening, demanding, exciting, testing, taxing, mind-boggling, strange, transformational, scary and/or vibrating.
Hafez wrote, "The wise woman jumps over the moon and tosses the keys to the rowdy prisoners." I have been both the wise woman and the rowdy prisoner, and this trip, aptly called a "walkabout" by a knowing soul, has set me free.
I find myself saying, "Yes," as opposed to the more familiar "We'll see." I am open, ready and willing. I am trying new things; nothing out of the mainstream here, but, nonetheless, activities that stretch me beyond my usual comfortability, habit patterns and old ways that, clearly, were becoming ossified.
I feel like a middle-aged adolescent. I have found a taste of freedom, and I plan to take it home with me and add it to my permanent collection.
Today, I was walking on the sidewalk and, BOOM; I fell and banged up my hands, knees and ankle. My fall was sudden, surprising and literally took my breath away. It was so calamitous that a woman driving by — and remember, I am currently in the UK, home of the stiff upper lip — pulled up on the sidewalk and stopped her car.
This woman, all dressed up in a royal blue suit, giving the impression of an efficient business professional, raced to me. I was still down on the sidewalk wondering what just happened. The woman asked, "Are you OK? Did you slip on a leaf?" That's right, she said leaf. There was not much on the sidewalk to literally trip me, but clearly, there was something else afoot.
And, yes, I am a bit of a klutz; grace in action, I say. And when I fall — it does happen from time to time — I laugh at myself and chide myself for not being fully present in my body and off in the ethers, but today I felt there was a message to be had. It took me a while; after all, I had to nurse my tender self, but by the end of the day, I got the message. It won't mean much to you, but it packed a wallop with me.
There was that hand of God, yet again. I am feeling a bit like Paul who was thrown from the horse. I get there is a conversion experience to be had; yet, I am still operating in semi-darkness.
You see, I have fallen, totally unbidden and without cause, three times here in the UK, twice within the last 48 hours. And three out of three times, I was ruminating on the same topic.
Clearly, there is something going on, and my psychologist self does pay attention to patterns. And my spiritual self knows that God is talking to me. It is somewhat like a foreign language, where I understand a few of the words, but I have yet to become fluent in Godspeak. So, I struggle and flip repeatedly through my God to Human Dictionary looking to make sense of it all.
My best translation, so far, is that I am finding a new way to walk, a new way to be — if only I can manage to stay upright.
— — —
Dr. Adele Ryan McDowell, Ph.D., is a psychologist, empath and shaman who likes looking at life with the big viewfinder. Her email address is {email ARMCDOWELL@aol.com}ARMCDOWELL@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Adele Ryan McDowell.
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