On the Right Path

When I’m feeling a bit lost or unsure about my next step, I will often take a long walk on the beach to help ground and center myself, and be open to direction from Spirit.  Sometimes that direction comes in the form of a recurring message, which is what happened on a walk I took this week.

Time and time and time again, I encountered a feather on my path:  some were easy to spot, like the one in the photo above, and some were sort of hiding – below a stone or a piece of kelp, just peeking out enough for me to see it.  The Native American belief is that if you find a feather on your path, it means you’re on the right path.  Feather after feather after feather gave me confirmation that even though I’ve been feeling a bit directionless, there’s a bigger, clearer plan that I can trust, which allows me to keep moving forward.

Those coincidences and signs are all around me – whether it’s being chosen for a role in psychodrama that is just the right one for me in order to have the insight that I needed to change something in my life, or an injury that forces me to sit still and realize that I’m heading in the wrong direction.  Twenty years ago, a severe back injury did just that.  Right before graduation from my Masters Program, my fear of not having a job led me to go back to my old job of managing a marketing firm.  I then went on vacation to a dude ranch and had very bad horseback riding accident.

I was in severe pain and ended up in an orthopedist’s office.  He put me on medication to relieve the swelling in my spine and confined me to bed for 2 weeks.  I’ll never forget what he said to me:  “You’re going to be lying on your back for 2 weeks and the only place you’ll be able to look is up, so while you’re lying there, you might want to ask the Universe why you’re there.”  Unbelievable, right?  A Western physician asking me that kind of question..I mean, really?  He was clearly an angel put on my path, and as I laid there meditating and pondering, I realized that the Universe was clearly trying to get in my way of going back to working in the business world.  And so despite my fear, when I did go back to work a few weeks later, I immediately gave notice, and no surprise, got a job in a rehab within a couple of days after that.

It reminds me of the Goethe quote, “At the moment of commitment, the entire universe conspires to assist you.”

Even if I’m feeling anxious or confused, if I listen and notice and pay attention, information will be revealed to me by the Universe.  I may not know exactly what it means yet, but by noticing it, it’s a way of connecting with Spirit and letting Her know that I heard Her.  As I continue to communicate with the Divine, more information gets revealed to me.  It’s kind of like a radio signal:  years ago, it wasn’t very clear to me and I often forgot to tune into that station.  Now, I tune in pretty consistently and when I do listen, I’m getting a strong signal.  My ongoing challenge is to listen to the messages and continue to move forward, even when I’m afraid.

What is the universe trying to tell you?  Are you listening?  Are you willing to get on the “right” path for your life?

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Action Institute of California offers workshops devoted to teaching  practitioners (therapists, counselors, bodyworkers, interventionists, nurses, doctors, etc) how to use action in their work, recognize the somatic signs and symptoms of unexpressed feelings, and be able to include the body in the therapeutic process.   For more information visit our Trainings & Workshops Schedule.

We are committed to providing safe spaces for professionals to do their own work, providing personal growth workshops and psychodrama training for professionals.  In addition, we provide team building, conflict resolution and staff training workshops in business, clinical and medical settings that are tailored to the needs of your organization.