NO LONGER RIDING ON THE MERRY-GO-ROUND: Manifestation & The Inner Muse

Manifest is a word, like many, with multiple meanings. The meaning we will focus on “is to be made clear.” So, in context, for the sake of this offering, how do we make clear who we are as expressed through our actions. In other words, manifestation is less about the end-goal and more about how we get there.  In this way we can explore the act of manifesting as a soul-driven process. An approach that  requires a willingness  to allow our soul’s wisdom to lead the journey in ways that are neither logical or rational, nor perceived as a direct route to the intended destination. 

Why? Because within the soul-driven path,  Healing & Growth is the guiding practice. In the simplest of terms, learning to let go and allow presence and wisdom to manifest our choices. To let go and be carried forward. Carry being an apt description as the process calls us to let go and be at ease. A state of being that allows the practitioner to take actions in alignment with the path while often not understanding what may lie ahead. Each step being its own seemingly independent separate leg along a journey that reveals its next steps only as they are needed. Said another way, to let go of anticipation, of overthinking. To trust yourself and allow the manifestation to unfold through clarity of intention .

We have set forth the intention of the goal, the aspiration, the result, our soul frames it as an opportunity to Heal & Grow. We let go optimally into the warm embrace of that opportunity. To set forth any goal with the intention to Heal & Grow calls us away from operating within a results oriented life. To embody a path well-lived. To let go of a results oriented life is not some airy-fairy approach to living. We actually learn to excel in this approach by letting go into the path itself. A path that positions integrity of action at its foundation. As Marcus Aurelius put it, “what stands in the way is the way”.

To that end, as I write this blog I am practicing describing this process through the soul’s lens. A lens that reveals the vibrancy within one’s endeavors. Said another way, a discernment between what nourishes rather than drains our resources. A cultivation of life where one’s recreation, play or leisure need not feel distinct from life’s work. While I speak in part to this notion in my blog on the ON/OFF Switch, what is being shared here pertains to any and/or all endeavors. Whether it be something big like buying a house, something vexing like seeking a new romantic partner or something seemingly mundane like the creative process of maintaining order in one’s life. Within my own learning in life, it has become a practice to see all endeavor as creative endeavor, and therefore an extraordinary pathway for manifestation. 

There can be an edge that exists habitually in us within the backdrop of time. Our ambition to get THERE wants to argue with Healing & Growth. Why is it taking so long? Isn’t there a more direct path? Recognizing that how we practice with these feelings can in fact be the point of the journey. Not just learning to be patient but to learn to let go of arbitrary deadlines and allow Healing & Growth to be the focal point of all endeavor. To do so is to create a lifetime possibility of expansion as humans simply by Healing & Growing. 

One example that immediately comes to mind is my transition from being an acupuncturist and functional herbal therapist who teaches consciousness classes to being a consciousness teacher who practices acupuncture and functional herbal therapy. It is, in part, about how I present myself to the world but also about how I choose to dedicate my time and energy. While I thoroughly enjoy the practice of acupuncture and herbs, the complete depth of my impact as a practitioner is more fully realized as a consciousness teacher. Something that is measured both by students, clients and significantly, by the sense of calling that I have experienced within myself. This manifestation I speak of is largely a set of actions that are a response to an inner calling. Actions expressed through the courses I teach, the book I’ve written and the sense of passion I experience with sharing the Language of the Soul. 

Because I’ve chosen to allow my soul to drive how I manifest this transition to being a consciousness teacher, I am gifted with a focus on how to Heal & Grow in the midst of sharing a passion I am grateful to experience with others. And to manifest it in ways that have allowed me to experience leaps as gentle steps in my movements forward in life.

In the “I Am Not Alone” chapter within my book, “Language of the Soul”, I speak about the foundation of presence that comes with the practice of  building, tearing down and then rebuilding. For the most part, this way of healing and growing is seen by modern humans as untenable. An approach centered on letting go to this degree is often seen as wasted effort instead of a necessary part of building a strong inner foundation. This solid foundation being a necessary way for the Soul to connect with depth so we can manifest the fullness of our purpose. This is more metaphoric in some lives and quite literal in others. The building of my creative healing center was both metaphoric and literal in its expression of building, letting go and rebuilding.

This opportunity facilitated a perspective I simply could not see as needed or even possible earlier in life and ultimately allowed a creative expression of self that was both redemptive and awakening. It came down to the distinction between preparing for something versus embodying it. 

When I set forth the intention of creating Simplicity Farm as a Healing & Growth center, I sought initially to complete the project as quickly as possible. While immediacy is important when embarking upon a creative endeavor, the inner practice is central. I initially saw the building of the healing center as an obstacle to my teaching practice rather than recognizing that how I approached the building process was essential to my inner development. In my haste I skipped steps. The result was that only months into the process and nearing what I perceived as completion, I was forced to stop and begin again. I had skipped necessary building permits  in my desire to get to my intended destination. This ultimately extended the building process for over a year. This extended building process gave me an extraordinary gift. During that year I stopped trying so hard to finish the project and allowed the process to unfold. I connected to play and creativity. I allowed them to guide me, rather than let my anxious desire to finish the job take over. Because of this, a freedom resulted that gave me access to a creative approach to Healing & Growth that profoundly changed my life. This approach left me with a sense of engagement in life. An ease of practice in relating to the unnecessary suffering inherent in anxiety, worry and frustration. 

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round

I really love to watch them roll

No longer riding on the merry-go-round

I just had to let it go

Watching the Wheels, Song & Lyrics by John Lennon