By Tina Thrussell
Have you ever shared a story with someone, telling them something about your personal experience, and then been surprised by the messages they got from your story?
When I told my extremely well-read friend about Neil’s and my amazing experience at the Center of the Universe (if you missed reading about it, you’ll find the story here on our blog) my friend was very quiet after… long enough for my brain to start working overtime, wondering what he was thinking.
I almost breathed a sigh of relief when he finally exclaimed, “Wow! What a great story!” He paused before he added, “I have about eight things going through my mind right now.”
Patiently – or to be more truthful, Impatiently – I waited for him to collect his thoughts, feeling deeply grateful for the lessons I’ve learned from our deep conversations, including how to be quiet, to give someone time to formulate their thoughts (no matter how challenging that might be!).
My friend finally shared, “The story, of course, begins with the drive up that slick, twisty road that is a metaphor for the journey into the unknown that is both exciting and scary. The shifting landscape on the drive representing the many situations and circumstances we face as we venture into unknown territory.”
Another pause, and he added, “The missed driveway is a reminder to pay attention to the subtleties or miss the opportunities that present themselves along your path. Then there is the defining moment of the closed gate… do you allow an obstacle to stand in the way of reaching your goal? Or do you find a creative way around that obstacle?”
I nodded my head, remembering distinctly my decisions – hopping over the fence when faced with the closed gate; going to the next door when no one responded to my knock; hanging around waiting for someone to answer my knock at the second door. I wasn’t about to let these potential obstacles defeat me in reaching my desired outcome – a visit to the plateau that had been named the Center of the Universe.
My friend continued, “There is the manifestation of signs that you are where you are meant to be… such as the appearance of the red-tailed hawks… and the snake! Symbolic of life and death. The snake, as he sheds his skin, undergoes a re-birth, a chance to begin anew.”
I hadn’t thought about seeing the snake as a reminder to consider each moment as an opportunity to begin anew… and I felt deeply appreciative of his ability to go deep into my story.
“The message to stay present to the moment, in order to witness the small miracles of life, such as the magical appearance of raindrops in the cloudless sky…” my learned friend leaned in towards me as he was about to share what I sensed would be the juiciest of the messages he read into my story, “Then there is the grizzled old mountain man, who is gruff and unwelcoming, representative of the ego, the thinking mind, who softens into love as he slides into his Spiritual Self, his true essence, as he connects with Nature, his Heart and the Source of All.”
That one got me! I had been awed by the shift from the cranky old Ray, to the eager teacher, who was delighted to share his special place with us. I had witnessed the grizzled old mountain man move from head space to heart space, but I hadn’t thought of describing his shift so precisely as a metaphor of shifting from Ego to True Essence.
Our conversation carried on from there, passionately discussing the magic of living from your heart… and I felt motivated to resume my live podcast “Living from the Heart” once again!
You can watch the first episode recorded since June – a beautiful conversation with modern sage, Daksha Madhu, the passionate producer of The World Tour of Meditation, on our blog page here…. Along with a year’s worth of inspiring half hour conversations that I’ve shared with beautiful loving souls, Shin Daoists from around the world, from Calgary to the UK.
Our blog page also includes episodes of “UPLIFT! Uplifting Conversations that Set your Soul on Fire”, another live broadcast that Neil co-hosts with our friend, Jamie Adamchuck. They, too, have had guests from across the globe.
All these podcasts are also available to watch as videos on our YouTube channel Best U Can B or to listen to as audio podcasts on our podcast page here (which has links to many major podcast sites, such as apple, google, Spotify, etc).
ENJOY!
