The spiritual path is the inner way of mystic tradition - our teacher lies within. When we're looking for guidance or truth that is the most direct path, but guidance can also come from outside sources. Before accepting any advice as true for ourselves we first need to develop discernment - that inner sense of confirmation to what we hear or read. It's that same sense of confirmation that comes when we perceive things directly from the inside. Whenever an outside perspective isn't validated from the inside we simply put it aside. It's not for us. In that spirit, any question I answer is simply the way I see it.

Winter is a good time for reflection. If we look to nature as a guide we see that as the pleasant days of fall shorten into the chill of winter everything seems to slow down. My animal companions sleep more and except for the evergreens, the trees and shrubs outside have shed their leaves and retreated like the bears into hibernation. In spite of the busyness of life, it is a time when I like to reflect at the year that has passed and envision the year/s to come. Am I focused on the direction I want to be going?

We are, each one of us, so much more powerful than we realize. Every thought we think, every action we take, adds to the collective pool of harmony or chaos. We are constantly influencing that balance and most often without any idea of the power we wield, or of how we are influencing the balance of our own well being - our bodies, minds and spirits.

The process of healing our wounds and finding our own unique path is a noble undertaking that enriches not only ourselves, but the world around us. We see many difficulties in the world - violence, inhumanity, greed - that can lead to apathy and inaction in a time that calls for action. What we see around us is a reflection of the collective inner situation. As we begin to heal on a personal level, as we take responsibility for our thoughts and actions, as we practice forgiveness and compassion, we are adding to the healing of the world. We have the ability to tap into incredible inner potential and strength that in any situation can help us rise above our fears, heal the past, and move in a meaningful and personally fulfilling direction or calling.

All healthy human beings have an inner drive to seek meaning and purpose. When we are able to let go of barriers and allow for the possibility that we are here to serve a higher calling, to fulfill some unique purpose, we begin to tap into our higher potential - a collective calling to add to the balance and harmony of life around us.

There is so much that can be done to make a difference, little things that don't have to feel big or overwhelming. The smallest gesture of reaching out can have a big impact on the recipient and in return, although that isn't the motive, have a healing effect on our own immune systems and sense of well-being. The universe is designed to reward compassion and good deeds that are offered without strings or desire for something in return. Give freely, the universe beckons, and you cannot help but receive the real treasures in return - health, happiness, and inner peace.

Early in life (in 1989, at age 41) I was given an opportunity to put my priorities into a more meaningful perspective when I received a diagnosis of advanced cancer - and a probability of only months left to live. I discovered that writing or journaling was a great tool for focusing and expanding my self-awareness and insight. The journaling process, along with meditation, taught me that by asking the right questions I was able to connect to my intuition and inner guidance - always, to me, the best possible guidance. The circumstances added an urgency to my sense of finding myself. What was my purpose for being here and what could I do in whatever time remained? A good question for all of us, no matter where we are on the journey, to get us focused on creating the life we really want to be living. The question helped to guide me back to a path that was authentically mine rather than reflecting expectations imposed from outside or from my own projections of what others might think.

Painful or catastrophic situations sometimes serve to break down our barriers and open us to question the deeper verities and realities of life. A book called, Thank God for My Heart Attack addresses how a life-threatening event can pose a challenge: how to redesign your life so that it fits you, rather than you attempting to fit into it. Supreme joy and happiness can do the same. However we come to it, when we are ready certain questions seem to bubble up from the deep stillness within and can be the catalyst that redirects us to that core of inner wisdom. They are spiritual questions having to do with why we are here on earth and what unique gifts we might have to develop and share. When we begin to seek answers to these questions, we embark on a sacred path - the finding of our sense of purpose and direction.

As I gained health and strength in the years following my diagnosis I began to wonder what I might do with my life if I continued to live. My illness had forced me into retirement, I had divested myself of my material possessions, and I was living in a studio apartment. I was uncertain how much of a future I would have but I was aware of the preciousness of time and the gift of each day. In my meditations and in my journaling I began to ponder the question: If my life were to be ideal, what would it look like? What would I be doing for my livelihood? What kind of environment would I want to live in? What kind of relationships would I want to develop? How would I stay inspired and in balance?

In 1993 I wrote my first journaling on "What My Ideal Life Would Look Like." First I wrote out all of the areas that I could think of. My first list included:

After envisioning in mediation how my ideal would look in each of those areas I got out my journal and vividly described my vision for each section. Then I released it and let it go. Early each year I look back on previous years only after meditating and envisioning my ideals for the year to come. The direction and impact has been so powerful in my life that the process has become part of my new year's ritual and the topic of one of the workshops I now lead.

I have learned that every day we can do something - take one step - in one or more areas of our lives to move closer to our visions, and as we do so we grow confidence. What we focus on we tend to manifest, and as we resolve to move toward the things we love the universe begins to move with us - and may even add magical dimensions to our vision of what can be.

                        

Cheryl is the author or Profound Healing: The Power of Acceptance on the Path to Wellness. She can be reached at cherylcan@aol.com  or Cheryl Canfield, Box 423, Copperopolis, CA 95228.