Navigating the Sacred Spiral Path

I’m traveling with my friend Siri, she who is the little sister of Garmin and the daughter of Mapquest, the maker of all directions. Sometimes when I believe her, we go straight from Point A to Point B in the most efficient manner. And sometimes I end up making three left turns when I wanted to go right…or entering a freeway to go to another exit altogether, only to get off and find that I was where I wanted to go just before I got on the freeway in the first place.

All I’m saying is that sometimes her logic is a bit circular. Much like my own.

And I’m reminded of all the trips I made with my co-author and business partner, Jeanne. I’ve always considered myself directionally challenged, and…let’s just say Jeanne was in the same tribe. And in the olden days, before GPS, this was sometimes a significant challenge.

We’d fly to new cities. Drive to PR gigs and workshops. And even with our stash of maps and one of us serving as a designated navigator, we were often lost more than we were found.

Our favorite navigational method was to circumambulate around the location, eventually zeroing in on our goal.

We called this the Sacred Spiral Path.

I’ve noticed that this process is similar for almost everyone I know who wants to live a life that is more and more satisfying. We set our GPS or identify a destination. We begin. There’s a sense of freedom and possibility. An open road and hope.

And then something happens. There’s a natural fear or discomfort that comes when you’re doing something new. This is a part of the process, something to lean into. But as you go on, another feeling may show up in your body. It may feel like a general heaviness or a tightness in the belly or a felt sense of stuckness.

When we get closer to what we thought we wanted, sometimes there’s a feeling that it’s not right for us. Or we may notice that the landscape is off and the Universe is giving us new signals. These bodily directions are as important to navigation as the first excitement or joy.

This is a good time to remember that we’re not lost. We’re getting closer and closer to our essence.  Finding our unique way on the sacred spiral path.

What body signs tell you that you’re on the right path? What are your navigational signals that it’s time to recalibrate? How do you do that? Is your path straight, wiggly, circular or spiral? Or sometimes all of the above? Just notice….

Photo by en:User:Widosu/CC-BY-SA-3.0