“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
C. S. Lewis
The Universe wants the best for you, is probably one of the most challenging ideas we face; like many mantras the words and the ideas behind them look and sound simple, however in practice it seems a bit of a joke, especially when you’re struggling.
When you suffer emotionally and physically, it’s ridiculous to even think that these things are happening for a reason, especially for good, but maybe in some circumstances they are; maybe they’re trying to tell us we need to make a huge change in our life; the question is , ‘are we listening, are we paying attention to what the Universe or our body is telling us?
I believe that the Universe wants the best for us, and that we receive signs that try to point us in the direction we should be going. We all think we are on a pathway to a better life, but when you look at the design, it’s been made by humans, there’s very little that’s natural in it at all, and most of the time the decisions we make are not always what we really want, they are what we think we want, or what others want for us.
In childhood our development can be restricted because we learn from those around us, a lot of our beliefs are formed because of the influence of others, both positive and negative, we take on their fears, their anger and their joy.
We then go to school where we learn what others have laid out as a curriculum of what they think we need to know. How many of you say ‘I wished I learnt that at school?’
Next, we must decide what we want to be when we grow up and leave school, and let’s face it, most of us didn’t really have a clue.
In my last few years of school, I was told that I had to go to University; the problem was that I hated school, and the last couple of years had been particularly tough, so the last thing I wanted to do was subject myself to three more years of a similar torture.
In the end I got my way, and so I headed off to London, where my brother had been able to set me up with a job in a hotel.
When I reflect on my life, I can’t see anything that I’m truly proud of, there’s nothing that I did that I was really passionate about or loved doing, I think I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself that I wanted certain things. The thing is, I wouldn’t change my past.
I guess the main reason why I wouldn’t change the past is because of the good people I’ve met along the way.
While the negative things that happened to me, and the bad people I’ve met along the way still haunt me, constantly feeding my depression as if it’s a ravenous monster; the good people in my life are like diamonds, the little gems that were born out of intense pressures, and heat, and that seem pretty indestructible in their love and support.
It’s those diamonds who have kept me going, especially recently, and it’s them who have helped get me to what may be a turning point in my life. I call them my tribe.
Like any route, there are signs that direct you to your destination; the problem for most of us is that we follow the wrong signs, it’s like during the war, when the Home Guard would remove signposts in order to confuse the enemy if they invaded.
A lot of the time we’re in the land of confusion because there’s so many people telling us to do this, be that way, don’t do that, that’ll never work, this way is best; if you break from the normal, you’re a rebel, and soon find yourself on the outside.
The Universe sends us lots of signs, the problem is we don’t see them through the smoke and mirrors caused by society.
I won’t lie, I find it hard to believe and follow the signs; is a mental breakdown really a good sign? Most days I don’t think so, but when you stop and really examine it, there have been some benefits.
I don’t really know where I was headed in work, I always felt like the square peg trying to fit into the round hole; the breakdown literally removed me from that environment, and the anxiety is some heavyweight bouncer that won’t let me enter that life again; the universe almost took the decision out of my hands and posted some pretty big barriers and signs that highlighted the way to go.
“I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, to help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.”
Dr Steve Maraboli
The new route isn’t easy, and most of the time I feel like it’s a dark tunnel I’m following, one without any light at the end. How I cope, and how far I’ve gone along the tunnel has been up to me. It’s been, and continues to be, a close-run thing, but the little diamonds keep me going, and light the way.
A few weeks ago, Kim and I were walking Leo and we came across this sign……
Now, a lot of people may say that it’s a sign that is simply telling people that vehicles turn there, and at a certain level that may be true, but it felt a lot more than that, and the fact that both Kim and I felt the same about the sign tells me it may have been something more.
Let me give another example for the sceptics out there. Kim and I have a collection of oracle cards, including Ascended Masters, Fairies, Angels and Animal Spirit Guides; Kim uses them more than me, and they are spookily accurate in their randomness.
The other day I decided to take an Animal Spirit Guide card, and I got this one, the Walrus.
The cards have a book that gives you more information and guidance about each one, and this is a bit of what it says about the Walrus:
Look for the unusual and repetitious. For example, if you hear someone at the supermarket talking about Phoenix (auditory); spot a billboard advertisement with the word Phoenix prominently displayed (visual); and then recall a period f time when you lived in that city, feeling calmness and joy (sensations) when you bring up that memory (cognitive), these are all clues. It could be about the city of Phoenix in Arizona. Or it could be a subtle way that the spirit guide Phoenix is calling you, offering his help when you’re ending one cycle completely and beginning the next one – as in the metaphor of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Omens are perceived in the four ways mentioned. If you don’t get clear signs right away, keep your question or concern in your consciousness for the next few days. Journal about anything you find significant and look for repetition. When you see an animal (or a symbol of that animal) showing up repeatedly, it’s most likely an indication that your spirit guide is present. Trust the signs and your discernment of them, as they’re one significant way that Spirit guides you along your path.
So what? Some of you may be asking. If I told you that I’m a member of the Richmond Phoenix Growth Hub, which helps support small and start-up businesses, and that last week I was invited to be on a podcast hosted by Zoe Thompson, who runs Phoenix Life Coaching; and then I get this card that starts talking about Phoenix…….
I do feel that I’m starting to rise from the ashes of what my life was, especially where work is concerned. I thought I knew where my writing about mental health would go, but it’s taken a different route into speaking, which in itself has now morphed into a four-week programme. Where it will go next, I have no idea, but I’m learning to take one thing at a time, and trust that everything is happening for my greater good, and to take some risks along the way.
“’May the Force be with you’ is charming, but it’s not important. What’s important is that you become the Force – for yourself and perhaps for other people.”
Harrison Ford
A lot of it has to do with those diamonds I was talking about, because they’re heavily involved; I don’t want to start naming them in case I forget someone, but I hope they know who they are? None of them have handed me anything on a plate, they’ve just made a suggestion, something came up in a conversation, or they’ve given me an opportunity; I guess I’ve had to be the one to spot the signs they were giving, and also be brave enough to go for it, which when hindered by anxiety and depression is not easy.
Here’s to spotting the signs, being courageous and going for it…….
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And Breathe...... 