It's all about the journey

Trekking through the Beartooths (armed with bear spray, of course!), June 2007.

A former student of mine, Aly (now a dear and treasured friend) reminded me recently that life "is all about the journey." I had to chuckle as I read her email because she's right -- it is! And, boy, let me tell you, I am on a JOURNEY! I like to think that we, fellow travelers, are akin to medieval pilgrims in that we seem to acquire little tokens (and sometimes bruises) along the way to remind us of where we've been and where we're headed. The journey theme has a secondary meaning between Aly and me, as it's a running joke for anyone who has completed the Humanistic Studies Program at Saint Mary's College -- a rigorous two-year "journey" through the landscapes of the human soul -- Greek/Roman era to the present. I completed it in 1999 but I had the great honor of teaching in the department between 2002-2004 after I finished my Master's degree at Yale. It seems that the "great books" we moved through always had some character or person traversing great landscapes and suffering setbacks along the way.

This theme of journey, then, has been much on my mind as of late because it appears that I'm now on a very different life path than the one I thought I was on a few months ago. I'm learning to become "okay" with this change. I can't say that it's been entirely easy but I suppose this is just another little token in my walk through the world. In an attempt to understand some of this change, I've turned towards the writings of Jerry and Esther Hicks and their Teachings of Abraham series.

The lesson lately has been to move one's emotional set point (whatever you're at emotionally) up the vibrational scale until you reach joy, which pulsates at a higher energy vibration and more easily allows you to receive all which is being held for you in emotional escrow.

To put it more plainly, if I feel sadness or anger, I try to move up the emotional ladder towards frustration because that's one step closer to the feeling of joy. The closer I get to joy, the more in tune I am with what I want AND, therefore, am that much more likely to attain it because my energy will more closely match the energy of those things, places, people, etc...

What I haven't heard Esther or Jerry Hicks or even Abraham say is that this process is a whole lot harder than it seems. I feel as if there are days when I'm taking one step forward and two steps back. This used to bother me; however, now I have come to realize that it's okay if I don't reach all my desires today because I know that I am in the process of moving towards them. They are within my reach and I know that one day I will dance in joy and find even greater abundance in my life.

My point is that the journey continues and with it comes fresh insights into myself, my thoughts and my emotions. As painful as this can be, I have to say, "how cool is that?"