You only ever have to do what you're capable of doing, Maggy, because by design, no matter how things appear, you'll always have enough time to do it, you'll do even better than you thought, and life will get even richer than you imagined.
Chic-a-boom, The Universe
Yike Dooley of TUT.com must be plugged into the same muse that inspires Holly because their "daily messages" have been dovetailing so closely in spirit. I love riding those high serendipitous wave lengths. I remember the August day in 2009 when I was waiting for my AA sponsor to show up at Starbucks and noticed that the background music was a soulful instrumental rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me." I couldn't wait to tell her the moment she sat down but she beat me to the punch: "Guess what song came on the radio as I was pulling up here? Rod Steward was belting out MAGGIE MAY!"
I can't say how many folks are on top of all the reading and introspection and tool creation and new practices, but our Facebook page tells me I'm not the only one who's falling behind and constantly playing catch-up. I can say one thing: Whatever I AM doing and whatever IS getting through is beginning to have a profound effect on the quality and direction of my thought trains. Words and phrases of wisdom and inspiration from the books or videos or the mantra message or something shared on Facebook are sinking in, growing roots, and best of all—popping up at critical moments to disrupt a well-worn chain of thought-action-regret.
Holly is right: Whatever we can do in this moment is enough. We are enough. I am enough. The course is ours to have and hold and work with indefinitely, and I believe it was designed to be incredibly rich and full-bodied. I know that I'll be sticking with this material long into July and August. Gabby Bernstein's 40-Day Fear Cleanse might be the September focus—the Amazon reviews said that's a fairly work-intensive project in itself.
By October I'll be right back here with Holly, back in school and more capable of soaking in the finer vibes and supporting the newbies who feel like many of us do right now—a bit overwhelmed, a little lost, even disheartened. "I'll never get there." That's exactly what the caterpillar must be thinking as its solid body is dissolving into liquid inside the cocoon—that and "I'm dying in here, fuck the wings. Can I go back? I'll be okay with crawling, I loved eating tomatoes. Seriously, life on the ground wasn't that bad. Haaaalp!!"
Diving into a deeply transformative process is nearly always Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The thing we started out to do tends to mushroom and morph into unexpected side trips and layers. Even things that were going well can turn into a hot mess because so much is breaking down and resistance on conscious and unconscious levels starts raging. At the same time, unseen forces come into play to guide and help us, and so many other souls become involved in our journey.
Inner work ripples outward and eventually, everything transforms. As promising as that might sound, it's also one of the reasons why healing, recovering, growing, and changing are so terrifying. Beyond the obvious existential crisis, our entire world can flip on its axis. Friends can begin to feel like strangers and total strangers can grow to be cherished, lifelong soulmates. Partnerships can rise to new highs of harmony and intimacy or end up on the rocks. Considering how big and sacred and miraculous a process like this can be, it was never going to happen overnight—or quickly, or in a few weeks. The work is too important, because we're laying track that will enable us to believe in and claim a life of infinite possibilities. A life of promise and creativity and authenticity and vitality, a life that places us in the flow of our highest good.
In the words of one spiritual counselor: "These journeys seldom look the way we think they will or unfold the way we would have planned. Our progression is never linear and most shifts of consciousness are only visible from a place further up the road looking back. Little wonder that we doubt our own process."
Which makes it so important to be patient, keep taking the baby steps, dance at every opportunity, and turn up the volume on Billy Joel's immortal anthem, "Keepin' the Faith."
