I have been in retreat. In this several day experience I was reminded of a very important principle in this journey of The Treasure Map To Your Luminous Life, and the journey of a soulful, creative life. I was reminded of the yummy, deep invitation and permission to simply follow what calls me.
What do I mean by this? I have learned and practiced noticing what calls my attention, awareness or imagination – this is an underpinning to how I live. I sometimes set a general direction or hold a question within myself and then I just let it be there. I open and hunt for what I notice: what I see, what I hear, what I sense or feel, what I think or imagine. As this practice has gotten more established within me I realize it comes in when I have short breaks in my day. I use it as an invitation to check in with myself and see what is calling me. It may be an impulse for self-care like a short walk or closing my eyes for a quick rest, it might be an impulse to call a friend or sit quietly in the sun, or I might daydream and have a wonderful break or receive an inspired idea.
I have a long dance with this practice of following the call. Following the call of what captures my attention, what sparks my desire and inspires, what fills my wandering thoughts as I drive, walk or do the dishes. Cultivating this valuable practice of opening to and following what calls is a rich practice I have long reclaimed and remembered from childhood.
Early in life, like many kids, I would get lost in imaginative play, worlds unfolded in my neighbor Scott’s back yard – we imagined we could survive for days alone, on figs and shelter from the bushes. We thought we might be able to dig to China. By school age I was labeled a distracted child and received a diagnosis, today it is called Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. I beg to differ.
Yes, I had to learn to complete tasks, to read and spell, to organize and manage aspects of this whirlwind of enthusiasm…and I am grateful for these skills. I also see that this magical quality and practice of following what calls has been both a sustaining force in my life as well as the aliveness that gives me hope and reason to stay engaged in life.
In my practice and work with others I find this quality of following the call is quite ‘lost’ in many adults and even teens today. This is understandable with the weight and magnitude of daily life, the drive to perfection and success, not to mention the volume of input we get from social media and a world wide web of information. I believe the practice of opening to and following the call is what brings life meaning, it invites an intimate exchange with our inner life and animates our life. It is the invitation from some vague voice beyond the rational daily existence. It is the call of the Soul…our unique brilliance, our genius – quietly calling to us…to take one step and then the next, into the journey of our lives, into the journey of becoming our truest and most authentic Self. Following the call home, into our most luminous life begins with the single step of inviting the practice of following the call.
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