When Magic Happens

Last week, I talked about needing to be proactive to find the time and space to do deep work, to be creative, to just “be”.

You know what happens when you stop planning and pushing and instead let moments unfold and pull you toward them?

Magic happens.

Not the magic of illusion and sleight-of-hand, but the magic of awe, wonder, and reverence.

A Magical Moment

That’s what I felt this past weekend as I watched, under the light of the full moon, turtle after turtle come out of the sea, each one slowly lifting her massive body and shell to climb the sand dunes to lay her eggs.

And then, even though exhausted from her efforts of an hour of digging and burying her precious cargo, hurriedly return to the ocean home from whence she came.

The reason I was at the beach in the first place was for a retreat that a small group of friends and I had decided to do to give ourselves that time and space to be.

We had no idea that it was turtle laying season. We hadn’t even planned the retreat to coincide with the full moon.

But we were drawn – pulled – to the ocean that weekend and, by fortune or coincidence or synchronicity, we were blessed with a magical moment that the next day felt like a dream.

The life force of creation is always at work.

Whether it’s 300-pound loggerhead turtles returning to the spot where they were born to continue the generations…

Or stars being born in vast nebula nurseries, whose scale and power is almost impossible for us to fathom…

Or that idea you have deep inside you that you long to birth, yet that scares you enough that you push it down each time it starts to arise.

Instead of pushing down or pushing forward, allow yourself to be pulled to the next stop on your life’s journey.

Allow yourself to be pulled to the people, places, ideas, and dreams that fuel you and give you sustenance.

It’s from that place of fullness that you will, in turn, be the magnet that pulls others to you, so you can give them the fuel they need for their own journey. (More on journeys in my recommendations below.)

Less doing, more being.

Worth Listening To

This week, Tim Ferriss has Sebastian Junger on his podcast. Junger is the author of The Perfect Storm (which became a movie) and the creator of the acclaimed war documentary Restrepo. His latest book is called Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (which I’ve already preordered and can’t wait to read). 

In the podcast interview, Junger talks about our innate biological human need for connection, group bonding and purpose, and how far removed our modern society is from providing that. A thought-provoking discussion about masculinity, war, gender roles (not what you would think!), and what we can learn from Native American ceremonies and leadership.

Worth Reading

If you’ve attended any of my webinars or workshops, you know that I talk about Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey and how you can use that framework in your presentations to engage your audience and help them see the transformations they can undergo with you as their guide.

If you’re looking for a spiritual personal development book that uses Campbell’s framework but in a way that honors women’s unique transformations in our culture, I highly recommend The Book of SHE: Your Heroine’s Journey into the Heart of Feminine Power by Sara Avant Stover. 

May your journey be guided by the grace and wonder of creation.