1314 NW Irving #512
Portland, OR 97209
503 241-1751
Email Us

People in the throes of transitional change can reach the point of committing to fundamental alteration to their lives.  Though difficult, abandoning an old view of life or way of living may be relatively easy once one reaches a point of surrender.   Facing the question, “What do I do next?” can be much tougher.  The unknowns concerning potential actions and new directions can leave a person either stymied or in a furious dither, hopping amongst various activities with no particular focus.  Neither will blaze a pathway to a satisfactory new life.

I faced this condition years ago following my moment of surrender amidst a transitional crisis.   After several months of retreat into intense internal discovery where I deliberately encountered some no longer avoidable truths about myself, I knew I had to re-engage the external world.  I had largely abandoned my old approach to life and now looked for a new approach.   I faced a disorienting blank slate, potentiality without definition.   Wanting something familiar to lean upon, I found nothing (except my supportive spouse).   Rife with fear I might add more mistakes to a lifetime’s long list, I froze and took no action at all.  Rather, I pondered new directions ad infinitum as if mere contemplation would yield obvious answers.  I found myself stuck.

This stuckness can be apparent to those around the person confronting transitional change.  Sometimes, the stuck person may be unaware, blaming their circumstance upon everyone but themselves.  No one understands; opportunities are unavailable; the world will not cooperate, they may say.  At other times, the stuck person may have an inkling of an attractive untried avenue or an intriguing pathway but thinks through the idea to the point of exhaustion trying to predict every outcome before taking the first steps.

Moving into change requires boldness, courage and patience.  Early on, ideas for action will come and the seeker will dismiss them because of uncertainty.  Requiring a complete plan or known outcomes tends to impede action. 

Not all ideas for action are good ones.  Some ideas will come from others or a desire for ego gratification rather than the soul.  Confusion can fog the ability to differentiate the appropriateness for the seeker.   Before long, analysis must end and some choices made.  The advice of confidents can help but only the seeker can risk making decisions. 

Until a seeker begins to realize the nature of her soul, she may have to rely upon a trial and error process to differentiate enriching courses of action from poor ones.  A non-soul-based course of action requires grind-it-out effort.  Though such activities temporarily may provide ego gratification, over time the seeker feels drained and certainly not enriched by them.  At some point, it becomes apparent to the seeker this line of action tends to subtract rather than add to life.

A course closely aligned with the seeker’s nature will blossom and yield fruit, not necessarily immediately but through appropriate attention and effort.  The seeker often experiences feelings of lightness and effortless focus while undertaking activities associated with an appropriate course of action.   The tools used feel comfortable, even delightful.  These activities may involve hard work and commitment but the seeker joyfully accepts these burdens.

When one seeks change of a comprehensive nature, actions may need to occur in several areas, whether with work, relationships, domestic, intellectual, creativity, spirituality or something else.  Change in one area may not complete transition to a new life.  Despite success in one area, unaddressed change in another area will emerge later for resolution.

Through experimentation, a seeker abandons some activities and continues development of others she finds enriching.   Over time, the seeker learns the nature of her own soul and constructs a new life aligned with her essential nature.