DAILY PROMPT: JOURNEY

Tell us about a journey — whether a physical trip you took, or an emotional one.
My journey or quest throughout my life has been all about spirituality. Finding what resonates and works well with me…
It all began in my early twenties with one book, “There is a River” by Edgar Cayce… The book and his study groups opened my mind to other possibilities…

I wanted to experience and feel God and know it truly existed… I was torn… My dad was an atheist and my mom and grandmother were debut Catholics. What to believe? I wanted my own and not what they wanted me to know was true… I also, wanted to feel it and I wasn’t… And so my mission to find that peacefulness within myself began early in my life…

I tried going to many different churches, but it was just not there for me. I didn’t care for all the restrictions and feelings of being inferior or a sinner. I went to other religious ceremonies, but I didn’t quite enjoy those rituals and primitive beliefs and so my quest continued. In between partying, I searched… I needed help and soon…

I was drinking, partying, and I wanted someone to tell me to stop, but no one did. Everyone around me seemed to be doing exactly the same thing, but I felt I was headed for disaster… They say that when we ask we receive… Well! That’s exactly what occurred in my life… My teachers started appearing and so did my real quest in life began…

It turns out I was searching for happiness from worldly desires thinking it would fill me, but all along it left me empty… I was neglecting certain things in my life and trying to find fulfillment from others… It didn’t dawn on me for some time that things/stuff don’t bring us happiness. It’s an instant gratification, but it wears off leaving us very empty afterwards.

This knowingness didn’t come easy… It took many years of struggling with myself, my mind, and much discipline… Meditation is a tool like any other, but we have to do the work… We have to forgive those that hurt us and forgive the most important person in life, “OURSELVES”… That was my biggest lesson throughout this path – Finding a way to forgive myself for all those years of destruction… Not easy… From time to time those demons still pop-up, but now, I chose not to go through pain… I acknowledge the feeling and then let it go…

Another lesson I learned is that we have to dig deep and find the fears affecting our growth. I had many and I’m still working on some… I’m still struggling, but I’m getting there… Each day brings opportunities for me to grow… I don’t look at disaster as a negative destruction any more, but as a chance to grow in spirit… We have choices, we can live in fear and darkness or love and beauty… It is all up to us…

The best way for me to let go of unhappiness, uncertainty, and fear is to walk in nature… Focus on the beauty in nature and not on the problem… I also continue head on when fearful… Just because a situation scares me doesn’t mean it is real… It’s my perception, but it can also be something else…

Once I learned to recognize and acknowledge the feelings, then I was able to let it go. I reprogrammed my old way of thinking and have chosen to live a healthy and more positive existence… The more I practice, the better I get… Oh! I also lost friends, but gained understanding…

I learned that God is within me and all I have to do is knock at his door and he will provide all my answers. In prayer, I am asking and in meditation, I am receiving… If, by any chance, I doubt or don’t get it, a situation will appear that will teach me the lesson… That simple… Seems complicated when it really isn’t…

It doesn’t have to be that hard. Just because I went through hell in order to get it, doesn’t mean anyone else’s experience should be the same as mine… We all walk different paths even though we are all connected as one… Remember! No matter what situation you find yourself in, there is always hope… Ask and you will receive…

Don’t let your mind or others overpower you… You and only you have the control…