Hello Empowered Wayers -
Travel is my magical elixir, the space I step into to awaken awareness and experience transformation.
The change in scenery, culture, and energy awakens new awareness in me. The stories I tell myself about my past, the mistakes I made, and who I am now do not survive when I travel. Instead, I find myself being challenged to do the simple things, like ordering lunch in a language I do not speak.
Embracing the challenge of surviving, I thrive.
Accepting the energy and tone of different cultures and values, I expand.
Acknowledging the common thread of humanity, I come home to my Self.
My recent trip to Scotland sparked a new awareness of how we live on the Earth.
The Standing Stones of Scotland
As I walked up the hill, the noise of the cars on the highway slowly faded. The landscape opened as I climbed higher, revealing new vistas with each step. The climb provided a transitional moment from the outer world to the inner.
When I first saw the circle of stones on the flat meadow, the ancient energies welcomed me. I paused in reverence and awe of this place that held sacred worship celebrations for 3,000 years.
My mind began to churn questions as my spirit awakened.
Who were these people who moved stones weighing several tons to the top of this hillside?
Why did they arrange the stones in a circle?
Why was the large stone placed on its side with two vertical stones framing it?
I took a deep breath to calm myself and set the questions aside. This place called for worship and gratitude, not analysis and logic.
I slowly walked around the outer edge of the circle of stones, touching each one in gratitude. As I was about to complete the circle near the horizontal stone, I noticed several smaller stones set in the pattern of a cross. I walked over to this place and knew what I was meant to do.
I laid in the grass, between the stones, arms outstretched. The ground was hard and uneven and the stillness of this place seeped into my soul. As I lay there, surrendering to the ancient rhythms of worship, something happened.
I felt the earth move. Literally. It moved beneath me, welcoming me home.
I was immersed in all encompassing peace and joy. Time no longer existed as my small identity disappeared. I was no longer “I” or “me.” Instead, Love flooded my being.
I felt lasted for only a few seconds. The energy that poured through my body was too much, too fast, and my mind kicked into action.
“Someone may see you,” it cried. “This is too weird,” it mumbled.
I sighed at the interruption and tried to slip back into the reverence, but I lost the connection. Is this my lot in life - to discover a portal to God only to shrink back to the narrow perception of my body?
The Takeaway
I carry those few seconds in complete surrender to God with me as I move throughout my day. I wonder how I can return to that moment of knowing I came from love and was love in this bodily form.
And then I realized this: when I live from my mind and ego, the world shrinks to my narrow view. As I open my heart to be the leader and guide, the earth moves to the ancient rhythms of adoration, worship, and love.
We live on a small planet, spinning on its axis as it travels through space around the sun. The pain and sorrows of life do not survive when you connect to the larger view. At the end of the day, you decide if you remain locked in the prison of your mind, or do you allow your heart and soul to be seen.
Travel reveals many secrets to those who are open to receive. What travel stories do you have that reveal more about life on earth?
Blessings,
Kathryn
As the Earth Moved Beneath Me