We Are The Map Makers
For a long time, I lived in a permanent state of worry, living what felt like a version expected of me. Playing a part to get along, to assimilate and find a sense of belonging; to ultimately feel safe. Yet I felt unease, unsettled. I rarely thought about what I really wanted, who I truly was, what my deep needs were. As if I knew they were there, something was there, but I was not quite sure where or how to look for them. I never went within; I never checked in with my intuition. The voice with no sound.
The old adage of time ; its taken time, trying and failing and years of self reflection and wider learning to understand that life is speaking to us. Our minds are constantly yes, but our bodies are in constant vibration, sending us messages as to whether something is safe, right or downright wrong. People refer to it all as a ‘gut feel’ but it’s all the senses, sight, sound, smell and every inch of our being interpreting a situation or emotion and feeding back to us. There is an energy and frequency to everything on this earth. The deeper question is, are we listening?
As Oprah states, “it’s recognising the moment when what you know, aligns perfectly with what you feel”
For years, I would seek and change external factors, when in fact it was all the inner work, listening to my own wisdom and acting on that which was needed. It took a divorce, then shortly after, a catastrophic life event in 2014 that offered a reset. Every single aspect of my life changed, each slate was wiped clean.
It was only in this state, where I was thrown into a pause on the world as I knew it, that I found true stillness. That I sat with myself, got to look at myself deeply and see every inch of my inner world. To hear natures drum beats; my own vibration. What my energy was drained by, what it was amplified by. It was an ‘aha’ moment. As Carl Jung stated :”Where wisdom reigns, there is no conflict between thinking and feeling”
My inner world started to align with my outer. I felt calmer. I made choices that friends and family couldn’t quite understand. Some still don’t. To understand new ways of seeing, new ways of being. And if I stayed true to these, my needs ultimately will be met. I took steps towards living as honestly as I could, ensuring every step I took was led with my values; love, courage and beauty.
As beauty is the root of it all. Beautiful things are rooted in love; the act of creating is beauty personified and a way of bring good into the world.
And to do that takes courage. It’s a gift to the world to give, with grace. To be aligned inner voice with outer actions, choosing to live this way, despite it not always being wildly accepted.
I realised the power in recognising that yes, people can be sounding boards and offer advice but ultimately it is down to us. It’s listening to within. And the inner voice doesn’t need to be on loud transmission; the smallest quietest whisper is all that is needed to nudge you along. So leave a little room for quiet, and perhaps it will reveal the answers and knowing you already hold. Not only that but we are transmitters; we are radiating our energy. We attract what our vibrations put out; it all comes back to us. Like our own GPS systems, with our own personal weather, only we can chart our own course; we are the map makers.
By Syreeta Challinger