Go Toward the Light

 

Light Choices

“When in doubt, go toward the light.”

Melody Beattie (Journey to the Heart, p.329)

          In her book, Journey to the Heart, Melody Beattie wrote about a physical journey she took. She felt blocked in her writing, so she decided to drive to all the sacred places in the US, absorb the energy there, and then write about it. She often found herself on dark roads late at night with no idea where she was or where she might end up. So, her mantra became, “follow the light,” whether it was the light of the moon, or the ambient light of a distant city, or just the relative lightness at a crook in the road. This guidance served her well in her travels and it serves us well in our decisions about life.

          In almost every “crook in the road” decision confronting us, we are able to weigh the “lightness” or “darkness” of the two (or more) choices and know in our heart which is best. Often, when we feel pulled in one direction over another, it comes down to which is ego-based, and which is heart-based. I’m speaking for myself, of course. In my life, the one time I took a job simply for the money, I lasted only three months at it. When I was younger, I often found myself at this crossroads of choosing between what was expedient for my bottom line, or what was best for my soul. On no occasion were they the same thing. When I chose the ego path things always went terribly wrong, and if I persisted despite knowing I had made the wrong choice, it blew up in my face. My soul is a brass-knuckles fighter! I hope yours is not.

          Learning the lessons that bad choices teach encourages us to look for the light. If we bang our heads enough times on the wall of our own mistakes, we get a clue: “Don’t make that mistake again. It hurts.” We spend more time picking up the pieces than we would like. But, with each bad decision, we move a little closer to understanding what direction we are meant to take—what our soul requires of us. Unfortunately, we learn far more from mistakes than from right choices. Our guardian angel cannot protect us from ourselves but can help us to locate the light if we ask. But we DO have to ask, and then we must follow the guidance. That’s another clue: “If you ask for guidance and are shown the way, it’s up to you to follow.” If you refuse to follow, that bad-ass card will be dealt to you again, and again, and again until you do. Take it from one who knows!

I hope your day is filled with light and right decisions.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane