When we are feeling off-track..

When you are feeling on-track, you are connected with our path; you are seeing, hearing and listening, in fact using all of your senses to pick up the messages that you come across whilst travelling on your journey. When you are off track, you are still travelling along your path, but you are shutting yourself off from the knowledge and wisdom that is there to guide you on your way, and as a result, you are walking in the dark.

The symptoms of walking in the dark are:

• Feeling alone, that no-one is guiding or supporting you
• Feeling depressed or ‘down’ but not sure why
• Being bored with life, with no prospects or excitement for the journey ahead
• Feeling that you should be doing something else with your life but don’t know how to change it, or how to work out what needs changing
• Thinking that your talents are being wasted, with no idea what to do
•  Believing that you have no special talent, or not meant to have meaningful work
• Confusion about life’s direction, not sure which path to take
• Lack of understanding or acceptance regarding the experiences you have already had in your life
• A sense of loss, separation or despair

When you are walking in the dark, it can be a frightening and overwhelming place to be. You feel off-track, as a result of finding yourself somewhere that you do not know, or how you got there. Know that even in these dark moments, purpose can be found in this place.

If you open yourself up to the possibility that through self-exploration, you just may find a rough gemstone, a small nugget of learning and understanding of self, as the light is held up close.  Whatever, your source of darkness, if it is place where you are now, can differ for each and every person. A failed relationship, concern over health, financial pressures, difficulty with children or our relationships, the loss of a loved one are quite common things that we are dealing with on a daily basis. This place is yours to own, until you are ready to strike the first match, to see what you might find.

You just might find a rough gemstone, a small nuggest of learning and understanding of self

Finding purpose is not about saving yourself from the dark, or getting rid of parts of you that you think might have got you there in the first place. Finding purpose is about being open to all experience for what it might teach you about who you really are.

Thomas Moore has written an excellent book called Dark Nights of The Soul should you wish to explore this space further.