In the spring of 2013, my soul called me to make a big life change. It began with subtle promptings and intuitions, which I followed like invisible threads that drew me irresistibly onto a radically new path (read more). I moved across the country to take root in the Land of Enchantment. Here, my work took on a new clarity and focus…helping others to heed their souls’ callings. Of course I continue to listen to what my own soul has to say, and most recently I got the call to go to Nepal.
Our souls call to us all the time. The call may come in big, earth-shattering moments of upheaval in one’s home-life, relationships, health, finances, or career. It may show up as a crossroads in your life…a time when you feel pushed to make a momentous decision. Sometimes it seems but a faint whisper, and other times, a loud and insistent voice demanding change. As Bill Plotkin says in his book Soulcraft, “Soul embraces and calls us toward what is most unique in us.” I would add that soul calls us to embody the essence of our unique self in ways that are more and more highly evolved. It is an ongoing process…a creative, evolutionary process.
When I recently came upon the following quote in Soulcraft, I had to smile at the synchronicity: “The pull toward soul feels like an earthquake in the midst of your life.” In my case, it was an actual earthquake. 
The April 25, 2015 earthquake that shook Nepal cracked open some unknown place in my heart. No other natural disaster has moved me so deeply. I wept for the loss of lives, the homes reduced to rubble, and the suffering of survivors who were receiving no aid. I looked around at the incredible abundance in my life…a stable, peaceful home; delicious food; good health; and the exquisite beauty of a magical Taos spring. At first, I felt guilty experiencing so many pleasures while thousands of people in Nepal were hungry and homeless. Then I began helping as best I could. I started donating money to the relief efforts, and I sent waves of deep peace and calm to the people in Nepal, knowing that we are all interconnected.
One reason the earthquake shook me up is because I have a friend in Nepal, Dhwoj Gurung, an amazing plein air watercolor painter. Fortunately he was unharmed during the quake. Called into action by his soul, Dhowj made heroic efforts to bring food, medical supplies, tents, and tarps to his ancestral village, near the epicenter of the earthquake. The village is very remote, roads were blocked by landslides, and no relief was being dispatched by the government nor any of the large aid organizations such as Red Cross. So, my friend took it in his own hands to come to the aid of his community. What he discovered when he arrived was the destruction of all the homes, eighteen people had lost their lives, and twenty more had serious injuries.
While the quake and its impact on me were totally unexpected, I can look back and clearly see that my soul had been sending me messages since the beginning of this year. The first hint came from my experience re-reading Autobiography of a Yogi. Every time the Himalayas were mentioned, the word seemed to leap off the page and pull on a forgotten cord in my heart. It seemed I had always dreamed of going to the Himalayas, but it was a dream ignored. Then, I met Dhwoj, online. Seeing his gorgeous paintings and photographs of Nepal and her people, the ancient dream woke up within me. It dawned on me that I’m not getting any younger. Best to go hiking in the Himalayas while I still can!
On the New Moon, April 18, 2015, I wrote in my journal: “I now set the intention to go to Nepal in 2016”. I told Dhwoj I wanted to come and trek, and he offered to be my guide. 2016 seemed perfect…it would provide a reasonable length of time in which to strengthen the foundation of my business and generate sufficient funds for the trip. One week later, the earth shook and my plan was replaced by God’s plan.
A few weeks after the earthquake, Dhwoj was back in Kathmandu, having led several relief missions to his village. He called and asked me to come to Nepal, not in 2016, but this coming fall, to help his community. He wasn’t asking me to come and rebuild houses, he was asking me to help with the process of emotional recovery.Without hesitation, I said, “Yes, I will come.”
I will leave my coaching and astrology practice for two months to volunteer my time facilitating Creative Movement and other Therapeutic Arts Activities in Ghyachchok village. Upon my return, I will need to get the momentum of my business going again. There are many unknowns about the project in Nepal and how it may influence my life, going forward. When I feel anxious I remember this quote from Fritz Perls: “Anxiety is excitement without the breath”. And so, I breathe! And I am so excited!
I feel called as if into an initiation, the exact nature of which is a mystery. I know I will not be the same when I return. And I sense that my work will not be completely the same either. My astrological transit chart for the fall has ‘ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME’ written all over it. My soul is calling, and my answer is “Yes!”
How is YOUR soul calling you to move forward with your evolution? How will you answer?
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