Home Thoughts

MyBlog

The Map - Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life!

PDFPrintE-mail



Colette Baron-Reid, a friend and mentor, launched her new book this week, already well on the way to being a #1 Best Seller.

Last weekend, after a very hectic and exhausting week, we took our trip through "The Map". Our physical landscape was cold, gray, rainy and just plain dreary. How quickly we can find ourselves in the manifestation of our physical landscape.

Ordering our first Kindle version of a book for the iPad, it too was a different experience. There are no page numbers or a means to determine the relationship to a beginning or an end which is as iconic as the book itself.

We were not able to put it down, except for the necessary breaks, for the archetypal landscapes described in "The Map" were all too familiar.  The identification process went layers deep. Were they mine, were they my parents, were they my ancestors?

This was the first read. Unlike so many books, this is one book you will want to revisit time and time again, for the content and the exercises will take you on a different journey, depending on the landscape you are in at the time of each reading.

The techniques contained throughout can quickly manifest into our daily lives.

One week later, after a week of surprises which begat new opportunities, the clarity of one simple fact may have changed my current landscape forever. In very simple terms - "One cannot move forward, if one does not move at all!"

From there, we can be empowered to convert challenges into adventures, surprises into opportunities.

A singular lesson from our reading can be put in very simplistic terms - Live your truth, not your fears! Through the power of "The Map", we can revisit the lessons of the past and experience these landscapes through our truths and not our fears. But most important, we have the ability to live within the landscape of our choosing, plain and simple.

As the week began with what could have been doom and gloom, surprises turned into opportunities, steps turned into strides, and the final cut came at the end of the week revealing with absolute clarity why certain outcomes are not ours to have - for our very own protection.

Colette's unique ability to impart difficult concepts into familiar landscapes is uncanny. What is even more empowering, the landscapes are revealed as integral parts of this journey through life. We all experience them and we have choices. We possess the power to move from landscape to landscape if we so choose and are empowered with the tools transgress the map of life, choosing if we so desire to live in the bringing the most happiness, peace and joy.

As a professional genealogist, we can take the context one step further. We can easily review the landscapes of our ancestors during different periods of their lives. Combined with the the records we have, we can paint a new picture of their lives with even finer strokes as further truths are revealed, in another dimension.

"The Map" is a work of art! It is a tool which can be used time and time again as we transverse from one landscape to another. The revelations are most profound. The technique, instantaneous!

This a must read!

 

Happy Holidays

PDFPrintE-mail

 

 

May the season bring truth in spirit, peace in your soul and love in your hearts!

One cannot help but ponder the meaning of the holiday season, no matter what our beliefs might be! Having been raised in a Jewish household, we celebrated the season for the values it represented, not for the religious meaning it carried.

What has always resonated were the words, "Peace on Earth", "Goodwill to Mankind"! As we embark into a magical time on 1/11/11, the numbers not only resonate, but so do these words.

While the morning started out as do most others, sitting down at the computer, enjoying that first cup of coffee, reading emails, the direction soon pivoted when remembering one last thing we needed to do. Hang those two ornaments on the mantle, a gift, which in it's simplicity took on a much greater meaning.

Just a few days ago taking 2 peeps, 2 pups, 2 hours to accomplish, the simple task of imprinting a paw into some sticky white substance should have probably won a spot on the Funniest Home Videos, if there were three of us, one to take the video. The contortions, the tricks, the treats and the time to complete a simple project was extraordinary. So now taking 2 days to dry, what started off as an ordinary day, may have turned extraordinary.

As an intuitive genealogist, for lack of a better word, our work over the last year or so has been guided in some very different directions. In this work, the outcome can sometimes be disappointing, shocking and downright heartbreaking. But the truth, despite the outcome, is really what is most important.  While we spend our waking hours on our own journey, it is making the journey, step by step, much more important than the outcome. It is the understanding that every outcome is perfect, in its own time and space. This is perhaps the extraordinary lesson of the day!  It will be these outcomes which will be studied by future genealogists in the generations to come.

So, not only do we share residence with two very special black and white spotted creatures, a resident lizard has also found comfort in a plant next to the fireplace. It has been here for months now, not always making its presence known.

Reflecting on the lessons of the past year became the order for this day. While our pets do try to guide us in living in the "now", teaching us loyalty and unconditional love, not surprising this resident lizard who came out for the event, represented in its symbolism, this very lesson we have been attaching to over these several months. In one word - "detachment". Detachment from the baggage we carry from our parents, our ancestors, and a deeper understanding of detachment - from outcomes!

Notwithstanding in our work as a professional genealogist, despite each case representing a very deep need for understanding, every case does not culminate in what one might perceive to be a perfect outcome. As someone mentioned quite recently, it was not having all the facts that was important, but making the connection and taking the journey which brought a deeper understanding and perhaps, more meaning!  It's not the facts! It's the process!

Taking this concept into our personal and private lives, the experiences are very much the same. Not every situation we engage ourselves in will yield the outcome we desire. The intent and the connection, even if it yields some of our greatest disappointments, resonates loudly. It is not the outcome! It's the journey!

Wondering where this is all going? One only has to do a quick search on the symbolism of a lizard to understand what the year to come is all about! Letting go of the past, letting go of outcomes, letting go of our fears, letting go of the hurt and letting go of the disappointments. Not only is this what genealogy is all about, it is what "living" is all about! This is where we find our truth.

Thoughts turned once again to the message of the season. Growing up in the sixties, the baby boomers almost had it all right. It was all about "Peace and Love". What was missing was the "Truth"! We believed the truth existed within "substances", imbibed or inhaled, rather than making the connection deep within our spirits. No pun intended here.

As the powerful year of 2011 approaches, maybe, just maybe, we can get it right! Let's live in the spirit of this season year round, let us share in the service to others, let us be passionate about our truths. It is this purity which will not disappoint as there are no outcomes with which to attach! Or better yet, the outcomes will be revealed to us to perfection in every way.

May our truths shine bright, within our own heart and the hearts of all those whose paths we cross. May we all share in the joy, happiness and peace of the season!

These are our wishes, not only this holiday season, but for all the seasons yet to come.

Susan

Addendum:  January 4, 2011

Probably the best exercise for Detachment can be found on this wonderful series by Colette Baron-Reid

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Us - Examiner

 
404 - Error: 404
404 - Article #13 not found

You may not be able to visit this page because of:

  1. an out-of-date bookmark/favourite
  2. a search engine that has an out-of-date listing for this site
  3. a mistyped address
  4. you have no access to this page
  5. The requested resource was not found.
  6. An error has occurred while processing your request.

Please try one of the following pages:

If difficulties persist, please contact the System Administrator of this site.

Article #13 not found