Anchored in Purpose
Your Younger Self Left you the Map
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” – Rumi
About 20 years ago, I met a flute-playing Peruvian Shaman who healed people with his music.
When this shaman was a little boy, he’d walk all over the village playing his flute. People loved it! He loved it!…It was his gift.
And then, he grew up, got a job and didn’t play his flute anymore.
Until he hit 40.
At which point a spiritual crisis shook him awake and he realized he wasn’t meant to be in business…
He was meant to be healing people. With his flute.
He asked us to take out a piece of paper and write down what we did when we were 4, 5, 6 or 7 years old.
What did we just naturally gravitate towards?
This, he said, is our first and most basic Soul Guidance.
Our Soul showing us
the gifts that we’re meant to hone, polish, treasure, tend and share in this life.
Then he asked how often we did those things today.
For almost all of us, the answer was “precious little”.
When we don’t use our gifts, it can show up as exhaustion, anxiety or even depression.
When we reconnect with them, it unleashes a torrent of
Clarity, Energy and Vital Life Force
WHAT’S AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST?
The top of my list was Writing… (With climbing trees, dancing, making music and “having company over” a very close 2nd.)
By 4, I was writing letters to my parents, to neighbors, to pen-pals - always asking, “How are you feeling?” ( a nod to my work now as a healer).
I’d write to the hosts of the Today Show to let them know what I enjoyed…and what I thought could be improved (Virgo improvement tendencies start young!).
I wrote stories and “book reviews”.
And then, I grew up, and my writing world sadly contracted into business reports and the occasional postcard.
Shortly after my encounter with the Peruvian shaman, I was invited to participate in a small women’s writing circle.
A torrent of words….and energy I’d never experienced…poured out and through me.
As my soul nudged me to write a book and create an online platform for my writing, I resisted (and still do). But here’s the thing…
Writing (for me) = Peace, contentment & light-heartedness
Not Writing = Sad, anxious, purposeless (and often irritable)
Anxiety and depression can happen for various reasons including:
grief, loss, trauma
a hijacked nervous system
chemical imbalances
nutritional deficiencies
And…when it’s inexplicable, it’s often a cry from our Soul to get on with our Soul work - getting louder and louder until we pay attention
Garrison Keillor, the prolific author and storyteller tells us that he suffered from depression in his early years.
The only thing that would lift his depression was to write and create.
That Peruvian Shaman? His business is now travelling around the world, healing with sound, and teaching people to remember who they are with the help of their 4, 5, 6 or 7 year old self.
His schedule is full. So is his purpose.
Me? I now write, teach, share intuitive Nature-based practices and heal. Along with dancing and playing my fiddle whenever I can.
And, I have way more energy than when I was 20 years younger meeting that shaman!
How about you?
What did you do when you were 4, 5, 6 or 7 years old?
Do you still do it?
If not, is there some tiny step your Heart would like you to take today?
Here are a few reflections/practices to remember & revitalize your young wisdom…
Where do the early loves of your childhood show up in your life today, even quietly?
Are there things you talk yourself out of now, that your childhood self would have chased?
What would your 8-year-old self say about your life now?
What do you see when you look at pictures of your younger self?
Join the Conversation
Something powerful happens when you put your thoughts to written words. It gives them a throne to sit on.
Writing grounds us and has the ability to shift blocks in ways that thinking alone can’t do.
If it resonates, please take a moment to reflect & share in the comments what you loved to do as a child and how you use (or would like to use) these gifts today. It can be anything…
We never know the impact of our words and how yours might light the way for someone else today!
We help each other to remember and
Live with our Lights Turned On
As always, thankyou for reading!
P.S. To help you joyfully align with your Soul, Purpose and Inner Guidance I’ll be offering monthly Intuition Practice Circles soon - Please stay tuned!
May you share your beautiful gifts and magic today—brightening the world in your own way.
Sent with Spring Blessings & Love,
Diane
Your question has me thinking deeply about what 4-7-year-old Darius was all about. I remember he was a very reflective and imaginative thinker, even at a young age. He loved listening to music and almost felt as if he were travelling to another dimension. That's really cool, b/c that's what 43-year-old Darius is always doing as well. I meditate, go deep, come back, and create with what I discover. Thanks for reconnecting me to that, Diane.
I love this so much! Especially your joyful photos! And, it got me thinking: what did I love as a kid? Reading and writing, poetry, being in nature and with animals, connecting with people, and riding my bike. Thank you for this inspiration!