A group of Native elders from many different traditions were around me. They were explaining to me a fundamental responsibility of elderhood that was practiced among a number of the Native American tribes, but is commonly a foreign concept to Caucasions. They told me that people living in their tribes didn’t ever worry about what their purpose might be or how they might fulfill it. People simply did what they loved or needed to do as members of their community.
It wasn’t up to an individual to figure out their purpose. That responsibility was in the hands of the elders. In their wisdom, and using their intuitive guidance, if they saw that it was time for someone to fulfill their purpose, they simply told the individual, “This is it. You need to do this.” It seemed this directive was often predicated by an event or happening that made someone’s purpose clear and apparent to the elders.
As a result people didn’t waste time worrying. They enjoyed their lives, trusting the fulfillment of their purpose would be pointed out to them at the right time. If they needed the guidance it would be there for them when they needed it.
This encounter was a dream I had several weeks ago. ” Wow!” I woke up thinking. “What a simple way to recognize your Soul Purpose!”
And then I wondered how many hours I have wasted wondering if this or that was my purpose, or if this or that activity best fulfilled my purpose. Arghhh. What if I had just had some trustworthy elders to tell me, “Misa we know you are really intrigued with this stuff over here and it seems as though it will fulfill your life, but look over here. This is where it is really at!”
I’m committed now to suggesting to young men and women that they spend less time fretting and more time building relationships with elders they can trust. That wealth of intuiton and wisdom is very useful in keeping the rest of us on track. How do we recognize our Soul Purpose? Maybe we don’t have to.
