You can feel the call to attend a spiritual ceremony or event, but you can’t figure out how to finance it. Have you ever been in that position? I have. Many times. Sometimes I went and sometimes I stayed at home. Of course, many factors played a role in whether or not I attended, but as I reflect, I realize very often I was the biggest factor.
The biggest limiting factor for me was simple. I was often inclined to say to myself, “If Spirit really wants me to go, something will happen to make that possible.” Then nothing happened, so I told myself, “I wasn’t really supposed to be there.
Now there is a difference between wanting to attend something and a calling to attend. Callings pull at you and they don’t let go. For example, there are many places I want to visit on this planet during my lifetime. There have only been a few places that called to me. Callings have a deep and profound sense of urgency. Somehow you know your life is going to be different after you have been to that sacred land, sacred site or ceremony.
When I feel a calling, I’ve learned to trust that it is significant for my awakening. If I am telling myself, “If Spirit really want me to go, something will happen,” I’ve basically said, “It’s up to a power outside of me, and not Spirit within me.” In essence, I have already denied my awakening. I have not acknowledged the power of Spirit within me, and that is where awakening occurs. So of course, nothing happens.
When I have actually fulfilled my callings, here is what I did:
1) I was willing to completely trust in the significance of the calling;
2) I committed to being there by putting the date on my calendar and making plans;
3) I ask to be shown how to create the money;
4) I opened to Divine consciousness within me to work through my creativity and
initiative.
And I have learned to add one more step. This one I have learned from some beautifully prosperous and enlightened beings. I open my heart, intuition and consciousness to the Divine in the complete joy of surrender. Then I keep myself open and I keep surrendering.
The next step is to allow myself to be shown the best pragmatic steps to take to ensure I fulfill my calling. Some of my best teachers about the kind of practical steps people take to get to spiritual events have been those who attend SpiritQuest.
I remember calling my daughter last year to see if she and the kids were going to be attending Quest. She asked me if the sun shines and the rain falls. She fully intended to be there. What she didn’t tell me is that the car needed repair work before she was going to be able to make the drive.
She put in time late at night—after spending a full day at work, putting the kids to bed and doing her college homework—making tamales. People at work and in the neighborhood were glad to give her a few dollars for her trip in exchange for her mouth-watering tamales. The car was finished the morning she needed to leave for Quest and she had enough gas money to get them there and back. http://www.newdreamfoundation.com/spirit-quest.htm
I’ve watched people set money aside money each month, sell their photography at outdoor fairs, receive donations from friends, take an extra part-time job, offer readings to friends, save money for travel and request a scholarship, make arrangements to share travel costs with a friend, accept an extra client, clean houses, borrow camping gear, and do all kinds of things to make it possible to honor their calling.
People have amazed me with the creativity and commitment they demonstrate in getting themselves to sacred events. Their presence is an inspiration to all of us.
Now there is a challenge that comes up for many of us right before or as we are heading out the door to a spiritual event. Something happens to pull us away from the event. The car stops running. The flight gets cancelled or you miss the plane. A relative calls with an enticing offer to take a special trip somewhere else. The weather turns bad. You lose the directions. A family member gets sick.
These are all tests of your commitment to be there. They are reflections of the fear that comes up when you realize you are about to awaken to more of your true self and your life will never be the same. They are signals telling you about how significant this calling can truly be for you.
I’ve seen people step up to the test and arrive. I’ve seen people accept the temptation, calling it a sign that maybe they aren’t really supposed to be there. In my experience, if we are really not supposed to be somewhere, we know that from the very beginning. We realize we are trying to force something to happen because we think it should and that is not the same as following our true callings.
If our attendance is part of a calling and we are being challenged, we are looking for absolute commitment from ourselves. When the commitment is made, the universe supports us with the most amazing synchronicities.
Every now and then the universe provides us with a sliver of a moment when we are profoundly supported in experiencing the truth or our being. Those are callings and if we are courageous, we will honor them, and accelerate our awakening.
