The Path Of Courage

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Me at Enchanted Rock, Texas. My soul brother and spiritual mentor, Parker Sherry, took this photo.

I initially wrote this piece in 2022. I’m sharing it here because most of you wouldn’t have read it as I didn’t have Substack back then. It feels relevant now as much as it did then.

“Where you are now, God circled on a map for you.” - Hafiz

In April 2022 I entered a new place of uncertainty in life.

I chose to walk through the door labelled “Unknown” again. The alternative was to remain exactly where I was. But the call to adventure was stronger than the fear and the comfort.

It’s now been five months since leaving my comfortable (and fun) corporate job and I’ve been on a journey of deeper self-discovery. The phrase that keeps arising in my heart these last few weeks is:

“Continue to walk the path of courage”.

As I sat with this phrase it dawned on me that this path is led by intuition. The voice that whispers, “go that way” - a nudge from the Universe guiding me toward my expansion.

Logically there are a million reasons not to follow, but the one compelling reason is this: the insatiable curiosity to know what is on the other side of the directions I’m receiving. What if the best possibilities for my life are on the other side of the road? Or deeper still, what if the next layer of my potential is on the other side of the road?

I knew it was time to exit the highway and explore something else. Something that was brewing under the surface of my skin for a while.

This decision to move in a new direction was like a salute to my soul - that I’m dedicated to its calling. The way of the soul has required me to shed my ego identity many times over. Now I’m going through another death and rebirth. If I’d chosen not to follow its calling, I know I would have enabled a miscarriage. I’d be stagnant, frustrated, and unfulfilled.

“He who dies before he dies does not die when he dies.” - Jon Kabbat-Zin

It was time to fully honour my gift of holding space. In other words, creating a safe space for people to explore deeper, authentic, and vulnerable conversations about who they’ve been, who they are and who they’re becoming.

Naturally, the road less travelled Is scary.

A few months ago, when I was in Austin, Texas I sought the counsel of my dear friend and wise brother Parker Sherry. He shared a Zen Tarot card reading, which really resonated and soothed the anxiety I felt. I frequently re-read it when the anxiety arises again.

The image of Ace of Water Osho Zen Tarot is completely relaxing and comfortable in the water, allowing the water flow to take him where it wants to go. He is an expert in passive art and is receptive without drowsiness or indifference. He is only ready for the currents of life, and never thinks and says, “I don’t like that” or “I like going the other way”.

Every moment in life, we all have the choice of whether to float with the water or try to swim upstream. When Ace of Water Osho Zen Tarot appears in a spread, it is a sign that you have the ability to float now, so be confident that life will support you in your relaxation and take you exactly where it wants you to go. Just accept the feeling of truth and relax to develop more and more, everything is going correctly as it should be.

Parker went on to say, “We cling to our thoughts like a hoarder. Most people think that if we don’t cling onto thoughts, we’ll be nobody. I’ve found that being nobody is the best thing in the world. You’re a truer version of yourself. There can be discomfort as you start to shed your old identities and stories, but you’re birthing something even more beautiful.”

The Path of Courage requires a deep trust in the journey of the soul. A deep-rooted trust in myself and my ability to follow my intuition. Trust that even though “The Unknown” is unfamiliar, it is where my home is.

What I’ve come to realise is that “The Unknown” is a label we use for things that live outside our limited ego perspective. To God (aka our Highest Self, Universe, Soul, Spirit etc), “The Unknown” doesn’t really exist. Because to it, all is known.

All is clear.

All is abundant.

All is possible.

Clarity is its nature.

“The Unknown” only feels scary to our mind because we cannot see clearly from where we’re standing. We do not have every single data point and outcome calculated. “The Unknown” is not a place we are familiar with - and unfamiliarity initially feels unsafe to our nervous system.

However, this place is home to all possibility.

As you lean into “The Unknown” these possibilities then become known and simultaneously a whole load of new unknown possibilities is created that you can’t fathom (which are ready for your next step – should you choose to lean in again).

Naturally, when my head gets in the way I become afraid of how I’ll bring more money in, where the next opportunity will come from, feeling lost with no direction and feeling like a failure for not having it all figured out.

But the mistake is in thinking I’m going to do all of this.

It’s not really my job to conjure up these opportunities. My one and only role is to follow the guidance of my soul. Because that is The Path of Courage. That path does not conform to traditional ways of society.

From time to time I do get anxious. I do get fearful. I do feel like a failure. I do overthink. I do feel imposter syndrome. I do feel unequipped.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When it’s my turn to die I can look back fondly at this time and say, “DAMN I was courageous.” And that makes me proud. There is no better feeling than living a life that is truly my own, every step of the way.

The Path of Courage is the way of the soul. Intuition is the shepherd. It may not make sense in the moment because you can’t see the whole map. Only in hindsight does the clarity arise about why certain things happened the way they did. It requires following the feeling with faith and believing that it will lead you right where you need to be.

The inclination of any seed that is planted is to move towards the light, to germinate, to grow, to bloom.

So, with that said, let yourself be carried into new places in your life.

One love ❤️

V

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