“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
—Joseph Campbell

There are things that happen in our lives that truly shake us to the core and we are changed forever. For me, the past months have, indeed, shaken me and have changed my path moving forward. How do I know I have changed? I know because I feel softer, more vulnerable, more compassionate and more connected (than ever) to my soul.
Learning that there was a 98% chance that my husband (we’d been married less than two years) had terminal cancer was a moment that I will remember forever with vivid clarity. I remember feeling the tears rise to my eyes, the expression on the doctor’s face as he was giving us the news, the images on the film on the wall that the doctor pointed to, the kind look on the face of the doctor’s wife as she translated the information from Spanish into English and Michael leaning back to sit on the edge of the desk for support. But, most of all, I remember the palpable feeling of love and compassion and support that seemed to permeate the room as we all shared this moment together. I knew then, that whatever happened, something shifted inside of me that day that would alter my life forever. In that moment, all of the plans that Michael and I had made seemed to disappear and the only thing left was that I knew that all we could do was to take the next best step into an uncertain future. That truth still stays with me to this day.
The next few months of taking one step at a time and living one present moment at a time was also filled with joyous good news. Supported by our incredible friends, Warren and Tuli Hardy, we experienced another poignant moment of love when the same doctor informed us that the tumor on Michael’s vertebrae was not malignant! He was one of those lucky 2%! We all, including the doctor, shared tears of joy. It was truly a miracle! And, after further tests and more and more good news, we could begin, again, making plans for our future together.
I don’t think this has had time to sink into my being fully. But, I do know that new decisions are being made with more clarity and with a new found sense of vision and mission. One of those decisions is to reshape 20 years of my experience of facilitating the Hero’s Journey Retreat into an online course that, hopefully, will impact many people. Michael and I are partnering on this project so I’m extra excited about the numerous possibilities. The Hero’s Journey has been a core of my teaching for so many years and I’m eager to share it along with Michael’s expertise. At first, when the idea came, I was resistant (a common reaction to a Call to Journey) because I have always felt that transformation occurred when people were in the presence of one another. But, I’ve come to realize and believe that technology can be used to reach many more people and that it is a profound way to share the transformational experience.
Along those same lines, I’ve also decided to start a blog (instead of sending these newsletters) so that I can interact more with the readers. It will be a blog that will still have the same theme as the current newsletters. In fact, I’ll have an archive of all of the previous newsletters so you will have access to them, plus much more. And, there will be an opportunity for me to dialogue with you and you with me and you with others.
I will keep you up to date on these developments and stay in touch with you as things move forward. Until then, please check out LifePath Center’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/lifepathcenter/) and/or www.lifepathretreats.com for new classes, workshops, etc. being offered. I may also post here, from time to time until the blog is up, with new events and new happenings. If you have any questions, ideas, etc. that you would like to share, I can always be reached at docbeverly@aol.com.
Blessings on your journey, Beverly