By Invitation Only

Over the last eight years, or so, I’ve been using my sense of feeling, to know which path to travel. In other words, when I am out walking in the woods, the mountains, along ponds, or even the neighborhood, I pay attention to which direction I am drawn, to determine which way to turn, or stay straight on the path I am on. I generally don’t have a set trail that I am locked into traveling. Rather, I choose to let the trail that I am to venture onto select me.

Simply put, I often go out the door with a sense of a starting point, though this is not always the case, either. In fact, I usually consider where I might like to go, and then ask the question of where it is that I should go. This often leads me to somewhere that offers a solution to a problem, an understanding, even a completion of something I need to let go of.

I’ve found that if I don’t lock myself into intentionally heading down one specific trail to one specific destination, my time in Nature and more specifically under the guidance of the Trees and Nature, is much more beneficial. Indeed, I may have an intentional starting and ending point. And, I may even start and end where I intended. I might even not have any side trips or mighty distractions. However, somehow, not locking myself into a certain plan, leaves each and every walk in the Woods open to adventure. Keeping it in the Woods, we have to note that too many people carelessly decide, “I want to go there”, without considering their impact on Nature or in consideration of other people.

There is no invitation in this mind set and indeed it is a selfish and negative way of living. In fact, some of the most successful people in the world (and I am not necessarily speaking of financial success), have become successful through following a path of, “by invitation only”. They may not even consciously pay attention to the invitations. Rather, there is just an inner knowing that they have, or have developed, to follow where the Universe draws them.

There certainly are times where I have something definite that I need to deal with. And, I will set my intention by asking for help with the question or problem at hand, in order that I be guided to a place, an event, a spiritual solution, in my outing. Granted, the answer I receive through these outings is not always what I might anticipate, or even seem to have anything to do with what I set my intention to resolve. Yet, I receive the answer, the solution, the revelation that I need to at that moment, often finding that what has been revealed to me, offers me a door to the solution, while showing me a much bigger picture than just what I feel is all so important, in the moment.

Also, when I head out to the Woods (or other destination), I make it a point to not “expect” anything, to not “expect” an answer, or some divine revelation. I believe that heading out with an “expectation” that something is going to be resolved, or some wonderful revelation is going to happen, would be a setup. When we leave ourselves open to what might be revealed to us, what knowledge may come through us, we leave ourselves open to have a complete experience, rather than just looking for an answer and overlooking all the more that is there for us to grow on.

I can share many times where I might have been dealing with letting go of an old relationship and followed where I was drawn, only to end up saying goodbye while standing in a frozen lake bottom. Or, I’m wondering why something wasn’t working out, only to do a face plant into a spider’s web, coming away with the understanding that I wasn’t paying attention, and that was what the problem was.

Following where I am drawn, by asking where to go, in order to work through some issue, is what I am referring to when I say, “by invitation only”. Blindly wandering off in the Woods, with some set trail and time frame, and starting point and destination, with the intention that I am going to resolve some issue, is akin to saying, “I’m going to fix this on my own”. But, we’re
not alone. And, a solution that we come up with, on our own, may be a good solution. But, is it a complete solution? Are we looking at the bigger picture? How will our decision, our determination, affect everyone else, or even ourselves?

In life, while we may have choices laid out in front of us, those choices may have limitations, as well. I was traveling down a logging road, when I happened on an animal trail heading off into the Woods, to my left. Now, I’ve seen this trail at other times, when walking along this road. However, for some reason, I was feeling an invite to enter into the Woods, to follow this trail. The sense was very strong that I was invited in. I went with this invitation. I headed into the Woods, following this barely noticeable trail, until I couldn’t see it anymore. I stopped, barely 40 or 50 feet off the road, and didn’t see an obvious trail from here. It didn’t seem right to just trudge on, without a distinct trail to follow. It was as if the invitation into the Woods didn’t include going any further than this. So, why would I be invited in only this far? What could be the reason? I quieted my mind, even closed my eyes for a moment. In the quietness, I felt the Deer. In fact, I felt as though I were seeing the Woods, as the Deer.

I realized that I was invited in, only to experience the Forest, as a Deer would. I felt the peace, the quiet, the simplicity of the life of the Deer. After a short while, I felt the invitation to leave. I thanked all that were involved in inviting me into the Woods, in this manner, and exited back to the logging road. The point is, sometimes, our lives invite us down one path or another, not for a continuation onto a destination, rather to just experience something we may not have otherwise experienced. We need to be grateful for these experiences.

Very often, in the Spiritual community, and the Healing community, we are offered another means of healing, another means of spirituality. Not all of these will identify with us, or resonate with us. For each of us, we need to know when we have experienced as far as we need to with one means of these, or another, or even experienced as far as we need to in a relationship with someone, or a job we thought we wanted.

Have you ever stayed in a relationship longer than you should? Have you ever stayed at a job longer than it served you, or you it? Have you ever taken a relationship that was merely meant to be an acquaintance, or friendship to a point of intimacy, knowing in your heart that it should have never gone this far? Have you ever gotten involved with some organization that served your purpose, initially, and stayed with it longer than the mutual benefit could be
realized?

We all have the people, events, groups, that resonate with us. They effectively invite us in. And, we all have the people, events, groups that invite us in, yet only to experience what that is about, not to stay for a long period of time. It’s important to be aware of when that invitation is no longer there. It’s important to pay attention to when we are invited to leave.

There is a smaller trail, off a fire road that I have frequented, in my treks through the Woods. I noticed it, a couple of times, in passing, before I actually felt an invitation to enter down that trail. The first time I was invited, I went only a short distance before realizing that the invitation did not extend to continuing on that trail. So, why was I invited down a  trail, only to have the invitation withdrawn? That wasn’t the case. Rather, I was only invited to a point in the trail where I could see a newly fallen tree, and the activity of a squirrel, and the scent of the fresh wood that was exposed in it breaking apart.

Another time, I was invited down this same trail. It was on a day that the early morning sun was hitting the Woods at just such an angle as to expose a multitude of Spider’s
webs and supports, hanging between the trees, and across the trail I was traveling. In exposing these webs, it made me aware that my invitation to be there only extended to my respecting the Spider in their efforts to bring dinner to the table. I headed down this smaller trail, again only a short distance, before feeling that the invitation did not extend any further. Again, I asked the question as to why only so far? Quite simply, the sun was not hitting down into that area, and to travel this trail further would mean encountering numerous Spider’s webs, knocking them down, wearing them on my person and my face, it was a bit foreboding.

The question then exists of why was I invited down this trail, on these two occasions, yet not ever invited to travel this trail further. My sense is that one day, at the right time, I most likely will travel this trail, by invitation. My sense is that these two times were not the right times. This second encounter with this smaller trail simply was to make me aware of the fact that at times, in our lives, we are invited to make one choice or another, to travel down one trail or another, yet only at the appropriate time. At times, we are made aware of choices or trails that we do have an invitation to, yet not until we are ready, or perhaps, everything else that the “Universe” needs to line up for us, is in place. We need to develop the awareness of knowing when is the right time for certain choices.

Even so, there will be times where we are given an invitation as a “limited time opportunity”. That doesn’t mean that the invitation won’t come back around again. It only means that we need to continually be aware that when an invitation comes our way, we need to accept in an immediate manner. This goes along with the invitation to check out the path that only invites us part way, to let us know it is there for us to travel at a later time. Sometimes, we are given this opportunity to understand that the path is there, that we will be invited to travel that path at a later date, and we are being given the opportunity to “get ready” for this venture, at a more appropriate time.

Whether we come to an intersection in a Woodland trail, or choices we need to make in life, it is important that we practice feeling where we are drawn. Take your mind right out of the picture, for a moment. Stand there with your eyes closed, if you need to, and feel which direction not only has a draw for you, but which direction the draw feels clean and wholesome. That is where your invitation is. Be aware of when a choice or direction is placed in front of you, and you know which way to go, yet it doesn’t feel like the right time. Be aware of when you are invited in one direction or another, yet only for a certain distance. Then, be aware of when it is time to move on, or head back to the main trail.

Whether it is a job you seek, a change in your course of life, what your true purpose is in this life, or even which healing modality, which spiritual path resonates with you, develop that awareness of which way you are “invited”. Develop that awareness of what it is you really need or want in your life and pay attention to the invitation when it arrives. Don’t expect an invitation, anticipate the invitation. If things don’t work out the way you want them to, perhaps the invitation wasn’t there. Practice feeling, in everything you do, in everything you encounter on a daily basis, when there seems to be an invitation, and when there is nothing there.

Practice living your life, by invitation only.

Peter J Quandt

“Walk with me.”