Carol Adrienne - Your Unfolding Path

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	Your Unfolding Path Jan-Mar 2005
	by Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.

Carol's New Book

Carol Adrienne's work and teachings have been a great inspiration to me! In August of 1998, about four months after my father passed away, I read about one of Carol's workshops in a Learning Annex catalog and synchronistically found her book on a bookshelf at the bookstore. The themes of her teachings were familiar and comforting, as they confirmed the thoughts and ideas my father had shared with me shortly before his passing. Her books and workshops ignited my spiritual curiosity, setting me on my soulful life path, which led to the very creation of SoulfulLiving.com! Carol's participation has been an integral part of SoulfulLiving.com, at its soul level! Thank you, Carol, with all my heart!
~Valerie, Founder and Soul, SoulfulLiving.com

Trusting the Flow in The New Year

Reflecting on our lives at the beginning of the New Year is a proper and essential endeavor. Two months ago, my friend, John Austin—who managed the website for celestinevision.com unexpectedly passed away after a week’s illness. John is sorely missed by all of us who knew him. He was indefatigably upbeat, open-minded, and dedicated to his work on the spiritual path. I am sure that his love and support are still coming from "the other side."

Recent international events have deeply affected each of us. Let us hold those who have gone before us in our hearts, and honor them by making good use of the time we have left before we follow, as we must. For those still suffering, may we let our compassion, donations, and prayers flow to them. This is a good time to be quiet, to love one another, and to move toward what it is that we have been putting off. Friends of mine who live in Phuket, and came through the devastation, ended their note to me with the Thai saying, "Be good to your heart,"--a good thought to hold at this time.

I want to share a couple of stories that I collected in 2004 as an example of living life authentically—with commitment, trust—and heart. Each speaks to different ways we can "show up" in the world. One is a woman who shares her passion for writing with young people. The other is a woman with a strong sense of community, and who lets walking her dog become a kind of meditation.

Finding the Poetry

Jennifer Anderson emailed to share a writing project for kids that she was doing last summer and fall. She put together a self-expression/poetry workshop through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles. The kids both read and wrote poems, and also received a journal to take home and write in. Jennifer says, "I want to use poetry as a means of self-expression, communication and creativity. What is important to me is that we (myself and the other writers who participate in this) create a loving, supportive, fun environment in which kids can be empowered to express themselves. I think we can really make a difference with them. Some kids have had traumatic lives already, and we can possibly give them an outlet to express their feelings and experiences. We can also send the message that someone cares about them. Through my experience of being a Big Sister, I have seen that you never know what is going to make a huge difference in a child's life - just a few words of encouragement can alter someone's life. My Little Sister, for example, is Latina. She’s from a poor neighborhood, and is being raised by her grandparents. No one in her family graduated from high school, but she avoided the common trap of getting pregnant and dropping out. She has graduated from high school with honors, and is now going to college in Santa Monica.

"I think working in a creative way with young people is a great opportunity," says Jennifer, "to make a difference and contribute. I also think this could be a great way to network with other writers, since writing is such a solitary endeavor. In sharing my passion for writing with the kids, I benefit by recapturing the fun and play of writing (something I need)."

Is there a passion you have thought about sharing with young people? This could be the year you do it!

Walking the Path

The next story is from a woman named Barbara, who began walking her dog Toby when he was a puppy and she was helping with her son’s newspaper delivery.

Over time these walks helped her to unwind, calm down, and to appreciate the relaxing, tranquil effects of nature.

Barbara says, "Everyday for several years, Toby and I have walked down the hillside on the vaulted forest pathway to the saltwater beach where he loves to swim. We meet people along the way. I believe that these people are on my 'path' for some reason, so I usually establish eye contact and give a greeting. Part of my desire to greet people is to create a safer atmosphere in the park with Toby's assistance and wagging tail. There has been 'mischief' by partying teenagers and some homeless people attempting to reside there. Through repeated efforts and time, many of those who walk their dogs have become good enough friends to hug!

"As Toby and I walk, I pick up after him. I also attempt to pick up litter and trash to keep the park and the beach looking nice for others to enjoy. One early spring day, we were walking up the path. It was already twilight and particularly peaceful. Suddenly he smelled something and bounded through the ferns, undergrowth, and boggy area before I could restrain him. I called, whistled, clapped my hands, and firmly urged him to come back--to no avail. I had no idea what to do. There was no path, it was almost dark, and rain would soon be upon us. Even with a flashlight I would not have been able to find him in the dense undergrowth and the tricky footing in the deep forest.

Up till then, I had been alone on my walk, but at that point, a woman came into view. She was walking her dog, and she stopped and asked what happened. I mentioned I'd lost my dog in the forest. I was about to keep walking, when she mentioned that her dog was a herding dog and he loved to guide her family on walks. She told her dog to go find Toby. That was all she had to say. Immediately, he picked up Toby's scent, went bounding into the dense undergrowth. Within minutes he came back, leading Toby. I thanked her profusely. My new friend said that they always walked this way, but on this particular day, they were delayed and were later than usual. The serendipity of this moment has remained with me. It has enabled me to realize that my arrival or delays on a particular day or moment may be helpful to others in a time of need."

We see in this last story that all we really need do, is just live our lives and be as present as we can be. We can add something positive to whatever experience we participate in, and we can trust that our needs will be met when the time is right. We will be in right place at the right time—either to further our work (destiny) or to complete what we have come to do.

Make this a wonderful year!

Carol Adrienne

FORECASTING 2005: In January and February I am offering a special 50-minute consultation to forecast possible developments in your life for the next twelve months. Please email me for details.

Carol Adrienne, Ph.D., is an internationally-known workshop facilitator and author whose books have been translated into over fifteen languages. Her latest book is When Life Changes, or You Wish It Would. Oprah hailed, The Purpose of Your Life: Finding Your Place in the World Using Synchronicity, Intuition, and Uncommon Sense a must-read. She is also an intuitive counselor and life coach who has helped thousands of people work through doubt, procrastination, and obstacles to create the life they want to live. Visit http://www.CarolAdrienne.com to register for free newsletter subscription; free numerology birthdate analysis, or order numerology charts and forecasts. Private consultations and coaching available.