It's true that new beginnings are not always smooth; nor is life as a whole. We'd like to think/believe that it can be, and sometimes it is. But in reality each jog off the "perfect" path, that we envision goes in a straight line from A to Z, is actually an opportunity to learn and grow. So none of the zig-zags off the path of life are a mistake. They are opportunities for change and growth. Even your fear at the beginning of your book project seems to have been a blessing. It caused you to pay attention, re-focus your efforts, and to trust your intuition and your guidance. Congratulations Idara!

I've been writing a lot lately. The other day I believe my 'guides' brought me a wonderful message in the form of a friend.

He told me to imagine that what I was writing was already complete. He literally said, "work backwards...don't worry about why, just know that it's done"

Kinda cryptic huh?

I told him that in regards to new projects, my advice to others had always been, "don't concern yourself with 'how' something happens, ground yourself in the 'why' and remarkable forces will come to your aid."

My friend, Sasa, and I agreed that both our points were vaild.

And I'm thinking that knowing it's already 'done' makes the whole experience even more fun. It's almost as though, my higher-self is giving me permission to re-live the feeling of true accomplishment all over again because the end result was so good!!

Now why wouldn't I want to do it all over again?

Hi Idara,
Thank you for your timely post. I often want to fast forward, but consistently have to remind myself to take each step one by one, and its not easy, especially in the fast paced world we live in! I am learning though.

Would you share your first book with us? I'm curious!

Hi Beth and thank you for the welcome!
My book is a channeled collection of essays on the importance of honoring your inner voice and living your truth. Much of it revolves around the intuitive knowing I came to receive in 2001 that prompted me to wrap up my life (I was living in the D.C. area at the time) just in time to fly out of the area the day before September 11th to relocate to a city where I knew not a soul (San Diego, CA). Specifically as it relates to this topic I knew I was being "sent" to the west coast to do some serious thinking about my life and engage in deep inner reflection that my fast-paced existence in D.C. did not really allow. However, since my move was so sudden (and in the eyes of my professional colleagues, friends and family it made no logical sense) I was really torn about somehow "dressing up" my heart-based decision so it would seem more palatable (or at least less crazy)- because we all know that people are really uneasy about the "process"- the deep inner work/the void or simply "not knowing." I know I was. I think as we move along our paths we get better at living our lives less by consensus and more by what will bring our highest and best selves- even when it may be difficult and present more questions than answers in the short term.

peace,

Idara

Hi Christi,
Thank you for the well wishes! I really agree with your "zig zag" characterization- one of my very, very favorite books in the world is "Composing a Life" by Mary Catherine Bateson (really anything she writes is pretty great- she is a cultural anthropologist and a daughter of Margaret Mead). She has an ongoing conversation with several accomplished professional women and she discusses how their paths were really more a result of improvisation and multi-faceted engagement rather than a strictly linear, rational progression. I have always found this to be incredibly reassuring! To me creative expression (or even bringing anything new into being) really requires a faith that is not borne of five-year projections, spreadsheets and scientific inquiry. Trusting the timing of the Universe is not always easy or in line with the timeline we would prefer- but as you suggest there will always be a blessing, and we just have to be receptive to finding it- look forward to continuing the conversation! :)

Idara

Hi Idara,
I have always loved the idea of a book being channeled. Sounds so streamlined and easy. I wrote literaryfiction for awhile and used to dream of 'it' coming out and appearing on the page the way 'it' seemed to feel in my head. Not so. And I agree that the Universe has a lot of fun bending timelines. And that I love being mischevious myself! oxoxoxo, Marcia

Hi Marcia,
Channeling can get very interesting that's for sure! Depending on the entity/guide you are working with will often determine how your physical body deals with the transmission of information. For my book I was working with a guide of British extraction so the English in the initial draft was a bit stilted from the vantage point of the average American reader. He (the guide) also had a lovely habit of waking me up around 4/5am in the morning! LOL. When I lived in California and did channeling circles for small groups I would be completely wiped out physically because our guides tend to vibrate at a higher rate than we do. I was new to doing this type of work in public and was (and am) still learning how to protect my physical body. One hint for sure is to drink a lot of water! :) It has been definitely been an interesting process and I am excited about learning more about how it all works, but it has not yet been my experience that words come tumbling out perfectly formatted... half the battle is keeping our "stuff" out of the way so we can be a conduit for the information....

Peace,

Idara