“Work is love made visible”
June 25, 2018
One afternoon in November of 2016, I volunteered to be a practice client for a life coach training program. At the time I was phasing out my writing and editing work, which had crossed the line from "work" into "drudgery," and I was struggling to identify and articulate a new professional direction. I had been playing with the idea of doing energy healing professionally for a few years, but I couldn't quite take the next step or figure out why I was so hesitant about it.
At the training each volunteer client spoke for a minute or so about what they were hoping to get from a brief coaching session. I spoke of never having felt like I'd found what I was supposed to be doing with my life (not mentioning anything about being a painter, writer, or involved in spiritual pursuits).
Using some mysterious matching algorithm they paired me with a spritely young German woman, and we split off from the group and sat down to talk. It was an intense and intimate conversation, and I felt lucky to have been paired with someone who seemed to truly hear and understand me.
After about an hour we broke for lunch with the understanding that she'd present my "coaching plan" afterwards. I expected to be given some sort of checklist of steps to take, people to contact, or particular fields to consider. A formal and structured "To Do."
Instead, when we sat back down together she pulled out a little spiral-bound notebook and began to tear out some sheets. The first two sheets had a watercolor sketch presenting her analysis of my situation, accompanied by a poem. She had made these during our break. The third and fourth sheets were another watercolor sketch and poem presenting her vision for me, and the last sheet was a personalized set of meditations for me to work with.
I began laughing when I realized how far off my expectations had been for the session. Her professional analysis of my situation was that I had been "collecting seeds" for long enough, and it was time to become a "magical gardener." This deep and compassionate insight brought me to tears. And somehow gave me the encouragement and permission I needed to step forward.
By January I had started a two-year, 600-hour training program in energy healing and personal transformation. Last month I finished.
Even after studying and "practicing" energy healing for 20 years, it still felt scary to step out publicly. Now in 2018 I've been working with clients professionally for a year. The fog of uncertainty has been cleared away by all of the incredible sprouting, blossoming, blooming, and branching out I've witnessed and experienced. I agree with Khalil Gibran that we spread love through our "work," whatever form it might take. If you have seeds — ideas, plans, goals, dreams — that you are still holding on to and protecting, I would love to help you bring them to light.
