One year ago today, while I was waiting for the start of a Chi Gong conference to which I had been invited, some friends and I decided to check out our horoscopes. One after another we listened to bland, overly-general advice that pretty much applied to every human being in the room, if not every person on the planet. Still, it was lots of fun and we all shared a laugh or two. When it got to be my turn I wasn’t really expecting anything even remotely relevant. After all, what would a horoscope have to say to someone in the middle of a 900+ mile Peace Pilgrimage — someone with no home, no money, very few possessions, & very few desires? As the paper was handed to me, after glancing to my companions and rolling my eyes a bit, I looked down and read the following:

“If you can, walk home.”

…………………

I guess there are many points to this story, and I’ll leave you to find the ones that are most relevant to you … For me, I was reminded that day that there is Good Advice being “spoken” to us in every second of our lives, if only we have the Humility to open up and Hear It.

And to do so, we must first choose to set aside our judgments of others & our preconceptions about life — We must loosen the taloned grip we have on our personal beliefs long enough to perceive what is truly in front of us (as opposed to what we already know is “really there”).

Of course, to truly SEE what we are being “told”, we have do more than simply open up and Look — We must also have the Courage to take the second (& far more important) step on this two-step journey: WE MUST ACT on what we have allowed ourselves to See.

If we don’t make a Leap of Faith when presented with such special “messages”, then a horoscope remains just a clever sentence on a piece of paper; a chance meeting with a friend remains simply a weird coincidence; that direct eye-contact with a stranger becomes just a random glance; and that beggar on the street remains “just a bum”.

Now I didn’t put much faith in horoscopes back then, and I still don’t today (something about them de-emphasizing the importance of Free Will & the power of choice just bugs me). And yet one year ago today, I chose to act on what my horoscope “told” me.

As it became quickly clear that the conference wasn’t a place that resonated with what I had chosen to learn about (Oneness) or what I have chosen to share about (selfless Love), I chose not to wait and ride back to the hotel with my friends.

I chose to get up and walk home.

And on the way, even though it was “only a horoscope”, I decided to assume (just for kicks) that it had “spoken” to me for a reason; that there was indeed someone along that route that day who might very well need my assistance.

Of course, I did find someone “in need” that afternoon, and I did indeed got lots of Joy from helping them. And even though it was only a “small deed” I did, the mere fact that I went out of my way to help seemed to bring them great Joy as well.

I guess what it boils down to is this:

Some of us spend lots of energy reading horoscopes or listening to fortune tellers or reading the teachings of self-help gurus in order to “figure life out” or “find their way” — and that is all fine & good. And yet if you yourself do so, I think it’s important to realize two things:

1) that the only Guidance that is going to bring you real Joy is the Guidance that encourages you to reach out and Care for others …

& 2) that the only way to truly “understand” that same Good Advice is to take the risk and get out there and LIVE IT!

Until you do so,

… it remains just a cookie.

………………

P.S. just for fun, some clever Fortune-Cookie fortunes:

“The fortune you seek is in another cookie.”

“Avoid mistaking temptation for opportunity.”

“There is no error so great as that of always being right.”

“He who laughs at self never runs out of things to laugh at.”

“You will be hungry again in one hour.”

Filed under: Wisdoms from the Journey by Scaughdt