(first published several years ago)

“Hey there. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.”

The first paragraph of her e-mail caught my attention, as did the content of the message.  In short, she was ecstatic, joy-filled and buoyed by the clarity that was developing in her life.  Her newfound clearness related to things she needed to do that would allow her full ownership stake in HER life.  Moments of understanding of where we are and where we’re going have a way of giving us a sense of peace and calm, even if those times are only temporary.  Just because you find your place on a map while travelling cross-state doesn’t mean you won’t get lost again, but in the moment of definiteness of where you are, there is confidence and serenity.

She used examples in her message that spoke to serendipitous timing of circumstances that seemed to comprise a message.  That she sent the e-mail to me was another such event.  Within 24 hours of receiving her note, I found myself in conversations via instant messenger with a complex, creative photographer-friend in South Carolina, and an Ike-battered friend of my wife. Both spoke of being at a place in their lives where they felt they were being called elsewhere with their talents and/or circumstances, yet they had fears and trepidations about following the directions.  Key elements of the e-mail then came to serve the other two, thanks to the message’s honesty and openness.  By sharing, she unexpectedly helped others, too.

Part of the message is that we all find ourselves in search during our lives, and we struggle with sorting out the many messages and gut feelings.  Do we follow our instincts or the “burning bush” type of instructions?  Many books, ranging from the Bible to The Secret, address the calls from greater powers.  The theme is so popular because humanity continues to look for guidance, both collectively and individually, and often we doubt our good fortune of being truly steered or directed to our life’s next steps.

Life has no road map; the universe doesn’t have its own voice; and, God is generally more subtle than a burning bush.  But the calls to us do exist; only we have the response.  We have the questions, and we generally also have the answer if we listen to ourselves and to each other, because we are actually the voices of “the universe” incarnate.