Big Love
I recently read a book called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It really captured my imagination about creativity and writing, which I am doing a lot more of these days. So, when I saw that the author was speaking in London I booked my set, excited to hear more about her creative insights.
However, when I got there, she said she was going to be speaking about love. I instantly felt a stripe of disappointment: this was not what I had signed up for! Well, we all know that any kind of expectation is one-way ticket to narky central, so I settled in for the talk.
She spoke so eloquently, so passionately and with an enthusiasm that was infectious. I was in raptures from start to finish, along with a couple of thousand other people. She was so grounded in the moment, and we were too. I don’t know why this surprised me: her career skyrocketed after she published Eat Pray Love in 2006 and then her TED talk about creative genius went viral in 2009. She’s a veritable pro. But she was more than that.
She had a message that resonated with everyone there. The audience knew it was important. You could have heard a pin drop; there was no rustling of sweet packets, whispered murmurs or phone displays lighting up.
Listening to her speaking about universal love in an accessible way was humbling. It reminded me why I do what I do, and made me think about how I want to show up for myself every day. I know the intensive retreats I go on and host sound a bit nuts, but they have been my main pathway to discovering who I really am, what my true nature is and how I can live from this place. This place is a mind-blowing universe of supportive, unconditional, and infinite love. It is this place that makes me happy, and I want that for all of us.
Her perspective was fun, and she spoke about ‘Earth School’ and what we are here to learn. We all have our individual homework assignments, but the curriculum is essentially the same. There is an intelligence that is longing to know you, to love you and connect with you. This innate intelligence is already within you, you just need to quieten the mind to access it.
How to do that? My chosen route is meditation, and boy, it has not disappointed me. Yes, I started meditating to manage stress, but the road has taken me to quite a different destination. One that I don’t want to miss a moment of.
Earth school has many modules, and if you feel ready to take a new class this term, contact me about the 64-hour Intensive Enlightenment Retreat which takes place 11-14th July. Yes, it is daunting, but it really is the best adventure, and the fastest way I know to access your inner wisdom. And, spoiler alert, it is full of love.