I was up in the Colorado Mountains skiing the past two weekends. I fell a few times, was terrified more than once, and laughed and felt exhilarated much of the time. I only skied the green (easiest) runs, LOL!!

No one would mistake me for an accomplished skier. I’m competent enough to carefully ski a green run with lots of breaks. As I was skiing down a slope that I have to believe was miscoded as green (it should be been a double diamond, I’m convinced, LOL) I was thinking some people have this experience on the spiritual journey. They’re afraid they will die with the next step on the journey or wish they could hit the “start again” button.

I don’t think I thought I would die while skiing, but I wondered if I might have a painful crash more than once. I’ve thought I might die several times on the spiritual journey – most pointedly when I surrendered on June 30th 2011.

I’ve been given some pretty powerful spiritual gifts that have made a huge difference along my spiritual journey. Those gifts didn’t help me ski down the slopes the past two weekends … other than to laugh at the parallels between skiing and the journey:

==> Surrender is required to get started down the hill (will I be able to gain control or will I crash?). I’m not sure – but here it goes!!

==> With surrender comes a flow with the mountain. There were a few brief moment where I felt that happening. When I was in flow, I wasn’t struggling anymore – it was easy and fun.

What experience results when you’re in flow with the Divine?

For me it’s all about LOVE. Unconditional Self Love. The experience of myself as the source and the recipient of a love that has no beginning and no end.

It’s the thing I spent my entire life pursuing, but never experiencing. I was always pursuing it outside myself – looking to the other to provide me with that which only I could provide myself. I never fully understood what that meant until I surrendered completely.

***

I was having lunch with a good friend yesterday and we were talking about surrender. In particular the experience of pursuing a new calling, and being in the place of wondering if you’re on the right path beginning to wonder if it will pay off or if you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life. It’s a scary place to be. I was there in the first 5 months of 2011.

Being in that place was a big turning point for me. It took me to the end of my rope and showed me that I didn’t have the answer. I could hold onto MY ideas which were creating a mess in many areas of my life, or I could surrender to the Divine.

Eventually I chose surrender. I can’t describe the level of freedom and joy that unfolded in my life after I surrendered. Words fail.

That’s the backdrop that I’m painting on these days – especially as we move into December. Any time I run into resistance, I remember that surrender is the doorway that leads to flow and unconditional self love.

***

I’m grateful for the perspective my skiing experiences gave me. It’s good to remember how it feels to really struggle at something while seeing other people having such an easy time of it.
If you’re having a challenging time on the spiritual path with details that I make sound easy, I get it. It’s not always easy. And there are big rewards waiting for all of us the further we walk down this path.

Unconditional Self LOVE!

It’s been amazing to be outside appreciating all the beauty that my home state of Colorado has to offer. Fun to be playing.

I took a picture of the view from the run on the Monday following Thanksgiving:

Here’s to playing more this month. Outside (on the slopes). And inside with the Divine.

That’s it for this week…From My Heart.

Peace,

Ken

PS – I’ve got a couple of big client appreciation events coming up in December and I hope you’ll join me: Solstice for Your Soul (on the all-important winter solstice) and 4 Days of Healing (over the last four days of 2012 – to prepare for 2013). Both are complimentary to participate in live – make sure you’re signed up and share with all your friends, colleagues, and clients!

Ken Stone
“The Soul Archaeologist”
Internationally Recognized Teacher and Healer
KenWStone.com