What comes up for you when you imagine a path? Take a moment, and feel what it might be like to be on a path to somewhere you’ve never been before. And, what do you sense when you take a step forward?

For me, I feel a sense of curiosity mixed with excitement and trepidation. There are a lot of interesting phenomena I might run into and encounter on this path! Will I see some interesting views, or get attacked by a swarm of bees? Maybe I’ll run by an interesting view while getting attacked by a swarm of bees. I might meet a new friend, or see no one at all this time.

Now let’s imagine this path goes into, and out of an unexplored forest. The path can be walked in both directions, or not at all. If you imagine yourself walking a path into a vast, dark, and mysterious forest, do your feelings change? What about imagining walking out of the forest? We can always choose if and when we walk on the path, but regardless, the forest, the rest of the world, and the path all exist whether we decide to explore it or not. The same is true for our inner world as well. Whether we like it or not, our subconscious influences us and the choices we make every second and every day. The inner world influences the outer, and the outer influences the inner.

My intention with this blog is to highlight the connection between our inner and our outer worlds, and to explore the space that exists leading from one to the other and back again. In our society, we have a tendency to focus on what is outside us, to make the circumstances in our external world as we will them in order to find peace from the raging torrent of expression inside us. I firmly believe our inner world is just as vast and full of wonderous things as our external world, if not more so. But how do we dive into a pool when we’ve not only never been taught to swim, but we don’t even know swimming is possible? A path is what guides us to and from. A path is what connects the inner to the outer. I hope that by writing and articulating what I find in my explorations of this connecting space between inner and outer within me, I’ll both gain insight over my own workings, and perhaps also let others see what exploring their own path can look like.

A popular phrase among those that are interested in the esoteric and mysterious is, “As above, so below. As within, so without.” What does our inner world teach us about the outer world? And what does our outer world teach us about our inner world? (And I don’t necessarily mean psychology courses!)

When we see something happen outside of us, what stirs within us? Does any imagery come up? Is there symbolism present in the event? Does this event remind us of other events?

When we feel an emotion, an image, a thought, or other internal expression arise within us, what are we called to do? What outer subjects are we drawn towards? Are we called to speak something? Do we try to numb out and suppress what we find?

There are no right answers to any of these questions, just as there are no “right” things to see when walking on a path in the woods. What we feel or don’t feel and what we encounter or don’t encounter is part of the mystery of exploration.

Our unconscious does not understand words, and our mouths cannot speak images or feelings. So again, a path is needed. By trying to balance and explore in this place of not quite in the inner but not quite in the outer, we find a space where our hearts lie. This marrying of inner and outer, the union of opposites, is a gift that life brings to the world. Only we can explore and tend to our own unique expression, no one else can do it for us. So let’s put our ear to the ground here, listen closely and quietly, and hear what songs our hearts are playing.

I hope you’ll walk this path with me.