A Ghostland is not a place of strong, true emotions; it’s a place of obsession where you artificially revive old emotions and relive something that is already past.  Ghostlands of the past are like the land itself, without substance. You don’t feel genuine remorse; there is no real pain to inspire growth.  Instead, you simply think and think and think about what you could have done differently and cause yourself to manufacture emotions as a result of your obsession.

In a Ghostland, no learning, emotion or action takes place.  In the Ghostlands of the future you become overwhelmed with pessimistic thoughts and trying to figure out how to avoid pain, or you can also fixate on times to come and find yourself in a seductive Ghostland believing you will arrive at the magical destination where there are no problems to be solved.

The way out of the Ghostlands is to walk between two pillars:  surrendered acceptance and creative action.

• You accept that you’re not the only mapmaker and that there are parameters to any enchanted Map, and you act as a co-creator of your life, working with Spirit.
• You accept that the past is gone and you aren’t the sole force in charge of your future, and you take responsibility for making changes rather than waiting for someone to rescue you.

By walking through these two pillars, you’ll put yourself back to where you’re meant to be in time.  You’ll no longer spend countless hours wondering whether you’ll win the heart of the man you want; instead, you’ll surrender to what is true now.  You’ll no longer wait until your perfect life arrives according to your specifications; rather, you’ll live your best life now.  You’ll leave your resentments behind after seeing your part in keeping them alive now.

It’s possible to avoid the Ghostlands if you’re mindful of how to contemplate the past and the future in healthy ways.  If you’d like to experience nostalgia, enjoy the memories for a bit, but then turn yourself to the present.  Are you creating new, even better, memories now?  If not, how can you do so?

The best way to work with the future is to visualize your life filled with abundance, security, love and all the good things you long for and then take action in the present.  You get to enjoy basking in the positive emotions that your fantasies generate, and you become inspired to make the future happen today.

In a follow-up blog I will share an exercise for envisioning your future that will help you set steps in motion in the present.  In the meantime, be patient and always remain in a state of detachment, letting the proverbial arrow fly through the air of its own accord.  You’re not the wind that carries it there, but you must be the one to shoot it.

In service and love,

Colette Baron-Reid

(The preceding is an excerpt from The Map:  Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life, Hay House, 2011)