The Joy and Terror of Leaping into The Unknown

How often have you got to a place in your life where you’ve hit bottom with a situation, or you get stuck and just can’t see your way forward anymore? You find yourself at the edge of a proverbial cliff, knowing you can’t go back but having no clue what’s ahead.

 

It’s interesting how many of us get to the edge, look over it, and then rationalize how things really aren’t that bad in the yucky place. So, we decide to go back and try to fix the unfixable and regain control.

 

I did this so often in my life.

 

In my 20s, I was in a relationship with a man who was talented, brilliant, funny, pretty handsome, and chronically unfaithful, manipulative, and emotionally abusive. In other words, PERFECT for me! When he told me he didn’t think he could be faithful, rather than see the red flag and leave, I took it as the greatest challenge ever and moved in with him.

 

I thought if I just loved him enough, if I could be better, slimmer, prettier, he’d appreciate how MUCH love I had for him and change his ways. Um … you don’t have to guess what happened.

 

I went to the edge of that cliff so many times and went back with a new useless plan. I lost count until I got sober, found my dignity and self-respect, and woke up one day considering that maybe I didn’t have to live like that anymore. (What a concept!)

 

So, I jumped without a plan, just a parachute made of faith, and I landed in the next phase of a better life.

 

I’d love to say that everything was perfect after, but it wasn’t. I was only given illumination for my life one step at a time, definitely with no guarantee of success, “just” the amazing experience of weaving Spirit into my life. Every day, there was something—a reminder that the universe had my back—that gave me confidence that I could keep peeling the onion skins of my psyche, heal my wounds, and become the person I thought was impossible to be.

 

But here I am, all from finally taking that leap of faith into the unknown, not even pretending I wasn’t scared every time, and landing in places better than I could have imagined.

 

Your experience may not be as extreme as mine, but maybe you can relate to trying to figure out how to buy permanent real estate in the certainty of your comfort zone (even if it sucks, at least it’s what you know!) rather than leap over the cliff into a higher version of yourself or even leap into the shadows to find your treasure.

 

I had that happen with the art in my new deck Guides of the Hidden Realms. I was so shy to show Hay House the art, but I did, and not only did they love it, they suggested this art could be an oracle deck. The thought of offering this to the public gave me such anxiety!! But I jumped over that cliff and did it anyway.

 

And I know it’s subjective, and some will vibe with it and some not, but for me, it was one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had.

 

So I’m going to leave you with this beautiful quote so pertinent to all of us these days. Why?

 

Because Spirit is whispering this to ALL of us these days.

 

“Come to the edge,” he said.

“We can’t, we’re afraid!” they responded.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

“We can’t, We will fall!” they responded.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

And so they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.”

― Guillaume Apollinaire

I’m gonna jump. You?