when the universe conspires.

sometimes there’s just this flow in the universe. like things are unfolding & connecting in ways that send out messages, or affirm thoughts. or at least that seems to happen to me at various times in my life. it’s a moment that just happens, without warning or understanding. a joyous surprise. i believe that it is a response from the universe. a confirmation that i am being true to myself. and i had the joy of experiencing this blissful kind of moment again a few days ago.

let me back up & give you the lowdown:

• in april, my love and i are going to china for 2 weeks. helloooo, dream. i can hardly believe it. so surreal and such a once in a lifetime experience.
• i love books. and for christmas, i received a gift card to barnes & noble (awesome, huge bookstore in the states).
• all things spiritual always interest me.
• with my gift card, i had plans to buy a book that was recommended to me by ashleigh paige, the tao of travel, and to find a book that i could use as a daily meditation guide.
• a few days ago, i saw “eat, pray, love” again & all of my spiritual life journey emotions flowed to the surface of my consciousness. i felt that connection again with myself. combination of travel & spirituality.

on sunday, the universe conspired to bring all these things together into something that i now understand as a focus, vision, inspiration for the first half of 2013. here’s what happened.

i searched for that book that i wanted, and i found it. score. i think it’s gonna be amazing. then, totally satisfied, i headed over to the spirituality/philosophy section and began checking out book spines, hoping to find something to inspire my mornings throughout 2013. i found myself drawn to the easter spirituality area. no idea why. i looked and looked, and then i remembered “eat, pray, love” and a book about taoism found itself in my hands. then, i found another one. and another. before long, i had about 8 books on the tao, christ, and travel on the floor all around me. i sat down int he middle of the bookstore aisle (you can do that in barnes & noble) and began thumbing through them all. the words on the pages connected with me. i wanted the books. all. of. them.

i wondered why i wanted them. and then, i remembered that i am traveling to china in april for an amazing 2 week experience. i remembered i was searching for some inspiration for 2013. and i remembered “eat, pray, love”. and suddenly, though it didn’t fully understand, i knew that i was meant to be sitting on that floor with all those books around me. i knew that i was drawn there for a reason. i knew. i needed all of those books. for inspiration for research. for something to soak up, learn about, & experience.

as i gathered all of the books in my hands and headed (embarrassingly) over to my love, something clicked. it all made sense. the first book i found, the reason i was there, was “the tao of travel”. i had never considered that it was about the tao (the way). and here i was with all these books about taoism (& christianity). and then there is this trip to china in my near future. and finally, there is the inspiration i received from elizabeth gilbert once again.

for the first part of this year at least, i am immersing myself into studying, experiencing, and exploring taoism, the way straight from the heart, a belief in the journey of life as a balance between the inner soul & the outer world. what better time to do this than just before i find myself in china, surrounded by the mysticism of tao in its original setting?

what a gift. these moments of clarity. of connection. of knowing that you are on the right path. so, expect a post here, every now & then for the next few months, inspired by my journey and discovery of what taosim means at this point in my life, on my spiritual journey.

“There is no need to run outside for better seeing
Nor to peer from a window
Rather abide at the center of your being
The more you leave it
the less you learn
Search your heart and see
For if she is wise who takes each turn the way to do is to be”
― Lao Tzu, The Tao Te Ching in Translation: Five Translations with Chinese Text

thanks for reading, my dear friends. peace & love along the way.