Initiations are hard Initiations come upon us sometimes


when we least expect them and throw our lives into a whirlwind. Initiation can hurt so bad and feel so hopeless you can lose faith in the sun ever rising again. You can be brought to a place where life no longer seems worth living. And that is the point, I guess. I wish it could be different, I re- ally do. But after going through my own initiation and from working with hundreds of courageous souls as they passed though tough times, I have come to understand that it is just how it works.


When I was in Nepal many years ago I unwittingly entered into the beginning of my own initiation. One afternoon, a short shaman with a tall power looked up at me from my ribs and said:


“You people…you wait until you are forty to “do” initiation, and when it comes you call it a mid-life crisis and run. Very funny, very sad.”


Over the next seven years I was broken, opened, hopeless, enlightened, and ulti- mately retrieved a missing piece of my soul and was initiated into my found heritage as a shaman in the Bon lineage.


Life is designed to initiate us into who we are, to help us heal old wounds that have kept us from being in our full power here on earth. But we have lost the value in the tradition of initiations and because of this when they come we don’t even know what they are. An initiation is designed to guide you, test you, and awaken you into living your purpose here on this earth.


So how did we get lost? call.


If we are asleep we cannot hear the


The shamans tell us that we have fallen asleep. Our days drift by moving from A to B, B to A, with an occasional C thrown in for a vacation. We become like robots with our minds, believing in only the things we have witnessed in our experience through our five senses. We live in the past or future, but rarely in the moment. We dig ourselves into deep ruts that we convince ourselves we cannot escape from. These ruts imprison us with life’s obligations, with the dream of our culture, and become imprinted on our brains as well-worn neurological pathways. The shamans tell us this is the process of becoming domesticated.


What can I do now? It is true; the teacher arrives when the


student is ready. Intend, attract, take action and get help. Reach out to people who can help guide you through these times. People who have been through their own initia- tions and can help you see the light when things are dark are always good people to learn from. Find books that speak to you. Join a course. Make sure that what you find in any of these teachers feels authentic. Many people teach as a way of avoiding their own initiation, or find themselves so excited in the midst of their own initiation that they rush out to teach others before they are ready. Trust your instincts and de- mand to attract the teacher you deserve.


www.EssentialLivingMaine.com 23


Like a river, energy inside the brain


follows the path of least resistance, our thoughts flow with ease in accordance with the dream we have co-created here on this earth. We react to our children’s antics only to catch ourselves sounding like our mother, we eat ice cream for dessert be- cause we were given it as a treat as a child, and we relate to money in the ways that we learned growing up. We have lost sight of the bigger picture. We travel in our canoe down the river of life back and forth until the path has worn the banks so tall that we can no longer see the horizon. The only view is the bank and everything that occurs in our little world. It’s all we know as we paddle each day.


Until a crisis or transition comes with enough strength to kick our butts and stir us from our slumber.


The whole point of an initiation is too lose oneself.


Dante in the Divine Comedy summed it up beautifully when he started with the words…


“In the middle of the road of my life I


awoke in a dark wood, where the true way was wholly lost.”


Many traditions still send young


children into the dark woods to fend for themselves as a way of initiating them into adulthood. One of the fundamental neces- sities of an initiation is to become lost. If you sent a young boy into the woods for a week to fend for himself, and then you gave him a flashlight and a map, it would kind of defeat the whole purpose. You are supposed to be lost right now. It is the way it works.


Do not ignore the value of modern medicine; see a doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist. Getting help is not a sign of weak- ness. Waking up is worth it. You deserve it and the world needs you.


“Each day, Each moment I am growing Into


My dreams My power It is why I am here”


Lawrence Ford is an author, syndicated columnist, speaker, teacher, financial advisor at Conscious Capital Wealth Management, and consultant to the financial industry. Mr. Ford has dedicated much of his life to being a bridge between the modern world of busi- ness and the ancient world of wisdom. He has advised thousands of people with both their finances and their spirit. Mr. Ford was dubbed the “Shaman of Wall Street” by the Washing- ton Post, The Economist Magazine referred to Lawrence as a man of “two worlds”, NPR named him The Finance Guru, and the Retire- ment Income Journal recently called him The Spiritual Advisor. Lawrence can be reached at: Lford@consciouscapitlawm.com, (860-659- 8299) and at www.larryford.org


Lawrence Ford is a Registered Representa-


tive of INVEST Financial Corporation (INVEST), member FINRA/SIPC. All expressions of opin- ion in this commentary reflect the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of INVEST. This commentary does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. INVEST does not offer tax and/or legal advice and it is strongly recommended you consult with your legal or tax professional for guidance on your particular situation. INVEST offers securities and is not affiliated with Conscious Capital Wealth Management, LLC.


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