Trusting Your Guidance

by Judith Onley

A couple of weeks ago I called Jill Crossland. I am on a grand adventure and was planning on passing through the Calgary area in the following few weeks, and was hoping that we would be able to get together. When I told her about the "journey" I was on, she said her July newsletter was about "Women Who Dare". Since what I have been doing for the past 7 months would fit perfectly into that theme, Jill asked me if I would like to do an article telling about my adventures, so here it is...

It all began the day I was born...no sorry, that is the book version, not the article version. Anyway, I have been warning my kids for the last few years that I was going to spend Christmas some place warm. Well, this was the year! I am a spiritual mentor and healer and work with people to help them find their place of joy from within and in the fall, I realized I was not feeling MY joy from within. It had been an unusually cloudy, dreary fall in Toronto. I am a sunshine person and felt like I was withering away from lack of light. I also had been quite busy and felt like I was on the hamster wheel…..going, going, going and getting no where fast.

I had an inspiration and was waiting to see how things would unfold as my daughter was pregnant, due in December. So once my beautiful granddaughter, Abbi, arrived on Dec. 9th, I drove 4 hours through the night to Ottawa to spend a week with her.

In the meantime, I called my friend Cathy in Florida and said, "I need a time out…I need warmth and a place to rest for a while. Can I come and visit you?" she said "Sure! How long?" I said, "I would like to stay a couple of months, but anything would do as I am feeling pretty burned out physically, emotionally and financially." So back from Ottawa I came to Toronto to reorganize my apartment so I could sublet it (whew, one less expense to worry about!) and then I drove 8 hours to Sault Ste. Marie, to see my son and his children. We had an early Christmas, and then on Dec. 23rd, I hopped in my car and drove 25 hours to Florida.

Thanks to my gracious friend Cathy, I spent 6 weeks between beautiful Ussepa Island and Fort Myers resting and soaking up the sun and being well cared for. Now, I know most of you are wondering how can I do that and still run a business. Well, all I can say is thank goodness for the Internet and telephones, because I have been able to continue my business in transit while doing "long distance" sessions with my clients. Thanks to my friend Barbara in Toronto, who was looking after my mail and sending me anything important, I was even able to get all my income tax information together and emailed to my accountant. Technology really is serving us.

Suddenly, at the end of 6 weeks, I knew my time in Florida was over, and I felt guided to travel "West" in the direction of Sedona. I had always wanted to visit Sedona because it is such a powerful energy and spiritual centre, but I had no idea it was going to be NOW! My apartment was sublet for a few months and I had no reason to go back to Toronto, so I headed west and stopped and visited friends I haven't seen in a long time in Texas. It became apparent very quickly that my presence in my friends' homes along this trip was very timely, as the healing work I was doing with them as an offering for accommodation was assisting them with things they had going on in their lives. So Spirit was showing me that there was a bigger "plan" being orchestrated here. It became even more apparent, when I was guided to El Paso, Texas (where I knew no one).

Through a recommendation, I was directed to call the Minister of the Unity Church and ask if they knew of anyone who would be interested in an overnight guest on her way through to Sedona. Now, you have to understand that El Paso is not exactly on the way to Sedona from where I was staying with my friend in McKinney, Texas, so I had discounted it at first, but then realized I was being guided there for a reason. And sure enough, Diane, the Minister in El Paso, connected me with a wonderful gentleman named Tony, who very graciously opened his home to me. When I explained to Tony what I do, he was anxious to experience a session, as he is a very "spiritual" person. My work had such a profound effect on Tony that he set up a healing room in his house and called all his friends and colleagues to tell them they just "had to" come and have a session with me. It was great! I got to meet wonderful people and create some income for the next part of my journey to Sedona. I even ended up doing a dance performance for the Sunday service at the church, which I just loved, as I know they did as well. I believe that this was Spirit's way of showing me things do not have to seem logical to be beneficial.

Two things that bring me great joy are dancing and horses and they just keep showing up on this journey. And the key here is the word "joy". I have really been shown the importance of staying in our "joy" and creating the next moment from that place, and I have to tell you it has not been that easy. I have definitely had my moments of doubt and fear, when my mind is saying to me "WHAT are you doing? Are you nuts? You can't just keep driving and find people who welcome you and your work into their homes!" Well, that has been exactly how it has unfolded.

Again, I knew no one in Sedona and through people I met at the Unity Church, I found a wonderful woman named Mickey who shared her home with me. I stayed with her for three months. In Sedona, I met life-long friends and business associates, and had many profound experiences amidst the beautiful red rocks. One of them was meeting Kedzi Morgan, who is an amazing healer and horse person. Kedzi shared her horses with me and I got to experience something brand new; I went riding in the desert and even experienced my horse step right over a rattlesnake! Spring in the desert is stunning. I will cherish that memory forever. Already, I am reaping the rewards of my time there. I am one of the facilitators of a retreat being offered Nov. 1-4 at the beautiful Angel Valley Retreat Centre. Check out www.angelvalley.org or email balupton@seeingtheobvious.ca for details.

I volunteered at a number of conferences held in Sedona, one being the Four Directions Wisdom Gathering that brought in Indigenous Elders from around the world to share their wisdom, some of them being Rev. Michael Beckwith (from "The Secret"), Grandfather Martin, a Hopi Elder, and Grandmothers from the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. My assignment was escorting the Elders, so I had the wonderful privilege of spending time with them and getting to know them as people who are very dedicated and passionate about their role in our spiritual evolution and the healing of the earth.

Towards the end of the three months, I knew my time in Sedona was complete. It was a very tearful parting and I am so excited to know I will be going back in November to facilitate my work at the women's retreat at Angel Valley. Now I was on to sunny California, which was actually not so sunny when I got there. They were in what the locals refer to as "June gloom", and that it was…lots of clouds and very cool after coming from the 90 degree weather of the desert. In my mind, this was the place I had been waiting for my whole trip. I love the ocean and thought I would spend lots of time there, though it only ended up to be 10 days. I did get to see my friend Kelly, even though it was just for a few hours. She was leaving the next day and got back the day before I left. Again, it didn't make sense that it worked out that way, but I knew there was a greater plan going on here. Kelly has been my saving grace through this journey. She actually is from Toronto. I met her when she moved into my apartment as I was moving next door. We started out as neighbors, and in time, that developed into a beautiful friendship.

Since December, when it was she who helped me realize that I needed to leave Toronto and go somewhere warm, we have talked on the phone almost every day. She is very intuitive and has helped me to stay in touch with my own internal guidance when I have got into the doubt and fear. She has been my cheerleader, my confidante, and my coach. She has believed in me all the way. This is the type of friend that I wish for all to have. She even came out from California to visit me in Sedona and we had a wonderful time hiking and just sitting on the amazing red rock mountains and absorbing their energy. Barbara, who has been looking after my mail in Toronto, also came out for a visit and we went for a ride in a biplane with an open cockpit, to experience the beautiful scenery from the air. Another dream come true, as I love planes. (Picture of me in biplane with helmet and goggles)

After California, I spent time with another amazing horsewoman, Jill Breitner, on her ranch in Applegate, OR. Jill is an animal whisperer and trains service dogs for the handicapped. She is looking for financial support for her non-profit organization SOS Dogs. Her website is www.shewhisperer.com. Jill taught me how to "dance with her horses" (two of my favourite things combined in one...wow, how good does it get?).

Then I was on to Poulsbo, WA to meet Naveen, who is a connection from a friend's sister in Toronto. There I had the joy of being toured around Bainbridge Island in Naveen's yellow Porsche convertible and his Harley Davidson. Naveen is very into music and has an incredible sound system. He has much knowledge about frequency, resonance and sound waves, which gave me a greater understanding of sound and vibrational healing. I said in a recent newsletter that I send out..."We are only ever a few spoken words from meeting some very amazing people."…and that truly has been my experience. Just by mentioning what I am doing, someone connects me with the next person and place.

I currently am near Kamloops, BC on a beautiful 320-acre horse ranch, staying with Liz and Kevin Ryan. Liz is an artist and animal communicator who has written a book about the messages the horses have given her about our spiritual evolution. Please take the time to go to her website www.lizmittenryan.com. It has been like being in heaven here for me and has given me the opportunity to expand my own intuitive gifts even further. Being in the quiet of nature and animals allows you to just listen to the silence. It is in the silence that all wisdom is remembered.

This journey is not complete yet. I am into the seventh month and have just started making my way across Canada to Ontario. I am leaving my car here at the ranch and flying back to Ontario to see my children and grandchildren. The only drawback to this marvelous journey has been that I have not seen them for so long. I am so excited that soon that need to see them will be filled, and that I can then return to the ranch and continue to see where Spirit leads me and the amazing new people I will continue to meet.

It has been a wonderful adventure of being in the moment and trusting that the next step will be shown to me, and it always has. I have put 23,000 kms on my newly leased car (oops! - hope it evens out at the end of the 4 years), and have driven alone (thank goodness I enjoy my own company) through the southern and western United States, and now Canada, being guided to the next place, and offering my healing work as I go. To find out more about how I help people create joy in their life, go to www.dancewithspirit.com.

Print this page    Recommend this page