Through a Shaman's Eyes: Right In Front of Our Nose
January 21, 2008
by Jeffrey Pierce
"No Ordinary Days" - photographed in Salem, Oregon (November 5, 2008)
When we begin embracing mystical spirituality, we often aren't aware that we've simply shifted our focus from the world around us to the subtle world that we've just begun to discover. Instead of expanding our perspective, we've simply shifted it from one place to another. We look for symbols and veiled messages when the answers are right in front of our nose. Problems that should have a simple, straight forward solution, become endlessly complicated.
In those moments when I find myself unable to find an answer to the question before me, there are two techniques that I employ. The first is to step back from the situation and imagine that a good friend of mine is facing the challenge in their life. I'll literally ask myself, "What would I do if my friend was in this situation instead of me and they came to me for help?" What would I tell them if that were the case?
I'm surprised how often the solution suddenly become more clear to me even if it's not an answer that I want to hear.
The other thing that I do is ask myself where this path is leading me. Sure I'm overwhelmed and buried in work. Maybe I hate my job. Perhaps I'm in a tremendously challenging relationship. Rather than losing perspective in the immense shadow of the situation, I'll look ahead to a time when I'm beyond today's challenge. "If I'm still here a week from now, will I be glad that I stuck with it? If I'm still facing these challenges a month from now, a year from now, will I be glad that I've kept to this course."
Not everything comes easily. In fact, there's an old saying I picked up along the way that states, "Anything worth having is worth fighting for." I truly believe that saying often applies to the road before us. We simply have to be sure that we're fighting for the right reasons and that it's truly in our best interest.
The photo above? On the morning that I took the picture, I was stuck in my head, frustrated where everything in my life was headed at the precise moment. It seemed as if I were treading water, as if I wasn't making any progress in my world, and I couldn't see the path ahead. I wondered if I was off course, because I couldn't see beyond the shadow of the situation.
At that moment I came across this delivery truck with its simple message. In my mind, in that space, it was a reminder that there are no ordinary moments, the message held in one of my favorite spiritual books, "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior." Instead of worrying about my situation (which was wasting my effort and actually causing me to energetically tread water) I remembered that I am a peaceful warrior and began to act like one. With that simple shift in thinking, I gained perspective and began to move out of the situation I had been stuck in. The problem wasn't solved that day, or even the next month, but I could see the path ahead and knew that it was worth fighting for.
While the message on the back of the truck may seem like an obvious answer, often the answers are right in front of our nose. We simply have to look for them.
After all, there are no ordinary days.