A Recipe for Evolution ~ The Compass of Soul
Hello, fellow travellers on the path,
Today I come bearing a recipe not for food – except maybe food for thought and contemplation – but for evolution. Like many other Ascension Kitchen recipes, this evolved out of my own experience. And because, while Ascension Kitchen has its root in 3D food, but is also the Ascension Kitchen, I felt to share.
And if you are looking for direction in your life, an answer to where to apply yourself, for some kind of sign where to go from here ~ I invite you to try out this recipe.
Of course, like every other recipe, this is only a guideline, a suggestion ~ what you do with it, whether you make it, or make it but with adaptations that work better for you, is your choice.
And on that note, let's go!
I was looking for direction...
Today's recipe begins with a story ~ the one thing few people read on food blogs. But bear with me here, this story might inspire you and make you smile. I'm certainly still laughing!
A little while ago, I sat down to write a short biog for the Ascension Kitchen. It began with: I taught myself how to cook fifteen years ago...
I had completed my degree and was looking for work. It was not going well and kept going not well for over a year. I was increasingly frustrated, depressed, and hopeless.
I needed something to do. Something that was not going through job vacancy sites online and writing applications, only to always receive rejections. Something that wasn't reading either ~ because after more than a year, even I was getting bored with that!
As I was living at my mother's place at the time, and she was still working almost full-time, I decided to take over the household: laundry, cleaning, and yes, cooking.
Prior to that, my skills and interest in cooking had extended to boiling pasta and opening a jar of pasta sauce. But now I quickly realised that this was actually fun! Challenging too, because I had so little knowledge – how is much 5g of salt, anyway?!?
But stubborn determination kicked in that said, “I will figure this out!” So I kept going. And it became fun.
... and found a calling
All of it – contemplating what to make with what was in the fridge, browsing cookbooks for inspiration, going to the nearby supermarket to buy what I needed, and of course, the actual cooking.
It was creative, fun, got me out of the head, and produced an actual, tangible result. That was yummy to eat on top ~ and greatly appreciated by my mother and later also brother.
That is how it started ~ and now I'm a retreat chef.
And the thing about that story that still has me smiling? Consider this:
I was looking for a job at the time. And I found a calling.
Did I realise at the time? Yes, on some level I did. I wondered how to become a cook, or thought about maybe opening a kind of pop-up cafe or something ...
But the mind was still very rigid and fixed on what it knew about how reality functioned. It threw up all the obstacles in the way. It pointed out that I had just spent six years at university for a degree, was I just going to throw that away? And so on and so forth.
It took me fifteen years, including fourteen months of intensive group therapy and ten years of work with Openhand, to get back to that. To close the circle, to have that realisation land.
Cooking has always been something that combines many things I enjoy doing ~ and sharing what I make with others is just pure joy.
So, here I am, sharing my journey and this recipe with you ~ so that maybe it won't take you as long for your realisation to land.
And now, finally, comes the recipe –
Here's what you need to make it:
paper and pen to write with
one highlighter or bright felt-tip pen or similar
an hour's worth of quiet time (or more)
a space to sit and meditate in
Here's how you make it:
Step One:
Get all ingredients ready and retreat to your space. Sit, breathe, and relax, allowing body and mind to slow down and become quiet.
Step Two:
Once you are relaxed, take pen and paper and write down your answers to the following questions
What is going well in your life right now? No matter how small it is, how mundane or ordinary.
What activities in your day-to-day life do you enjoy? Again, no matter how seemingly small they are – and if it's folding laundry, that's perfect!
What are activities you enjoy in general – hobbies, interests, self-expressions and all?
What are things that went well in the past?
Which activities might you have enjoyed in the past?
Step Three:
Once you have written your answers, put pen and paper aside, close your eyes, and meditate.
Breathe and notice what is happening inside.
Let body and mind calm down again.
Step Four:
Pick up your answers again and inquire more deeply into them:
The things you listed as going well – what about them is it exactly that you feel is going well? What gave this particular thing the label “going well”? Be as specific as possible.
The activities you listed you enjoy – what about them is it, in particular, that you enjoy? Again, be specific. And honest.
The same for things in the past – why did this one thing go well? What about that activity did you enjoy?
And most importantly: What are the feelings associated with all of them?
Step Five:
Once you have written down your answers, put pen and paper aside again. Close your eyes, breathe, and notice what is going on internally.
There might be mind/identity getting stressed about not having definitive answers yet. Maybe screaming about not knowing how to apply those answers here to finding direction in your life.
Work to calm and soften the mind, relax the identity. Just as you cannot eat your pumpkin onepot while it is still bubbling away on the stove ~ while it is still in process ~ you cannot apply your answers while you are in process.
Step Six:
When you feel calm and the mind has softened again, take your lists of answers and the highlighter/bright pen and contemplate the words. Feel into what reading your answers does internally. And then highlight or circle or otherwise mark words or phrases that jump at you. That stand out in particular. That speak strongly to you.
Step Seven:
Again, put the list aside, close your eyes, breathe. Contemplate the experience so far. Do you feel it is complete? Other answers might have popped up – great, add them! Other realisations might have landed. Awesome, write them down!
Step Eight:
This one is optional, but it will give your inquiry depth if you add this one as well:
Considering your answers and the words and phrases that you highlighted, which of the nine rays of the Soul Ray Harmonic do you feel is expressing here? And/or, which Star Being Nation do you feel is resonating most closely with the qualities you are contemplating?
Step Nine:
Take a fresh sheet of paper and copy down the words and phrases you highlighted from your answers.
And done.
Congratulations, you have completed your soul compass!
Is this the clear, definitive answer that mind is screaming for? No. But that wasn't what you were looking for, was it? You were looking for a way to lead a more fulfilled, soul-led life.
So, you are now holding in your hands the compass to find which direction to move in for living that kind of life. The true North here is not anything in the external ~ it is your soul and how it feels as it moves through you.
Because, after all, no one can answer the question of which direction to take, which one is Right for you, except your soul.
How to apply this compass when considering what to do, which step to take next?
Look at the options, and then look at your compass. The answers is there.
And if you would like to make it clearer? Do more of the things on your list! Do them more consciously! Be present, as you do them, and feel your soul singing inside of you.
If you end up making this, let me know! I'd love to hear how this turned out for you. <3
Comments