Joan Moves Mountains - well, almost

Joan's passion showed itself to be as simple and clear as a bell. Optimally, she should be an interior designer with a special niche. Her designs would be historically authentic. She'd work for museums or for clients wishing to accurately restore or recreate a particular time period in their homes. As so often happens upon confirmation of their ultimate passion, clients start in with the "yeah, buts." Joan's was, "Yeah, but I have a full time job, all the interior design schools are too far away for me to drive to after work and I can't afford to quit while I go to school." My reply is as always. "Don't worry about HOW to make this work. Just start taking steps in that direction AS IF there were no obstacles." I told her that a good first step might be to gather up brochures on Interior Design Schools and reading up on their requirements, etc. Joan listened and trusted.

Two weeks later, Joan called me. "You won't believe what happened. I went online to research interior design schools in my area. The school I had always wanted to attend has moved to within a block of where I work! Would you believe my first thought was another 'yeah, but?' I thought, 'Yeah, but they won't have classes in the evening and, if they did, they probably have already begun the semester and even if classes began now, they're going to be too expensive.' I decided to do as you said and ignore the 'buts.' I walked over to the school and asked. Would you believe that most of their courses are for students who have full-time jobs and they hold their classes in the evening? Not only that, but they are beginning a class for beginners next week and it isn't nearly as expensive as I thought!"

Message: If faith can move mountains, it can move an interior design school.

Surgeon Guided to Compose Music

This week's (July 23rd, 2007) of New Yorker magazine contained an amazing article entitled "A Bolt from the Blue: Where do Sudden Intense Passions Come From?" by Oliver Sacks, a neurologist. Sacks wrote of Tony Cicoria, an orthopedic surgeon, who had a deep near-death experience when he was struck by lightening in 1994. Dr. Cicoria, who had no prior interest in music, felt a sudden and intense passion to listen to piano music - in particular, the works of Chopin. Then he felt a desire to learn to play the piano so he could learn these works himself, but he didn't have a piano at home. "I ordered all the sheet music. At this point, one of our babysitters asked if she could store her piano in our house - so now, just when I craved one, a piano arrived." Whenever Cicoria sat down at the piano, he felt guided to compose his own music, "music from Heaven." "[Something] would come and take me over. It had a very powerful presence." Dr. Cicoria continues his practice as a surgeon, but he has also achieved remarkable notoriety as a talented pianist and composer.

While the author suggests that this can all be explained by anomalous occurrences in the brain, I have a much different view...

Message: Sometimes direction comes in the form of "a bolt from the blue." Our passion and our talents are not about us, but are to be used for their highest purpose - in service to others. We will be given everything that is needed to fulfill that purpose. Music reaches, connects, heals and inspires people in a most powerful way.

Passion Directed to Heal. Stephanie's 9/11 Story

Stephanie Orlina from Clairemont, CA had always had a strong intuition about her authentic passion, but needed confirmation. Indeed our session together not only confirmed photography as her lifelong dream, but her photos were intended to uplift, heal and touch people's souls. However, what served as an even greater confirmation was understanding why she was needed as a witness to one of America's greatest tragedies. Five years had passed since 9/11 and she felt it was time to heal.

Ever since middle school, Stephanie had been hooked on the idea of making photography all or a part of her career, but her fire had been doused by doubts from relatives. "Do you have any idea how expensive all that equipment is?" Stephanie listened -like so many of us frequently do - to her family's doubts, rather than to her heart and got diverted from her dream.

Fortunately, she kept taking photos all through high school and into adulthood. Of course, she had her camera with her on her honeymoon in New York City, but, as it turned out, her photos were meant for something greater than tourist shots. It was the week of September 11th in 2001. In their hotel room, a few blocks away from the World Trade Center, the sound of a crash and news that a plane had flown into a tower reached them. The hotel guests were told to stay in their rooms, but Stephanie heeded her inner voice that said "You have to take pictures. You have to take pictures." She grabbed her camera and together with her husband who had a video camera, they found a back door exit and sneaked out of the hotel.

Out on the street, they saw the tragic events unfolding. The reality of the event hit them hard as they saw a blood stained sheet lying over a body on the ground with a piece of the landing gear nearby. As Stephanie looked up, she saw people jumping from the inferno. It was only then that they heard that this was no accident, but a terrorist attack. As others ran away from the towers in terror, Stephanie felt some power deep within her, compelling her to capture dozens of dramatic photos, including the firetrucks speeding to the scene and the fall of the first tower even while she was overcome with grief and horror. After returning home, she remained in too much pain to be reminded of the event to do much with these photos other than share them to a few close friends. Stephanie could not recall this event without reliving the deep emotions she felt at the time.

Often, after a mere confirmation of one's passion and a renewed desire to work towards it, the synchronicities begin to flow. This was the case with Stephanie as well. A few weeks after our session, Stephanie attended a small party. There happened to be someone at the party who turned out to be a reporter with the San Diego Union Tribune. He knew of another reporter who was writing an article for an issue in September about 9/11 - five years later. He was also looking for San Diegans who had been there. (How many of those could there be?) As a result of this encounter, Stephanie and her husband's remarkable story appeared on the front page of that newspaper. Here is a link to her story.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060906/news_1n6witness.html

Through this synchronicity, Stephanie also got acquainted with the photographer who further sparked her passion for photography. Stephanie was assured now more than ever, that the purpose of her presence at 9/11 was to try to find the people she had photographed and share her photos with them in order to heal - to show them that someone cared.

She and her husband set to work trying to find clues in the photos. A photo of a firetruck had a number on it. Through that, they were able to trace down the fire station. She wrote to that station and included a copy of the photo. A fireman from the station then called to thank her and another wrote her a letter. Sadly, she learned that all but one of the firemen in that truck had perished in the attempt to save the lives of the people in the towers. She had what was probably the last photo ever taken of those firemen - friends and colleagues of the men who contacted her. The healing that occurred took place on both ends of the country.

Today, Stephanie is looking forward to putting those remarkable photos together in a book to be shared with others, as a means to heal. A link will be posted here when that book becomes available.

(If you'd like to e-mail Stephanie about her 9/11 photos, you can reach her at: Darlas_Photos@yahoo.com)

Message: Our passion is sometimes directed for higher purposes far beyond our wildest imaginations or our own greatest plans, giving us strength when it is needed. Our passion is a gift to be shared with others, but sometimes through the giving, the giver is also healed.

Janet's Needed Expertise

Janet contacted me because she wanted to change careers, and didn't know which direction she should take. Our session revealed that her authentic passion would be to conserve habitat along the coast in Mexico, Central or South America. Although she was passionate about the environment, she was not a conservation biologist, but a gifted virologist. At one time this had been her passion, but that subject no longer inspired her. She was also fluent in Spanish and was skilled at organizing scientific conferences. Passion is created when gifts, talents, fascinations and lifelong interests are combined, but was there a connection between viruses in animals and habitat loss? Although neither of us had heard of such a thing, nevertheless, she was excited. It seemed like the best first step would be for her to become involved with conservation efforts south of the border, but she didn't know where to begin.

I happened to have met someone years previously who was involved in conserving lands in Baja California. Fortunately, I still had a valid e-mail for her. I introduced the two having no idea where it would lead. A few weeks later, Janet called me. Turns out my Baja contact knew a conservation biologist who was working on a big problem. A virus was killing native rodents. The reduction in the rodent population was causing loss of coastal habitat! They needed help from a virologist and they had plans to bring scientists together for a workshop on the topic! Janet flew to Baja immediately and the last time we spoke, she was still working to help them.

Message: Passions evolve as we pick up needed skills before moving on. We don't have to know where our passion will lead us - sometimes direction will come to us. All that is required is trust.

Cherie's Ignored Reassurance

Cherie, a client of mine, was a legal secretary, a job she found mind-numbing, because it clearly underutilized her gifts and was nowhere near her passion. After doing the homework I gave her, her authentic passion showed itself to be quite specific, as most are. Her authentic self wanted her to be living on a run-down horse ranch in Northern California, working to fix it up. This would be her home base. The rest of the time, she would travel around the world gathering and writing articles about the healing properties of various plants. She would write in a beautiful lyrical style. Included in her travels, would be a trip to Findhorn, Scotland. When Cherie saw what her authentic passion truly was, I got that familiar oh- that- would- be- too -exciting -to- be- true look and we left things at that.

A few weeks after our session, she called me and I got the equally familiar "Yolaine, -you-won't-believe-what-happened" call. Cherie had still questioned that the result of our work together was real. She went to the library to look for books on how to find your passion. At the library a book jumped out at her called "Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life" by Gregg Levoy. The very first sentence mentioned a revelation occurring on a country road in Fresno, (northern half of) California. It emphasized synchronicities. It was a call to connect the dots and follow your passion. Flipping pages she saw references to the healing power of plants. She closed the book and opened it to a random page - page 73. On that page was an example of how passion had led someone to Findhorn. The whole book was written in the lyrical style she loved.

I said, "if that message doesn't convince you of your authentic passion, I don't know what will." A few years later, unfortunately, Cherie was still following money and security, rather than her passion. Doubt is a powerful obstacle.

Message: Reassurance will be provided, but it is up to you to follow it.

Elliott's Nudge

Elliott told me this story during our session on how to reconnect with one's passion. At age 21, in 1975, Elliott was still in touch with his dream. He knew what it was ever since he was a child. His plan was to come out west from North Carolina and explore the geology, plants and wildlife found in the Grand Canyon. He would get to know the Grand Canyon first hand, then study natural history, become a university professor and take his students on walks there. With 83 dollars in his pocket, no contacts and no job prospects, he set out on a cross country drive to Arizona. His mother screamed her fears at him. "You're crazy. There are no jobs at the Grand Canyon! You don't have any experience! Nobody knows you! Where are you going to live? What are you going to eat? Rocks? Don't do this, Elliott! " By the time he got to Arizona, his mother's fears started to take over. Instead of going to the Grand Canyon, he decided he might have a better chance of finding a job in the big cities, but he couldn't find a job in either Phoenix or Tucson. He drove to Flagstaff, in the dead of winter with 17 dollars left in his pocket. At the unemployment office, he begged for a job - any job, but was again turned away. As Elliott was walking out to his car, he felt a chill go up his spine, but it wasn't due to the cold. A man was calling after him. It was the same man who had just interviewed him at the unemployment office. "Young man! Young man! I think I might have something for you.... it isn't much, but a friend of mine owns a restaurant and hotel. He needs a dishwasher. The only thing is... the job would require you to move to the Grand Canyon."

Message: Sometimes a nudge is necessary to get you back on track.