“There’s not much you can do at the moment except wait.
Surrender your expectations and be patient.”
– *Toni Carmine Salerno Magdalene Oracle Guidebook
In the summer of 2013 my sweetie and I took a road trip to both Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. It was a magical journey across the prairies of Eastern Oregon, Southern Idaho and into Montana and majesty of the mountains. I was particularly taken by Yellowstone, in total and complete awe of power of nature at its most beautiful!
The steaming pools of hot water and the geysers were astounding! Mineral deposits surrounded the many colored steaming pools as a park ranger shared stories of the history of this land – many of which were frighteningly true. Our need for caution and resulting safety couldn’t be discounted. Neither could the beauty that surrounded us at every turn in the road.
Many of the geysers we witnessed were very were irregular with their eruptions. Even so, we were fortunate to see a couple of spouts from pools that had been quiet for several weeks or months.
Then there was Old Faithful! Old Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes. Though we could depend on its regularity, we had no say in the exact timing of its eruption. Nor could we control the duration or the height of the steaming cloud that rose into the deeply blue sky. If we wanted to see Old Faithful we had to wait. Patiently hopefully, knowing with certainty that at some point this spectacle of nature would appear before us! So we waited. In fact, patiently, we waited twice!
Nature is astounding to me! The nature of our world is always in perfection. Old Faithful for example, erupted “on time” in all of its beauty, power and splendor. And I want to accentuate the word POWER! All of the hot water and pressure building until the caverns and layers of the earth could no longer hold it. Letting go of its grasp, we were gifted this amazing mind-blowing exhibition of nature’s force! No struggle. Instead a simple surrender to the process of water heating, expanding and turning into steam.
How timely that I recall Old Faithful – and how aptly named is this geyser! I have been trying to work my way through a physical issue. My progress has been wrought with great effort, as I continue to try and figure it all out. I have tried many avenues and approaches – all leaving me frustrated and frankly stressed.
Spending time in my mind working the equation for healing and relief, I completely forgot there are other aspects to my wellness. I am not simply my mind. I am mind, body and spirit. As such, I need to bring forth all of me as I face any type of life challenge – either big or small.
I was stuck in the “physical problem,” forgetting to ask for help. I was using my mind to sort the problem out, when in fact I did not have a problem. My body was simply telling me I needed to come back to a more balanced state. I was simply ignoring the message, trying instead to fix the message.
Giving in and having some hope, I did an oracle card spread. The first card I drew was SURRENDER. This is what it said: * “At present the harder you try, the more the things you want elude you. There’s not so much you can do at the moment except wait. Surrender your expectations and be patient.”
Yikes! Sounds like a simple thing to do, yet not so easy. I was impatient. I wanted this problem to be over. I wanted to be in control and to make this problem leave – to no longer have to deal with my seeming complex physical concern.
A few days later, I received another message from the Great Mystery. “Stop trying so hard [and surrender].” A clear and simple reminder that life is about the process not the destination.
Focusing on staying in the moment, I am again learning to surrender to the timing of nature, the timing of life. Instead of trying to overcome my problem, I hold my arms open as I give in to it. To befriend it, live alongside it, to listen to it. I have no choice about the discomfort I am experiencing. I only have the power to accede my desire to control. Only when I stop trying to “do something” will my circumstance change. Yes, it has taken my a few days to truly begin this practice of letting go in a way that allows nature to be itself with all of its power and glory. As such, to be on my journey, walking the path that presents itself to me this moment.
Beautiful how nature does what it needs to do, and in its own time! How perfectly everything falls into place even though I have nothing to do with it. Today I am learning that I do not have to quit or give up to surrender. I can simply quiet my anxious ego-mind and let go. I can, like Old Faithful (and all the pressure that regularly builds underneath the surface), wait until nature knows the perfect time for my growth and healing.