Recognizing Universal Treasures-The Turkey Trip

    For those who have been following the Inner Voice Insights Blog--here is the post about the Turkey trip I promised to you back in Mid June. This entry is an adendum to the previous blog and also offers a clear example of what can and does happen when we are able to ask the universe for what we want with unabashed vigor, joy and curiousity instead of stipulations, ultimatums and self-imposed limitations. When we get more excited about the possibility then the promise of it such amazing things can come to pass. This happened to me toward the end of graduate school in 2008. After applying myself in my program and completing my final thesis requirement I wanted to regroup, get back in touch with my inner self, celebrate a huge accomplishment and figure out what my next move was. 
    I had imagined taking a grand trip to Greece and basking in the Mediterranean breezes, swimming in the Adriatic and eating Salty feta and drinking Retsina in one Villa after another. I planned on using a portion of my school loans to finance the trip and when the time got closer to make the arrangements I realized that I'd miscalculated funding and wouldn't have enough to take this trip of my dreams. I was dissapointed but quickly regrouped and planned instead to take a trip to Niches, a local sustainable campground in the area. I would put off my dream trip toward sometime in the future and I was okay with it.  Around the same time I responded to an invitation from my family to join them for a much needed belated Birthday celebration weekend. 
    I traveled to meet them at the end of October and enjoyed several days of relaxation in which one of the high points was when they shared their photos of a recent trip to Turkey with me. When I saw their photos I realized in one sweeping moment that it was Turkey with it's Whirling Dervishes, Alien Stalagmite landforms, petroglyph caves and writings of Rumi that truly called most closely to my soul. As soon as I saw the photo's I began to clear a space in my mind, heart and life for this sojurn I felt so sure I was somehow destined to take. 
    I began to look into ways that I could make this trip real in my life. I decided to open a bank account for the trip. I would refer to it as the Turkey trip fund. If I had to withdraw monies for other things that was fine but I would at least bring it into being in a practical way and do what I could to make it a real possiblity in my life.  That magical weekend I also investigated travel options and found out that If I booked a trip for a group Globus would offer me round trip airfare free. 
    My dream was already so much closer and felt real inside of me and I was doing all I could to answer that by bringing it into being in the external world too. This process of entrainment meant that the spark of this dream already had life energy. The Free dictionary defines entrainment as 1. The ability to pull or drag along after itself. 2. To carry suspended particles along in a current. It was clear this possibility, this ambition already was being pulled along in something...A wish, a dream, a curiousity? Now what could make that more real...?
    That night my father took me to see Lorenna Mckennit, the brilliant Singer of Sacred Songs from Wisdom traditions for my birthday.  Lorenna shared her travels and then punctuated the spoken pieces by sharing songs written from the places she traveled on her journey. To my delight she shared stories from her journeys in Turkey.  As I listened and let the music take me away to all these places I dreamed of seeing, it became clear to me that Lorenna herself had taken the same tour that my parents had. It was unmistakable as all the locations she visited were presented in the same order as my parents photos on the computer. The universe clearly had a brilliant sense of humor as it mirrored back to me my dream in lyrics andd words so clearly. At this point I could fill the energy tipping toward my dream and spreading itself out in the corners of my imagination. Now I had to admit it seemed more like a when not a whether, I would embark on this magical journey.  
    I got back to C-Bus so excited about where this energy could lead. I started telling everybody about what happened on my weekend and asking to see if anyone I knew had been to Turkey. It turned out the next door neighbor had been on a trip to Istanbul and shared her pictures with me. And then it happened..someone in the women's group I attended asked me, "Would you like to go to Turkey this December?" I said I most certainly did but doubted it would be possible so soon. She suggested I get more information and that a trip was being sponsored by a local interfaith organization that was two travelers short this December. I agreed to speak to the host, assuming it would be far beyond my price range. 
    And that is how closely the universe listens...The trip was 10 days, easily in my price range (which, really was equivalent to a long luxurious weekend in a cabin). We had one flight in Country. We stayed in four star hotels which had lobbies nicer than any accomodations I had ever stayed in up until now. We were the recipients of beautiful traditional Turkish meals made especially for our group. We were invited into people's homes and gifted with Art and Sacred stories about their families. We got to worship in Mosques bowing with humbleness to the wonder of the world, our personal God and the beauty of community. We were a traveling band of flute players, poets and yes, even someone who was on the board at Jung Haus. This trip was hand picked by an intelligent magical universe just for me. 
    I believe I seized upon it by being a willing participant to what the universe had so lovingly and clearly set into motion that weekend at my parent's house. As if that blissful universal gift weren't enough we had the happy accident of getting stranded in Amsterdam on our return flight. The Airline agreed to put us up and for 3 days we got to see the beauty of Amsterdam spread out in Crystaline wonder under a blanket of ice. When I asked the universe to provide the perfect trip for me I had single pointed focus and an enthusiasm that made my cheeks hurt from smiling. The universe was smiling too and I believe we just became so intimately aware of each other.. Like a call and response we listened with patience and anticipation and so told each piece with brilliant clarity to the other. It was this alchemical quickening that grew wings which rose more quicly then each dream in isolation could. I know we both witnessed it rise on bouyant winds until it burst forth and told itself what it could be....
 
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