Winks & Reflections
“A man is not the victim of his environment or his physical plane circumstances; he is what he has made himself.”
I moved from Turkiye to Morocco on March 1st. This transition brought up sorrow, stress, and excitement and colored each day depending on how prepared or disorganized I felt.
During moments of change, I rely on a high level of organization as it provides structure and helps me feel grounded.
I wanted to do things differently for this move. I kept my task lists to a minimum and waited for a moment that felt right before acting.
This is a new process for me, trusting the unknown, and it made me uncomfortable, which added to my strain and varied levels of sadness/elation.
At the start of February, I met a woman in Kadikoy who presented a wink from the universe.
She asked me where I lived, and I said Goztepe.
I often reflect on how blessed I felt about finding the apartment. It was quiet and spacious, with wooden floors and expansive windows. Sunlight lit up the rooms, and I sat with the murmuration of birds at dawn and dusk as often as I could! The owner and her sister looked out for me and offered encouragement, guidance, and Turkish delicacies whenever I met them for tea.
When I recounted my experience to the woman, she nodded and replied, “The universe always gives us what we need.”
Her statement reminded me of one of my mentors, Alice Bailey, and her thoughts on the metaphysical universe.
Alice Bailey is a Theosophist and writer on esoteric philosophy. She wrote and lectured extensively on attracting things to oneself.
What we think, we become; there is a magnetic pull (the law of attraction) that acts on the metaphysical universe. Bailey saw the cosmos as an ordered system that adhered to specific spiritual laws similar to the material laws that govern humankind.
Bailey is one of my favorite writers because she can express what I sense; her work has illuminated and unpacked the simple invocation of kismet.
So, when I heard the woman speak about how the universe provides, I took it as a little wink to reconnect to my intention (why I was moving) and reflect on my current place in the world (where I was headed).
On the surface, my move to Istanbul was to teach yoga. I had already been teaching at two studios and had contacts at three other locations to establish myself in the community.
However, I saw a different story and pattern when I reviewed my writing from the past eighteen months. My journal entries and poems expressed a need for solitude. I desired to create a chrysalis where I could write and edit my work. My invocation was for a quiet space to develop my voice and vision as a writer.
In preparation for my move and other significant transitions, I ask: what influence do I want to have in this situation?
I take this further by asking: What impression do I want to leave?
This is how I work with the metaphysical universe to encourage an outcome aligned with my needs and values. As I prepared for my move to Rabat, the imagery that came to me was related to simplicity, flow, and consistency.
These words require a state of presence, regular check-ins, and attention to my day-to-day rhythm.
As I proceeded through February, help appeared, and I had to do very little physical labor. The challenge was mental and emotional, as I promised myself to be patient while I waited for the outcome (finding an apartment) while being consistent in my search.
Another mentor, Georgina Eden, once said sadness indicates something is passing. Her statement helped me understand that sorrow can be released by acknowledging what you are moving from, and stress indicates moving into something new (the unknown).
My reflection on this experience, moving from Istanbul to Rabat, helped me identify how I contributed to shaping the outcome and allowed me to create a process that helped me feel grounded without overanalysis.
