Making friends with the unknown

While there is no way to control the unknown mystery of life, I believe that if we choose to welcome the unknown, we can learn how to navigate it.  The unknown can become our teacher and if we are willing to face our fears, the unknown will not leave us stranded and alone.  It will lead us somewhere–to a place of honesty, intuition, faith, trust, personal authority, choice, and ultimately, balance.  While the unknown may ask us to release illusions, become aware of limitations, and sometimes accept a hard fall, it also teaches us how to sustain ourselves, no matter what.   

What’s amazing about this journey into the unknown is that it will look different for each person. We are all unique. We can find meaning everywhere—from vacationing in Hawaii, to petting our dog, to eating a meal, to having a baby, to being a friend, to living with chronic illness, to surviving rape, to moving beyond addiction; to dancing; to painting, to mothering, to finding a parking spot, and much more.  Obviously, some of these experiences can take us into very difficult and painful places.  That’s why we need help.   

A big part of creating a relationship with the unknown is choice.  Even hard circumstances that we cannot escape like chronic illness, childhood trauma, or sudden health crises still offer room for choice.  There may not be a choice in what is happening, but we can choose how to respond.  We can become active participants in developing that relationship by deciding what to explore and where we cannot yet travel. We cannot control but we can navigate the experience.

Does making friends with the unknown mean giving up dreams or goals?  Nope, not for me.  I believe in the power of intention.  But the kind of intention I’m talking about is not just to have a goal for the sake of getting what I want.  It’s based more on Gary Zukav’s definition of intention, “the quality of consciousness you bring to an action.” 

Goals and dreams are the way the unknown—some might even say God—speaks to us and works through us. An intention is a guide in navigating the unknown.  But it is important to look closely at what lies underneath and around intentions to find what motivates them. It’s possible to hold focus for a dream or goal, but in an open way, so that there is room for the intention to become a sounding board in a conversation with the unknown.  It’s also possible to invite (and invoke!) help from the unknown in order to refine intentions as a way to learn and grow.

Explore posts in the same categories: Insight, The Art of Practical Spirituality

Tags: choice, Gary Zukav, God, intention, journey, meaning, practice, relationship, spiritual, spirituality, unknown

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