“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” –Eden Phillpotts

 Lorelei’s glimpse is about remembering your way back to love. Life can be difficult. Sometimes we can feel like we are both burned out and out of options. This glimpse reminds us that there are always options and that the universe is patiently waiting for us to see the magic and love that is all around us. Lorelei is a beautiful, talented and funny woman. It is not easy to share the tough times with others and I wish to thank her for her heart felt and honest sharing.

About a year ago, Lorelei was in a “pretty awful place”. She was fried from a demanding and at times demeaning corporate job. She had lost her sense of self as well as her sense of balance. Years at this pace had placed a strain on her marriage and children. However, from this unhappy and stressed out space, Lorelei could not see a way forward financially if she stepped away from this job that had become toxic. Her husband, seeing how the job was affecting her health and happiness eventually agreed that her leaving the position would be best.

Quitting was necessary but it still felt like a huge leap of faith for Lorelei and her whole family. She had made a good salary and now had to significantly pare down her lifestyle, tighten the budget, scrimp and even borrow to make things work. Looking back, she realizes that the way forward could not be revealed until she made this leap and quit. “It was as if once I made the decision and the universe could see I was ready, opportunities fell into my lap. We are still struggling financially, but we are making it work and gifts and blessings appear in unexpected moments.”

The work of coming back to herself after burning out was also a learning process. Questions of purpose and “what do I want to do with my life?” soon arose. Lorelei knew she was passionate about helping others and sharing happiness and wellness but as she felt stuck in stress she questioned how she could do that.

She began some serious soul searching to rejuvenate and find her bliss once again. At first, Lorelei was so down and out of control, she recalls feeling a need to escape. She dreamed about travelling to a distant land for a long retreat to detoxify and come back renewed and fresh. However, that was certainly not in the budget and she knew it was probably not going to be that easy. She understood that her real (and sometimes stressful) life was to be her teacher.

Lorelei began to make simple changes to find her way back to peace. A 21-day gratitude practice she found online was the first step in helping her to spin her life into a more positive place. Having dabbled in yoga for about a decade, she became more committed to her practice and enrolled in a yearlong yoga study and teacher training. She wrote in her journal, talked with an Ayurveda practitioner, a life coach and even tried Reiki.

Lorelei’s “glimpse of spirit” occurred during a reiki exchange with Lisa Thelen and six or seven others at the Center in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In retrospect, Lorelei was not even sure why she went. She was not a reiki practitioner but could not shake her intuitive feeling that she was meant to be there that day. As the exchange began, each person present took turns lying on the massage table, fully clothed, while the others opened their palms and allowed the healing reiki energy to flow where it was needed. When it was Lorelei’s turn, she remembers how blocked, burned out and confused she felt as she climbed onto the table. Even still, she closed her eyes and opened to the experience.

During her time on the reiki table, various emotions came up for Lorelei. At first she felt an overwhelming sadness arise. Her body felt tight and constricted, heavy and disconnected. She understood that even though she had quit her stressful job, her pattern of trying to fit 40 hours into 24 was still occurring. Once she recognized this pattern, she began to feel a sense of relief.

After this relief, an unexpected thing happened. While still on the table and seemingly out of nowhere, Lorelei began to feel a sense of overwhelming love. A deep sense of calm and peace came over her. She saw herself as a baby being held. Her body began to feel relaxed and spacious. She recalls, “It sounds strange, but in that moment, I felt as if I was back together after a long period of separation. I was whole again.” Tears flowed and she says, “I felt loved and could both see it and feel it.”

From that day forward, Lorelei laughs, “I feel like there are little angels all around me putting sticky notes everywhere that read: You are loved! Although my way forward is still not crystal clear, I feel free and at peace.”

 

Lorelei has 2 daughters and her six year old recently told her, “Mom, I’m so glad the stressful you is gone.” Her fourteen year old is a sensitive and creative young woman. She was having a difficult time at school last year and Lorelei credits her new outlook on helping her daughter as well. She feels the example of self-care and self-love did not go unnoticed. “I needed to get over myself and be a Mom. I worked to encourage her to show up for life, to love herself and to trust that the way forward will open. Once I gave myself permission to follow my heart, she saw it was ok for her to do the same.”

Lorelei continues, “There is so much love in the Universe for each of us. I see and feel that now. When I feel down I understand that I can tap into this universal love and that has helped me so much.”

The winding road of the past year has also shown Lorelei that “just because it doesn’t end up the way you thought doesn’t mean it’s not working.” A new and wonderful job recently fell into Lorelei’s lap and the little blessings continue. She returned home from said job late last week preoccupied about dinner and found that her Mom, who lives 40 minutes away, had dropped in with a healthy meal warming in her crock-pot.

There is magic happening in our lives all the time. The universe provides. We just need to leap and trust. Lorelei finishes, “things come when you need them. When the way seems blocked, suddenly something opens up. Many of us don’t recognize these little blessings and coincidences. I see them all now.”