Rainy days: A personal story of how I recognized my intended soulmate relationship before we met.
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." ~ Dolly Parton
Months ago, my soulmate-friend Sandra and I planned a girls "away" and I was so looking forward to it. I'm single, a freelance writer and consultant living in downtown Toronto, and boy did I need a rest.
We packed. We got on the road. We got there early. As soon as we checked in to Westwind Inn, situated on a lovely lake in Canada's Kawartha's region, it began to rain. And, it didn't stop for days.
I'll tell you a secret: I'm a tad quirky. I actually love weird weather! For me, it's permission to relax. No pressure to go out and do something unless I want to. And then when I do (which is often) it becomes an adventure.
Rainy Day One: Blackout
"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." ~ Roger MillerTurned out - yes! We were staying next door to one of the biggest private art galleries in Canada. So on Rainy Day One, this was our first stop.
Sandra's an artist, and I like collecting, though I wasn't in the market to buy. As the rain pattered, we took our time, examining every inch of the gallery, noticing how how our hearts responded to the work.
What I found was that my taste was changing... I was craving bright, warm, natural, bold. This was surprising to me, as I tend to be drawn to soft smudgy surrealism. My heart was drawn to the work of Native Canadian artists (the late) Norval Morrisseau and his son, Christian. These were bold colours, precise lines, an abstract treatment of natural mysticism.
It was still raining as we went to dinner that evening. At a local spot, our conversations were of the type that uninterrupted time with an old friend brings. Acknowledgement of uncertainty. Feeling deeply. Watching for guidance. Testing resistance and readiness to step into what's next. The rain felt natural, cleansing, clean, an incubative nest.
Rainy Day Two: Soulmate Secrets of past lifetimes
"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. " ~ AnonymousOn Rainy Day Two, the cleansing continued and we were off to another gallery. Another layer of city stress had fallen away. Walking in the rain, I breathed in the scents of green. Appreciated the clean lakes. Imagined how easy it would be to slip silently through the forest with canoe. To fish here, to live in the silence.
It felt so comfortable, so familiar, that I wondered if I had lived in this area as a Native Canadian in a past lifetime. Clearly (for me), there was nothing to resolve here, nothing to face, no darkness to heal. Such as it is for happy lifetimes: no karma carried forward. Indeed, perhaps much to re-claim.
After a couple of hours at the gallery, I chose a small, mass market Morrisseau print, as a souvenir (the gallery also had a small number of originals for $10,000 and more). With the small memento under my arm, I wandered slowly, relaxing, not wanting to miss anything.
Recognized and found, without seeking In a remote corner of the gallery I noticed some loose canvases in a flip chart display. Painstakingly, I went through them. Not my style - nothing popped. Yet, I decided to look again, going back over the canvases the opposite direction. I paused when I recognized the bold Native style I was drawn to the day before. I looked closely at the image, and I felt a shiver all over my body.
I wandered back to Sandra. I felt as if I was a bit out of my body. "I think I've found that piece I've been searching for." She smiled. I resisted. You see, I didn't want to buy that day. I hadn't planned for it. It was way more than I wanted to pay right now. Yet, there it was. Dammit.
I've been searching for a prominent piece of art for my home, that powerfully represents the relationship I am creating. This piece that I thought I'd invest in "some day" was now waiting for my choice.
I remembered an article I had written a year before: that the art you are drawn to is a reflection of your heart. My own heart flipped when I discovered Devotion by Native Canadian artist Daphne Odjig, who has lived a remarkable love story herself.
Me, after saying Yes to Devotion (notice the rain has stopped).
Here's a picture of me on the lake, a few hours after I made my new acquisition. The jade colour of the water is natural. When we found McGinnis lake, the sun came out. We meditated alone here for quite some time, until the crowds trickled in.
The second night we were there, there was a blackout, with no power. We ate cold Chinese food and cold cuts, in the common room and used the computer sparingly.
Rainy Day Five: Check the weather. Make a choice. Repeat.
On our fifth and last day, we woke to rain (of course!). We chose to head home early, and take our time. We loaded the car, and the sun came out for the first time in days. So we canoed. It rained. So we chose to go out for breakfast. It stopped raining. So we went for a walk.
By this time, we were giggling, because we finally got the message. So as we pulled away, we thought we'd drive to the next turnoff, and see how we felt.
Your life is a shifting kaleidoscope of possibilities, paths. There's rain. There's sun. There will be opportunity when you least expect it. Plus static and distraction. It may come when you're not quite ready. Ready or not, you must choose.
Art as a reflection of your heart. If you've been reading my ponderings for a while, you may recall that a couple of months back I did some healing work which uncovered an unconscious, "devotional" energy in my heart that was acting like a "soulmate block." It had to do with waiting for others in my life to be happy, out of a sense of (skewed) loyalty.
Though I didn't feel good discovering this, I did honour it, and I took the time to dissolve this energy to the best of my ability.
Since then, I had noticed subtle shifts in how I feel, but no external confirmation of any change. No surprise - my own biggest soul lesson is around Trust. Trusting what cannot be seen, touched or measured. Trusting before confirmation comes in.
I hope that I have described how powerful it was for me, to recognize and resonate with this beautiful piece of artwork, called Devotion. To begin seeing Devotion as something to not only give, but receive.
I'm looking at Devotion now, as I finish this article for Soulmate Dance. Soul Signs come after you choose to Trust.
In a beautiful region of my home country Canada, where I suspect I spent a very happy lifetime, my soul finally gave me a sign of my inner Trust. I recognized the sign unexpectedly, after saying Yes to the rain. Yes to a blackout. Yes to cold Chinese food and Yes to many others pieces lovely, but not for me.
Change is symbolic, fluid, unexpected, now.
New energies are streaming onto the earth now. Possibilities are shifting every hour. Morphing, elusive and unable to be tamed. Prediction isn't possible. Tendencies yes. Certainties no. Hold future plans lightly. Act in the moment.
Your task is to remain open, alert. To remain focused on what your heart desires. To recognize the doorways as they open. To accept gifts in the form they are given. To love your shadows, too. For like frightened children acting out, they seek your love.
This moment, as you read this, is a choice point. Look around you. What does the weather say now? What doors are open? Which have closed?
Follow your heart. Recognize and love its reflections. Each step you take from this place of love, draws you closer to your true soulmate.
Karen M. Black’s inspires and supports those who are awakening, embarking on the courageous journey from their heads to their hearts.
How beautiful…i enjoyed the incubative nest, your rainy day wanderings, the synchronistic “find” of your art piece, Devotion. Thank you for sharing this story.
What I love about this story is the self-awareness and the willingness to “go with the flow”…literally. I loved that she noted that her tastes had changed over the years and now she was being drawn to something new.
Sometimes in our search for a soulmate, we focus on an old “picture” of what we think we want, and miss the beautiful opportunities right in front of us.