Every sacred journey ends with a return home. But once you have become the hero of your own story, how do you go back home? How do you have this amazing experience, this transformation that no one understands, and slide back into your old routine? We often get to that “now what” moment where going back to old ways feels inevitable because we don’t know what to do next.
My suggestion is don’t let that happen! Don’t be who you were. Change your world. Expand. Let your new self spill out into the world so others can benefit. If you don’t, what would have been the point of the journey? We call this “returning with the elixir.” So how do you return with the elixir?
SHARE YOUR JOURNEY
Whether your journey was a hard or inspiring one, share it. Share the burdens, trials, discoveries, joy, sadness, and whatever else about it that strikes you. Be vulnerable. Open your heart. Let those who were not transformed share the bittersweet bliss that comes with breaking out of a shell and leaving the known for a new world. Tell everything so that whomever you are sharing with can be on that journey with you. This will help them transition to where you are.
You see, we don’t see people for who they are. We project our expectations on to them. We also see them as they were. If you want your new self to flourish, you have to give people enough information for their vision of you to catch up to yours. When they see your new self, this will reinforce to you that you are indeed made new.
SHARE YOUR GIFTS
If you discover how much more deeply you can love, don’t keep that to yourself. Love other people! If your journey was about letting go of your pain, help someone else do that. Maybe you are getting in touch with your grief. If the opportunity presents itself, lend a sympathetic ear to someone else who hasn’t gotten there yet.
What you share expands. Think about it. If hurt people hurt people, then loving people love people. What kind of world do you want to live in? Give what you want back. Give what you hope to see more of. When we’re all in a giving space, we progress much faster. It’s a win/win.
MAKE YOUR TRANSFORMATION VISIBLE
Many people have to see things to believe them. It’s not enough to come back with pictures and stories. You have to live your change. Even if the change is internal, it manifests outwardly in some way. Perhaps you sing more. Maybe you assert yourself more. It could be that your mode of dress changes. Maybe you start to write, paint, play an instrument, cook, or dance. It could be that you do something totally new, like change careers, move, or join a club.
Give yourself space and permission to do what you feel. It will reinforce to yourself and your outside world that things are new. Even small changes can have a big impact, so if your life is too full for a major change, make it a small one. Then add another and another. Your butterfly wings can’t be used for flight if they don’t unfurl. Show the world your wings.
If you got messages to do X, Y, or Z, do that. Data is useless if it is not used. Let it become wisdom by using it. What use is it to know that you have hang ups about germs, sex, or money if you don’t do anything with it? Act on your discoveries.
RELEASE OUTDATED THINGS
You can’t move forward with old baggage. Let go of what no longer serves you. This could be people, places, things, or attitudes. When energy moves, it doesn’t drag the old stuff along. It moves past it and greets new things. Old stuff will weigh you down. As long as we don’t interfere with the process, nature always moves us towards evolution. Go with the flow. Let go, and keep moving.
There are two ways to do spiritual journeys. The first is, you can use them for an escape from your daily life. If you do this, you will find yourself needing a fix periodically. Or you can bring the elixir back with you and incorporate the changes into your daily life. If you bring the elixir back, it doesn’t mean you never have to go on another journey. It just means that your growth will stay with you and allow you to keep expanding. And isn’t that the point of having the experience in the first place?