You’ve heard it a hundred times before.

Let it flow…

And so had I. But this time, it seemed to sink in. It finally made sense in a visceral way.

Grandfather came to me while I was meditating with needles in my body. Laying on the table in the midst of an acupuncture treatment has a tendency to bring me deep into myself, and I frequently meet new guides in the process.

This day was extraordinary because I found myself with Mary (Yes the Mary – Jesus’s mother) laying her head on my stomach (3rd Chakra to be exact). Shannon (Mary’s mother) was standing next to her. And, there was the disembodied head of an Indian Chief by my shoulder.

I normally only see one spirit guide at a time, but here were three guides ready to help me. What did I need?

I could feel the healing, the sadness coming from the third Chakra dissipating as Mary lay her head down. But I really didn’t know what Shannon and the Indian chief were about. I let it pass.

For weeks the image of the Indian Chief kept coming to me as I meditated. So finally I asked, “What is your name”? “

Immediately as I asked the question, I recognized that this was my grandfather in another lifetime. I remembered myself as a beautiful Indian maiden in that lifetime, and in a completely different meditation, I saw myself also as a beautiful Indian princess with turquoise stones at each Chakra. The same person in two different visions, years apart. But this story is about the Indian Chief. I came to call him Grandfather.

“What is it that you want to teach me?” I asked.

“I’m here to teach you the way of the river,” he answered. I began to see a river flowing then.

From the calm waters that were pooling, to the rapids, the gentle flow, I recognized that this was the flow of life.

Sometimes life is totally crazy and wild like the water falls and the rapids, and it’s a rush. Depending on how I recognize it, it’s either exhilarating or overwhelming. I prefer the former, but more often than not I let myself get into overwhelm.

Exhilarating at first, it’s truly “a rush” but suddenly I find myself feeling like a 50-foot waterfall and can’t stop going. When I finally crash at the bottom I’m in a quiet pool. If I recognize it, it’s beautiful.

Sometimes life just flows and I feel as though I could go on like this forever. I’m in Grace and everything wonderful just comes to me. This can last hours, days or even months. Living in the flow is an amazing reality. I find this happens when I’m truly connected and paying attention.

But life is a river after all, and sooner or later, the river changes.

And I find myself in stagnant waters.

What happened? Some situation or combination of events has thrown me off center and I can’t seem to move forward. So, why don’t I just move on? Maybe it’s not my time to move yet. Maybe I need to rest, but don’t recognize that because I’m not paying attention.

Life is like “The Way of the River”.

Where am I today? Where are you?

Are you in the flow, paying attention and recognizing that wherever you are, this too shall pass?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re exhilarated by life or lying in stagnant water and depressed. It will change. The Buddhists call it detachment.

Grandfather simply calls it “The Way of the River”.

Grandfather reminds me daily, especially when I get stressed and start to get out of alignment to take things in stride and follow the Way of the River.

Recognize the flow and understand that it’s there for a reason. Ask yourself, What lesson do I need to learn from this moment? How long will this last?

Of course when life is flowing I want it to last forever, and when I’m in stagnant waters, I want to be different, to flow again, or to rush. I’ve learned to accept where I am (most of the time) and in recognizing that, I know that I can choose.

When I’m in stagnant waters again, I ask, “Where in my body am I blocked? What part of my body isn’t flowing? Is my heart as open as it could be?“

I check in with my body, through meditation or just focusing a few minutes and paying attention to where my body feels tight or stuck. Depending on which part of my body is tight, I know that the related Chakra is not open and flowing. I can then either use Reiki (Universal Energy) to open it or a Chakra-opening meditation and soon, things begin to flow again.

It’s not that life doesn’t happen. We all know it does.

But if we can stop for a few moments and check in with Divine Energy and ask “What do I need to do?” or “What is my lesson in this?” we can lessen the pain in the moment.

Gratitude for the lesson…