—Spiritual roadtrip— my TOP 5 INTENTIONS
INTENTION 1 & 2:
CONNECT WITH MY AUTHENTIC SELF & with mother nature
I was in the thick of life, 9-5, miserable for 10 years. I had taken vacations upon vacations, road trips a plenty, but I was still yearning for freedom, for the permission and ability to live in alignment with who I had become. The arguing with grown man-children (sorry, not sorry) no longer fed my soul like I once thought it would. I wanted to help people truly, I yearned to make a difference in people’s lives. I was DESPERATE, quite frankly. So, after years of contemplating how I would exit my career as an attorney, I decided to take months off of work to re-connect with myself and Mother Nature.
INTENTION 3:
RELEASE LIMITING BELIEFS, EXPECTATIONS FROM MYSELF AND SOCIETY
I knew there would be a lot of beliefs to break down, rearrange, and let go of. I needed to ground with the one thing that mattered, that keeps us all going, that provides us everything we know and love, and all the beauty we see. I wanted to enmesh with Mother Earth, maybe it’s my Taurus rising, or maybe the local Texas hikes were not sufficient. I knew she would have the wisdom and guidance I needed, combined with my inner guidance from my highest self. Most of my adult life I had been known as an attorney, something I no longer resonated with. I was controlling, I would later discover, something that was necessary to be a talented lawyer. But besides this identity, who was I truly? Shedding was needed and I would slither through this trip like my life depended upon it. Before my trip, I was told to journal, which I am forever grateful for. The pages I have today spill over in the releasing and shedding I did.
INTENTION 4:
CONNECT WITH STRANGERS/HUMANITY
You can do all the healing you want on your own, but until you implement the learning and growth amongst others, you are only doing half the work. My previous roadtrips had led me to strangers that would tell stories & have recommendations of where to explore. But, I was never fully in the moment while working full-time on the road. And I didn’t have the time to wander as much as I wanted or was recommended. This time around, I was a free bird, and I was choosing to be intentional with my time. You cannot understand a place without understanding its people. So beyond connecting to Mother Earth and myself, my intention was to seek out the locals. Since I would be camping and hiking a lot, I knew that going into towns and favorite local spots would be vital. Since I did not have plans on where to go during my trip, strangers would be my roadmap.
INTENTION 5:
SURRENDER TO THE UNIVERSE
My previous road trips, I always connected to other people that would ask me if I had been to certain spots. I decided to surrender to the Universe. This was an intentional practice to come from my masculine lifestyle as an attorney, and to transition into my feminine energy, aka flowing. Trusting I would be guided to the right people and places was my only plan. As my trip came closer, I found myself very connected to Source and receiving multiple confirmations that I was on the right path. To deeply connect with Gaia, my plan was to tent camp as much as possible and with little cost as possible.
Apps such a iOverlander, HipCamp, and The Dyrt helped me find the free spots while I was on the road. I also used a book called Southwest Hot Springs and Pools to guide me to water. Water has always been a cleansing source, physically and spiritually, for me. Super important when camping for days or weeks on end. I put all my things in my 4runner and in a roofbox I bought for cheap. I installed an awning for shade and packed mace/pepper spray for protection (which still remains in its plastic today). For weeks leading up to my trip, the question I was asked the most was, “aren’t you scared?” and “do you have [insert protection mechanism here]?” Honestly, I didn’t, and I did not plan to have any besides the aforementioned encased mace/pepper spray.
Well…I had my dogs, and I would be the final boss if need be. Partly my Aries, but if I am meant to go out a certain way, there is nothing I am going to do to protect myself. Of course, I will fight for my life or beg a bear to cuddle me, but otherwise—isn’t our destiny already agreed to? Debatable I am sure, but something inside of me makes me believe it true. That ‘something’ is my claircognizance, something we all have and have been told is what makes us ‘crazy’. The fact that SquareSpace spellcheck doesn’t even recognize that word is proof of this. The fact that I double, triple, quadruple checked the spelling is the trauma from society telling us we are crazy.
Lesson: trust your intuition, it’s where the beauty of life unfolds in ways you could never imagine.
*photos above are from Big Bend State Park