The Galaxy Traveler’s Guide to the Spiritual Speedway

“I want to quit!” He tells me. “I want to shut down the office, close down the accounts, un-social my media, tweet my last tweet and post my last post. I’m moving to Thailand and sell herbs from a bicycle basket.  I’ll go back to selling floor tiles. I was good at that. I could look at a finished floor and know I had accomplished something.”  My poor friend is on the downside of the spiritual cycle and believes he’s the only one on the racetrack.

I know he’s one of hundreds…thousands, to experience this.  So many people have shared with me the doubts around their calling over the last year that I couldn’t help but notice a common cycle (the Universe knows how slow I can be). Luckily, the fumes have cleared and it’s all become quite clear…

The Speedway

The ride usually begins with an epiphany, a spiritual awakening, a soul-extracting event that zaps you out of the mediocre life you were living into the glory of what you are meant to do. This isn’t a bucket list notation or a late night hobby we’re talking about. Oh no, this is your calling, your mission and there is no ignoring it. Your vision is now priority one; above the nine-to-five job, above your fears, above the bloody laundry.

You turn over the engine and put it in drive and the road opens up before you. There’s not a road hazard in sight. Full speed ahead BABY!!  Who cares if you’ve never driven more than 75 MPH, cornered turns this tight or negotiated multiple barriers at light speed. Who cares if you’ve never been on a radio show, written more than a college paper, coached someone other than your parrot. You’ve suddenly got the energy and drive to do whatever it takes, as often as you need to, for as long as you suck air. The road grows to six lanes now; the sun beams over you. There’s not a barrier you can’t jump. You can almost see the crowd you’re going to serve, waving and cheering you from the stands.

Because that’s what this is all about. The Spiritual Speedway is about serving others, serving a higher good, serving your life purpose, serving your soul, serving God.  Concerns over money, your office, your title, your work attire are now second to YOUR CALLING.

Is that a jump ahead because it feels like you’re ready to fly? You never knew anything could be this freakin’ smooth…and fun.  Everything is flowing. The birds are singing, the clouds are dancing, and the very earth is trembling to your vibe. You barely have to make a request and BLAM!  It’s there. People are crawling out of your bloody email inbox, for fate’s sake.  You can’t help but ask, “How far is this is going to go? Just how BIG is big?” Are you limiting yourself, your reach, your very Universal potential? Words like expert, guru and goddess and the O word (Oprah) are suddenly popping into your big bodacious dream.

The Stall Out

Is that a 2,002 ft tall cinderblock wall up ahead?  Holy Ghosts, the road is falling into a quicksand pit on the left and there’s a gargantuan dragon climbing over the fire wall on the right! You swerve to one side, over-correct the other way, slam the brakes, laying rubber for a whole lap as you negotiate the hazards in an effort to regain control of this unexpected spin out.

The fog settles in; so thick it’s like using headlights to cut cotton. Which direction are you even headed in? You could be going backwards for all you know. What is this? Everything was going so well, everything was so clear and obvious. Are you even on the track anymore? You could be heading for North Dakota?  Where are the emails, the requests, the appointments, the opportunities… the bloody validation?!?! Where are the cheering crowds? The only thing you see in the grandstands now are some loose flyers from your last event.

Is that the pit stop up ahead? Oh thank you Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Ganesha, Mother Mary and St. Nick!!

You steer your tattered car; flat tires flapping, engine sputtering, and smoking exhaust pipe towards something that looks remarkably like a cave with a Serta mattress for a floor. As you slam your entire life into park you become certain you were never meant to do this work, you were crazy to even try, and you defiantly know you were never asked to fight a fire breathing dragon with a touring car when you were selling floor tiles.

This…oh Lord…surely this is not what I was meant to do.  You grab the key, ready to shut the whole shebang down when….

The Recharge

What’s this? Out of the fog and smoking fumes someone has slipped you a note through the window net. It’s an email that reads: “Dude! I’ve never seen a racecar take on a dragon while it was being sucked into a pit of acidic quicksand. SOOO rad man!! I know now I was always meant to be a racecar driver. I’m ready to live my life. See you on the track!!”

Could it….could it possibly be…?

“Phone call for you, Obi-Spiritual Kenobi” someone says, sneaking your cell through the mesh. Some jubilant woman screams from the other end, “I just saw your YouTube video blog. Brilliant!! We’d like to schedule an interview.”

Why yes, I believe this is….

Off in the distance you hear a slow cadence growing to a roar, “OBSK! OBSK! OBSK!”  It’s coming from the grandstands.

….schweet VALIDATION!!!

The fog gives way, your car revs with new life. The track is becoming clear again. It wasn’t a cave you pulled into, just a pit stop and, lo-and-behold, you’ve got a pit crew. “It’s all Nut and Bolted!” screams the crew captain, signaling for you to buckle down. She’s dressed in light and sparklers and luminosity. That’s one seriously odd jumpsuit but whatever… you’ve got bigger things to focus on, like the twelve lane track calling your name.

“Take this!” yells your crew captain, handing you a fire extinguisher, “It works wonders against the dragon.”  She winks, and gives the hood three hard knocks, “See you in a few laps! Go…go…GOOOO!”

And just like that, you’re back on the speedway.  You never knew anything could be this freakin’ smooth…and fun. Full speed ahead, BABY!!!

See you on the track.