Newsletter Articles written by Tera Thomas
Issue 23
Letting Go of How and Why
by Tera Thomas
A couple of weeks ago I was telling my class that messages come to us from the universe all the time and that if we stop to analyze them and make them logical, we can miss the point. Most times now I recognize when I am in a space of magic and connection and let it fill me in a way that is not analytical, allowing it to infuse me with inspiration and a knowing that I am on the right path.
As an illustration to this point I told a story about a pair of dancing turkeys. Here is the story: A few years ago, I woke up very early to a sound that was completely unfamiliar to me. When I looked out the window there were two very large wild turkeys in my yard. The sun was just coming up’ I was tired; I went back to bed. The turkeys started calling louder and, in my groggy state, I deduced that they were hungry and if I fed them they would go away so I could go back to sleep.
I went outside and threw a handful of corn for the turkeys. They stepped close to me and I had a moment of fear. I had never been close to a wild turkey before and I had no idea they were so large. I backed up and waited for them to eat the corn but they ignored it. They began bobbing their heads and scratching their feet, circling me, flipping their tails, clucking a rhythm in their throats, bending and swaying in a dance that seemed unworldly. Time stood still as the turkeys danced around me. Then, as quickly as the dance began, it ended; the turkeys turned, walked into the woods and disappeared, never to be seen again. Now fully awake, I knew that through the turkeys, Spirit had given me an embrace that touched me to the core and I would never be the same. I could not put into words what that embrace said. Yes, it confirmed to me that I am on the right path, it brought me a thank you from the animal world, and recognition for the work I do. But the message was far deeper than that and it has continued to unfold in my life every day. Here I am writing about it several years later, knowing that something in this story will touch others and inspire them as it inspired me when it happened.
Sometimes I ask myself why I am here on this land, attempting to live out this dream in this stupendously beautiful, and sometimes incredibly challenging reality? So many things in my life led up to this time and place. I can see how one foot in another direction, one small decision changed, could have led me somewhere else entirely. When I see the patterns, the over-view of how I was ultimately led here, I know there are no coincidences and I come back into a place of trust and surrender.
The truth is, I am not always in that space of trust. I have this human need to actually do, to see results. I want to know why things can’t be the way I think they should be, I get stuck because I can’t figure out how to make it work. The job I actually have is not one where I can see results instantly. Instead, I find myself (and this farm) in a space where trust and faith are required every day. And believe me, there are days when that is difficult.
The work of Hummingbird Farm, as well as my own counseling and teaching work, is one of finding the deep intimate space of connection that lives in each of us (human, animal, plant, the earth) and awakening that connection. It is a work of trust, of faith, and the constant renewal of something within us that cannot be seen or touched in a logical way, but can be recognized and felt in the way we live our lives.
It is said that we teach what we most need to learn and I am no exception. I was once told by my guides that I ask for assistance and then say, “oh, never mind I’ll do it myself.” I am constantly relearning how to stay out of my own way, how to allow the universe to move me, to work through me, in absolute perfect timing. My own personal timing is always “right now!” The universe often has other ideas.
I have to trust that even when I can’t see it at work, hearts are opening, understanding is being born, and the world is changing on a core level that one day will make a huge difference. When we are connected to others we begin to feel a kinship with them, a responsibility for their welfare, a love for their being. It is this connection that will take us into a space of true peace and harmony.
My llama, Inka, tells me that when I need to see some quick physical results it’s time to scoop poop or get on the tractor and mow. When I want to see life-changing results it’s time to open my heart and allow something greater than me to work. Here’s what I know—when I keep asking why and how, I end up feeling frustrated and helpless. When I am in a space of trust and allowing, magic happens.
