Adversity and the Send Button

Stephen Hopson of Adversity University sent an email yesterday tagging me for his new tagging experiment called “Secrets of Dealing with Adversity." I love this synchronicity. I've been thinking about learning how to tag and link my blog to other sites for the past few weeks. I even had to e-mail Stephen and ask how to tag someone! How embarrassing. So, let's see how this experiment goes for me too.

Overcoming adversity has been the name of the game for the past five years. When my soul catapulted me onto the path of the hero's journey in 2002 with the knowing I'd write a book about group reincarnation and rock music, I had no idea of the adversity I'd face along the way. Thank heavens I was clueless, because if I'd known what I would have to confront, you would have found me hiding under my bed with my feet peeking out, kind of like when Dorothy's house squashes the Wicked Witch of the East. (That scene freaked me out as a child when her legs curled up and disappeared. Creepy!)

Perhaps the most challenging moment during my journey came in August of 2005. Cheap Trick, the band that was the catalyst for my spiritual awakening, was coming to Colorado to open for Alice Cooper. I'd finished the rough draft of my manuscript a year earlier, and wanted desperately to let the guys in Cheap Trick know about it, because the band members and their music were essential characters woven throughout the book. In the manuscript, I take the brave and bold stance that the band and many fans appear to have experienced a traumatic/psychological wound in another lifetime, and that we were brought together through the law of attraction via their music in this lifetime to heal, individually and collectively. But I never had the courage to let the band know. I was waiting for the write (pun intended) time.

The band added a meet and greet to a show in Loveland, CO, which I had tickets for. The pressure was on, because I couldn't possibly meet these guys and shake their hands and feel any sense of integrity if I didn't let them know about the book in advance. What was I supposed to say, "Hi guys, nice to meet you. Guess what? I've written a book about our possible past lives together. Gotta run. Have a nice day." No, I'd have to let them know about the book ahead of time, and decided to send them three sample chapters with an introduction about how and why I wrote the book. That took 25 pages.

The final day came to register for the meet and greet, August 17th, 2005. I had their road manager's e-mail address, and was going to include my long, winding e-mail with my registration. The fear that consumed my mind and body in the weeks leading up to that day are not describable. Absolute terror overwhelmed me, for I knew once the e-mail was sent, I could never turn back. The words I wrote to this rock band that I'd never personally met in this lifetime were so powerful, so incredibly personal and intimate, that my entire being sensed the catalyst this e-mail would be for myself and the band.

On August 17th, my gut was in complete turmoil. I worked on the long e-mail, tweaking, trying to make it perfect, and didn't send it to any of my writer friends for feedback. This was about learning to trust myself. Over and over I read my words, pouring my heart out to these men who didn't even know my name. Over the years, they only saw me standing in a concert among a mass of fans, and I intensely prayed that they'd understand what I was trying to say. Group reincarnation isn't a joke, but a significant phenomenon for our souls. We are drawn together so that great healing can take place. One of the sample chapters illustrated this concept about how seeing them in concert helped trigger a release of old, repressed traumatic feelings from Jr. High, and the subsequent healing of of the memories which were trapped in my body for over 25 years.

It was after 5pm, and my kids were yelling for some dinner. I had to send the e-mail. It was good enough. I ran to my Tarot cards, and asked one last time, "What will be the outcome of sending this e-mail?" And the cards encouraged me to go for it. It's amazing how the "Enter" button is such a small button on the keyboard. One doesn't need much strength to touch it and make it work. But every molecule of courage and strength in my body had to be mustered to hit that send button. My heart yelled, "JUST DO IT!" And finally, at 5:26pm, on August 17th, 2005, my message was sent to the band.

Five years ago, I couldn't have hit the send button, but the challenges I faced during my spiritual journey gave me the confidence to know that sometimes we must run the opposite direction of the masses, and stand alone in our beliefs in order to know ourselves at the depths of our being. Against all odds, we hit the send button, and allow fate to take its course. The impact of sending that e-mail, and the ramifications it has had upon my life, could fill another entire book. And it will. I was right; there was no turning back. But by facing my fears, and listening to my heart, I now trust that adversity is not only my friend, but my greatest teacher.

Now, it is my turn to tag some other bloggers! If you want to participate in this tag, read more at Secrets of Dealing with Adversity.

Julie Watson Smith - Inspired Imaginations
Kevin Doherty - Having Health Now
Lana - Get Rejuvenation
Sarah King Feldman - Food Beautiful
Pam Moore - Madame Pamita
Danae Shanti - Prosperity Source
Erin Gonzales - Stampin' Up
Kelly Paull - Slumber Parties
Kathy Mahoney - Cracked at Birth
Nancy Cleary - Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing
Marisa Haedike - Creative Thursday