About a year ago I was taking "The Passion
Test™." I
developed this simple tool some years ago to clarify the things one is most
passionate about.
I discovered long ago that what you put your attention on grows stronger in your
life. Now I take the test every 6 months or so. I've noticed that the
experience of life always clarifies what I'm most passionate about and I get to
see if any new passions are surfacing.
This time, I sat
comfortably, closed my eyes and asked the same question I always ask before
taking the test, "If you could do anything in the whole world-something that
would totally turn you on-what would that something be?"
In simple awareness, not expecting, just open and silent, I
waited for answers to come. They always have in the past.
One of my favorite passages from the Bible is: "Be still
and know that I am God." I know this is where my passions originate when I am
open to listen.
It was no more than 10 minutes when my passions started to
show up, all of them pretty much the same as the last two times I had taken the
test.
Then all of a sudden, something new surfaced, "I would like
to travel the world and interview the enlightened." Immediately a huge
spontaneous grin appeared on my face.
"That's it!" I said. "Of course! How fabulous! Oh yeah!
That's for me!" Of course, I had no clue how I was going to go about doing this
rather outrageous idea. But by now I've learned, one just has to be clear about
what one's passions are, and absolutely committed to living them. The how to
will show up in its own good time.
This time, as soon as I added my newfound passion to my
list, things started to fall into place. Less
than 6 months after I first wrote I travel the world interviewing the
enlightened, I met a wonderful man named Krishna in California. It just so
happened that Krishna's life was all about finding and then visiting all of the
most enlightened Saints on the planet.
When I heard that Krishna made a life out of meeting
Saints, I asked him if he would direct me to the ones in Nepal and India and he
happily agreed.
"The Saints Speak Out"…was born.
Interviews with the
Enlightened
In October and November of 2004 my passion became reality
as I traveled all over India and Nepal meeting and interviewing men and women
considered among the most enlightened in this deeply spiritual part of the
world. I lugged my cameras and equipment to the tops of mountains in the
Himalayas to find some of these amazing individuals, while others met me in the
cities where they were meeting with thousands of devotees.
For the next eleven months I will do a series of articles
summarizing the interviews with the Saints I met during this extraordinary trip.
I look forward to sharing with you their wisdom, along with my own insights and
adventures as I talked with these special beings.
I'll also share some of the lessons about what it means to
live your passions, because that's what this journey was really about for me.
Each of us is special. You have unique gifts to give. It's only when you
follow the call of your heart that you will fulfill the purpose for which you
were placed on this earth. My hope is that my adventures will help you to take
heart and hope to follow your own passions,
wherever they may lead you.
A word to the wise-and my greatest "aha" from the whole
journey: Following your passions, doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges along
the way that are almost too hard to bear. In my case, there were three things I
always said I would never do:
1. travel alone in India
2. travel on trains in India
3. travel with expensive articles in India
On the very first stop in Nepal, I lost my cameraperson
when she became too ill to continue. With a last minute lesson on the use of the
camcorder, off I went, a woman traveling alone through India with expensive
video gear! From Bangalore to Hyderabad to Delhi to Baroda to Thirvanumalai to
Mysore to Mumbai on trains, plains and helicopters.
How do you spell
F-a-c-e y-o-u-r F-E-A-R-S?
As fate would have it, I would be my own cameraperson and
do the best I could under totally unbelievable circumstances, even if it meant
not sleeping a wink on long train rides for fear of having the equipment
pilfered, or being upbeat, professional and collected even through bouts of
bronchitis and Delhi belly.
But you know something? No matter how incredibly
challenging some parts of the journey became, my enthusiasm to complete the
project never waned. The love for what I was doing far outweighed any hardships
that I experienced. There was some kind of emotional adrenalin. I attribute that
to the glory of living your passions. You will always know you are aligned with
your passions when you feel that inner drive which simply won't allow you to
stop for anything.
Bringing Light to the World Situation
In hindsight, it was the most amazing trip I have ever
taken. Sure, there are a few things I wish I could have done differently, but
under the circumstances, I am thankful to God that I did it at all-and came home
safe with what I got!
I’ve been concerned about the state of the world and the
fact we are in a very delicate time. I felt the knowledge the enlightened have
to share might bring some light to the present world situation. I thought it
might provide clues for creating a more peaceful future.
Though I felt most likely they would be in consensus about
what is going on and that their enlightened remedies might also prove to be
similar, I felt that if readers were exposed to the truths offered by these
Saints, it could only bring a ray of sunlight to the storm clouds dancing at the
edge of the horizon.
Over the coming months, I invite you to share my passion
and travel with me into the hearts and minds of the enlightened on a journey to
greater understanding and compassionate wisdom for our planet. In the process,
I hope you will learn some valuable lessons for pursuing your own dreams and
living the extraordinary life you were put
here to live.