Mystical Encounters & Being In Wonder

Welcome to the joyful journey podcast. If

you're uncertain about what you really want or unsure how to be

a force or good you know this world craves, then this is the

show for you. I'm Anita Adams, your host and guide to finding

clarity and creating a life you love. Let's tap into our inner

wisdom, access our highest self and unleash joy. As we raise our

vibration we heighten the collective consciousness and

that my friends, is the joyful journey. Let's dive in. Hey,

joyful journey errs I need to Adams here your host of the

joyful journey podcast. Before we get into the theme of today's

show, I want to shout out to TM mentee for the iTunes review who

says I need a thank you for sharing your personal stories

and for encouraging others to find a joyful life. Your insight

and wisdom is inspirational and motivating for others trying to

find their authentic self passion and purpose in life. TM

mentee, thank you for taking the time to listen to the show, and

to leave your review and to all the others who are doing the

same. It truly truly means a lot to me. And with that, on this

episode, I want to share another personal story. And this time,

it's about a mystical encounter. Have you ever had a mystical

encounter, perhaps something that made you look at the world

a little different, or made you feel part of something much

bigger or greater than yourself? I've had a number of such

encounters. And the one I want to share with you today has

forever changed the way I look at and interact in the world

around me. In the summer of 2016 My family went on a week long

kayaking trip into Clicquot sound, which is just outside of

Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This trip was

full of the most wonderful wildlife sightings, not 20

minutes after leaving the beach in Tofino, we found ourselves

paddling next to a giant humpback whale bigger than a

school bus. We were a bit too close for comfort. So we quickly

put our backs into the paddle to put some distance between us and

this creatures feeding zone. Throughout the trip, whale

sightings were frequent. Orcas graze humpbacks. We also saw sea

lions, sea otters, seals and a variety of bird life too

numerous to count. The most magical wildlife sighting of all

though, was on day five, and I remember it like it was

yesterday. We are count on a white sand beach on the southern

tip of Flores Island. And we are the only humans to be seen. It's

a chilly morning with the fog sitting heavily all around our

camp. My husband and son are building a small fire and I'm

huddling over the stove, preparing our coffee when my

daughter pokes her head out of the tent and breathlessly

whispers Wolf, look up just as a massive canine steps out of the

mist barely 50 feet from us. This magnificent creatures stops

and our eyes lock. Then another wolf emerges from the fog, then

another and another.

We are all transfixed my little family of four staring at what

appears to be another family of four looking back at us with

curious interest, one family to another together as one sharing

a moment. Time stands still in our tiny bubble that is engulfed

in a blanket of fog blocking out all sounds and sights beyond.

Then as one, the wolves turn and silently disappear behind the

white curtain. And we are left feeling as if we were touched by

the Divine. There are signposts around the island that tell you

what to do if you come across a wolf accordingly. You're

supposed to throw your arms up, make yourself big and scream.

Fortunately, just the day before this encounter, we met a woman

on the trail from the indigenous community of a Hoosac. She was

the village school principal who had much to say about the wolves

of the island and the ridiculousness of those signs.

The wolves aren't going to harm anyone. She explained, they are

smart, curious spiritual creatures that are revered by my

people. I'm so grateful we met this woman, just the day before

the wolves paid us a visit. For when they appeared, none of us

were frightened or felt compelled to stand up and

scream. I recognize that there are times when the advice given

on those signs would be wise to heed. This just wasn't one of

those times instead, it was a time to be one with the

environment, one with the universe and in harmony with all

things. This was a mystical experience for me. And through

it, I felt a loss of self and found a connection to the whole

of life, even if only for the briefest moment as I sat

transfixed, looking at those beautiful animals that were

looking back at us with such curiosity. In that still moment

of time, I felt a deep connection to something much

bigger. And ever since my spirit has longed to recreate the

experience to feel that mystical energy wrap its arms around me

like a warm embrace. For a long time, I believed you had to wait

for these rare mystical experiences to find you. What

I've discovered though, is the more you look for them, the more

they begin to appear. About two years ago, I started asking the

universe to bring me more mystical encounters. Why not ask

for what you want, right? And I wanted to feel that connection

and that magic that comes with it. Much to my delight, the

universe answered, and those mystical encounters, or what I

interpreted as mystical encounters, begin began to show

up in the tiniest of form, the hummingbird. Hummingbirds were

showing up everywhere I went, sitting on a rocky beat as I ate

my lunch dancing in front of me as I walked through the forest,

hovering by my window as I worked at my desk, following me

as I zipped down the road on my bicycle, for a year, and

throughout the year, hummingbirds were constantly

showing up. And in those visits, I could hear God in the universe

saying hello, and here I am I right in front of you. I see

you. Do you see me?

Oh, each visit of those hummingbirds have been as

mystical as the wolf showing up on that beach, on that cold,

foggy morning. Maybe you think it's just a bird. I choose to

see the divine. I choose to make the ordinary extraordinary. My

forest walks have become another mystical experience for me.

Although I don't feel touched by the Divine every time I step

into the woods, when I go into nature with the intention to

have a mystical experience, though, I usually find it. I

believe it's this intention to experience a connection with the

Divine that actually makes it possible to have those mystical

experiences. Intention alone is not enough though. You must slow

down and take notice. When you slow down to listen to the

birds, to touch the moss on a tree. To see the clouds move

through the sky, to smell the air to notice really notice

everything around you. You will begin to feel a greater

connection to the divine, to the universe and to the whole of

life. A beautiful way of being that enables that connection to

the universe and the whole of life is to be in wonder. Be in

wonder about the trees and how they've grown and how they are

so interconnected to everything in the forest. Be in wonder

about the clouds and how they cling to the mountains, how they

hold and release the rain that feeds the forest. Be in wonder

about the wind and how it makes the trees dance. Be in wonder

with everything around you like a child discovering the world

and those mystical encounters will show up and you'll feel

that connection to something powerful, something that will

move your soul and you'll understand at your core that you

are not alone, that the universe and you are together as one. I

hope you've enjoyed this story. And that it inspires you to step

out into nature more, and to embrace that childlike wonder

that's within you. When you do, you'll find a deeper connection

to the universe and you'll experience a lightness of being

because you'll understand that you are not alone. And there

there is something so much bigger out there that also wants

to embrace you. May your life be filled with many mystical

encounters. Until next time, joyful journeyer Have an awesome

day. Thank you for joining us today on the joyful journey

podcast. If anything resonated with you, please visit our

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raise the collective consciousness