Everything is as it should be.
“Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius is based on this philosophy, and I often whisper these words as a mantra when life seems confusing or frustrating.
Everything is as it should be.
Controlling an outcome is futile, but human nature is forgetful, so again and again, we find ourselves contorting and pushing to reach a desired conclusion — when letting go and trusting the unknown is perhaps the best course of action.
We’ve all experienced serendipitous events that seem too bizarre to explain as a mere coincidence. In fact, over the past week, a number of ironic encounters and synchronous moments reminded me that a force bigger than myself is steering the ship.
Several summers ago, I moved through a spiritual metamorphosis, and this wasn’t the first time. Throughout my life, there have been periods where I shed stagnant, unproductive thoughts and beliefs in order to dive deeper into my faith and the meaning of our existence on earth. It involves a lot of reading, praying, meditating, journaling and quiet time. When I was in the middle of this most recent evolution, I dug into the topic of universal laws, which are spiritual and metaphysical practices that help guide us toward the next right thing.
The total list of 12 includes the law of divine oneness, the law of vibration, the law of action, the law of correspondence, the law of cause and effect, the law of compensation, the law of attraction, the law of perpetual transmutation of energy, the law of relativity, the law of polarity, the law of rhythm and the law of gender.
There’s an abundance of podcasts and books on these laws, so I won’t spend time explaining them here, but I have my favorites such as the law of divine oneness (we’re all connected) the law of vibration (we’re drawn to people and experiences on the same frequency, and we have the power to increase our frequency at any moment), and the classic law of attraction (positive attracts positive while negative attracts negative).
I’ve learned that being open to and aware of these laws is the first step in allowing them to influence your life. When I try to resist the natural flow of things, even if I’m not quite getting my way, I feel more stressed and tense than when I go with the flow. Feeling stuck is another indicator that I’m trying to bend things to my will instead of being open and curious to the myriad possibilities.
I’ve mentioned in previous columns that my older son is currently being recruited to run in college, and it’s a huge decision that will affect his life trajectory in significant ways. He and I have both discovered that keeping an open mind and taking the time needed for reflection have been helpful. Even though we went into the experience with preconceived notions and desired outcomes, we quickly realized that was only going to cause stress and possibly regret.
Similarly, I’ve been reminded lately that human relationships are hard, but sometimes the beauty is in the mess. It’s only through struggle that we heal, grow and discover our deepest vulnerabilities and triggers, and it’s from these dark places that we learn where the work needs to be done. As Rumi said, “It’s through the wound where the light enters you.”
This back-to-school season brings monumental “first days.” We have two kids starting their senior year in high school, another starting his freshman year in high school, a fourth starting his sophomore year in college, and a fifth who for the first time since she was a small girl, won’t have a first day of school at all since she graduated college last spring.
I know the kiddos in this household will grow and change tremendously over this next year. Decisions about colleges will be made and as their parents, we’ll help them navigate their paths, trust in their inner guides, stay curious and not force outcomes. I’m working hard to embrace the wisdom of uncertainty. Instead of fearing the unknown, I’m allowing life to be a wonder and a gift, a treasure trove of infinite possibilities.
And I keep reminding myself, everything is as it should be.
(Susanna Shetley is writer and editor who lives in Waynesville. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)