At some point in your life, you likely had the draw to find your sense of purpose or remove the masks you wear to embody your essence. When this spark ignites in your heart, the uncertainty of how and where to begin often follows suit. At first, you may notice your inner critic kicks into overdrive. You begin to scrutinize things about yourself and recognize how extensive this journey will be.

Your overactive mind may even second-guess the credibility of your new awareness. So rather than letting this intimidation consume you, look at your spiritual journey as a 5,000-piece puzzle. When you look at a puzzle of this size and complexity, you appreciate the effort to put the pieces together. You also can imagine the remarkable view into the entire picture when it's complete. That lure is strong, and you know that you need to start somewhere to see the full story in the finished puzzle. Similarly, when you become awakened, the lure to live in alignment with your truth is undeniable. Again, you need to start somewhere.

The Start

Think about the initial steps you take when starting a 5,000-piece puzzle. You may prefer to start with the framework of the puzzle. Then, once the border is complete, you begin to work inward and find pieces that fit in certain areas. Or you may prefer to start in a specific area. Maybe that area focuses on a color or image. And when you complete that area, you move to another section. That next section may be a bit harder. Or you may find you rely on both approaches at the same time. The point here is that there are many different ways to begin a puzzle.

And like a puzzle, there are many different ways to start your healing journey. If you tend to start a puzzle by focusing on the border, you may find you need a strong and safe container to start your healing journey. That could be you exploring healing modalities and practitioners - especially ones that give you a strong sense of grounding. And once you find that, you're ready to do the personal work. Or, if you tend to start a puzzle by diving into a specific area, you may partner with a practitioner through word of mouth. Then you dive into the depths of your being to heal friction or trauma in your life. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, put attention towards your intention to heal and take the first steps in your healing journey.

The Focus

Like most puzzle enthusiasts, you eventually hit a wall when assembling a puzzle. You grow restless when you have difficulty finding the right pieces to fit in your working area. So you focus on a different section of the puzzle with hopes of further progression. But you find yourself getting the same fruitless result. You begin to lose focus. Finally, you hit a wall when you lose all interest in the puzzle. This expression may also apply to the walls you encounter as you travel your healing path.

Let's apply this to one's healing journey. Along your healing journey, you get to the crux of your anger issues. You feel empowered as you heal this rooted imbalance in your life. And you continue to travel along your path. Then life happens, and it triggers heavy feelings of stress and anxiety. These feelings slow you in your tracks and expose a new imbalance in your psyche. And through your healing processes, you see stress and anxiety as unresolved anger issues wearing a different costume. And like a puzzle, you may feel you're getting the same fruitless result. You may hit a wall and lose interest in traveling along your healing journey.

While tracking your healing journey, it's natural to lose focus of your intention as your attention becomes distracted. Yet, each distraction holds a lesson or teaching for you. And when you have a beginner's mind, you evolve and grow, allowing you to become more whole.

The Integration

Do you get tired of searching for 'the' right puzzle piece? When you step away and take a rest, you allow your energy to reorganize. During this reorg, your body moves out of the searching pattern and moves into being present. And when you return to the puzzle – you have fresh eyes and a fresh start.

Similarly, when you travel along your healing path, you need to periodically step away from the work and allow the new insights and guidance to process and further integrate. So again, it's imperative to allow time for integration. These moments of pause are for you to embody the intelligence you accessed. And this embodiment deepens your learning. And once that integration feels complete, you'll know when to return to your healing journey with a more affluent mindset.

In both instances, you reorganize and further integrate when you step away from finding 'the' puzzle piece or allow time to process insights discovered on your healing journey. And when you return to the puzzle or your healing path - you find the journey easier. You notice things
start to come together effortlessly. When you reengage in the puzzle, you find pieces to bridge the gap between two completed sections. And when you return to your healing journey, you feel a stronger connection between your inner world and your outer world.

The Continuation

Like any 5,000-piece puzzle, there's a sense of accomplishment when intention comes to fruition. That sense of accomplishment happens when you put in the final piece of a complex puzzle. It also happens when you find deep meaning and purpose in life. You're enticed to do
it all over again. You have the newfound energy to start your next 5,000-piece puzzle. Or that energy may be to continue along your path towards awakening and living in alignment with your truth.

You're reenergized to take the next steps to start the process again. Yet this time, you take a different approach. And when you find yourself in a pattern that's not working for you, you step away and return to being. That's when you reorganize and further integrate to continue along your pathway.

Your approach to putting puzzles together and your experience of embodying your essence are unique to you. The tendencies I share here reflect what I see in my client practice as a Depth Hypnosis and Applied Shamanic practitioner. Your healing journey may take you along a different path. And that's perfectly ok. There are many paths towards your healing experience – remember to travel *your* path.