You—yes you—hold the wisdom of a lifetime in your heart.

Like most of us on the planet right now, you probably struggle to bring your wisdom into everyday actions that make a difference. You see the need for dialogue across polarized points of view, yet have trouble knowing what to say. You get frustrated with ranting and he-knows-best tweets.

Above all, you yearn to save this beautiful planet and shift the trajectory of extinction we face. This is where your sacred wisdom comes in.

What’s Your Destiny?

In the traditional view, destiny—known as fate, fortune, serendipity, what’s written in the stars— was foreordained. It suggested a great or noble course or end; it was both unconditional and inevitable.

Your destiny was given to you—by birth, by the gods, by circumstance, class, and origin. You didn’t have much choice. Like Oedipus, who knew the decree and tried to avoid it, but succumbed to his destiny anyway.

Westerners have believed this version of destiny since ancient Greek times: myth, story, and the church reinforced the belief that fate is decreed by gods, priests, oracles—the authorities.

Internal and External Authority

So what’s different now?

We’re in the midst of a cultural transition: away from looking to external authorities (gods, priests, presidents) and towards finding our inner authority, or sovereignty.

You see inner authorityat work when your child creates her own fashion statement day after day. You experience it as an adult when you leave (or are thrown from) a traditional corporate culture into working for yourself and creating your preferred job/work lifestyle. You may experience it in your spiritual practice when you receive direct revelation—such as a message from a tree or guidance from a power animal—as you seek your own path.

Also, we no longer believe in the gods. We’ve noticed that they are not rescuing us. We acknowledge (some of us anyway) that we’ve created our own mess and need to clean it up ourselves. Mommy has moved on.

Who’s In Control?

We don't have control over events. We do, however, have free will and choice in response to events.

We hear about heroes and warriors of the heart every day: the teenager who blocks a school shooter so fewer kids will be killed, the eco-activist who carries standing up for the earth despite constant death threats. They are choosing to draw on their inner authority, no matter the consequences.

Each person’s choices ripple into the fabric of family and friends, offering the rest of us a model of courage. And it gets personal.  A dear friend of mine lost her grandson Taliesen in the Portland when he chose to stand up, along with two others, for young women being harassed and frightened with racist, anti-Muslim attacks. He was murdered. His grieving family chose to emphasize the importance of love in their response:

“We lost him in a senseless act that brought close to home the insidious rift of prejudice and intolerance that is too familiar, too common. He was resolute in his conduct (and) respect of all people,” Taleisin’s sister, Vajra Alaya-Maitreya wrote to The Washington Post on behalf of their family.

“In his final act of bravery, he held true to what he believed is the way forward. He will live in our hearts forever as the just, brave, loving, hilarious and beautiful soul he was. We ask that in honor of his memory, we use this tragedy as an opportunity for reflection and change. We choose love.”

This felt very brave of them, showing the courage of conviction in the face of loss.

For many days I couldn’t imagine filling that hole, that loss of such a beautiful young person. Yet working shamanically has a lot to do with stepping back and forth between worlds, and that’s what I experienced: Feel the grief, let it go, step back into the power of compassion, love, and courage. Do it again.

In this world where change and turmoil are facts of everyday life, every choice makes a difference. Every choice has the potential to feed your inner authority. Every choice can feed your sacred destiny.

What Is Sacred Destiny?

Think of your sacred destiny as a path you walk, making choices along the way.

Think of it as a calling that shows you how to use your gifts for the world.

Think of your sacred destiny as a deep sense of purpose that lights your heart on fire, and that gives you clarity about your role in the transformation of the earth.

Your sacred destiny is not about “knowing” so much as being.

That’s why Taliesen’s example is so important: he stepped up in the moment, gently trying to diffuse a charged situation, being himself. With his act of courage, he inspires the rest of us to step into our own courage more strongly. He inspires us to reflect on our own parts in the great transformation.

This is what heroes and heroines do for us: model behavior that we can aspire to and learn from.

How Do I Discover My Sacred Destiny?

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with my spirit guides about this topic as I prepare to mentor a group of women in illuminating their sacred destinies.

I had my first hint of my own destiny in a dream years ago where I was “walking the Milky Way Path.” It got my attention, I knew it was important, and I had no clue what it meant.

It took years of listening for guidance, asking questions, and paying attention to signs and synchronicities. It required me to find meaning through inquiry and direct revelation. It meant making choices about where to put my energy. For example, I spent several years devoted to leading groups create star despachos ceremonies rather than focusing on my “healing business” as so many out there recommend. Why? Because spirit called me, and I understood the importance of the ceremonies.

Discovering your sacred destiny has to do with being a “hollow bone” or what spiritual teachers refer to as non-dual wisdomandegolessness. You learn to receive without judgment and attachment.

It requires that you recognize your allies and let them nurture and teach you. It involves choice every step of the way.

It is about asking the right questions; having insightful guides you can trust; having the support of a tribe which honors you for who you are and helps you move beyond stuck places by listening and supporting you.

Being on a spiritual path and exploring your sacred destiny can be lonely. It requires trust, courage, and grace.

Here’s how shamanic teacher Martha Lucier describes it:

"A voice within my own heart calls to me. I follow the voice each step on the Soul pathway, even though I don’t really know where it leads, or why I have been called; even though the voices around me, might question, seed doubt or plant fear. I simply answer the calling I hear from deep within.

I surrender myself, my agenda, my expectations, my fears, my doubts, my apprehensions, my judgments. I surrender all of me to become the medicine; the hollow bone."

How Can A Mentor Help You?

I’ve always believed that it’s a waste of time to reinvent the wheel. There are people who have walked the path before you; the trick is finding them.

You want someone you can trust because they have integrity, years of experience, and are not trying to get you to follow in their footsteps or give up your free will.

You don’t want someone who promises enlightenment, the absolute, truth, reality, oneness, Satori, nirvana, or whatever you call the place that is your true home.

A spiritual mentor’s role is to help you recognize your own nature and essence, to help you see the unique beauty and power you carry in the world.

A mentor may transmit knowledge or understanding, but in the context of pointing to what is unfolding and already present in you, your being.

That might mean sharing what worked for them, helping you identify roadblocks, and offering inspiration.

It might mean offering you ways to interpret and explore messages you’ve received.

It might mean reminding you to look for the rhythms, to surrender, and to trust.

It might mean helping you see ways to integrate your skills, wisdom, and dreams.

It certainly means helping you honor your limitations, shadows, and doubts so you can find a way through.

Want to talk? We can help you clarify. Schedule a free 30-minute strategy session.

Meg Beeler—Author, Shamanic Guide, and Spiritual Mentor—helps clients heal soul and spirit, find luminous presence, and move energy to remove blockages through mentoring, training, healing, and ceremony. She is a lifelong explorer of shamanic, animist, and meditative consciousness who practices Earth-centered, nature-based, ancient wisdom ways, and studied Andean mysticism extensively with the Q’ero in Peru. Meg is the creator of Energy Alchemy™ & founder of Earth Caretakers Wisdom School. Author of Weave the Heart of the Universe into Your Life: Aligning with Cosmic Energy, she is a contributing author and photographer to Where the World Begins: Sonoma Mountain Story and Image. Meg lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. megbeeler.com