by Lynda Worthington, SoulHeart Message advocate
Have you ever had someone look at the palm of your right hand and say, “Wow! You have a long lifeline!” Most often the response is, “I do? I didn’t know that.” Your lifeline is supposed to be an indicator of longevity and a predictor of events occurring during your life’s journey. Whether or not you believe in this form of fortune-telling, there is a sure way to know what your life’s path, a.k.a. your lifeline, is and what you need to do to follow it.
Your lifeline is your true life path, the road you were born to follow, and the divine purpose of your existence upon this earth. In yoga, it is called Namaste, (nom-eh-stay). Your lifeline resides deep inside you—it speaks to your soul. It whispers to your mind and heart of what you are truly meant to be, what talents you have, and how you should be using them. Your lifeline is your “calling” or “mission” in life or what you’ve always wanted to be or do since you were a little child. It is a secret “wish of your heart” or a sincere desire to change the world for the better if there were nothing standing in your way. Ponder and meditate on what your lifeline is and ask yourself, “Am I following my lifeline?”
Knowing whether or not you are following your true lifeline can be confusing when there are so many worthy pursuits to consider and voices that beg for your attention. You will know you are pursuing the right path when you have an accompanying feeling of calm or peace, when you feel happy and joyful, when you feel humble and grateful, when you feel confident and empowered, when you feel driven and focused, when you feel excited and full of energy, when you feel uplifted and strengthened, when you feel positive and enlightened, when you feel forgiving and merciful, when you feel kind and compassionate, when you feel loving and warm-hearted, when you feel prompted and guided, and when you feel united and one with God and the universe. You have respect for yourself, for others, and for all of life everywhere.
You are not following your true lifeline if you feel the opposite, or have any negative feelings, or if your mind is clouded and dark. In life, you are either moving in the direction of your life’s purpose, or you are moving away from it. You are either stuck in the mire of repeating the same lessons over and over or you finally get it and pull yourself out. The sooner you realize that you have the power to design your life, on purpose, the sooner you will find and stay on your true life’s path. Rather than waiting for your circumstances to change or to just keep bumping along until life smacks you in the face, why not start living your divine purpose right now? Why not find and then follow your lifeline every day?
Let me share with you an experience I had during an empowerment training class. We were taken to an unfamiliar place in the woods, then blind-folded, and one-by-one were led to a starting point where our hands were placed on a string that was tied on one end to a tree trunk and on the other end was spanning across into the unknown. We were told to follow the string, or to “follow the lifeline”, wherever it led and not let go for any reason. We were told that we would be safe if we didn’t let go. We were also told that there was no need to fear, and trust that everything would turn out all right. We were not allowed to speak or ask questions, just trust and follow. We were told that somewhere along the way, we would be given a gift, and we were supposed to protect it and take it with us along our journey.
When we got to the end, we were supposed to reach out with one hand while still holding onto the string and someone would come to get us and take us to a place of safety. There we would wait until it was time to take off the blind-fold. I was confident that I would easily reach the end without a hitch. I was about to learn a great lesson—one that I never would have understood had I not participated in this exercise. I eagerly awaited my turn to begin the journey. I grew impatient and began thinking that it was taking too long before someone would come to place my hands on the string and let me get started. I thought,
“Why isn’t anyone coming? Wearing this blind-fold too long will give me a headache for sure. It’s messing up my hair and makeup! What’s that strange smell? Are there wild skunks around here? I just heard a cow mooing. Is there a farm nearby? I hope they don’t make us walk into a cow pasture. I don’t want to accidently step on some … you know what. Yuk!! They are probably coming to get me any minute now. If they just let me get started, I will breeze through this with flying colors. I know how to follow directions so I shouldn’t have any problems at all. We’re wasting time and it is getting near sundown. I don’t want to do this in the dark! Why isn’t ANYONE coming?!!”
Just then, without a word, a man took my hand and led me to the starting point where he placed both of my hands on the string. He whispered softly into my ear saying, “Follow your lifeline.” I tentatively set out, step by step, slipping the string through my hands as I inched my way along. The string went up, down, under, over, and around several trees, bushes, and rocks. I soon found myself squeezing through tight places and scratchy branches, crawling under tunnels and fences, and climbing up over tree trunks and rocks. I could tell I was getting rather dirty hands and knees and really messed up hair. “Oh well, who am I trying to impress anyway?” I thought. Halfway into my journey, I met a woman who stopped me, handed me a fresh raw egg, and whispered, “This is the gift you were told you would receive. It represents the most precious thing you have been given. You must take it with you and protect it above everything else.”
Immediately, I thought of my children and how precious they are to me. Of course, I would do anything to protect my children from harm, so it seemed appropriate to have my egg represent my precious children. I had no pockets to place my egg in, so I had to carry it in one hand while holding onto the string with the other. I needed to keep switching hands while I navigated through the obstacles and still be able to protect my egg. I was going along fairly well until I came upon another lady in my group who had completely stopped following the lifeline. At first, I wondered if it was a test, then as I listened, even though none of us were allowed to speak, I could hear obvious sounds of frustration coming from her. There were no words, just sighs, harrumphs, growls, and whimpers. I felt compassion for her and decided to figure out what was keeping her from continuing on. I felt around her to see where the string was going. It was heading over a tall wooden fence that was next to a very wide tree and continuing forward beyond my reach. I had now discovered my fellow traveler’s problem. How were we supposed to get over this tall fence and continue following the lifeline? Neither one of us had the agility to swing our legs up over a six foot fence and try to hoist ourselves over it. I kept feeling around to see if there was another way. As I was moving around, I felt something hit my ankle. It was another lifeline! I figured that it must have double-backed on itself and came down low underneath the fence. Surely, that was what we were supposed to do—go underneath the fence, not over it! I was so proud of myself.
I took the hand of my frustrated friend, put it on the lifeline down below, and tried to get her to follow me under the fence. She began following me so I thought that I had done my duty to help someone else and now it was time for me to continue on my way. I felt pressed for time since so much was lost being a “Good Samaritan” and hurried along. I finally reached the end, held out my hand confidently, and waited to be taken to the resting place.
A woman took my hand, but instead of leading me to a place of safety, she simply whispered into my ear, “You are at the beginning again. How does this show up in your life?” I was dumbfounded! The beginning, the starting place? How could I be at the starting place? I followed the lifeline, and held on to it even when I needed to hold on to my egg as well! I helped a fellow-traveler and.…oh, that’s where I messed up. I let go of the lifeline! I thought I was soooo smart! I thought I knew better instead of just trusting that there would be a way to follow the lifeline and not have to let go of it. The woman continued, “What do you need to do now?” I said, “Follow the lifeline!” She asked, “Which way does it lead you?” I pointed in the direction of the string. She said, “Just follow the lifeline; trust where it leads you.”
So I began again, embarrassed that I had to start over. I felt that I was probably going to be the last one who made it out of this maze. How could I have been so stupid? I KNEW that I wasn’t supposed to let go, and yet I did! Why did I do that? Why did I let go? I thought I was helping someone. I thought I knew the right way. “Oh, no!” I thought. “Did I cause her to lose her way too? Did she have to start all over again like me?” I felt terrible. I was worried that my example caused someone else to lose their way. I suddenly remembered the woman at the starting place asking me how this shows up in my life. Then, without warning, my mind was flooded with all the times in my life when I had been a bad example to friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and to loved ones, even to….my children!!! I thought of all the times when I let go of my life’s purpose, let my puffed-up ego get in the way, and allow myself to be deceived into thinking I was on the right path, only to find that I was right back where I started! My life was littered with broken hearts and strained relationships! “When am I EVER going to learn?” I thought. “I can’t keep going around and around on this endless merry-go-round!”
I arrived at the place where I had met the frustrated lady, but she was gone now. I knew this must have been where I deceived myself by letting my ego rule, instead of holding true to the lifeline. I felt around to see if I could determine where the string led after it went over the fence. I held on while I pulled in every direction searching for another way over or around it. I felt along the edge of the fence. On the left was a dead end, the wide tree trunk, but on the right it just seemed like an endless fence stretching far into the distance. I thought there must be a break in it somewhere. Finally, I found a spot, way over to the right, where I could easily climb up over the fence while still holding on to the stretched lifeline. From there, the rest of the journey was a piece of cake. I quickly finished the course and arrived at the end where I was greeted with a huge hug and the words, “You made it! I just knew you would! Well done!”
I felt overcome with emotion. I felt grateful to finally complete the journey, humbled to know that I’m not as smart as I think I am, foolish to have allowed my ego to take over, worried about the other person I may have confused, relieved to know that she found the break in the fence on her own and came through just fine, and blessed to find that I kept my precious egg safe without the slightest injury.
There are many conclusions that can be drawn here, and we could explore many layers, but the point I am trying to make in this article is that you must follow your lifeline wherever it leads. However frightening and treacherous, however boring and tedious, however thrilling and exciting, however irritating and annoying, or however happy and joyful your path turns out to be, don’t ever, EVER let go of your lifeline! Trust it and you will be led to a place of safety, peace, and rest. Then at the end of your life’s journey you will be able to say within yourself, “You made it! I just knew you would! Well done!”
