We are all familiar with the concept that a catalyst is a person or event that brings great change. That is, in fact, the definition of the word catalyst. We often don’t realise at the time that this is what is going on. We deal with the event, situation or person and move on. It’s only when we look back that we can see how that one thing acted as a domino causing major change in our lives, one way or another.

For me the catalyst for major change in my life was literally a bang on the head seven years ago. It didn’t even seem like a particularly big event at the time, but the change it has caused in my life has been massive.

The accident

It was a skiing accident that caused all this change. I was gliding along, at about the speed of a gentle jog, when I caught an edge (i.e. my ski dug in a bit more than it should have) and I flicked back, whacking my head on the ground. Luckily I was wearing a helmet. My son was right behind me and said it didn’t look like a bad fall. I even knew that it wasn’t a bad fall but my head, neck and jaw were all telling a different story.

Recovery was long and slow and involved three months off work, no reading, driving, cooking, shopping, or anything else that required my cognitive abilities at the start. In all it took two years to fully recover and to be able to be back in noisy, bright public spaces without suffering and wanting to run away and hide.

But that was just the start.

What I realised

During that time of recovery I realised what a negative space I had sunk into so I came out of that recovery determined to get my old positive outlook on life back.

I started watching video’s on nutrition and brain health, which lead to video’s on sound healing. Then Abraham Hicks video’s started popping up. I ignored them for a while, and then watched one but turned it off shortly into it because I didn’t understand why there was a woman speaking when it clearly said Abraham in the title! Luckily I eventually watched another one, and then I couldn’t get enough of them.

Another world opened up

Then I discovered I was connected to the Angelic realm - right in the middle of Lion’s Gate, which I now know is prime time for these sorts of revelations and awakenings.

At first it was exciting, having this amazing connection, and a whole new world opened up for me. But then it wasn’t. 18 months of surviving on just 3 hours of broken sleep a night took its toll. I didn’t know what was going on. Everywhere I sought help seemed to be barred. My husband just wanted it all to go away. He didn’t like this new part of me and didn’t understand that I couldn’t turn it off.

I dropped into what’s called the Dark Night of the Soul - a time of immense difficulty, desolation, despair and loss of all joy in life. I could go into a long description of what the Dark Night of the Soul is, but it’s probably best if you read this article by Loner Wolf which accurately describes what it’s like for those of us that have gone through it.

Suffice to say my whole reason for being was brought into question, and I’ve had to do a tremendous amount of inner work to rebuild myself, shedding the old unhelpful beliefs and habits along the way.

Taking back control

Part of the process involved taking back control. I started with my health. I needed to get some energy back. I received countless sessions of Reiki (which I still receive weekly), Neuro Emotional Technique and Acupuncture. The acupuncturist was seriously concerned because she couldn’t find any energy or vitality in me at all to begin with. She thought there was something seriously medically wrong. Each week I’d go back and the energy would have dropped away again, so it was a long slow climb back to having even a little bit of energy.

I also finally found someone who could help me with the spiritual aspects that I was trying to come to grips with. I saw him weekly at first, then monthly, then spaced it out a bit more until I felt I had more of a handle on things.

The importance of boundaries

Through my own inner work I discovered I had no boundaries in either my physical life or my non-physical life, and believe me, if you don’t have boundaries in your physical life that’s definitely reflected in your non-physical life - and not in a good way. So I had to learn to put boundaries in place, to say no to some things, and release people from my life that drained my energy.

I realised I was spinning my wheels at work, not really enjoying it, not doing what I was good at and really just stuck on a treadmill. So I retrained as a life coach and launched my own business.

Burnout

At the beginning of this year, I realised I was on the verge of burnout so I put my life on hold (literally) and retreated to the country where it took me 4 months to recover enough to head back in to the real world again. But the country has my heart and is better for my soul so I’m going to stay here rather than return to the city.

And through all of the seven years of turmoil, my relationship with my husband was faltering, and we are now amicably parting company and heading in different directions.

All of that from one little bang on the head.

Feathers, bricks and trucks

The point here is that we don’t know what’s ahead and things can seem completely unrelated, but when you reflect back on your life you can pinpoint times, events or people that have had a huge impact and changed the course of your life.

It’s not by accident that these events occur. They say that the Universe gives you a nudge with a feather first. If you don’t get that message, it hits you with a brick. And if you fail to receive that message it takes you out with a truck. In other words the messages get louder and clearer until you pay attention.

Clearly I wasn’t paying any attention to any of the nudges and in the end got hit with the truck. Not the easiest option to have chosen, unfortunately, but it has definitely brought great change and learning with it.

So, if your heart is calling for something different and there are areas of challenge or difficulty cropping up in your life, pay attention! This is the feather nudge stage. Just know that the nudges will get stronger and louder until you do something about it, so I suggest you do something now rather than waiting for the brick. Or the truck.

If you like challenges, though, maybe the truck would suit you best. I’ll leave it to you to decide.

Karen