by Joel L, Western Australia
I have heard the term ‘Responding to the Call’ in a few different settings…..
A leadership group I have been a part of used it; I have heard mainstream religions use it; I have also heard the term used at Universal Medicine. It has been my experience with the latter where I started to truly feel what this is asking of me.
Before Universal Medicine, ‘responding to the call’ meant to do something that someone asked of me from within that group. If an alumni of the leadership group called me, I would be obliged to ‘respond to that call’ because of our shared alumni status, regardless of whether I knew them or not.
But I am learning that these ‘calls’ I used to get from people (often latterly phone calls) are quite different to ‘the call’ that comes from that much deeper place within. Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study. I find it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.
Writing these blogs has been a particularly interesting exploration of this learning.
In moments of stillness I have some insight into what ‘might be’… it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… For me, this is how I experience the call. Not just in writing, but in most things.
Recently, I was reading some of the comments from one of my blogs and thought, ‘I’ve got to write another one’. But this was coming from a neediness within me to replicate what I had done (dare I say recognition played a part). It was not a true call. In that moment, I decided what the flower would be and I wrote and wrote and wrote until I forced it open… and, when I finally stopped – what I read and felt wasn’t nice.
I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun. At the same time, I cannot just ‘leave it to the fate of the universe’, because then I take me out of the equation. There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created. The result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless.
So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
So true ‘it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from neediness within me.’ Simply put and a beautiful reminder and something I was just writing about appreciating that even clearing or throwing things out is responding to the call as it is making way for more space for what is needed to come through.
Learning to be aware of responding to the call from the heart and not from the head calls for an ever deepening connection within.
I love this Joel
‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study.’
There is such a deep space to connect to and just allowing that through is my daily commitment and study. I actually don’t have to do anything but just be and the rest follows naturally. It is so liberating to give up the control I thought I had to have in life. This is another lie we have fallen for, that we constantly have to be doing something to keep ourselves occupied when actually the reverse is true.
For me, responding is to respond to an impulse that the body receives, it’s automatic there is no hesitation, it just is and the something gets done, and then wait for the next impulse. If we second guess or try to own it then we have gone into self, its not about self, as soon as self comes in then the impulse is lost.
“it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…” Life is a constant lesson in simplicity, there is everything to be (instead of everything to do), and we can give space to everyone and everything around us – instead of getting tangled up in it all.
I love your writings, Joel, and this is such a gorgeous sharing of how you do what you do. Not the owner, nor the creator, but the midwife – this actually means that we all equally have something to bring through, and that is the bit we want to shy away from, and wanting to make someone special instead.
Thank you Fumiyo for highlighting again the bit about being the midwife, in that we all have something to bring through that we are all responsible for, whatever it is that is needed for humanity, and whatever it is, it is very precious.
I always love Joel’s blogs, what he shares is always magical in one way or another, and now he has shared more of how he allows that magic to happen.
“So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” This expresses so well the balance between doing it oneself and leaving it to the Universe, neither of which results in magic.
I have had the feeling recently of being a dandelion spore, a feeling of being taken along on the breeze. Not in a weak or defeated way but in a very surrendered way. There are great things for each and every one of us to do, and we reach those things much quicker if we put aside our own small pictures of how things should be, and what it is that we think we should be doing. For a long time I have held a picture of what it was that I envisaged I should be doing, and yet recently I responded to a call to do something that I have previously resisted. And now I am absolutely loving my new job and have never ever felt more purposeful in all my life.
I really enjoyed reading this. It takes all the trying out of life.
It’s a complete fallacy that we have to try to be anything. In fact any amount of trying will actively take us away from who we already are. Who we already are being all we ever need to be and yet with scope to always be more.
Love the analogy of the midwife supporting what is needed without any imposition.
Me too, it is a very accurate and beautiful picture, ‘ I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’
Responding to the call requires us to first unplug ourselves from the disharmonious way we have been living so we can start to reconnect to our essences, so the call comes through load and clear without the reinterpretations of our wayward spirit. Our essence being that Soul-full aspect that has always resided within, and will always be felt as a Harmonious, Loving, Joyous, True aspect of the Love we all are.
Very important sharing Greg, saying no to what is not love and truth, whilst connecting to our essence and allowing that to move us, ‘unplug ourselves from the disharmonious way we have been living so we can start to reconnect to our essences, so the call comes through loud and clear’.
True Lorraine, and adding to what you have shared about Love and the deepening aspect of being Loving as it gives another the space to find there own truth at their own pace and thus no imposition.
“I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.” It’s very true, this is how it is for me also, and responding to the call comes from a settled body with a deep connection to myself. From this place I know I am the everything and it’s a joy to bring through what’s needed. When I’m out of connection I feel like I need something back, recognition etc!
How we live affects our ability to read if it is a true call, and if so to respond to it, ‘responding to the call comes from a settled body with a deep connection to myself.’
You are definitely a great example of somebody who responds to the call.
Agreed Viktoria, and are we all not reflecting the same brotherhood in the most Loving apprenticeship or students, as examples of those who have answered the call!!!
‘if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…’ love this example, it feels like we don’t even really have to do very much…just being present, observing and allowing, the magic happens.
Getting ourselves out of the way whilst being ready to respond to the call is all that is required.
Which in turn keeps it simple, ‘just being present, observing and allowing, the magic happens.’
Joel your sharing is very honest, I appreciate the way you observe yourself to discern where your impulses are coming from. There is no guilt, regret or trying hard just a clear reading about where you are at in any given moment. I can imagine how amazing this society would be if we all would operate in this way in our daily life. Responding to the call from a deeper space inside us.
‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study.’ is a beautiful focus Joel, that lets the magic happen.
Yes Rosanna, I agree with you. This sentence is very profound in itself and takes me to a new and known space where I can also stay to explore myself while offering and learning from what is there to be shared at each time. It’s really beautiful to be available and ready to serve from that deeper place..
Responding to the call can bring up a lot for me. It can sometimes bring a tension within my body but the tension is there to support me to respond to what is needed. The tension exposes a holding back from surrendering to the call within.
A great distinction is raised here. We can do things from our own neediness or from a genuine call, and it’s an exploration and learning as shared here in distinguishing these. The more we’re willing to be honest, the more we can see which is which.
I love that we can be more of a ‘midwife’ to the Magic of God impulsed-moments for Heaven to be experienced right here on Earth.
“when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world”.
An inspiring blog Joel. To truly heed the call (impulse) from within, we first have to ‘get our individual selves out of the way’ and let things unfold in their own true timing. Forcing this for gaining results does not work at all.
“At the same time, I cannot just ‘leave it to the fate of the universe’, because then I take me out of the equation.”
Responding to the call is saying yes to me and the bigger picture in each moment and not having any expectation or attachment in the unfolding.
By our actions (be that our thoughts, what we say or our movements) the majority of us say ‘yes’ to who we are not. But equally we can also say ‘yes’ to who we inherently are by choosing a different quality of thoughts, speech and movements. So at any point in time we are either saying ‘yes’ to who we are in truth or yes to who we are not. The choice is always ours and it’s a moment by moment choice.
Beautiful Joel, for me responding to the call means not knowing the outcome, not trying to steer something a certain way and not necessarily understanding what it is but knowing that it is, which means we are not the creator or the driver we have surrendered our body to naturally align to what is next.
Absolutely Sally, responding to the call means getting myself out of the way, and what I think the outcome needs to be.
Responding to the call first requires listening to the call, and listening to it requires a willingness to see where humanity is at, allow oneself to feel it, recognize it for being less than who we as sentient, sensitive and divine beings are, and from the place of love that we know to be true and the love we feel for people we rightfully need to reject it for the lie and harm it is and does to people, then we can truthfully respond to the call with and from the love that is the one truth for all.
A great point and comment Alex when listening to the call it is important, to feel where humanity are, and what they are asking for.
This was good to read and to be discerning as to how and why I respond to certain things ‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study. I find it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me’ and that there is no rush or impatience with this.
This is magical to be aware of .. just what it is your response is to what is front of, knowing that how will your response be if it includes all of humanity and the universe. It opens up the state of play to not just your ‘lunchbox playground” and brings purpose. Small or big if it is a moment of being in response either going deeper or confirming what is already there I reckon is a great start to responding to the Call.
Your blog Joel is leaving me pondering on how much we either try and control life, or get trapped in the blame, unfairness or victim role that is so easy to get caught in.
Yes it also left me pondering about the beauty of daily study that Joel expressed and how I could embrace this more.
Well said Vicky for that daily reflection of assimilating what we have learned is really important for our health and well-being.
The call, ie. what is called for (by humanity) may not even be in the awareness of the ones making the call, they may even argue that they don´t relate to it, dislike it or resist the response that offers them everything they deep down wish for but deny to know for themselves. Responding to the call may not be appreciated by those who have put out the call and actually are in need of a true answer/reply. That´s when the messenger is ‘killed’ in order to ignore the message.
I really appreciate this idea that we are the midwife of what is needed in any given moment as it takes the need for ownership out of the equation. It ensures we are working to a common purpose.
“not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. ” when self gets out of the way, what we can birth forth can be truly inspiring for all humanity.
“being neither the controller nor the victim of life”, it is more of a surrender within ourselves, humble and true, no big parties but joyfuly being the midwife.
I love your last sentence Joel, how we can’t own anything and yet we are witness and apart of the birthing of the next moment. Here we are totally surrendering to the fact that we are a vessel for the magic to come through. Something we can not own or control.
We are taught to value recognition from young so it is no wonder that this is what we strive for whilst dismissing what is true which comes from within.
There is a deep Humble-Appreciative-ness in what you have presented Joel and so many can take a leaf out of that book!
Thanks Joel, that things have to been given the time is a good one to learn, but also not use it as an excuse to not do what is needed. I guess feeling is the key here, to go within and feel.
It feels like there are two types of calls. One that is calling us to be individual, conforming to life and its demands and another that calls us to be grander, more of who we truly are, and responsive to the fact that everyone is this grandness also.
When responding to ‘the call’, as you share Joel “being neither the controller nor the victim of life”, is heavenly.
Yes I feel this is an expression that is vital for physical and mental health because both have a very real consequence. Responding to the call takes practice and is an experiment well worth being a part of.
And with practice it becomes no longer an experiment and instead it becomes the way of one’s life.
This blog is both refreshing and inspiring Joel. It reminds me to walk in the space between my thoughts to allow what comes from deep within to surface.
‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ There is a true simplicity in this magic, or is it magical simplicity.
A great reminder that ‘responding to the call’ is a surrender to being moved by our love within, the impulse of our Soul, without knowing particularly why or the needing to know the outcome. As such when we are moved in this quality we serve humanity by bringing, expressing and sharing the love, the universality and multidimensionality we know we are and know we all are here to live together.
As soon as ‘me’ comes into why I am responding to ‘a call’ the integrity of ‘call’ is lost. You explain and illustrate this with great clarity and simplicity, Joel. Thank you.
Yes.. as soon as we try to own that magic and identify it as something we’ve come up with or have created, we reduce it and diminish the magic. Also love what you’ve shared here about not being the victim or life nor controlling it, but a vehicle for it. It is so simple when we let go and follow the clues from our bodies.
“and, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way”. A wry smile came across my face when I read this today. Totally with you on this one….you can’t force a flower to open, no matter how hard you/I tried/try 🙂 You can do your part by preparing it (water, fertiliser,right spot etc…) and then you have to let the magic unfold in its own time.
Yes, this is such an apt analogy that is universal.
Joel, it was really revealing and inspiring to read your description of what it means to ‘respond to the call’. The analogy of the flower opening in its own time really sends the message home, and I could recall many times when I had forced something to open for the wrong reasons, usually to overcome some feeling of not being or doing enough in the world to help others. But what I am seeing and feeling now is how much less stressful it is to simply listen to my body and discern where the call is coming from and then respond accordingly.
Yes, the analogy of the flower opening in its own time is a beautiful example, ‘if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… ‘
Answering a call and responding to the call are two different movements. The latter comes from a very deep place which we do not command.
Saying yes to the true impulse within happens in small and big ways, and each yes is a confirmation of the light we each are.
Beautiful Heather – indeed it is a ‘confirmation of the light we each are’, and the reflection though our movements thereafter serve as a divine reminder of this truth.
This feels so empowering. Allowing, welcoming, accepting, being ready.
Recently I clocked myself getting annoyed when being asked to do something. Even if it was a task within my job description, or I was the only person who knew about it, so they obviously came to the right person, my initial response was along the line of ‘Why don’t they do it themselves?’ or ‘Why me?’ and I do know the answers to those questions very well myself but I still try fighting and resisting and criticizing and blaming others for bringing this onto me. I would do it anyway, but my reluctance to comply and serve was just huge. If this is how I respond to the direct calls, I wonder how I might be already setting myself up so that I won’t even have to feel the subtle ones.
“..not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world”.. love the way you welcome to birth love Joel, as well as birthing these wonderful blogs of insight too.
Beautifully said Joel . . “There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment . . .” . . this is a constant surprise to me as I never know what’s next until it is there. This occurs when there is no thought before just a willingness to express whatever I have felt to express. It is sometimes like I am watching the words appear before me as I am writing or witnessing opportunities coming seemingly out of the blue as I am going about my day.
Thank you Joel for so beautifully expressing the balance between not being creator, yet at the same time neither being at the mercy of the Universe.
Responding to the call to share what we have to offer by being willing to express what we feel in each moment, without attachment or agenda, simply an honest sharing.
‘Responding to a call’ is a two-part process. One is to be able to hear and understand the call, the other is the ability to respond accordingly. Both require taking self out of the way, so that no interpretation comes in, neither when it is received, nor in the process of delivering what is needed. It is and feels actually very natural and simple, but becomes a mess when self takes over by loading it with emotions through attachment.
Yes, it is a two part process and discerning whether we have any need is a wise first step.
The very characteristic of a true call is that it is not from self, nor for self, but what is needed from and for all. It has a particular flavour that is very different from anything tainted by need or desire, self-interest or outcome based pursuits.
Whenever you feel the slightest hint of need of something for oneself, one knows it is not a true call.
It is the discernment that we have to learn, as I can be sure if I am thinking I need something that there is an agenda behind this, as it is completely different from an impulse when often you don’t even know why you are doing something and it turns out to be exactly what is needed at the time. This is magic unfolding before your eyes
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As I become more aware of the call, I’m also becoming more aware of the recognition I crave and the excitement I go into when I want things to go a certain way. The moment I do the connection I had fizzles out and I end up in old patterns of rush, stress and drive.
This is a fantastic point Joel, and one that I too would like to work on with more awareness: “Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study. I find it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.”
There is something in this about not getting invested and not leaving things to fate – knowing and understanding the balance of what we bring and responding to that. This is a great sharing of how we can look differently at how we are.
Discerning where the call is coming from is great as the more discerning we are the deeper we can go and the more we can bring through.
This is lovely to read and to remind myself to discern where the call is coming from.
Discerning whether we are pulled to something out of a need within ourselves versus a deeper call for the all is a great way to differentiate our motives in life.
This blog is a 553 word lightbulb moment for me. I especially love what you share about forcing things and seeking recognition. Sharing in service without needing an outcome is a beautiful thing.
“Responding to the call” – equals reading the energy of who is (doing the) calling and responding accordingly. I’ve found developing patience helps in my responses.
Thanks for such a great sense of what responding to the call means – not forced or second guessing. Being willing to say yes when the initial impulse is felt is what I’m discovering leads to simplicity of what ever is next.
Pushing or delaying never offers simplicity in my understanding.
Every moment our body is communicating truth for us to heed. If we don’t listen to this, is it any wonder that we ignore the bigger tasks we are here to do? Our evolution begins and ends with listening to our body – thank you Joel.
Responding to that inner call is a daily study worth undertaking. Of which I feel I will forever be a student of. What I am finding is that the response never requires pre-planning or thinking but me choosing to surrender and let my body take lead/speak. Pre-planning lessens the quality of whatever I express.
When you think about it how can we ever pre-plan effectively when it comes to the call? The world has already moved on from the time that we made a plan and so our plan will be outdated by the time we implement it. That’s not to say that we can’t plan ahead and organise ourselves but that the Universe is changing constantly and so answering the call will be a moment by moment responsiveness to whatever is needed in that moment. How beautiful is that?
When nothing comes, it’s just a message to go deeper in love with our body, as there is always energy steaming through us to be expressed.
Feeling the call and responding vs. trying to control what we will do, or not do according to what we personally want, are two completely different approaches to living. The first is surrendering to a greater plan and the second is selfishly wanting it to be our individualised way, in complete disrespect to the whole.
I agree Thomas, one has ourselves at the helm, gripping the steering wheel and mechanically maneuvering the wheel to take us in a set direction and the other has us sitting on the deck and allowing the mothership to take us to the most perfect location for us, even if it’s unknown at the time.
Gorgeous Joel, it’s true we either are in flow delivering the magic, or coming with an energy of force from the self’s needs.
“not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”.. beautiful analogy Joel, because the midwife senses when the body is ready to produce, to birth what’s coming and when to wait until the exact, precise moment of delivery. The delivery of joy!
I agree that if we let our needs come into the picture then we find it blocks our connection to that inner wisdom. This wisdom is naturally always there for us to access, we just need to honour that.
Yes there can be true potential for something however if needs get in the way then what plays out will not be the potential but our own individual version of what we want it to be…
‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ Vey beautifully said Joel.
The more we see ourselves as vehicles of energy the more we can rest into being able to respond to the call, whatever that call is in any given moment.
Some great honesty here Joel about our need to do things for recognition. And it’s no wonder that when we force something, there is no flow.
It is our responsibility to feel and discern the quality of our our movements, as that is what allows us to determine whether something is coming from a place of truth and for the evolution of all, or from the insatiable need of recognition and self- gain from the spirit.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.” It is being the part of life or the universe that we are without questioning it or wanting to be a different part or many parts at once or no part at all of this grand whole.
When we take self out of the equation, we begin to see a shift in the quality in which we move, because we are aware of how we are moving in any moment and instead walking, talking and expressing from the impulses from the body. This is true alchemy and a reminder that we are here for a purpose and bringing service to the all via our movements brings a deeper understanding of the world and our part within that.
” So, when I respond to the call within ” – From reading your writings Joel it shows that you respond with honour, thank you for sharing.
‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ giving ourselves space to connect to so much more than our thinking minds and feeling the quality of what is presenting itself and giving birth to what is needed…awesome.
It is pure evolution to not be a controller nor a victim of life – and to allow the flow of things, knowing that we are just one part of a much bigger equation. Thank you Joel for this sharing, and how the truth of responding to the call has no need or investment. Just an openness and willingness.
I loved what you have shared Joel so beautiful. I have a new plant about to flower, The bud is slowly opening each day, as I look at it I am tempted to try and open it just a little, but decided to wait patiently for the wonder and magic of the full bloom to show itself.
The call from God is the one I’m willing to take 🙂
‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ I love the way you express this. In this sense, we are facilitators rather than the owners.
Totally gorgeous Joel, when responding to the call we surrender to all we are and allow all that is to flow through us moving in and with co-creation.
Stopping and appreciating when we do feel the call is super important. I find it is the spaces in between where I can allow for myself to really feel in body the grace of divinity, when I stop and allow those moments of stillness.
I have not heard this term before but I certainly have felt it. It’s that feeling no matter what you do, wherever you go, however much you have – there’s something still missing.
This call was from deeper within, that nothing can touch the sides, until Universal Medicine came along and I responded to that call – that’s all I can say.
Beautifully put into earthy words: ”..not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. ”
We need to welcome to expression of love again – and this can by allowing ourselves to be open to this expression again, let it come through us and taking care of our body in a way that we take care of it so that it can express all that love.
“At the same time, I cannot just ‘leave it to the fate of the universe’, because then I take me out of the equation.” Yes and then also the unique part each one of us has to bring is missing. We can not change the world with the goal of being famous for doing that, but we can change the world by being ourselves and expressing when we feel it is needed. I found the latter is very clear when there is something to really write it is easy and flowing.
Responding to the call has always meant to do something or be someone. Yet this is not what it is in truth, for it is an alignment to evolution which impulses us to act in a certain way.
What you have expressed here is what it feels like to be in group work: “There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created. The result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless.”
There is no individuality in group work but a willingness to be part of a team which holds the space so that everyone benefits and is able to feel the whole which is so much grander than anything the individual can come up with.
The beauty of responding to the call is a deeper confirmation of the love that we are, it is always and forever deeply beautiful, despite what the external outcome is.
It is interesting that we have perceived a call as something from outside of us – what you describe is a call that actually is not foreign but present in one-self that continues forth by connection.. A connection to a higher vibration/full to serve in your true light.
Beautifully shared Joel. We are already everything, but if we forget this and get sucked into driving on to get ‘stuff done’ then truly all we do is ignore the call and block it out. Knowing we are Love then confirming that this is true in everything we do – well this is the call we are here to answer to.
Well said Joseph as when we put the doing and tick box mentality before quality and integrity the love of what we do also goes out the window.
We can easily confuse responding to the call with a push and a drive within ourselves to do something for recognnition and acceptance. When we truly respond to the call there is no identification in that as it does not come from a need within us.
‘And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… ‘ This is absolutely beautiful and hence so is life in its application.
“I would be obliged to ‘respond to that call’” the word ‘obliged’ exposes the pressure and control of someone calling for material support but when the call is an impulse from within it will unfold and be felt when we are ready.
When we let go of the identification of what we do there is a possibility of allowing truly amazing things to come through which are needed and definitely responding to a call that has been felt.
Thank you Joel, I can relate to truly delivering something after I feel called to do so, or responding for the wrong reasons and what I deliver does not have a flow or purity to it. Sometimes the call is true yet I deviate away from what’s there to deliver and the result again is not true. Keeping it simple and not owning it is key for me, as well as the joy of delivering or serving. A great line “I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”
Responding to the call is taking responsibility of the quality of my movements, for I can either be in reaction to what is going on around me by letting my sensitivity get in the way or I can move in a way that is in connection with my soul so that instead of reacting I am supporting another to be more of who they truly are.
I love the intrinsic understanding we all have of what ‘responding to the call’ is and that it holds true to something so precious, pure and confirming – a love that is within each of us. It is the unfolding we allow that is so gorgeous and is so much more than any grasping, pushing or pressure we can attempt to bring forth.
‘I find it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.’ I love what you share here Joel and a great awareness to be reminded of. I know for me staying connected to my body is key with this so I can respond more with what I am feeling so I don’t go off into my mind about what I think I ‘should’ be doing.
I am well up for responding to the call – there is a simplicity and purity in this that makes the complications and conflict we have created in life more and more insignificant.
‘Hello, God here, I’ve been sending messages every moment but it seems this inbox isn’t checked, so I have to rely on the fact I know your cells so well. I’ve let them know in no uncertain terms what is needed now. I trust they have made themselves heard loud and clear to you. In particularly stubborn circumstances of course, we have to activate some illness and disease. It seems people have become so used to ignoring me, they need a little help unblocking their ears.’ This is how I imagine God would feel speaking to me Joel – thank you for this awesome blog on the true calling we all know.
‘Responding to the call’ in my case has often been reinterpreted by ideals and beliefs and therefore not a true response at all, but a forced action which makes something hard work, rather than an ease and a flow.
The part about letting the ‘call’ unfold and in it’s own pace is key, especially as we have a tendency to want to jump into action and make things happen.
Brilliant to reflect on what is ‘the call’? And a great blog exposing where is ‘responding to the call’ coming from … what/who is the energy behind it and what is the purpose? I too have heard this term before attending Universal Medicine but it was only until hearing the term from Universal Medicine I heard it as coming from a place of truth. The true call. For we could have ‘responding to the call’ from what humanity is demanding but this might not always be coming from a place of love or truth. What I also felt reading your blog is the true call comes from within the body .. the body is responding to a divine call. I love how you express your writing is like a flower opening. No pushing, it unfolds in its own time and has also asked me to reflect on how often do I push for things or how often do I let them unfold. Let’s be more midwives to this, to the true call.
Seeing whatever we are to bring through as if it’s a flower opening sure beings a deeper level of delicateness to the whole process, as pushing flowers to open just does not work. The time and space it takes is part of the magic.
Ah yes, responding to the call…but which call do we respond to because essentially we have two ‘phone lines’ in operation here and in any moment can answer either one. One line connects with our Soul and with this the wisdom of the Universe is on tap to inform us what our next move is that is in accordance with the All we are a part of, and the other line comes from our etheric spirit, that part of us that has withdrawn from the light and love of the Soul and in this withdrawal has sought to bombard, distract and delay us with a whole manner of thoughts, behaviours and beliefs that are not true to the essence of who we are, so that we are too busy and going way to fast to stop, pause and feel the magnitude of what is being communicated to and through us on the other line.
This is a great way to put it Liane. One line is about the All and the magnitude we come from – the essence of God, and one is about remaining an individual and part of collection of forces that are completely loveless and in separation to God. But we have the absolute free will to connect to whichever line of energy we choose, and to the subsequent communication that comes with it.
‘In moments of stillness I have some insight into what ‘might be’… it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower’. Many times this seed falls on barren ground because we do not take the time to pause – to stop and allow the magic to do its work.
Responding to the call is about being able to connect to something we know with every particle of our body and say yes to it.
I love your analogy Joel of relating your response to the call as being the same as a flower bud waiting to blossom. This is very beautiful and confirms the innate rhythm that there is in everything when it is given the space to unfold in its own time resulting in the fullness and beauty that was waiting there until the time was right for all to see.
I agree Sandra and we human beings have long been in the habit of scribbling over that beauty. The beauty is there, completely untouched and pristine but we cloud it with all manner of shenanigans, so much so that for the main part the beauty of life is completely obscured from our view, resulting in an assumed opinion of the world that is not truthful, not truthful at all.
Yes it brings more joy and surrendering to life when we understand that when we are asked to do something it is important to feel why we are asked and what we can bring to the situation. For instance it is like being asked to do a job in a very busy place, we might not like it but if we are for instance a very still and connecting person we can see that the busy place calls for our stillness and connection. Which is a very beautiful job to do, it gets less about us not liking it then in my experience. Seeing life like this has changed my whole feeling of being without purpose resolved because there is always a reason why we are asked and sometimes it is up to us to say no if it does not feel right too.
When we come from our neediness and with our images and preconceived ideas, we sign up to a force that can be very manipulative and coercive.
If we were connected to the truth of who we all are then there wouldn’t be an iota of need because what could any of us possibly need when we know that we are a part of the everything and totality that constitutes life.
I have felt the call to speak up recently, but resist doing so as I want to be in control so that what is said come out right ( my ideals and beliefs) so as to avoid any reactions, I love reading these words you have shared Joel, and feel inspired by your blog, “In moments of stillness I have some insight into what ‘might be’… it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower.
On one hand there is what we know to be true, on the other tasks and things that appeal to you. Or at least some part of us that has an insatiable need to get, to mark, to own and achieve. But all any of this ever results in is the distortion of our own petals as you say Joel which get bent, twisted and pushed to the side by our relentless drive. Compare this to the simple beauty of following what you know deep down is right to do. You might not be in control, but the reality is – you never are.
When we respond to the call within we are guided by the universal truth of who we are, through which the majesty of our Soul is lived and shared through our lives.
This is a joy to read, as is everything you publish, you are one mad midwife, I wish I could have you deliver my baby but alas the call of the universe does not work like this. I must respond and connect to my call that will allow me to be qualified to give birth to my own article one day.
‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study.’ Our studies within is the most enriching and educational way to live life. The inspiration, love, harmony, humility and grace that comes from living a life connected within and thus to the Soul is then shared to all through everything we do.
The call of the Soul is rarely loud, but rather subtle, and purposely so, for it is firstly completely non-imposing in doing so, but secondly communicates in a way that encourages us to reawaken our true senses that go far beyond the temporal senses that allow us to feel the physicality of life around us.
Joel L, I can feel the difference between the call from within and trying to control life; ‘when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic’. When I am open to the call and feel impulsed to do something then I have noticed how life then flows and this feels easy and true, if I have a set idea and want to control the outcome and have a picture of how things should be then often things get complicated and difficult and I am no longer in the flow of life.
‘I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.’ Joel this is so true because we cap ourselves and everyone else unless we get ourselves out of the way.
So beautiful to hear how you write what you write, Joel.
Responding to the call it has taken a little while for me to let myself get a sense of what that call really feels like. So often pictures of what that should be get in the way of that deeply personal and unique relationship with God.
Be still, and you will always know what is needed, and when. Allow yourself to get caught in the chaos of life and of others and you will never have true clarity.
I love that there is a call to respond to! There is so much more to all of us than meets the eye. Each one of us are here to reflect a different angle of the universe so while the call is the same the way that the call is responded to and brought into activation will be different for all of us.
It’s very interesting Joel and this feeling of magic ‘just flows’. It is a feeling of more than you even though it is you that is expressing ‘it’. I suppose you just let it come and not get in the way of it being something of yours but knowing it is for someone else.
This is beautifully expressed Joel – “I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” To be able to stand back and be an observer of our own unfolding, and to act on what needs to be done at the appropriate time does take some practice. But the more we do it the clearer it becomes and we can see how beautifully each situation or development supports the next. Exactly how a midwife would work.
Responding to ‘the call’ is a movement of realization, surrender and expansion. It is about connecting to what we know is true in absolute terms, shedding light on what does not match such truth, confirming that we deserve more than that and acting upon the clarity we got.
This is a beautiful descriptor of surrendering to our true and soulful nature, and its expression in life. In old-school ‘esoteric terms’ – the ‘dweller at the threshold’ taking steps into the all of which he is intrinsically a part.
Thank-you Joel.
Exactly how it feels Joel, “I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” I have experienced this only a few times when I have got my own expectations and demands out of the way. The difference between doing something from self or doing something from an impulse of what is needed are worlds apart in quality and integrity.
A great reminder for us to let the flower unfold of its own accord.
A natural event that births the truth and inspiration for all
So true Brendan, when we try to own something that is actually meant for everyone, we have already disconnected from divinity and the magic of God.
When we choose not to respond to the call from the universe it causes huge tension in our body because it is natural for us to respond as we are all part of the universe. So to delay is very unnatural for us, so hence why we create many, many forms of substances to numb this tension we can constantly feel from choosing to ignore ‘the call’ to return to love.
All so very well said Joel. When we try to force the petals of a budding flower open, we end up with carnage. True delicateness is an expression of the light that lives within us. Thus, we cannot try to be something we already are and indeed it is this trying that arrests the unfolding of such love. I can completely relate to all that you share.
We spend so much of life responding to the call, quite literally on our phone and trying to action responses hurriedly. We lurch from one issue to the next desperately trying to fill the gap, then look back at evening time, to catch a breath and see we didn’t even start to do what we had planned that day. But there is another route to take, one where we humbly step aside and instead of reacting to life’s demnands we let our inner sense guide what we do next. Instead of letting our head direct us we follow what feels true in our heart. This inner compass in my experience never lets us down but always delivers what’s needed when it’s right in a way that supports us all. Long may you and many others respond to this soulful call Joel.
Sometimes I think that I need to change all these bigs things but when I stop and consider this its like responding to the call in each choice, in each moment of each day. This then is what builds my foundation and momentum that leads to a deeper change within.
The ability to respond to what is needed without interfering is pretty huge. Your example is very relatable – when we try and force or push something or even come at it from the head, we are no longer responding to what is needed. We have all of a sudden injected self into something that is for the all.
Another sound article about life and how our perceptions of it control it in a way. The only “responding to the call” I knew of before Universal Medicine was one in my old line of work. It was a very physical thing and had very little to do with a feeling, it was more literally a response to something that had been done. As is described here there is no actual call as we may perceive or have in our head it’s more the continuation of a flow of life. In other words you live in a quality and within that quality there are feelings or movements that you will identify as a ‘response to a call’. I use writing as the same point, a point or a reflection to live by, it’s a very internal speaking style of writing and not necessarily writing for someone to read. I can see now there is a way to live that supports you to listen deeply to what ‘the call’ is or there is a way of life that just sees Monday as the beginning of the week and has a to do list that never ends.
This is so beautifully said, it is for us to not own what comes through us, but to respond to what is there and needed. We are part of a whole and a call is always from this whole never from the individual.
In responding to call we get self out of the way and connect to something bigger that is always offering evolution to the all, to be more love, more understanding and more of who we are.
Beautifully said Joel, that adhering to that call within is making magic happen in our lives and into that of others. How different is that when we subjugate ourselves to that call from outside of us, we then have to force our body and that of others to do what is asked for and the outcome is far from magic as it is the creation from human life that is not in correspondence with the stupendous grandness we are part of, which is at play when we listen to that call from within.
I love your analogy Joel of us not being able to force a flower bud to blossom before it is ready to bloom in full for there is a set process and much preparation that needs to be respected for this to occur – I cannot but feel that in so many ways we humans are like this too.
This is a significant observation “I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun”. How many “call to actions” are built on exactly that? There is a massive difference between those moments that I am on a mission to achieve something or force a change as opposed to those moments when I joyfully engage in something because I sense the universal flow and expansion and my choice is simply to be a harmonious part of the whole.
And I love the perfect description of the result of such a true choice, knowing that we are: “not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”
This is perfect timing for me to read Joel as I move through a patch of confusion about receiving ‘the call’ and coming to a deeper knowing whether it is from creation or co-creation. If there is ‘trying’ involved then I know it is not coming from a clear space but instead from the need for recognition or the need to be included.
It is beautiful to recognize that I do not walk the path of return, to where we all come from, on my own, but to read in these blogs that people like you Christine, are walking that same path too and in that we are able to support one another by way of reflection. We are so blessed that we are learning to feel in the body if something we do is in adherence to the call or not and that to understand that our bodies have been communicating that to us all the time, we only were not aware of it.
Responding to the call – Joel, I love how you have explored this! I have certainly experienced hearing ‘the call’ and also responding to ‘the call’ – and in my experience, I would qualify this as 2 different types of ‘calls’ – one type that is there to support you and all others, and of course the reverse call that does not support you and others. In the past, I I have heard and heeded the call of chocolate, driving to the closest service station late at night to purchase a Kit Kat or a bar of chocolate; and I have also heard and responded to the call where someone was truly in need of support that required an enormous commitment from my behalf and I simply felt it to the bone that I needed to be there and the call was so strong to step in to help that I did not even question it, not needing to think about it. The latter example of course is one that supports the other and myself in ways that I could never have imagined…So when responding to the call, it is wise to check in which call we are responding to!
I love the words “responding to the call”, while I can’t say yet that I know in full what they mean, I love the sense that there is something greater that we can be responsive too, something more than our little enclosed lives, and in that the service of a bigger picture.
Joel, I love how you have talked about ‘Responding to a Call’ – this is something that I am familiar with on a few different levels. I know as a child when we were asked to help out it was responding to a call and I would dutifully empty the dishwasher or clean up after myself or help out as needed. And also later on at work I would go in as needed if someone else was sick or work got busier and required more hands on board. And I was always happy to be part of the team and help out. But later on in life, I have also discovered a ‘deeper call’ – one that comes not from a phone call or someone yelling out to me to help them. It is almost like it comes as a knowing, that I simply need to be somewhere or do something and it cannot always be explained or rationalised. Years ago I felt strongly to move to Australia, and then to move to the Northern Rivers – and it is amazing to feel what has unfolded for me from that. And yes you could argue it as a coincidence, but I feel there is more to it. And I have at times felt so strongly this call to be somewhere such as making myself available for work, and it is like even though I have the choice to say no, something in me knows this is exactly what is needed and where I need to be, and so for me it is not about a choice, it is about just doing it, and with all of me. And yet other times, I have felt myself engrossed in something I am doing, only to find myself suddenly stand up and say I need to be somewhere, and yet it is not about physically being somewhere – it is a feeling, which I now understand today as a feeling and a knowing that it is time to deepen my connection with myself for there is more work to be done on so many levels. It is the call from my Soul. I love this magic that happens when we allow for it to unfold!
Awesome how you describe yourself as a midwife in this scenario – so not controlling the situation – more a vessel. This makes so much sense and I know when I am invested in an outcome or have a need- then it usually backfires in some way. So what you present here is a very different way of being and expressing in the world.
Joel, I have felt this too, ‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic’. The call for me is like an impulse, it’s something I simply and clearly feel to do and when I follow through on this things flow and work. If I go into my head and justify why I shouldn’t follow through on this impulse, then things get complicated and do not work out. I love the simplicity of following ‘the call’ and being in the flow and magic of life.
” Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study.”. Mine too Joel it is fascinating to see when it is a true response to a call or an ideal or belief that has crept in of how something should be or how I want it to be. The difference is the magic really does begin to happen, life flows and there is a joy that comes from deep within so for me it is not a chore or a task but a playful way of looking at life and uncovering its mysteries.
There is no self in responding to the call, only service to our fellow brothers.
This sentence is a winner, I love how you express this Joel “ it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…”
Yes, getting ourselves out of the way is paramount to allowing ourselves to even feeling to respond to a call.
Learning to be in a flow with life where you sense when it is the right time to do something is definitely something that we all have to get a handle on. It occurs to me that when we do that it makes life so much more fun and also much more productive.
Spot on Elizabeth – it is all about being in the ‘groove’ so we are open to the communications from our Soul, form the deeper parts of ourselves!
I love this exploration and am feeling surrender beheld alongside responsibility – letting go of all my personal desires, relinquishing my will to that of our divine collective will; doing everything from a point of what will serve the big picture, rather than just me, and embracing all the work that this offers.
It’s a real learning process to discern whether we are responding to our own need, therefore making it about ourselves or whether it is truly for humanity. I am coming to realise this now. As someone said to me yesterday, making it about self is like daytime TV, the soap opera, the drama and of no benefit to anyone. When it’s not from self everyone is considered equally and whatever it is we are doing will support and grow others, without a need from our part.
This True Call that you speak of is the kind of call I will forever say yes to.
I have been inspired as many have by the amazing man Serge Benhayon is and what he has endlessly offered humanity which is a deep deep love that goes much deeper than just giving flowers to someone. He has not an ounce of self in what he does and is hence is not seeking recognition from it. Yet his commitment to what he brings is unimaginable and this is something that highlights his purpose is beyond normal human life. It is much greater and a true example of what it means to respond to The Call.
Thank you Joel for sharing this sense of being part of something that is not me – and yet is me at the same time. The call that comes from within is I find, something that innately serves the all, everyone of us all together and my job if I choose to accept it, is to allow this unfolding you allude to here in the knowing that this call will serve even though I may not know how or why in that moment.
The call from within is like a hotline from God, a call that rings from within you, as there is a knowing that every cell of your being is of God. It is a direct call that cannot be ignored. It doesn’t flatter you, yet you know you are an essential ingredient, the midwife welcoming the expression of that call.
Great timing to read this blog, I just had a conversation and in that what came up was to let go of any need, wants and hopes, and truly feel the call. When we detach from everything the call is clear and we can respond.
‘…truly feel the call’ – there is such sweetness in surrendering to this.
I love this Joel the midwife to magic it is, I know what you speak of it is effortless and is from the source rather than from ‘me’. Definitely something to pay greeter attention to.
This reminds me of an occasion I witnessed recently where a drunken man fell to the ground outside a supermarket unconscious. I was nearby and could see he was breathing and felt he would be fine with medical and emergency support that is. Soon supermarket staff were on the scene calling in the paramedics and offering him basic support while they arrived. I was amazed in myself to feel how easy it was to want to leave it to someone else and hence allow me to carry on with my day uninterrupted. Selfish in many ways I know but that made me realise how with the self as the primary focus on our life, we are actually less open and willing to respond to the very loud calls for true loving support from humanity everywhere.
We indeed need to get ourselves out of the way in order to connect to the all and open ourselves up to the greater and needed call.
As always with your blogs Joel something to ponder on. The only time I know when I am truly responding to the call is when I get myself out of the way and have no agenda, picture or need in any way of how I would like it to be, and even when I think I am there responding to the call something will expose that I have brought self into it along the way. …it is for me a forever learning as I deepen my connection with my Soul.
A true response does not seed forth with an ounce of self and therefore does not travel to an outcome, result nor take shape of any imagined ideal.
This is gorgeous. I particularly love your example of letting a flower bud open in its own timing – I know how I can get ahead of myself, creating an image very quickly and eagerly holding it up as my ‘purpose’. The Call has its own rhythm and vibration that has to be preserved and obeyed, and there’s no space for ‘self’ to make its own mark as its little triumph.
When we truly respond to the call there is not one bit of recognition present.
That feels very important Joel, working out how we are doing what we are doing. Whether we are forcing what we are producing for our own need or the custodians and acting as a midwife. I rather like the latter and shall make a concerted effort to be that more often than not!
I too am learning what it means to be a vehicle of expression and to allow what is true to come through me rather than block it, try and control and manipulate into something that I deem acceptable, or think that I am in fact doing it all myself. To understand that energy comes through us and not from us is huge but definitely worth getting to know about and living by.
The true call comes from deep within yet it does not come from ourself. It is not external nor is it our own.
Such a beautiful claiming of yourself as a vehicle of expression, Joel. Learning to get over the ‘me’ and its agenda is a, at times challenging, yet totally liberating process for me as well.
I have just unearthed this gem Joel, which I missed reading back in 2013, a beautiful lesson in not contriving anything from our own need or agenda. I find this is a great question to ask when I am faced with a stream of things that need attending to: “discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.” It helps me to focus and not feel overwhelmed.
The Call, that pulse of the Divine that eternally flows all around us and through us that is always there, calling us back to our one true heart
Loved reading your blog Joel so beautiful the seed growing and the flower unfolding in its own time and way all in tune to the call from our soul. “So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. ” thank you for calling me back to the true call.
It is amazing, when we respond to the call, it is void of recognition and full of truth.
Just gorgeous Joel – we are not the owners of true magic but the willing receivers if we simply respond to the call from within.
I agree Joel, true magic happens when you get a seed, not knowing at all what it is, but trust that it will flourish once we allow it to grow.
It is a beautiful point you make here Joel about not leaving ‘…it to the fate of the universe’. As when we do respond to the call, from our stillness within, which is who we are, we move as the intrinsic part of the universe that we are, divinely moving in accordance with the will of God.
Gorgeous expression! I feel that this call from within is in every single one of us, and it really isn’t difficult to distinguish. We just need to connect and it comes right through us.
So often we stand in the way of our true expression, by lacing it with a picture, an ideal or believe, as you say. Only when we take our own needs out of the way, whilst we deeply care for who we are, can the magnificence truly flow and unfold.
A true call has no agenda for self as it is for the all.
The mechanism of recognising and responding to a true call (as opposed to a reaction that is simply pandering to our need for recognition or identification) you have outlined Joel is fabulous. It’s almost like a handy ‘how to’ of discernment. Are we forcing the bud to open or allowing it to gently unfold?
Beautifully expressed Victoria. I love the part about the flower bud, it makes so much sense. When there is a need, a force or any identification in our response, the true call is no longer part of it.
I have also noticed when I get a ‘seed’, if I then run with it it dies and withers, but if I allow the seed to germinate, living in a way that the vessel, my body, is nurturing, still and open to the call, the flower will bloom.
This is so lovely Joel, the willingness to co-create magic by being open to what is there to respond to. Not making it up and thinking about it but being steady and sure in ourselves to respond to what we feel is true.
Perhaps God is always calling us, it’s whether we choose to hear that call. If we did connect to that call is it possible life would flow and we would be like the midwife. When we choose the call of anyone other than God the flow of life differs and we become the creators, as opposed to the co-creators.
What really comes through with this blog is the potential and magic of what can happen if we connect and get ourselves out of the way.
Nature operates in a timing that is part of the call of the universe. I love what you express here Joel and I love that we are given the opportunity every day to learn from and embrace this reflection ourselves. I sometimes forget how simple it can be.
Stunning example of what can be expressed when we get any of our own investments out of the way, and allow what is there to come through. I find that there is an absolute simplicity in responding to the call.
I agree Aimee, I have felt the simplicity when I respond to the call that encompasses us all but when it is about recognition simplicity is out the door.
Beautiful Joel, I feel and understand exactly what you mean. I have also found that excitement is a trap to avoid, as is recognition, when it comes to anything really. Love your expression and love how you share what you share. Thank you
Joel you are more like a surgeon who is at the top of his game, than a ‘midwife’.
Beautiful Joel, and a dissertation on the nature of true expression.
“not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” Love this Joel, caring for and attending the movements that will bring your true expression out into the world.
“Forcing the flower open…” is pre-empting the call that is not yet ripe. There is a beauty in allowing the grace of unfolding everything in its own time in line with a natural order and rhythm, but being so in line with it that we don’t miss the boat!
Getting ourselves out of the way so that the Universal Wisdom can find its way through is a challenge. We all get stuck in the arrogance of the fact that we think we know it all and do not realise that this is coming from recall or information that has been fed to us through life, education, media etc. Re-connecting to the heart and trusting its guidance is helping me to step aside and allow greater understanding and knowing to be present.
The call is always there – it is up to us to first make the connection and then to respond.
Maintaining the balance between “being neither the controller nor the victim of life” takes continual practice but those moments when they occur, as you share Joel, are true magic.
Joel, I absolutely love how you have talked about ‘the call’ – it is something that resounds from deep within, and certainly not something that has a fancy iPhone ringtone. And so true that it is something we have to allow to unfold in its own time, and never something to force or make happen following a picture or image of how we perceive something to be or need something to be. This is very powerful to nominate and talk about. It ‘calls’ us to listen more deeply to ourselves and the well of love that lies within us all.
I have felt this too – in getting out of the way there is a constant impulse for us to respond to in answering the call.
We are bombarded with ‘calls’ all of the time – good to realize and to develop an awareness about who or what is calling for what. Because the intention behind the call guarantees the outcome as well.
When we surrender deeply and live the true ‘us’, the call is clear.
It is a case of connecting to our inner-most and breathing our own breath.
Something super sweet about the example of a flower bud – you can’t force it to open, but if you nurture it, love it, feed it, then it blossoms of its own accord and shares its beauty with the world.
Truly beautiful Joel and such an apt confirmation of where I am feeling at this time. “I cannot just ‘leave it to the fate of the universe’, because then I take me out of the equation. There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life.”
There is an inner communication that is forever going on between us and our Soul. This is the same for every human being, and why the true esoteric teaching is that there is no such thing as “the one.” Serge Benhayon has never claimed it to be so, and indeed to suggest that there can be “one special one” is a corruption of the true teaching. The truth is all human beings have the same potential to be equal. Of course this is not the reality, but not because of a lack of potential, but rather because of choice, or more accurately a series of choices that extend well beyond just one life. And thus why one human being seemingly seems to have more wisdom at their disposal than another.
I am learning that to hear ‘the call’ we also need to be willing to be aware of life and what is truly going on in humanity and in our own bodies. When we are heavy, bloated and loaded from indulgence and escape, the call is less audible and we may be less willing and open to respond to it.
‘I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.’ Very true Joel, and I experience how painful this is for my body, trying to make something small what is grand by nature.
“So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” This is a beautiful metaphor or description of your role in responding to the call.
If we are present moment by moment it’s an impulse that offers the next step, and ‘the call’ is to go deeper with that impulse in expressing what is there to be said for all to hear. If we force that expression based on identity and need we are not responding to a call from within but dictating from the mind, two very different places.
When you spoke of ” The Call” I felt an upsurge of energy, and my body called to attention. It felt like this is important! I do agree there are times when we heed the call and our lives take on new meaning and purpose.
I love the analogy of true expression from ‘the call’ as being like a midwife welcoming the birth of a child. When I feel that I have expressed from this source, there is no ‘little me’ in it, and yet I feel the grandness of me in collaboration with all in the universe. There is no second-guessing, no judging of the expression. It is complete and unquestionable.
It was interesting considering what ‘responding to the call’ meant to me. My first impression was one of war, where we are called to do our duty in the face of threat to one’s country or a global threat to democracy. This call comes out in times of dire need, asking us to put aside any differences and rally together. My personal experience of ‘responding to the call’ has some similarities to this. It is feeling the big picture, the enormous need in humanity for me to live in a way that can inspire others out of our current mess. It is a call to bring all that I am and are from to my living way, and to honor the contract I made willingly before I came into this life. The call feels strong, unwavering and true.
Beautifully stated Fiona. The Soul calls to us from deep within, the spirit can only demand. It is our responsibility to discern the nature of ‘the call’ in order to know which energy we are giving voice to. Is it the voice of the All, or the lonely fragment that chose to separate from this?
“And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… ” YES! That’s exactly how it feels for me too.
I love the way you express with such honesty and appreciation Joel. “And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… For me, this is how I experience the call.” This description of how what is and is not a true call unfolds is absolute gold and I am very grateful to have read it today as it is something I can come back to time and time again.
It was great to re-read this blog again, a great reminder we cannot force a bud to blossom, we have to nurture, nourish and allow the natural unfoldment. Observe any obstacles but not get caught in them, attached or absorbed. Be open to allowing is the key.
Thanks for an honest sharing Joel, it clearly shows us that whenever we rely on ideals and beliefs we always seem to invite complication whereas, answering to the Call we find everything is constellated to the beautiful flow of life.
We can associate the call with doing more things, but it may be that the call is to deeply let go, stop and rest.
There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.’ There is something very simple and at ease about living, moving and expressing in this way – there is no push or drive. The body and everything feels complete.
I love how you describe being like a midwife – how we all have the potential to bring through true magic/ love to the world, to be its conduit or not…
Our call within is our direct line to heaven, and when we pick up, its one of the most magnificent communications there is.
Awesome to read this blog again. To respond to the call is to really listen with our hearts and not our head when we feel to express or act on an impulse, and to feel into whether this is coming from a need or recognition or if we are actually responding to the call from the universe. This is something I am learning to be more aware of, responding to the call of the universe is always all encompassing and evolving, whereas the other one is all about myself based on recognition, need etc.
In reading this blog I can see that I have lived from a picture in my head of what answering the call is – I have been living with an image of what it should look like, this big grand, almost savior image, a bit like the pictures we are fed from the bible, or of martyrs and warriors going out on their own to fight and save nations – all absolute rubbish and very imposing. It’s incredible though how we buy into and are fed this. Thank God for Serge Benhayon as he brings truth and absolute clarity to clear and allow us to see and feel the freedom for ourselves of what is true – if it was not for meeting him I would still comfortably be buying into this. For the truth is, whether we have met Serge or not, we do all absolutely know this, we just choose a multitude of ways to distract, subvert, numb or try to escape the call of responsibility.
I have this belief that I’ve got to keep doing – even when I am exhausted and need to take deep care of myself and rest. It’s completely detrimental as it has a knock on effect to how I live, the thoughts I allow in and my interactions with other people, as I don’t allow myself the space to stop, listen and be with them. I often end up resenting everything I have to do. I make it about self. What I have noticed is, it’s not the amount of work that is the issue, nor the driving, that’s easy – yes I do need to take care, plan and rest for big days or long trips, but, it is the quality I do it in, as in am I rushing, thinking about the next thing or am I taking care, driving gently, doing one thing at a time with full attention and commitment. If the latter the outcome is very different, I don’t feel floored at the end of the day or grumpy with people, I have much more energy, space and time to be with people, there’s no rush, there is joy. A joy which is felt through every cell of my body, much like a little child.
I can very much relate to this – “working till I was exhausted“- as I have been given the space to feel how damaging this is to my body, my mental health, as when I am run down I feel more down and negative self bashing thoughts come in which affects my well-being. How I move changes. Though, when I stop and re-connect to myself, yes my body is exhausted, I need to rest and take much more care of myself, but I feel and am very still, deeply connected to God and feel amazing. I feel that same quality and love I have for myself as I did when I was a little girl, there is no need to do, there are no self bashing thoughts, what my body shares is so loud and clear and in honouring I feel so much joy and stillness. Imagine the whole world stopped, for a moment, and we all came back to ourselves and lived from here, we would be far less imposing on one another, brotherhood would be completely felt and lived. People would support one another, deeply care for and love each other, there would be far less hatred, aggression and misery, not to mention that illness and disease rates would go way down, and people would be so much more light and joyful with a spring in their step. We would go back or full circle to living as a true community again.
The gorgeousness of life is in the constant constellation of everything. Which responding the the call is a big part of, it is that what comes from within letting us feel the next step to make, towards the union with our soul.
We are just vessels that can choose what we take in and what we give out and when we choose to connect to a deeper purpose we are living in response to the call, and that is our true expression.
Thanks Joel – this is learning the truth of our being here on earth… not to achieve recognition, success, or validation, but rather a simple commitment to living and reflecting the light of Divinity in a realm that has become lost to that connection and truth of their equal Light.
Thank you Joel for a really beautiful blog answering the call feeling the seed taking take hold and unfold in its own way and own time.A flow of true livingness.
‘ It is like a seed from within , that becomes it’s own flower ‘ Joel this is simply beautiful. As I read I can feel exactly how that seed blossoms when no force or need is put on it … purely an impulse.
Joel to be this describes that feeling I have with a new project I am working with, its very much like being the midwife, allowing it to unfold, not knowing the details of the steps but with a trust that it will be the exact flower that is needed, that it will serve as needed as long as I step out the way. I was chatting with someone yesterday about this as its a very different way of working than I’ve experienced in the past.
Responding to the call = honouring a feeling of what is truly needed through action
The metaphor of midwifery is a perfect one when we talk about responding to the call. Thank you!
Joel beautifully expressed, when we don’t try to second guess we can allow the “flower” to open in its own time, with no rush or expectation just responding to the call.
Responding to the call = Response Ability = Ability to respond
I love how you are so honest and willing to ‘call out’ and express what has not felt true Joel, and in doing so allow us all to reflect on the same. In these sharings we all increase our awareness. Thank you.
In a true response, there is no second-guessing or attachment to what is being delivered through us. In re- acting there is always some need wanting to be filled in my experience.
There is so much more on offer when we don’t reduce what we bring through our own individual beliefs or ideals…..”not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”
I love this Joel, “it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower”. So true, when we allow nature to take its course without any force but with presence and willingness it blossoms with beauty. Thank you.
Navigating from our ideals and beliefs is key here, not being ingrained and a slave to them. We can become very wedded to our ideals and beliefs, defending them, at times not allowing ourselves to be open to the possibilities of life and what it has to offer.
Not getting excited. Huge! Allowing the space and also responding immediately without the rah-rah of that need or excitement. Then the true magic can flow freely and boundlessly.
“So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” Responding from impulse, not need, is magical. There is a flow – and the universe constellates what is required at that time.
When we respond to a call – we deliver exactly what is needed – no more and no less
I too have come to know when responding to the call that I am “not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”, and the moment I know that it is not mine to own I free it up to be available for all.
Responding to the call, has no need, push, drive or force, it’s simply a knowing, an impulse, which we all feel. It comes from God.
Responding to the call can also be as simple as saying no to a food or a way of eating that doesn’t support you anymore.
Responding to the call doesn’t have to be some grandiose thing, it can be a simple and humbling gesture such as appreciating and confirming another person in the qualities that they bring to work, life etc.
Responding to the call can be as simple as something like taking out the bins.
An exquisite reminder that when we get ourselves out of the way and allow what is there to flower, the magic in what comes through is an utter blessing to witness.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created. ” This is beautiful what you share Joel, not being the controller or the victim, nor forcing or second guessing. I have got caught up in all of this before, but now I am just allowing too.
It is like a seed from within blossoming into it’s own flower; a very succinct, apt and beautiful description of responding to the call Joel. As you so wisely point out it is up to us not to let our thoughts, ideals, beliefs and pictures stifle the blossoming.
“So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” Beautifully capturing of the birth of creating with divinity, as opposed to creating out of a need for self-recognition.
At the end of this blog I was so exited that I started raising my voice little, my husband walk in the room and there I was talking to myself out loud ‘I love this man and the way he writes!! I loved that last line!!’
” not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. ”
All I can say is its lucky my husband is as secure and confident man that equally appreciates the writing that you so beautifully give birth too or I might be in trouble for my constant outward enthusiasm about your blogs, thank you for committing endlessly without perfection to allow the flow of this quality of article to be born.
And we all get to feel the power in what you have written when it has come from this deeper call… thank you Joel. We all know when something is from a recognition… it feels awful and you can feel the pressure to perform and keep it up. I love what you have come to with listening and responding to the call… I feel from my body as well.
There is such an honesty in what you have written here Joel, expressing the difference when we feel a call from a neediness, ideal or belief versus an impulse from within. There is a distinct difference. I too fall into the neediness, ideal of belief side of the fence from time to time, I am developing a much deeper awareness when I have done so, as I can feel it in my body more significantly, versus when I feel in my body what it feels like to come from a true impulse, they are markedly different. I know which one I prefer.
Be still and you will hear more than just the noise of the world.
Brilliant Adam! Such wise and loving words, really inspiring, thank you. It’s a quote I will print out as a reminder to be still while I am moving through life.
Joel I love your sharing about responding to the call, it is that allowing and not getting into the need, it’s that connection and stillness that gives us that awareness to the call. When we allow it in the moment it is very magical, it just all flows and the flower blossoms, the magic happens. It’s when we are not connected to the stillness and force the bud the flower falls apart.
I can relate to this the call is not something grand its just a feeling within that if responded to invites you to evolve to more love. If its not responded to, it’s a time where you walk away from an opportunity to go deeper.
I, like you, now know the call is from deep within. It is a known, not a guess and the more we make loving choices on a daily and moment by moment basis for ourselves the clearer the call is felt when it starts to unfold. It is not to be owned and as you have shared as soon as recognition comes into play we have walked away from the true call and purpose within. I love what you have shared here, another blog came to mind when reading this of surrendering like a feather (https://truthaboutuniversalmedicine.com/2016/05/03/a-lesson-in-surrender-be-like-a-feather) how it is neither about being a bystander or controlling but going with the flow of the true impulse within ‘There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created. The result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless.’
Ring Ring, “Hello”. Answering the call is as simple as picking up the phone and responding.
It is only when we imagine that answering the call is much harder than the process mentioned above does it become tiresome and burdensome.
The call is felt as ‘a seed from within’ and it has no ‘self’ in it but requires me to fully deliver what’s needed. Myself expressing without making it about me is pure magic.
The call is an asking for an expression of truth and love. It is definitely not just a phone call, it is a feeling in our body from our soul of what is being asked for by another to support with their evolution back to Soul
Sometimes a call that is made that is like a crisp bugle in the thin morning air. At other times it is a subtle as a whisper in the wind. Either way, the call of God is never imposing, but always so subtle as to leave those who hear in no doubt as to what they heard, but with the complete freedom to choose whether or not to respond. In fact, it is a call that is so unimposing in its clarity that it leaves one free to pretend that they did not even here the call in the first place, and convince themselves that it was so.
Love this Adam. the vision of the clarion call from god that is so loud that you cannot but respond, yet the reality is that is it far more subtle than this and leaves you to your own free will to choose to respond or not.
Beautifully said, Joel – “So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” When we make a choice to co-create we are in fact divine midwives.
Responding to the call of the inner-heart asks us to be still and feel the truth of where the call comes from.
Beautifully said Joel ‘ So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’
It is not what we need but what is needed for the all that is called for.
I love how you have described responding to the call ‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study. I find it’s not about waiting for ‘the call’ to do something big or grand, but about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.’
Thank you for this beautiful sharing, Joel. I love how you have likened your process of ‘responding to call’ to leaving a flower bud to unfold on its own accord with patience and readiness, and that readiness can only be founded by living our everyday life with consistency.
“So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” Beautifully expressed Joel. Allowing that deep innermost part of us to impulse us as to what is next and letting it unfold in its’ own time is far more harmonious than applying any form of control.
This part of your blog gave me goosebumps…”not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world…” reminding me that we are simply custodians of truth, so it is there, being reflected, being expressed and hence, able to be passed down through the ages.
Thank you Joel your words here are absolute gold for me to read today, such perfect timing as well. ‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. ‘ – A beautiful reminder that responding to the call in a true way allows the magic to unfold.
It’s so true Joel. I feel the best things, the most helpful, come through me and I do not own them. There is no recognition and no attachment, just the truth.
” ‘I’ve got to write another one’. But this was coming from a neediness within me to replicate what I had done (dare I say recognition played a part). It was not a true call.” I’ve noticed this too, there’s a tension and a force that can be physically felt in the body – when I feel this I know it’s not me.
“In moments of stillness I have some insight into what ‘might be’… it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling” I agree it’s very natural, joyful and simple and life flows with ease. What I am discovering when I am still there is no need, and I don’t have to do anything ( as in strive or achieve) all the answers and impulses are given to me, as it is in stillness God speaks. That’s not some wishy washy airy fairy thing – but the absolute truth. In stillness I don’t have to think what’s needed next etc – everything comes from my deep connection to God and my body –ultimately God is sharing with me.
“At the same time, I cannot just ‘leave it to the fate of the universe’, because then I take me out of the equation” – ha ha this is so true – how many time I have heard this on one way or another and also I have sort of lived this way too – in truth this is simply avoiding taking responsibility for every action, word and thought – ultimately what energy you choose.
Yes, a great question Brendan. What are we responding to? and where is it coming from? I find that when I react it is coming from a hurt, and this is an indication of something to look at for me.
Thanks Joel, I find myself evermore being able to feel where these feelings originate from. When they come from a hurt or ideal or belief the end result has a feeling of emptiness, where if it’s coming from within I feel my whole body coming alive with true expression.
I loved you describing the difference of the (telephone) call and the call that comes from deep within, I’m just learning about the latter, but it feels like there is an ancient knowing of such a call present within all of us – and how hard it is to ignore this feeling.
“when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. “- so beautifully said Joel
I now have a greater understanding and depth of awareness about what is meant by responding to the call.
Thank you Joel , for giving your personal experience with “the call”, what is interesting is how we seem to use the call in some sense but that we have changed it to a more shallow meaning; as in answering a phone etc. But with this sharing it makes me come back to a more of a depth about what “the call” means. It is so deep that it is about humanity and always about everyone: it can be in big or little things, just very simple and applicable stuff – as long as it serves humanity to return to our one love (which is a call on itself).
“if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…” beautiful Joel – the bud has already chosen to bloom but the timing will be Divinely orchestrated in co-creation.
This is beautiful Joel. Getting ourselves out of the way is important. All that neediness that came from losing ourselves early in our lives and chasing recognition for the things we did rather than standing as who we always were, needs to be cast aside now and our true and loving self reclaimed.
I have often heard responding to the call said, have even felt its importance and veracity but actually never allowed myself to fully register what does this mean in my daily living. To avoid my responsibility I discounted myself, told myself it was something others could do but not me.
But your blog Joel is wonderful. No longer can I dismiss and discount the call as something mysterious that happens to others but not me. It lives within. I can stop the distractions and feel what is being communicated and acknowledge this as a very felt, personal experience.
‘being willing to express what I feel in each moment’ I am realising more and more how vital this is. If we hold back anything we are putting the brakes on needlessly and it feels as if we are creating ‘a less than’ moment in the body which hangs around and can influence us later, holding us back.
I am learning to approach life in this way, as you say, like ‘midwife’ bringing it through “So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic…” It feel like the lightness and playfulness to what is ‘done’ and ‘chosen’ rather than force allows for a natural flow to build and yes ‘magic’ occurs.
I love how you distinguish between “responding to the call” and “fulfilling a need”. As you say, a true call can only come from a deep place within us. Our body knows what the next step is, our head / mind won’t know it.
The simplicity of your allegory is deeply inspiring, Joel. The midwife helps the baby to be born, but she is not in charge for bringing it up. So if we act according to the call, God takes care of what we bring into the world. How reassuring is this!
What a cool analogy! I love how you have claimed that we are not alone in this, but an instrument of something much bigger.
Yes Felix, I feel that when we align to the plan God takes care of what comes through, our responsibility is to care and honour ourselves deeply and God takes care of the rest, sometimes I need to get myself out of the way to allow this to come through.
What a great concept – ‘responding to the call within’. I know I get myself tangled up trying to do something with a hoped for or expected outcome and then I have to deal with the emotional mess that follows when things don’t go according to my plans. So much healthier to trust that there is already a divine path laid out for me and that taking each moment as it comes is all that is required.
So much wisdom, so simply written – ‘it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, it becomes its own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… ‘ – something to be nurtured in my day and allowed to bloom.
I agree ch1956. Joel has a wonderful way with words and analogies!
Thank you Joel for sharing how ‘responding to the call’ can stem from a much deeper place within. I have felt this to be true for me as well.
You say here ‘There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.’ – I absolutely understand how powerful and loving it is to express in each moment. Expression means nothing is left undone or unsaid. And to allow expression rather than to control it is medicine for the body.
‘responding to the call’ is a great responsibility we all have. Of course we always have a choice to respond or not, but if we don’t, we are denying the rest of humanity the opportunity to heal/learn/evolve. No-one else can see the world in the same way as anyone else – we all have a unique perspective, so to deny our perspective is keep to ourselves our part of the whole.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created”. I can see how in the past I have been driven for the identification and recognition for what I did, or worse I played the victim for what was done to me, neither compares to the expansion and joy that is in my body now from honoring what is there to be expressed in full, and the more I deepen that connection the more solidness and authority is in my body with everything that I do.
I haven’t come across this blog before but as always Joel it is a beauty. Having the natural impulse to hear the call from within and respond in a way that is not out of neediness is an ongoing learning process which for me is still a little, if not a lot confusing at times, but this blog has helped a lot in that respect.
It might be confusing at times Kevin but what I love about learning to ‘respond to the call’ is that even when I my response is exposed as being from neediness instead, this supports me to recognise and know when the call is true or from some need or other the next time. The willingness to learn is beautiful and humbling.
So true Joel if we try to force or replicate something it doesn’t happen like the first time. Its as though the well has dried up or the recipe has changed! Your sharing is always valuable. Thank you.
More as a midwife, welcoming it into life, I love that. In this there is no space for arrogance, recognition or neediness, but it allows for a humbleness which is truly beautiful.
I hadn’t thought of it this way before but what you share Joel is so true. Responding to the call is indeed the awareness that whatever is expressed you are ‘not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world’. Beautiful.
beautiful Joel. I have felt these seeds you describe that have the potential to open as flowers in a form of divine expression from within. It’s lovely the way you have put words to this process, I feel this has inspired me to trust more in the wisdom within me and allow in the unfolding process without force or doubt. “There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created”.
Awesome way to connect to that stillness deep within us, all that is required is to surrender and trust the magnitude of what we already know in our bodies .
Joel, the whole blog is (as ever) a wonder. But it is the 2nd last paragraph that resonated with me most strongly. Reading this the day after we had some friends round for lunch. And it is in those social gatherings that I can feel how my needs can still sometimes affect the flow or outcome of any given exchange. What I mean is that sometimes I still feel myself coming to a response before the other has even finished talking. It’s fascinating to observe and play with, and definitely something for me to keep refining, and such a joy for me (and absolutely for the other) to be attentive to this and to allow the whole conversation the space and grace to unfold. It was particularly powerful after lunch when one couple left and we were left with just one other couple (four of us – kids playing outside!) and suddenly the energy changed and the conversation was littered with silences, pauses, patience and a real gentleness…and then, as you say, the magic started – no fireworks – but just a real honesty and openness, way beyond what you’d expect between four people who hardly knew each other. It was beautiful.
Beautiful sharing Otto, a great example of the quality we are capable of sharing with others in our every day lives and with the livingness within our hearts.
Another fascinating observation and reflection from these kind of social gatherings is how I feel afterwards. Up until recently there was often a sense of tension or incompleteness after the event – the social role-playing and banter leaving an emptiness from the lack of a true connection. But now, more and more, as I share my time and space with people, with tenderness and a much deeper connection, I am amazed at how I feel afterwards. No peaks and troughs – a completeness from which the day can just carry on. This is not always the case – and being honest about it immediately reveals that I have not been as open and honest as I might have been, or may or may not have connected as deeply as is possible.
Love the commentary here Otto and it is a great one to explore because there is much awkardness that can go on in social situations fuelled a lot by what needs and expectations we are bringing into the mix. I recently experienced this where I felt awkard and the conversation felt shallow but I realised through reading your comments that there was (and always is) an opportunity to allow the conversation to unfold and to allow the grace to do that – and to bring my tenderness to it as well. Thank you.
Sarah – when you talk of the awkwardness I know exactly what you mean. There is nothing that one can do about any awkwardness that the other person/people might be feeling. But there is plenty that we can do about our own awkwardness. And for me, it is always rooted in my history of playing a role, projecting some version of me, the seeking of recognition….so that when there is silence I then really feel that tension between the real me and this need/habit to present something else….sometimes I hear what I say to fill the gap and it’s yuck!! Self-serving, fluff. It’s amazing to have the self-appreciation to be able to sit in silence and know that, at that moment, I am everything and I don’t need to say anything.
And an addition to this! How often is a story told, then followed by someone else immediately telling their own story that somehow betters the previous. Insidious comparison/jealousy/recognition seeking. Watch round the table, you can see how people have already disconnected from what is being shared and are now only focused on when they can start their reply. It’s yucky. There is so much joy in hearing someone speak and then leaving it at that. No imposition, no reply – except appreciation and confirmation. It’s lovely to do and also amazing to see the person sit in the silence and the appreciation. It’s also amazing to see how surprised they are that there hasn’t been a response, a retort. We are so used to that duelling, to that game playing, to that competition.
wow, I can tell you definitely didn’t make that story up Otto, felt every word.
Awesome to read your comment.
This is something that I have really noticed over the last few days how I don’t fully give others the space, grace and time to talk and say what it is I want to say. It feels very yuk and is great to both feel and see so I can lovingly change this for both myself and others.
It’s just so exhausting not allowing yourself to be still and hear what is being said. The tension that the body goes in to when you are trying to interrupt, pre-empt…or just get out of there. Claim the time that you have and commit to it. In full.
When we come from the Stillness of observing, life just unfolds and is already there for us, it pure harmony.
‘I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.’ – this is gold what you share here Joel, such beautiful wisdom to take into my day.
Joel I love revisiting this blog. There are so many poetic pieces of gold here and beautiful to read. The way you described ‘the call’ is so very gorgeous. I, like you, have also forced things, acting quickly because I can feel how uncomfortable the force is, in my body and also want to get my way and so I continue knowing it does not feel right and push to get through. Whereas when we come from the Stillness of observing, life just unfolds and is already there for us, it pure harmony – yes, i agree that is where the true magic is.
It felt lovely to read about responding to the call free of needs or beliefs Joel, and I was inspired bythe analogy of the seed growing and not trying to open the flower before its time. I am sometimes impatient, and then I am coming from a need. Thank you.
The power and potential of the ‘growth’ is to be appreciated as much as the glory of the ‘flower’.
Beautifully expressed Ottobathurst, thank you.
I agree Lucy – gorgeous wisdom Ottobathurst.
Yes, I’m reminded of a bud, a flower, and then it wilting, dying back to its seeds, and lying dormant until its cycle begins a fresh. My neediness rudely interrupts this cycle as I’m not in tune with its rhythm nor my own – my neediness isn’t who I truly am. Together with everyone, I am part of this bigger rhythm, even when I don’t honour or respect it, I’m still held in its wisdom like we all are.
And what I have found is that as soon as I connect back to that rhythm, I find all of that wisdom waiting patiently for me. It’s all there. The whole glory of God. Inside of us and forever humbly patient. We just have to make the steps.
I understand what you are sharing here, Bernadette, as have felt the need coming from me as well. I feel that it is only in my stillness will I feel the true call and this requires much discernment on my part.
I share your impatience Bernadette, but every day doing my best to allow each moment to unfold as and when it needs to. The urge and habit to control those moments are strong, but with practice it gets easier.
I agree Elodie – it does get easer with practice to let go of the control and in doing so it allows things to flow in a much more harmonious way.
I loved the seed analogy too Bernadette. As one who loves the connection with nature that gardening can give, I know that a seed supported to grow at its own pace grows strong, whereas one forced may look as good, but cannot withstand adverse conditions.
I love the expose’ of neediness – it feels like that neediness stems from recognition for if we didn’t want to be recognised for something we do, or are, we would not need to strive and dive in to open the flower before its time. I can relate to this neediness and sabotaging the twinkle of magic within by needing it to fit a certain ideal. It’s so cool to question it to allow space to see what the true call may be.
I feel such a sense of stillness when I read this blog Joel – like I am surrendering to God and the plan.
I agree Rachael – it feels just gorgeous and confirms I am part of something that is all encompassing, real and forever joyful.
I completely agree. And I love your comment for making me stop and appreciate that. It’s the spaces in between where the magic happens and my body drinks in the grace when I stop and allow those moments of stillness.
Stop for appreciation, stillness. I’m doing that right now Otto, and can feel the expansion of space within me. How great to take that forward into my day?!
‘Where my body drinks in the grace’ – so gorgeous. Our bodies love grace and people love feeling it around them as well.
Yes Sarah. Today my body is reacting strongly to lives lived without that allowance of grace. And I am so humbled by what I have forced my body to put up with. No machine would tolerate such disregard. It’s a miracle, and now that I am beginning to see what I have been doing, the choice is ever more mine to move towards greater love.
I agree Rachael, there’s such an ease and grace in this blog. There’s so much emphasis placed on human endeavour and what we do, and so little emphasis placed on the fact we are part of something so much bigger. I find it hard to express in words, but there’s something so beautiful and releasing about knowing this.
I agree Rachel. Getting our selves out the way, surrendering to the divinity that is constantly flowing through us – for it to be expressed for what it is. Humbles me.
“The result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless” this is beautiful and confirms our expression when it comes from our innocence.
“I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun” I agree with Joel and have been experiencing the same, trying to force myself to write.
“Not just in writing,” for some reason this sticks out for me. There is a belief there to let go of and see that answering the call whatever that may be, can be from emptying the bins to working as a politician.
“it opens in its own time” this is a learning too not needing to rush.
” about discerning if those things I feel/think just ‘have to get done’ are coming from that deeper place within, or if they are coming from a neediness within me.” Thank you Joel for this, I had never looked at it that way – allowing myself time and space to stop and feel if something is truly needed or not. It’s interesting as things I had assumed were of purpose ‘answering the call’ from the outside may look like they are, but depending on intent can equally come from a need in me therefore of no true service at all.
‘Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study.’ – I love this Joel. This is an ongoing development for me also as the more I deepen my connection to my Soul the more I am aware of the layers that inhibit me and hold me back from responding truly to the call from within.
‘Responding to the call’, very beautiful Joel. And the call is always there we just need to be listening to it.
‘Responding to the call’, very beautiful Joel. And the call is aways there we just need to be listening to it.
Your blog has inspired me to approach writing in a different way. It is not something that comes naturally to me and I can feel how I do not allow what I write to unfold but instead focus on the end result.
Joel I love that you took a step back from forcing the writing of blogs to allowing the unfolding as this has given us a portfolio of beautiful writing.
Joel, once again thank you for assisting this piece of magic into the world. You have mastered much in the ways of this world, and your sharing of this brings greater wisdom for all. When we try to control, things don’t flow – and it exposes our needs of why we need the control in the first place. I’m loving exposing this more and more, and surrendering more to just allowing what is needed from the true call, to come through.
‘Neither the controller, nor the victim of life.’ This sums it up beautifully Joel.
‘not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ A great description of how we’re wholly in the equation of the way our lives unfold, but that we’re not the equation itself.
That is beautifully put, the call is that what is needed to be done from within us, not what needs to be done because we need something from that performance.
Thank you for your honesty in sharing what you have learnt about yourself Joel. I’m sure there is something there we can all relate to.
What I got from your blog Joel is the allowing of love to be expressed through us in everything that we do without a vested interest or need of recognition
And another thing, to be able to truly see where you are coming from, say perhaps neediness or recognition, and call that out is simply amazing. At that moment, you can put a stop to that by being aware of what’s coming on and choose differently, choose to wait for if and or when there will be a true call from us. There will be no push, no drive, only simplicity and realism.
This is a study we all need Joel, to understand and work out how to firstly feel if there is a call, and secondly how to respond to that that uses me as part of humanity and the divine, and is being co-created for the greatness of everyone. It is an art and a science and I imagine could well be a classroom study.
“it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way… For me, this is how I experience the call” Beautifully expressed. Thank you Joel
This made me consider that when we truly ‘respond to the call’ there is an expansion of what is within that feels very simple and natural (like the flower blooming and opening), – however when this comes from a need or expectation etc. it can often ‘appear’ o.k. on the outside, but there is a force behind this that puts pressure on us which feels limiting and constrictive (like the flower, which on the outside looks open, but requires prizing and poking to force and keep the petals open).
Yes Angela – the force is a defining give away when needs takes over the show. It’s like the antithesis of trust really, for if we trusted what was coming and that we are indeed surrounded by support to deliver the magic the world is asking for there would be no need to control it with expectation.
When we stop controlling anything, we can connect to space and stillness. Life becomes magical,just awesome.
Joel in revisiting your blog I can appreciate the level of stillness and effortlessness I feel when answering to a true Call and the hard road I have also taken to push through something because of an ideal that I was doing ‘good’ when in fact it was not a True calling for me to do that; nor was the purpose of it coming from a Truth. This has made me contemplate deeply the difference between when something is True and has True purpose and when I am doing good out of recognition for myself and the need to be liked. Thank you for exposing this.
Joel I love the last paragraph it feels lovely to welcome magic into the world, the care takers of light.
“It’s like a seed from within – a feeling” moving along with life without ever forcing it. Beautiful Joel.
To be able to seperate a need from a true call is certainly something to be mastered. Our underlying neediness can be so insideous and we can easily dress it up as a true call to serve us, and only us. Satisfying our needs is purely about self, its about not wanting to feel the truth of a given situation, something we may need to face or learn about ourselves. A true call has no drive, no attachment, no need for a certain outcome, it’s an impulse from deep within that is there for us to bring through to serve the all.
When we don’t get our selves out of the way we can miss the call. Its that connection to stillness and not allowing an attachment to an outcome to get in the way. Such a beautiful blog Joel.
‘I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ This is such a beautiful way to describe responding to the call Joel and I love the picture it paints. Thank you for your expression and demonstrating how to get you out of the way.
I love what you write here Joel, Responding to the call and being aware from where did this impulse come from, to ask ourselves is it for true purpose or is it to fulfil a need?
I agree Joel, responding to the call has nothing to do with replication or recognition but is all about responding to the priority of what is needed to be done for everyone, for the whole.
“In moments of stillness I have some insight into what ‘might be’… it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower.” I love this sentence Joel, awesome.
When I attended my very first presentation by Serge Benhayon part of me was very resistant to experiencing something that was so different to my usual interests but I just knew I had to be there and on the way home, despite feeling completely unraveled I knew I had responded to a call and it would change my life. Ten years on and the call is leading me gently back to where I belong with an ever deepening connection to my inner self and to God.
Yes we cannot leave life to the fate of the universe. Our responsibility determines how it will look in our everyday choices.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created. The result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless”. Joel, this is such a profound statement and I love this very insightful blog. Very pertinent to me at this moment, Joel, I have discovered a level of wanting to control things, plan things deeper down lately that previously I felt I had dealt with. This blog has been a great stop moment for me to really consider how I have been and feel my responsibility here. Thank you so much.
Very powerful what you share with us Joel – to be really honest to distinguish between a real call and something due to a need. It all comes back to feeling feeling feeling the own body and everything around us.
Getting to know myself, getting to feel the deeper layers of the subtle shifts in my body that tell me everything I need to know about any choice I am about to make has been incredibly empowering and tangibly real. My inner knowing is powerful, and truly I am just at the the tip of understanding how to be with it.
So beautiful, this will give me something to ponder on for today..and the days after. Just what I needed to read. Thank you Joel. Sometimes I can get impatient as I think there is no true call, and nothing is happening, and what am I actually doing etc. Reading your blog gives me so much insight, as the call has to come from deep inside. Like you say, you cannot push a flower to open, it needs time…it unfolds, life unfolds.
Your comment remind me that – understanding and allowing is so important. We can’t push anything. The moment we connect to stillness, everything can unfold in its own speed.
When I read your blog post Joel I am reminded about being the ‘guardian’ of the modalities that we have learnt through Universal Medicine and how we don’t own anything, we are taught it and then know it from an experience and then practise it. I am also reminded of the fact that we are vehicles of expression constantly expressing from our soulful light or ‘getting ourselves in the way’ and expressing from a need/want or desire.
I really appreciate how the word ‘guardian’ changes attitudes. If I ‘own’ my womanhood, my divinity, the way I live, am I not keeping even a bit of it for myself. If I become a ‘guardian’ of it all of it is held safe in me for others to share.
I really like the word ‘guardian’ as it does remove any ownership. It also gives a element of responsibility as we are just the holders of whatever quality we are feeling and it needs to be shared.
I really related to what you have written hear Joel and greatly appreciate your honesty and humility. Getting self out of the way has been, and still is, a big hurdle for me in discerning the truth of “a call”. Sometimes I have written stuff and felt that it was just me seeking recognition – but then the response that I have received from it was so huge with many, many saying how much the words had served and inspired them….so, I definitely haven’t mastered it….I feel that it all comes down to self appreciation. Because that negates the pursuit of recognition….and also allows me to accept the power of my expression. Thank you Joel for inspiring me to ponder this further.
I love it “Responding to the Call” – feeling what you feel to do and what feels true – and going for it.
This narrow line between controlling and being a victim (which is the same energy in the end) is what I learn to surrender to attending Universal Medicine workshops.
Wow, to be the midwife of magic – that is just beautiful Joel. Get me to midwifery school!
Me too Lucy I’m there with you!
Hear Hear – you took the words right out of my mouth. In particular, “Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study”, the questions I am always asking myself – is this about me, is this about being right or wrong, is this about being recognised, is this a distraction from feeling a hurt – or is this needed? This is a constant work in progress for me, I feel tremendously supported to read your blog on this, thank-you Joel.
Your questions are so important to find out, if this is really a true call or am I just indulging in my own little world?
I LOVE THIS! I will have the flower with me to ask it myself if I force her to blossom or if it opens naturally and in exactly the right time. Such a beautiful picture you are again painting here…Thank you***
That is such a lovely way to describe the way Joel writes. His words become like beautiful picture for all to enjoy.
Always so gorgeous to read. Your ability to teach and inspire us through your expression is so beautiful, for when you respond to the call and do not interfere with each flower you produce, it’s magic blesses us all.
Joel is so wise, I love the way he describes not interfering with the unfolding flower. Flowers forced in a hothouse soon fade and die, those that bloom in their own time last….and last.
I like how you describe the call as something from deep within that, if we allow it, unfolds to its own flower and that there is no need to open it but that it unfolds itself in its own time. We are simply there to water it, to trim it, to position it in the right place and present it when the time is there.
Yes it is our responsibility to nurture it and allow it to unfold without getting in the way.
Getting out the way – that is the key! I find that difficult sometimes but I can see that when I am in the way that the flower can get trampled, or have to go around different ways to grow as opposed to doing what it would naturally want to do. Lovely reminder to allow it the space to grow and to tender and nurture it, but leave it to do its thing.
Beautiful Esther. By taking care of ourselves we provide a nourishing environment so the seeds of wisdom we learn from our lives experiences can blossom and bloom to their fullness.
The call, “it’s like a seed from within – a feeling …. it becomes its own flower.” Beautifully expressed, thank-you Joel.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or create”. Thank you Joel, this is it.
Yes agreed ariannekasi – it’s like a beautiful surrendering to our stillness.
I find that when I hear the call from within, I need to get myself (emotions) out of the way in order for my flower to bloom. It’s as you say Joel, becoming the calm midwife and supporting the call to flower. Something I’m still in practice of.
Beautiful Joel, I love how you have taken action on the call within to write this blog. I can see how the call with in needs to be discerned in order for it to be of true service to another.
Joel what you have shared has touched and opened my heart. I particularly love the idea of us being midwives welcoming what we feel called to act on into the world. I will take this into my day, thank you.
Witnessing the magic of the call and letting it blossom just like the midwife receiving the baby in her hands and admiring its perfection. Thank you Joel.
Joel, thank you for ‘exploring’ the call and explaining it so simply, ‘There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.’
This is pure observational magic Joel. Your final sentence to me says it all; may we all understand this in order to usher-in and respect greater divine input into our lives: “So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.”
I love the understanding that we are all part of the delivery of something beautiful, that it is all in the choices we make in re-connecting to who we truly are and then allowing ‘Magic’ to come through us. Your comment is very profound – ‘………that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower’. Thanks Joel, in the company of God I will be ‘present’ today and plant many seeds in which I will release to flower in their own time.
This was beautiful to read Joel as I can see how just recently I too have begun to become a student of life. I feel how my eyes have been opened to the many truths of life, that when I tried to force them (before I was ready) did not reveal themselves in such a beautiful and clear way. It is lovely to allow ourselves to unfold in this way not in perfection or from a push but when we are ready. I greatly appreciate Universal Medicine and the many practitioners who have so lovely presented and lived in a way that has inspired me to live the true me more and more each day.
I really enjoyed reading this blog Joel – If I go into my head and pre-plan a response to the call from within it does not get the response it deserves and I get distracted and go out of feeling into thinking mode. As you mention it is in the ‘stillness’ that a truer response can come in all its glory for all to benefit.
I love how you have expressed Joel, and your analogy of the seed from within, “…it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes it’s own flower.” One of the difficulties with allowing the call to come through is getting ourselves out of the way.
“when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world” – this is gorgeous.
Awesome post Joel! Love it. Simple, applicable tools that can support everyone. Not rushing, or forcing things to happen because of a make believe schedule, something I am all to familiar with.
Being in stillness gives such clarity to what is coming from within- unfortunately when my mind gets involved it all becomes a bit cloudy and the neediness is more apparent. I am learning to feel my body and the messages that are coming through with more clarity.
The flower metaphor and reference to being a midwife I can totally relate to, beautifully said, thank you Joel.
That’s truly being in service! 🙂
Very wise Joel, acting on impulse to serve instead of doing it out of need.
Great analogy of the midwife Joel. When we just let the feeling of the call happen naturally is when the magic happens because it is not about us.
“I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.” Joel, again you gave me something to reflect in a beautiful way. As “acting” is my profession I am confronted with “what to choose” all the time when I am at work. And I’ve experienced that there’s only one choice I can make – and the rest is no more in my hands: I have to stay true to myself and be fully committed to my choice to which source I’m willing to act up on. Either love or anything else that is not love – and that choice can be simply unawareness. Free will, will give me the opportunity to decide which source I will let my body run – truth or anything but truth. That’s when I start to get to understand what a huge impact food has on my body. Emotions, hardness etc. It’s all the same. I have to go trough these “habits” for my characters at work – and the big learning is – that I can choose 100% to return to love any time I had “pulled in” emotions, hardness, tension – name it. The reason for that is, that I am love. And that any other choice is always a learning for me: to see that I used free will to not be love. And that leaves me in a big humbleness. It opens me up to understand responsibility. It is a great reflection on what truth is. And that it is me who chooses. And if I feel into it – there is absolutely no reason to find why I shouldn’t choose love. Deep surrender, joy, harmony, stillness. And I am talking about my whole life, not only my job. That is great learning for me – your blog made me face that. Thank you, Joel*
Midwife to magic. Awesome Joel. I too can feel when I have forced something rather then responded to the call I can feel internally from the way I live. It’s not a nice feeling when things are forced and after, I feel like I’ve waisted a tonne of time… ‘I spent how long doing that?’ 😉
When responding to the call I feel like everything flows and is easy, it just all happens and unfolds quietly yet with a beautiful huge impact.
What a beautiful expression Joel reflecting wisdom and truth about truly responding to the call from within where we are – ‘not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ As it is not about trying to respond to the call but rather honoring and allowing the call from within to guide us to respond with what is needed. And developing consistency in my response from that deeper place within is also now my daily study.
I love the humility and honesty you have expressed here Joel. You allow me to connect to what it means and how it feels to truly serve without seeking recognition.
‘Not really its owner, not its creator, but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ A most beautiful expression and description of allowing what is called for to come through you.
Joel you have answered the call well in this blog. Great truths and wisdom in your insight. With honesty,humbleness and your ever present humour.
Wow Joel this is such a great blueprint for living life. That absolutely everything we feel to do every day can come from a call from within or can come from a neediness. And we can discern the difference in every moment if we are aware of it.
I very much feel how, when we act out of a need or thought, that that doesn’t work. We can’t break open the flower bud as you said so beautifully. The call is always from the true love we all know, not from us as we sometimes think.
What I got from reading this blog once again was that if we let go of trying to control whatever we express – from an investment and attachment to our expressions we get to feel the freedom and simplicity that just being yourself can bring, to yourself and others. A lesson in trusting that we are enough as we already are, Thank you Joel.
I love the analogy of being the midwife, nothing to do then act on what is there to be expressed, no looking for it, no trying, no ‘extracting’ or force. Simply a beingness and a surrender and then letting it flow.
I have recently learnt that when I operate from a perceived need it means I am unavailable to go where I am actually needed.
“And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way”. I loved these words and the accompanying wisdom you share Joel. I have had the same excitement many times in my life, but it slowly became clear that forcing something to “flower” always back fired, and that the end result was definitely not what I had expected. When we begin to understand and appreciate, that everything has its own rhythm and its own cycle, we are able to simply allow a natural unfolding of the “bud” and then we can enjoy the resulting “flower” in all its beauty.
Letting the flower open – not forcing it is such a great analogy, if we really connect we may just end up with a big colourful bunch.
What you speak about Joel takes the pressure off 10 fold. What you are saying is we actually have no control over what it is to be expressed.
We are actually only delivering and allowing the flower to open when the sun rises.
“There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created”. Gosh they are powerful words for me right now. I can see how I have sat in either camp for so long – either wanting to control or wanting to hide. It is a daily study as you say to be willing to express what is there to be expressed without needing to control the outcome or hide. Thank you Joel for writing so succinctly what goes on for me, you and I imagine a few others!
Hi Joel, I love your exploration of what a true call is. Not coming from a need for yourself but feeling what is truly needed to be done or expressed here – for everybody.
Agree, responding to the call out of obligation, duty or as you share Joel, recognition never feels nice. Responding to the call and allowing that ‘flower’ to open in its own timing – that we have choice over – is such a beautiful analogy of honouring the responsibility we all have to listen and activate what’s needed.
Thank you for making clear that when we act from a need or doing it is actually limiting our potential, what we actually could bring. It doesn’t come with a fullness and keeps you empty afterwards because of that. Learning to trust, that everything that comes truly from my essence is enough and absolutely amazing is a worthwhile path to go on.
Exactly Steffi. And only trusting ourselves, and from there anyone else, will let us open up to a degree where we let ourselves be seen in full. Expressing from that point will make a total difference.
Joel, thanks for your honesty about those calls that come from neediness, or a desire for recognition. I loved, and very much related to your analogy of forcing open the flower. Thanks also for showing that that there is another, way more lovely, and very real alternative.
Wow, your blog takes away the pressure I feel to perform and come up with amazing, profound comments, thank you Joel.
It feels what you describe is more allowing and honouring of you, and through that connection the love from within slowly comes forth, as a response to what is needed in every situation.
“And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…” Great reminder Joel, sometimes I fall into the trap, get excited and rush the flower bud before it’s ready.
Beautiful to read Joel. Especially about just letting things evolve naturally without a need for it to be or for it to get there, and not just leaving it up to the universe but doing some work as well. I like how you compared it to being like a midwife, well put.
Being the midwife of a call from within feels like a very apt description as opposed to the enforced extraction of such an impulse for our own needs and for recognition. When such a call comes from the outside, it feels important to discern whether it truly resonates with us and that can be at times as simple as the knowing that something needs to be done and I am the one to do it.
Really well written and explained about connection to an inner wisdom and how this can be discerned from an impulse to be acknowledged or recognised for ones own self satisfaction. I have found the same discernment when listening to one of Serge Benhayon’s presentations when he presented that when in self we can ask “What can I do” whereas in connection to our true inner ‘calling’, we can ask “what is there to be done”. I find this very helpful when a question comes up in my mind – does it come up and from and for me, or does it come up from and for all?
Simon, that’s a great way of putting it, and so telling it jars a little when I feel it, as I know many things have come from the ‘What can I do’, and if I stop and feel it, those moments where it’s been about ‘What is there to be done’ have felt so different, simple and there’s been less attachment to them being anything. So more exploring on what is there to be done, it’s a completely different feeling.
Well said Simon and for me this is a forever deepening exploration for I am finding that some of the things I felt needed to be done were still coming from self, to be the good student or to ‘do what is needed’. There is a great distinction between wanting to do what is needed and actually connecting to it from truth.
‘Listening to the call -‘ when I am still and allow my body to deepen and feel what is being asked of me – it is a truly beautiful & loving exchange with my body and soul.
So well expressed. It reminds me Joel of when I was unsure of what a ‘true calling’ really is, but I know now we all know what this call is, we just have to listen to our bodies to hear it.
No need for caller ID, just listen to the call from your body!
Cheapest call in town!
This is the key for me too Joshua, in that a true calling will always be confirmed within the body, just as much as responding to a call coming from an idea or belief will also be felt within the body. So the key is to come back to the body regardless and to be prepared to listen to what it is saying.
It’s great to see how we can “prank” call ourselves sometimes and deliver something and you thinking, what was that !!
I love this Joel, so simple, hearing the call and going with the flow and rhythm of life is truly magical. Sometimes I feel I am on it and adhering to the call living in the flow of life and sometimes I feel way off trying, striving and getting impatient with myself when I don’t live up to my own expectations. Lately I am starting to realise that only by connecting to me first can I truly feel the call and impulse for what is needed.
I can very much relate to what you share here Samantha. Particularly when we hear the call and go with the flow or, when we disconnect from the flow and go into the trying.
Yes Marcia, I too am learning to listen to the call more from within, as opposed to doing from a need, or ideal and belief, which leaves me feeling more tired and drained.
Yes I agree Samantha and Marcia – it is so different if I am with the call the flow is so beautiful simple and easy – nothing is in the way and can stop me so to speak, but if a I am out then everything gets very complicated, uneasy and not joyful. So with that clear distinction it made much more fun to re-connect to the call inside of me.
I can really feel the difference between responding to the call/the feeling from within too Samantha and Marcia and how this feels true and life flows compared to trying to make things happen and using force and control for this, with the first i am left feeling energised and know the feeling to be true and with the latter I am left feel tired and flat.
Yes I am experiencing this at the moment. It is truly about connecting with yourself first but man I find that tricky sometimes! It is so simple when you allow it to be but when we make it about drive, recognition, what we think we should do etc…. it gets so tricky and complication comes in.The simplicity is to let it all go and simply be who I am.
I agree Samantha, I find that it is my commitment to stay connected with my body as much as I can and not check out that brings the consistence and flow of life, it is so simple and yet so profound.
This part “I don’t live up to my own expectations” I know very well Samantha. In the past I was often very hard on myself, because I thought I had to be a certain way. The more I started to love myself, the more I can let go of the old patterns and beliefs – it is still an ongoing process for me.
That last part about being a midwife feels rather important – there is no attachment to what is to come as it is it’s own thing that we just help to be expressed through us. Responding to the call I feel is about listening to my feelings whatever they may be and allowing whatever there is to be done in response as said feelings occur. I am left with no doubts as to how to respond to such calls, it just requires a willingness to choose to listen and respond. Thank you Joel.
It’s beautiful to feel how you are a student of yourself Joel and that you are blooming too, as you recognise the difference between what is and isn’t you.
The flower metaphor works so perfectly Joel. I can relate to the force and especially the excitement and ownership of what has been given (thinking that I created it). I am not the controller or a victim of existence and these qualities are clearer to me now. Thank you.
Thank you Joel, for responding to the call to write this amazing article, I feel it will inspire many.
I can so relate to this Joel, particularly the part about allowing the flower to come to full bloom. I know that as soon as I try to force anything ‘the call’ can no longer be felt. At a workshop with Serge Benhayon over the weekend it was confirmed that surrender is the key element in bringing forth our true expression, for when we feel the call and surrender to it, we can express with ease and with all of us, what is true.
Reading this brought me to a STOP – I haven’t really stopped and pondered on ‘respond to the call’…..and what this truly means and when it’s not from a true place, well where does it come from…you have shared this so beautifully…thank you!
I have come to the realisation that I have been in resistance to responding to the call, the call to serve God, this I have felt tangibly this week. What I have been pondering on is why would I resist this call when every fibre of my being wants to align to the work that I can do for God on earth?
Joel, I love the way you describe that in responding to the call you are “not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world”. And this feels so true for me that we have to welcome a call to the world and that we only have to allow it to be birthed and from there we will care for it to let it blossom to its maturity.
Responding and embracing that feeling from within is something so essential and so loving, thank you Joel
I love how you describe the response to the call as a flower that unfolds by itself when you are there and it becomes its own flower. There is no identification or outcome expected just the unfoldment of the flower. Also how we force the flower open when we decide how the flower has to look like. Thats such an amazing image of being in service and responding to the call and not forcing your own ideas on life and people, just being there and supporting the flower to unfold.
“then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.” This is a clever analogy … it feels like a letting go of ownership and an embracing of simply what is… Thank you.
I love this sentence, “Responding consistently from that deeper place within is now my daily study”
To me, it highlights the importance of committing to meet life from the body first, where we know what is and what is not and learn to honour that. Thanks Joel.
and when you do respond to the call Joel as you did with this article it is so clear to feel that it is Heaven sent.
With everything in life there is a chance we are influenced by ideals and beliefs we are not even always aware of. Responding to the call is something that just ‘happens’ when I am connected, living from my heart and open to all around me.
That is an amazing blog Joel for the simplicity in which you reveal how one co-creates a wondrous and joy-filled life to be shared with all here on earth. You have shown the way, to Heaven on Earth.
Hi Joel,
beautiful how you express your understanding of a call.
I feel also, it is doing within the being and being within the doing, with stillness as a center point. Not looking for any particular outcome.
You are an exquisite writer Joel. In such a short space you have encapsulated what it is to listen to the subtle understanding within, and to give it its full expression – no force or yearning for it to be something different. The analogy of the flower that blooms and we allow to open in its own time is something that I can deeply appreciate at this time as I learn to write and express from these delicate inner impulses.
Forcing and straining to make what I do “something” feels like trampling all over flowers in a spring garden.
And making life about running to the call of others is to allow the garden to become untended and barren.
That is so it though Joel, a feeling that if you don’t second guess it, is exactly everything you needed In that moment. Trusting and believing in Myself is a process I am unfolding and being open to at the moment and I find it plays a big part in whether I second guess or not
You are expressing exactly what it is to be in co-creation Joel which is joyful and very beautiful to feel. The messenger and the receiver are held equally in the delivery of what is called to be expressed and it is indeed a magical moment in time.
Responding to the call – the only thing we have to do really is pick up the phone! Love your blog Joel.
Joel, another simple and powerful exposure penned from the wisdom of your heart, the place where true magic resides. What this highlights for me is the necessity of ‘caller ID’: is the call coming from the heart or is it coming from the head? Discernment is the key. Much to play with here, thank you.
I love that Liane, ‘caller ID’! From which source is the call coming from…learning to discern and trust that what we are answering is indeed coming from the warmth and wisdom of our heart that so beautiful considers the all… and not the mental constructs from our head that keeps us small and less and limited.
Joel , you have definitely answered the call and i love the way you express yourself through your articles
Hi Joel, I like the picture with the flower.. I had to think of an Orchid – in time I get frustrated if it does not blossom.. But I always get surprised and very joyful when I discover the first buds or even flowers – just as if they would grow over night.
And the only thing that I did in this interplay, was to stay in connection and give it water and alertness.. And let ‘the magic’ unfold.
A feeling that becomes a flower when you are connected and still as a tree. Beautiful!
The last line expressed it beautifully. The support person who holds a loving safe space for the expression to come through, with no expectation because the self is out of the way, allowing the magic of life too flow through for all to receive. Beautiful.
Dear midwife! Thank you for your blog and the beautiful way that you expressed what is not ‘a call’ and the example that you gave. I was about to ask you for an example for what is ‘a call’, then I realised that your blog was THE example. 🙂
A beautiful blog Joel. The call comes from within, but we first have to get the self out of the way and allow that seed to develop and unfold into a beautiful flower.
I just wrote something that didn’t feel right. I wrote something about my experience of feeling a ‘call’ last night, which I did, which was relevant and on topic, however – it was not flowing, it didn’t feel appropriate or like it was needed here. A classic example of what your blog expresses. So I deleted it. There is something so precious about learning how to feel what the calling is, and then to live life by responding to the calling in each moment. When I practice that time seems to stretch and everything flows gently from one moment to the next. Your blog is a great reminder that I have been caught up in my own needs and busyness and now commit to returning to the graceful flow of responding to the call. Thank you Joel.
Such a lovely blog Joel, I have been experiencing what you describe in ‘waiting for the flower to open’ and it is as you say not to be forced..
Responding to the call is like growing a flower, it starts way back at the stage where we prepare the bed for planting. Its important to make sure the plant grows well to provide the best opportunity for a beautiful bud.
In the same way if we nurture ourselves we create a garden bed of possible blooms and can feel which ones are truly needed and which ones are just there for show…
I love what you have shared here Joel. I can relate to the experience you have described of writing because the inspiration was naturally there and then trying to write something because we think we should. These are two very different experiences. One comes with ease and flows and the other feels like it is hard work. Thanks for reminding me to keep an ear out – to listen to the call, rather than try and make things happen.
Awesome Joel, I love the way you write. Great explanation of responding to the call. I have often felt that a response to the call is like the call not from a person but from the universe. Asking or calling for something that only I can bring. And so by connecting to that inner knowing that you spoke of I can know what it is I’m called to do. Sometimes the call is actually for me to not do anything believe it or not, it’s just for me to continue doing my normal everyday thing but called to bring more of me, my expression and love into what I already have to do.
I love how you say ‘its midwife bringing it into the world’ – that’s a gorgeous way to express it – and so very true indeed. And as you say, a true response to a call is void of any need…thanks for this blog Joel…
Wow, what a beautiful blog, Joel. Yes, it’s all about the midwife position. Let life evolve by itself, like buds open up and in time become a flower. It asks from us a discerning in each moment what is there to express instead of do, push or hold back. I will take this into my day(s) to come and observe how I give birth to each moment.
My experience of ‘responding to the call’ from persons or groups outside Universal Medicine has been similar to Joel’s in that it has always been experienced as a type of demand; in my case a supposed motivator to ‘do more with less’. I am being asked to fulfil someone else’s need or want (often individualistic and greed driven). Such rhetoric usually leaves me feeling that I am being told I am not enough, in all its various guises. This has never felt right but can be hard to address when there is a power imbalance. However Joel portrays a much more loving way of ‘responding to the call’ and allows me to reflect on how else the phrase can be understood. Joel’s comment ‘when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic’ is wonderful.
A call is not from another, it is the feeling inside that we can be more, its just that some of us are not shown the way to allow the call out. Seemingly we get caught in life telling us its about more activity, when its about expressing more truly who we are.
Thank you for sharing what responding to the call means for you. It can be a term that I have been confused with as sometimes your are not in touch with feeling what your call is and get caught up in what others are doing and then trying to copy. This blog brings me back to feeling what responding to the call means and how all I need to do is allow myself to feel deep within me.
Very humble Joel, I liked how you put it. “when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs”
I love this blog Joel, thank you. I can so relate to how life flows when I surrender and choose to be “neither the controller nor the victim of life” but simply allow myself to connect deeply with me and be the real me. Making choices from this space of connection is always beautiful.
‘So, when I respond to the call within and am able to navigate away from my own needs or beliefs about what life should be; then I am witness to magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world.’ I love your last sentence Joel, yes we are the midwifes, we are just delivering and then we go on.
I liked your analogy of your the midwife just there ready to allow this expression to come into the world. Very profound way to accept it to be.
Joel this is a very lovely and gentle offering of awareness raising. I’m going to play with my version of where I’m feeling the call from with-in. If it’s coming from my head I’m not going to pick-up or even give it space to leave a message!
I find that responding to the call of my own soul moment by moment is like you say Joel, tending to a delicate flower. We have to be careful not to crush it with our heavy handedness or our lack of attention to detail. The call can be as simple as saying to avoid a certain food but the question is do we listen to it and what happens if we do and what happens if we don’t.
I feel this writing is really such an important step in anyones expression. We all have that capacity to feel something stirring inside us and discern if it is a need to be acknowledged from others, or if it is coming from a place which wants to share a true expression of who we are with others. An example of this is something I once discerned about hugging another person. I noticed I always went into a hug thinking I was receiving affection back. It was a little clingy. Then I decided, no, hug another knowing how lovely I am and how my hug is an offering to another. Joel’s article reminded me of this -connect to the loveliness there inside, let it guide the expression, be it writing, hugging or whatever.
Simon what better way to express the loveliness inside of you “Then I decided, no, hug another knowing how lovely I am and how my hug is an offering to another”. Like Joel, you remind us how much we have to offer the world.
Great to read this as I have been pondering just now on how I manage to get in the way of allowing that flowering and blossaming to happen….a great reminder to open to the magic of true love.
It is a joy to read your expositions Joel, in that, you are a true teacher. The tenderness of this line….’if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before it’s ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way’….shines so brightly. I learnt a lot here, thank you for sharing this.
Brilliant article Joel. This says it so simply ‘ it’s not ‘a voice in my head’, or outside me for that matter… it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, it becomes it’s own flower. And, if I don’t get excited and try to open the flower bud before its ready, it opens in its own time and in a magical way…’ This is something I am learning, to listen to that feeling and allow it to blossom. Your article has really helped me, thank you.
I love how you nail how to respond to the call – ‘being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment,combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.’ I’d add another ingredient to the recipe – Trust. A big one because it requires us to let go of our need to control everything.
I’ll second this Cathy, about being neither the controller nor the victim. And for adding trust to ‘the recipe’. This hadn’t occurred to me on first reading, thank you.
In your blogs Joel the magic is there for us all to enjoy and to connect to this place from where no force or push is needed. A place for all to experience if we choose so. Nature is a beautiful reflection of this magic we can enjoy and feel the tender and delicate way nature is with all the seasons.
Wow. I love this article Joel. I find it very powerful and know it is one I will return to as I feel it brings a great insight. Today this sentence particularly stands out for me, “I am learning that when I act from my own ideals and ‘needs’ I somehow minimise the potential of any given exchange, expression and experience before it has even begun.”
Excellent Joel – it is so clear from your blog that it is about making the extraordinary ordinary: “the result is not always fireworks or brass bands, but joyful and beautiful nonetheless.”. Joyful and beautiful is pretty darn good – so if that is our normal, then we can only grow from this, instead of holding it as an ideal and therefore accepting there is a ‘lesser’ experience of what is ‘normal’
Great observation Jessica.
Awesome comment Jessica. You just summarized and expanded the blog in only 50 words :).
Love what you are saying here, Jessica. Brilliant.
🙂
This blog brings a lot of understanding to the term ‘the call’. I often used to get frustrated at myself because I wanted and needed to ‘respond to the call’ the way my role models have. Often all the ‘responding’ I was doing was the polar opposite, like those maths questions in school tests that I used to assume ‘Surely it can’t be that easy!?’ – then comes the long winded answer and come grading time I would be told the answer was as simple as the question. Responding to the call for me is a case of Stop and Feel, by acknowledging and acting accordingly to that feeling I am responding to the call.
Hi Joel, I know exactly what you mean about trying to force something to come out. I have written a few blogs now and when I first started it was very hard because instead of letting the words come to me I tried very hard to make it sound good and consequently it took a long time for me to write the blog. I am not very comfortable with writing but I have learnt to just start typing whatever comes in and then fine tuning at the end. Because I am not trying to impress anymore I am finding the whole process gets easier and easier the more I write.
Midwife to magic…..having us nurture those calls from within and allow them a natural unfolding. I love the way you have so simply described this process. Thank you Joel.
Thank you Joel for describing your understanding of “Responding to The Call” which I totally share. You say so beautifully “Responding consistently from that deeper place within is my daily study”. I completely relate to that. Beautifully summed up.
Great expression
I have a completely different understanding to ‘Responding to The Call’ as well. I feel this is from having a deeper and true understanding of life and the Universe thanks to the presentations and courses from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine as well as a more loving and truer relationship with myself and others. I could really relate to what you expressed here “It was not a true call. In that moment, I decided what the flower would be and I wrote and wrote and wrote until I forced it open… and, when I finally stopped – what I read and felt wasn’t nice.” What i could see here was it was like being a push to get things done or forcing something for recognition instead of having the patience for it to unfold. I am still very much learning with this.
Letting the Call from your soul be the Midwife of your expression that births a bud which grows into a beautiful flower if you tend it gently without pushing or trying to control it. What an amazing sharing, Joel, and a great inspiration for all to remember when we express in any way in our lives. God’s Gardener!
Beautifully and Rhythmically expressed, Ariana.
Thank you for your blog Joel. I enjoyed it so much, especially when you mentioned to navigate away from your own needs and beliefs.
Thank you Joel L for a great article that makes simple sense. I like the bit about forcing the flower open. There is a timing and I know when I listen to me then the compass inside me directs me and it flows and it is easy. It could be something as simple as running an errand or writing a blog.
Responding to the call for me means making sure that what I am doing is not harming myself or anyone but actually serving humanity in any way. It does not have to be ‘fireworks or brass bands’ as you say. If I make sure whatever I do is not for me to self gain, to make me feel better, have recognition or indulge in old patterns of behaviour that I know are harmful, then it has purpose. That for me is responding to the call.
Beautiful article Joel thank you for writing about responding to the call, what we are truly impulsed with, and how when we try, the needs come in and it all goes wrong.
I was inspired by your writing to feel deeper within and love to express from there with and a deeper knowing.
I love the flower example and letting it unfold very much, and this I am seeing everyday if I let it.
Forcing the flower to open is such a great way to put into perspective how things all go wrong if we try too hard. The flower has to be allowed its rhythm and as you express so well, when we allow our expression to come from the grandness that is within all of us, it comes with a totally different quality.
Thanks for this piece of writing Joel. I particularly like the part where you say “There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created”.
Joel I loved your analogy of not forcing the flower bud to open before it is ready; for me I also have to remember to water the plant, and tend to whatever it needs may be, and not let the bud die on the branch, unopened.
Getting self out of the way is such a relief. I can literally feel the huge weight come off my body, my chest, my shoulders. My legs get lighter. Everything feels lighter. It’s not surprising. If you actually imagine that each of the ‘should’s’ and ‘must’s’ and ‘have got to’s’ was a weight (10kg each?!) and then there are all the self serving reasons – you quoted the need for recognition – which is a biggie and must be at least 100kg and there are plenty, plenty more…..all those emotions that you are trying to hide from…or are reacting to (each at least 50kg weights strapped on to some part of your body)…the list goes on…..then you can see how the burden builds up. Get all of that out of the way, get all that weight off…and suddenly…well, it doesn’t need saying. Thank you for the inspiration of your blog.
Dear Joel, I know that what you say is true because I have just come to realize that this is exactly what I’ve been doing with my family my entire life; forcing the flower to open with an impatient ‘need’ for them to be OK in an attempt to not ‘feel’ the discomfort of where they were… instead of accepting, observing and listening in openness to what was, in truth, required.
The “help” I’ve offered has damaged our connection and corroded their trust in me.
I find that when I am able to hear it, the call often asks for me to just be calm and WITH myself instead of my old way of ‘reacting’ where I would leave myself in an effort to meddle in things without taking the gentle care to ‘feel’ what is “called for” first.
The “friendly enemy” or true service?
When we respond to ‘the call’ we are part of the all and all is part of us, your description of a ‘midwife’ of the magic is lovely. The description of the flower bud also really resonated with me, trust, feel and be and it will come. Thank you
Thanks Joel for sharing your experience of responding to the call, its very allowing for others to do the same and be mindful of the trap of recognition and self. “Navigate away from my own needs” seems such a powerful way to live.
Hi Joel I love the way you write it brings a greater depth and understanding to ‘Responding to the Call’. I know as soon as I try to make something happen out of a need or recognition it becomes complicated and nothing flows. The bud of the flower as you so beautifully describe does not open, and if I try to force it, it doesn’t have the same feeling of expansion if feels closed off and the tenderness and gentleness goes.
Hi Joel, I love how you so clearly differentiate between responding to a true call, and initiating your own call for recognition, and the huge difference between the two, especially in terms of control. You have really furthered my understanding on this – creating a situation for recognition, of course that is the ultimate of control!!
I read this blog again and it is as charming and delightful as the first time. I appreciate the reminder that forcing something out of a neediness or because my mind thinks I should is like forcing a bud to open. And I also appreciate your reminder that it is not about withdrawing and ‘leaving it to the fate of the universe’, but that there is a place where we are neither a controller nor a victim, in that moment we feel from deep within what is to be expressed and we are willing to express it without second guessing or forcing it. And that is when we witness the magic. Like this beautiful article. Thank you.
Thank you Joel, I have also felt this true call from within me, I’m learning to trust this and not go into my head about it, and when I do follow this inner call it feels like there is a natural, harmonious flow, purpose and order to my life – very beautiful!
Interesting the different interpretations of the call that you mention, and then the one you have found to be truth.
Thank you Joel, a beautiful way to express ‘the call’, I also loved the analogy of the flower.
Wow amazing article Joel, simple, deeply inspiring and love the analogy of the flower.
Joel I loved reading this blog and the clarity that you bring for ‘the Call’, it is crystal clear. My sleeves are rolled up and ready for every birth and any given moment – right beside you all the way.
Thank you Joel for a really lovely writing – so true, real,clear and simply put. A great reminder to remember as every day unfolds to let it gently and not push anything, like the flower. To observe if there is any neediness there at a deeper level to expose in oneself that may be influencing one, instead of it being from heaven, the true call within.
Thank you Joel, I love the image of being a midwife and getting ourselves out of the way to allow for the birth of expression without neediness.
Well said.
What a beautiful way to describe this process. This is so true. Thank you Joel.
So true about not forcing it, this blog has helped so much, thanks Joel.
I am loving responding to the call that resides in us all, and love the way you write the playfulness of getting that balance down. It is such a wonderful journey, the path of return, and patience is an absolute priority to not miss a beat. Thanks for the awesome blog Joel.
Yes beautifully expressed and thank you. It’s so worth observing, taking time and appreciating the flower gradually opening to then take a deep breath and take in all of its beauty.
This was so beautiful to read. I love the use of a bud to describe the magic of when we respond to what we feel to express from inside, and I can really feel the harm in this example of trying to make it something that ‘I’ want, need or think it should be rather than honour the glorious unfolding that will naturally take place if I just allow. And then witness the magic… not really its owner, not its creator but more its midwife, welcoming it into the world. Beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you Joel, this is so very lovely. I have found the same when I have written a blog – I know when its coming from deep within as there is no forcing of the flower to open. It is such a beauty-full feeling and so magical. As you say – no self or ownership, the midwife at work.
Thank you Joel. I love how you explain simply and honestly how it is. “Magical”.
That’s so lovely, like a ‘midwife’.
Thanks for writing this Joel. That last paragraph held so much truth for me – it felt so powerful the way you described the magic of responding to the call that has no self in it and with no ownership. Wow.
Thank you Joel, for explaining the process so simply. As you say, it all “opens in its own time and in a magical way”. I love that.
Thank you Joel, this was a beautiful rose for me to read today. Absolutely perfect timing and so very true… Thanks for inspiring me to remember that it all starts within, and to trust those soulful impulses when they occur, without having to see the flower at the end first! 🙂
This is a beautiful ‘flower’ to sit amongst all of these blog posts, Joel. For it truly ‘calls’ us all – in simple, understandable terms, to go deeper. Is what we are writing/doing about ‘us’ (our needs), or is there indeed something greater?
There is amazing joy in “remaining in the equation”, and yet allowing what’s truly there for all, to be expressed. Poignant and timely, thank you.
I was touched by the image of the flower you use here Joel. I can relate to thinking I am doing what is called for, yet when I’m honest I’m forcing the flower. I felt in what you wrote this sense of what its like to be one with life, instead of reacting or redirecting.
So beautifully expressed as always Joel – thank you for responding to the call.
Hi Joel, I love your post and I especially like the part where you explained responding to the call as “it’s like a seed from within – a feeling – that if I don’t second guess what it needs to be, becomes its own flower”. I also loved your honesty in acknowledging when there is a need for recognition. I know I have felt this too when I have written a post, but now only write when there is a true impulse. Thank you Joel.
I too, love that line! “Responding to the call, like a seed from within.” The true impulse comes from that seed within, and it helps to recognise that impulse when it comes. As we connect to the stillness within ourselves we are able to feel this seed, this is what I am coming to experience.
Well said, thank you.
The beautiful thing about your sharing here Joel is that everyone and anyone can respond to the call, we can welcome many calls each and every day. Now that is something to celebrate.
Joel, this blog is so simple and yet so deeply inspiring. Thank YOU! I especially love this part you write: “There is something about being neither the controller nor the victim of life – being willing to express what I feel in each moment, combined with not forcing or second guessing what is there to be expressed or created.”
So well-said and full of love. Rock on.
Joel, I really love the way you write – when I see your name come up,I know it’ll be inspiring and beautiful. This answered my question which was – why did I fall on my right hand in a rain forest and badly hurt my wrist? I think I was trying too hard to be careful and gentle instead of letting the flower open. Thank you so much from sunny and chilly UK.
I find too that often when I really try to be something things go very wrong!!