Have you ever had a flash of a thought, a daytime (or nighttime) dream, a chance encounter, or a surprising synchronicity*, followed by other related, similar events that all pointed to a particular theme or idea? Or have you ever been heading down a particular path in your life, feeling a bit unsure of yourself, and in the midst of your doubt and insecurity you received a “sign” (they come in many forms) that you were on the right path?

These are all examples of breadcrumbs that appear along the path to your beautiful future.

Breadcrumbs — despite their simple and humble name — are not to be missed. In fact, if you don’t pay attention to the breadcrumbs in your life or you miss them altogether, your journey may take longer than it needs to take.

The idea of missed breadcrumbs makes me wonder: If we miss the breadcrumbs scattered on our life’s path, do they eventually turn into hurling bricks that demand our attention?! Maybe.

In June, while I was on a 27-day sabbatical, I had an unexpected and completely unplanned idea for a writing project that intrigued me. Without any intention or forethought, I came across the work of author and Jungian analyst, Marion Woodman, whose writings and teachings I first discovered in the 1990s.

Woodman is author of many books including Addiction to Perfection, Leaving My Father’s House: A Journey to Conscious Femininity, and Bone: Dying into Life. She is best known for her work on the feminine, addiction, and the relationship between body and mind.

During my sabbatical I re-read a few of Woodman’s books, and listened to live teachings she presented to analysts and psychotherapists, centering around the psychology of the feminine, for which she was widely known and respected.

I also discovered another book by Woodman and co-author Jill Mellick I hadn’t known about before, Coming Home to Myself: Reflections for Nurturing a Woman’s Body & Soul. As I began to read CHTM, I immediately recognized it as a deep exploration into the Portals and Invitations of the Radiant Threefold Path, especially the Invitation to Know, which means to uncover the truth of your radiant self.

CHTM is deeply in alignment with the Return+Reclaim+Receive Path, and that is where the flash of inspiration for the next writing project emerged. I imagined how wonderful it would be to dive into and share this coming home journey with you, so that you can more deeply know and honor you.

There was just one small detail I needed to resolve to birth this project from the seed of an idea into a flesh and blood, black and white words-on-a-page project. And that detail was permission.

In order to share Woodman’s words, beautifully translated into prose by Jill Mellick, I would need the permission of the book’s publisher, Mango Publishing. I thought, “What have I got to lose by asking? I’ll send them an email and see what they say!”

I sent an email through the publisher’s website and in a matter of hours I received their reply,

Please feel free to share!”

And with that unequivocal, “Yes,” the project was born.

Starting this week I will begin sharing with you excerpts from Coming Home to Myself, along with my own personal reflections and invitations that I hope will inspire you to take a deeper journey of returning to your authentic self — coming home.

It is only through coming home to ourselves that we can live peacefully in the core of our being, and create the life we are meant to live.

Are there any breadcrumbs scattered along your life path that are calling for your attention? What one small, yet courageous, act can you take to honor those breadcrumbs?

* The definition of synchronicity is “the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection”. (Google/Oxford Languages)

© Vicki Tidwell Palmer (2021)