Intuition and Trust: a Personal Journey Through Ancient Pathways

ancient pathways

By Phoebe Hoogendyk

Guest writer for Wake Up World

My journey into total trust and belief in our intuition really began in earnest 32 years ago when I knew the Universe, my guidance etc. conspired to bring my partner Paul and I together. If we both had not been listening to our inner voices, our intuition — and trusting it — then our lives would have turned down other roads that in hindsight we can see now as not being all that wonderful. We would have missed out on following our hearts and living our dreams.

I now know that when you listen to your intuition it will tell you everything you need to know.

What it also meant was that I had to step into being 100% responsible for everything that happened and happens in my life. For many people that is a too huge a leap of faith just yet… but my gosh! does it set you FREE! And each individual who takes responsibility for themselves helps to make the world a better place.

To set the scene…

It was 1985. Paul was single, a Kiwi (an affectionate name for those from Aotearoa/New Zealand) living in South Australia and had never been married. He was a demi-chef and a gym instructor, right into body building, and as fit as could be. He rode his push bike everywhere. It is a minor fact that he didn’t have a car or his driving license at that point; he got both eventually, and the fact that he wore a pair of shorts for his female driving test instructor had nothing to do with him getting his license.

He was also aware of “spirit” after an abrupt awakening. I will tell that story later.

On his way to the United States to train with the big boys of bodybuilding, he was certain that after his success in many Australian competitions, that was where his future lay. Even though the tickets had been paid for and his bags were packed, a nagging doubt about the trip pervaded his mind. Paul was 25.

Now for me… After 19 years of marriage I was in the middle of a separation – my decision – with four children to consider. We had simply grown apart and, in hindsight, had very different values than when we first met and fell madly in love at the tender ages of 18 and 20. I was a surfie chick, flower child, and the black sheep of the family.

My need to regain fitness saw me getting into aerobics, running and gym workouts, and later into studying and working as a fitness trainer. One of the fitness centres I was working at was short an instructor, and the gym manager was hoping a female instructor would bring more women into that (in those days) male dominated arena.

At the same time I had also been offered a job managing a chain of gymnasiums and was considering my options; to accept a job that pays heaps and looks great on my resume, or stay. I only had a few days to give them my answer. For some reason I just couldn’t make up my mind. Every time I thought about leaving that gym, an unexplained sense of loss swirled around me. It was a good gym, but what was it that was really keeping me there? I was 37.

In our separate lives, Paul and I both sensed that something life altering was about to happen.

An abrupt awakening

Two weeks before Paul was set to leave for the United States, he headed off to the gym on his pushbike for his usual training session. He did not make it. A sudden and quite violent fall from his bike tore the muscles from his right shoulder and ended his dreams of training and competing in America. To this day Paul has no understanding of how that event happened. He swears there was nothing to hit. It was a straight part of the road and he ran into, well, nothing! Battered, bruised and feeling a tad sorry for himself, Paul went home to New Zealand to heal.

Meanwhile, I had decided to take up the management offer. That morning, just as I picked up the phone to confirm my starting date, a male friend and tarot card reader called me:

“You are about to meet your soul mate, and if you leave, your paths won’t cross.”

What was a girl to do?

“Phoebe” the gym secretary called, “Glad you stayed on. I would like you to meet Paul who has just come back from New Zealand.”

I spun around and took Paul’s outstretched hand, eager to meet this person that had all the aerobics instructor’s tongues hanging out. Well, at least two that I know of. His hand was strong and reassuring and I noticed some crosses tattooed on a couple of fingers.

“Strange” I think to myself… “therein lies a story”.

I looked up and his eyes were deep blue worlds that pulled me in. And while my ears heard “Hello”, my mind received the underlying message: “Who the hell is she and what is she doing here in my gym?” Although I could see Paul was fighting it with all his might, there was an instant deep connection between us. We didn’t know it then, but in that moment our journey together had begun.

A smile of recognition crept across my face. He’s the one!! I completely ignored Paul’s indignation at all the changes that had taken place in the gym during his absence – of which I was one.

“Hello and welcome back. I know we will work well together” I said. Turning away quickly I muttered under my breath something incredibly profound: “Oh my God!!!! He’s gorgeous.”

Romantic stuff eh!?

Flash forward!

What then happened to us over the next 32 years has been nothing short of amazing. Did we have challenges? You bet we did! Those challenges taught us to trust our intuition, and the rewards that came from overcoming those challenges truly moved us forward.

I will attempt to abbreviate the events that saw Paul and I totally transform our lives…

It began with a huge flash! — literally — as symbols were downloaded into Paul’s body by what he describes as light beings, during a visit to Palenque. At this time I was re-awakening to a spiritual path, and Paul was just beginning… so he shelved the experience for many years. That was until visions of Ancient Elders began to come to Paul and asked him to go to New Zealand and find a piece of stone to carve into 12 sacred symbols, to take them to 12 places on the planet and gift them to the land and the people through the spirit keeper of the area.

 

symbols

So there we were! Decision time. Should we push Paul’s visions aside as crazy ideas, or trust and follow through? We wrote down all the reasons why not to follow through… financial at the top, family, friends, our business. Did we trust the task that had been presented to us? We had to look deep within our hearts and our knowing.

The answer was ‘yes’.

Walking ancient pathways

Paul went to New Zealand, found the stone, brought it home and sat with it for a few more years until the “Old Ones” pushed him to have courage to begin to carve. As he had never carved anything in his life before, they also gifted him with that ability on one of his journeys back to NZ.

Armed with total trust in this process and my support and belief in him, Paul began… and so did our journeys to some of the most remote and beautiful places and people on this planet. Why? It all FELT right and perfect.

As each symbol came to him in a vision, it was carved, and – in trust – we hopped on a plane and travelled to its resting place. Did we know all the details before we left? Heck no! And yet, because we implicitly trusted our ‘knowing’ that somehow it was why we were here – that it was our life’s purpose – it all fell into place.

I am not going to make out that it was all a fairy tale from here on in. It wasn’t. One journey saw us taking 13 plane flights and a ship to find where we were to gift these carvings. On one trip we spent 10 hours a day on horseback for 3 days, over mountains and through forest. Paul almost died in Tibet, and I almost died from something that I picked up in Africa. In Mongolia and New Zealand we were pushed way beyond our physical limits, and yet we felt totally looked after; we knew these experiences were sent to strengthen our resolve. The softer and more nurturing journeys (in theory) still placed us in the middle of jungle where very few people ever ventured.

We could have stopped at any time and just said “Stuff this! It is way too dangerous!”

Surprisingly though, we never felt in any real danger at any time. We never put ourselves in obvious danger or behaved recklessly. We went not knowing what the outcome of it all would be, and to be honest with you, that was something neither Paul nor I were ever concerned with. We were called out on a mission and we had to see it through. We were resolved to our task, and before we set out we even acknowledged – if we died in the process, then that is what is meant to happen.

At the end of each ceremony we performed with the stone symbols, there was always a seemingly miraculous sign from the elements to show us that we were on track and, I believe, to thank us for our work.

An open heart and an open mind

January 2012 marked the last adventure of this particular mission and vision. Together, we challenged and pushed ourselves and our boundaries. Now we live in a world that has few limits… and only of our own making… those little ones that still lurk in the hidden recesses of our minds, put there through years of conditioning – and which we can now admit to allowing.

On my journeys with Paul, we have met and made friends with many others on a similar path, and so now we understand more of what it was we were doing: helping to create and possibly re-establish a grid pattern of love and light across the globe. And along with all the others who listened to their calling and ventured forth, I believe that grid is becoming stronger every day. It will help us all to be birthed more easily into a new way of being, as we transition through this time of massive upheaval and change on the planet.

For me, it helped to have a completely open heart and mind, and we are now guided to work with the Original people of our own lands, Australia and New Zealand. The message from the Original people from all over Earth is very clear: We must re-connect ourselves to the Earth and treasure her as a living entity. We must learn to live more simply and sustainably; to take responsibility for our own actions and our lives; do no harm to anyone or anything… and open our hearts to the endless possibilities of this Universe and beyond.

Some simple tips to help you tune into your intuition:

1. Connect with nature as often as you can. Walk or sit in nature daily, in silence and respect.

2. Find a quiet place for at least an hour each day and meditate. If you find that you are not good at turning your mind off, then simply take note of every breath you take and start with 15 minutes and build up from there. This is a great step towards becoming a conscious breather and aware of every living moment that has been gifted to you.

3. Never take yourself too seriously whilst respecting everyone and everything’s right to BE. It is so important to laugh; this helps you to relax and to be in a place where you know yourself.

4. Trust your solar plexus area, it will tell you what is or is not for you. If you are in a situation you are not sure about, tune into that area on your body. If it feels like there is a knot there and it feels closed, you know to walk away. If you feel what you think is fear, and yet your solar plexus area is open, then it is not fear but excitement, and you can stay. Your choice.

5. Bring back into your life that which excites you, that which you are passionate about. The things that you are naturally good at and love to do are a part of your unique blue print, and why you are here… that’s why you love doing it!

The most important thing is that I learnt from following the instructions of the ancient Elders – which were gifted to me through Paul – is to get out of your head and into your heart. The hardest journey for most of us in life is 3 hand spans in width and takes us the longest time — the journey from our heads into our hearts. Bring the two together, for that is where true wisdom and your knowing, intuition and trust resides.

About the author:

P&P

Phoebe is co-founder of Ancient Pathways, a company dedicated to enabling personal and spiritual development through the application of ancient wisdoms and modern tools for change. Their clinic “Mauri Natural Therapy” is situated in Lismore in the Northern Rivers area of NSW, Australia.

Both Phoebe and her partner Paul are international speakers, with qualifications in Natural Therapies, NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), Hypnotherapy and Remedial Massage. Phoebe has also trained in Multi Dimensional Cellular Clearing, and is the author of “Set By The Ancients” Book 1, with Books 2 and 3 on the way. Paul is also an accredited Acupuncturist with an Advanced Diploma in Natural Sciences, and uses techniques that can help you break through personal blocks, limiting beliefs and decisions that may hold you back from your potential (which can be done via telephone for long distance clients).

For more information, contact Phoebe and Paul at [email protected] or visit their websites: www.ancientpathways.com.au and www.maurinaturaltherapy.com


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