An Upward Spiral

An Upward Spiral - March 29, 2023

When one lives long enough, experiences in life appear to repeat themselves in random order, intertwining with new adventures, changing friendships, partners, and circumstances of life.  Though there may be a sense of having been there before, it's always slightly different, as if seen through someone else's eyes.  Yet, the eyes are the same.  It's life's lessons, fermented over time, that change the way repeated experiences unfold.  When something is repeated, it's an indication that there's more to learn before it can be put to rest.  It also provides an opportunity to dive deeper into unconscious motives, behaviors and the sources of inspiration. 

Perhaps there is a destination to be reached at the end of circling through experiences, perhaps not.  Just because part of a mountain path has become overgrown and impassable doesn't mean that the path doesn't pick up again on the other side of the brambles. The path may eventually lead to the summit, or it may lead to a valley and on to a totally different mountain. Unless I find our way back to the path, I will never know.

A few years pass. I head back to the same mountain and start at a different point.  This path winds up and around and down and eventually I find myself back on the original path, but on the other side of the brambles.  This time I continue along the path for quite a few miles before running into something else blocking my way. As I head back down, I don't know if I will find myself on this path again. If I do, I'll believe there's a reason I keep ending up on the same path and I may not let brambles or a fast running river keep me from continuing on instead of turning back.

My sketchbooks have revealed that I've found my way back to a path I've walked before ... many times.  Life got in the way.  I retreated.  Now I'm here again.  It's not a circle I'm walking in, it's a spiral.  With each full turn of the wheel I have more tools at my disposal, more skills and a deeper connection back to nature, to the roots of my inspiration.  

Lately, life has been doing its best to through me off the path again.  So far though it has slowed me down, I'm still on the path moving forward and upward toward that possible summit, the full awakening of my inner artist, my spirit, my soul.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Chris Carter