The Way Grows Narrower

"And the truth is that as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower, until at last he chooses nothing but does only and wholly what he must do."

-- Ursula K. LeGuin

Have you ever had that feeling when faced with a choice that you simply must choose one specific option? It's as if intuitively you know which way to go, and yet you can, perhaps at your own peril, choose a quite different path. Many times we think of power as being the freedom to do whatever we want to do. And, of course, we've all heard the phrase "knowledge is power." And yet, paradoxically, LeGuin proposes that added knowledge and increased power give us fewer choices, not more.

Honestly, I think the choices are still available; it's just that there becomes, in most situations, one clearly higher choice. Making that choice further expands our knowledge and builds our power. Ignoring the strong call of intuition may lead to temporary gain, but is in the long run the path of abject failure.

Having choiceless awareness means being in tune with the Universe; it means having your mind, actions, soul and Spirit aligned. Your vocation matches the world's needs in very specific and personal ways. You merely answer the call. You don't answer it out of duty, or out of obligation, or even out of choice, you merely answer it because it is natural and perfect to do so.

So, beginning today, watch for those times when the path unfolds before you in beautiful and obvious ways. Surrender to the magnetic pull of the next step. Don't take time to review all your options, don't take time to choose, above all, don't wobble. Go forth on the ever narrowing way. Go forth now.