In my book, Answering Your Inner Calling, I share how my daughter's illness was one of the hardest spiritual initiations for me. A spiritual initiation is any time that you have moved into a deeper, higher level of spiritual understanding. This isn't about acquiring more knowledge. It's rather an evolution that happens as you integrate your experiences--oftentimes challenging and even heart wrenching ones--  in a Soulful way.

Marlyse Carroll, author of the book, Am I Going Mad, The Unsettling Phenomena of Spiritual Evolution, describes spiritual initiations this way:

A spiritual initiation happens when we’re ready to take the next evolutionary step. It’s like a landmark or a tipping point on our life’s journey. In hindsight, it’s usually remembered as a light-bulb moment in which we changed our thinking, and therefore our life. Because whenever we change our thinking, our potential either expands or contracts.

When I was faced with my daughter's terrifying, and unexpected, illness I had a very clear sense of the two choices that were before me. I could contract. Meaning that I could have ignored my intuition, and fallen back on only consulting my intellect, letting my logical, egoic-self lead the way. Or I could expand, meaning that throughout the incredible heart break I could remain open and allow myself to be led from within. Continue reading.