The thirty-eighth bead on the blessing cord is the blessing of Planing. It is the blessing of earth in Hod. Hod has to do with our mental capabilities and mental faculties. When we apply this energy to the power of earth we get Planning. The blessing of planning helps organize our steps so we are more likely to get to our goals. This being said, don’t be afraid to change plans when you meet up with synchronicity or guidance that the goal isn’t for you. They say a plan is only as good as the first battle, and then it must change and adapt.
One of the concepts brought up in most human religions is that of the Divine Plan: that we are all here for a reason, we have a purpose, and the more we accept that we are working on this purpose, the more we are doing our great work. I feel like most of the people I read for are asking “what is my purpose?” or “why am I here?” These readings always make me laugh because they almost always say “well, I knew that” or “that is good confirmation” when the answers come through. Our plan or purpose from the divine is not just one thing or the lesson from one instance. Our purpose is what we naturally choose, mixed with our aspirations to make ourselves better people.
The “master plan” or “divine plan” is made up of all the choices and goals we make on a day to day basis. Not just what we consciously choose but what we choose with our whole being. We are constantly being guided by our Holy Guardian Angel and our Psychic Self. All the goals we work toward teach us more about ourselves and what our Great Work really is. The events that happen, the signs, personal development, and how the goal changes over time can teach us a great deal about the lessons of our “Divine Plan.”
The first step to having a plan is knowing what it is you want to accomplish. What are your
goals? There are two types of goals. There are means goals and end goals. A means goal is a specific goal as a step towards getting you to your goal, like getting a job to pay the bills so you can support yourself while you write the great American novel. The hard part of these goals is that you can eventually start to think of them your end goal. An end goal is more of the essence of what you want to do with your life. Like being happy, enjoying your life, feeling accomplished, and doing what makes you feel whole. The end goal is really the essence of what you desire.
To get a better feeling of what the essence of your goals in this lifetime are here is an exercise I learned from Vishen Lakhiani, CEO of Mind Valley, to get in touch with them. Get out a timer, a piece of paper and a pen. Separate the paper into three sections using a line of your pen. Write one of these three questions across the top of each section: What do I want to experience in life? Where do you want to grow? What do you want to contribute to the world? When you have done that, set your timer to two minutes and begin to write your answers to the first question. Repeat the process with each question. The timer makes you go with your first instinct by not allowing you to dwell too long on each answer.
Now look over your answers. You may now have a better idea of what it is you want to create in your life. Now that you have seen them, you may want to form them into a kind of mission statement. Your mission statement may change over time but writing it out so you know what you feel is your mission in life is can clarify your choices that form your plan. If that seems too big for you, formulate what your goal is for the next five years or even just the next year. I like to make a list of my goals for the next year in the time between Samhain (Halloween) and New Year’s. Up here in the northern hemisphere it is a dark time full of reflection and celebrations with family. It is a good time to start thinking about the goals for the next year and to look back at the last year’s goals and how you did on accomplishing them. This can also inform your planning. What type of plan works best for you?
I then like to break up this year-long goal in my planner into goals for the month. This takes work to separate out what are reasonable steps I can accomplish to get to my goal every month. This is making a plan. I say “reasonable” steps because sometimes when we are in the planning phase we can get a little overzealous and over work ourselves. Always plan breaks from your work into your plan. The length of the breaks are proportionate to what it is you have observed you need to keep your balance. This could be a day off or a week off where you do something fun and relaxing. Breaks are important so we don’t have a break down. Make sure all these goals are done so you can change them when needed, not set in stone. Remember that a plan changes once it hits the battlefield. It is okay to change the plan and okay to change our goals when we find they were not exactly what we thought they would be.
There are times where planning seems to fail us and we don’t know what the next step is to our goal or even the steps to clear our path to it. We may be stumped on what the goals are and how to get there. The following meditation is a spiritual way to get a vision of a goal and the next step.
Meditation of Planning
Hold the Thirty-eighth bead of the blessing cord. The bead of expression, the blessing of water in Hod.
Count yourself down into a meditative state.
Allow the screen of your mind to expand until it is a sphere around you. Feel a sensation of rising as your sphere begins to fill with an orange light. Resonate the God name El-oh-heem Tza-ba-oth.
The orange light surrounds you like a mercurial mist. Ask your guides and guardians to be with you to answer your questions. Ask the space around you:
“What is the best goal for me right now?”
Clear your mind and stare into the orange mists. A scene or symbol begins to emerge from the mist. You may have a thought, memory, feeling, or hear words in your head describing what your next goal will be like. Note all the sensory details about this answer. Suspend all doubt and take what comes first to your inner vision. Know that if you receive nothing, you may receive it in a dream or synchronicity in the physical world. Have faith in yourself and your process that you will recognize it at this time.
Again the orange mist rises and obscures the image or symbol. Your mind clears. Ask your next question of the space around you.
“What is the next step that is best for me?”
Again allow the mists to part and show you a vision of what your next step should be. Take in all the sensory details about this answer. Be open to it being something you might have not expected. A sign may show up in your daily life, so be open to perceiving it.
Thank your guides and the energy of this sphere for the answers you have perceived. State to yourself that you will remember clearly all salient details of this meditation. The orange light rises again to obscure all from view.
Feel a gentle decent as the orange light begins to fade from your sphere. The screen of your mind returns to normal coloring and then shrinks back to its normal size.
Count yourself up to waking consciousness.
Give yourself clearance and balance. Ground if necessary. You may want to write down your answers in your journal.
Contemplation
What do you want to experience in your life? Where do you want to grow? What do you want to contribute to the world? What is the next step towards those things? How can I better plan ahead to reach my goals? What have I learned about what types of plan works best for me? Am I willing to change my plans if necessary?