Many years ago, arriving in Africa from the green pastures, the waterways and gentle forests of the Netherlands, I was fascinated by this world of rocks, vast skies and heat. To me, the ancient people of the Southern deserts lived as if on another planet, between red sand and blue stars.

Reading about their customs and means of survival, I learned that during their long journeys on foot through the endless wastes, every so often they would come upon buried hollow eggs filled with water and some basic food. Little caches offering means of refreshment and moving on, buried there some time before by themselves, or by others.

Defining moments in our lives are very much like that: spiritual caches that we come upon once in a while, buried deep within our subconscious. Hidden.  Until some time during our journey an unexpected event knocks our stability, our soul gets stirred and the gift is unearthed. A defining moment offers the possibility for us to (re)define who we can be.

Sometimes such a moment presents itself without mercy, relentlessly carving a furrow right across the course of your life, from then on dividing your biography into ‘before’ and ‘after’.

Traumatic events such as a serious illness, depression, loss of job or a divorce can suddenly place you on a threshold. But also events that are a normal part of life’s passages, such as empty nest, retirement and old age can present a crisis.

But the event is the hard shell. Only when you have the courage to open the egg, by accepting that this event too, may have been placed there by yourself, will you find the water that offers means of renewal and moving on.

If you currently find yourself in such a situation you may need some support in the process of integrating your experiences. As a start in your quest for meaning and renewal you will find the facilitated programs and the courses offered by Heart and Soul Coaching of particular support.