Great Question

by Johanna Schnüpke

Monday, 12th of June 2023  

Introducing you to the power of asking questions one Great Question at a time.

 Does this path have a heart?

What the question means to me:

This week I want to share an excerpt with you from The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda. It is about decision making, about choosing the path with a heart:

A path with a heart

“Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.

This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.

For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse the full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly.”

Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan

Action: You are unhappy with your job, you are facing challenges in your private life and are struggling to choose a path? Read "a path with a heart" again and figure out how YOUR path with a heart has to look and feel like.

Sharing: Are you on your path with a heart or still looking for it? Let me know what goes through your mind. Would love to hear about it.