83 days to go...

Today I decided to prepare for the life passage that is coming up for me. There are 83 days for me to go until I complete a half century in this life, and I want to mark this period with reflection.

During my journey of 83 days, I will freely travel backward and forward in time, sideways between vantage points, inside myself for retreat, and outside my comfort zones to grow, ever following the call of my soul and the universe.

Forty nine years ago I came into this world in Willemstad, Curaçao. After sojourning through Holland, USA, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, I now make my home in Manila, the Philippines.

Carl Jung wrote that the second half of a man’s life is about becoming whole, and he called the process individuation. I have been walking that path for some years now. What I want is to open the door to the next phase of my life, to be reborn at 50 into a more whole person.

Today I start looking for my key to unlock the door ahead of me. I take the first step on my journey of preparation, like the Fool in the first card of the tarot deck. With a rose in my hand and a knapsack over my shoulder, I venture into the unknown.

I relish the start of the journey to the passage.


Photograph: The Fool card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck