Growth, Expansion & the Celtic Spiral

Hello and welcome to my first blog post.  Ever! As I write this, I am re-tooling, re-purposing and re-launching my business that I have had since 2007.  I put my business on ice between 2015 - 2017 to take a break from the busy entrepreneurial life-style. During that time, I worked on an interesting State Innovation Model testing grant for the State of Minnesota’s health reform efforts.  As I came back to re-launch my business, I felt compelled to create a new logo and I knew it had to incorporate something resembling a Celtic spiral.

I am part Celtic.  Scottish to be specific. My mother’s family was part of the MacDonald clan, known to be one of the oldest and largest clans. Recent scientific findings suggest that many individuals of Scottish descent can trace their origins back to Somerled, a half Norse, half Celtic warrior who lived in the 12th century.  Recent genetic studies conclude Somerled has hundreds of thousands of descendants. It is believed that only Genghis Khan has more living descendants. So, if you are reading this and have Celtic ancestry, there is a good chance we are related!

I visited Scotland with my ex-husband and our son, Kaeden in 2003. Kaeden was one and spent the weeks joyfully riding in the Kelty child carrier backpack enjoying the view from the top of his dad’s 6’1” shoulders.  We had been touring around Scotland visiting castles, the city of Edinburgh and all the great Scottish scenery. At the end of one of our days looking for the Loch Ness monster, we got back to our room in Tulloch castle, located in the Highlands of Scotland. Kaeden was in a great mood and as we took him out of the backpack carrier, he took his very first steps in our room.  Many of us know that thrill of seeing a child take those first unsteady steps. Kaeden was so happy and we celebrated all evening as Kaeden practiced his new-found talent over and over. He was smiling & squealing with glee at his most recent life accomplishment. It is so interesting that kids just know they should try, fail, and that they eventually learn to walk. It is instinctual. It was clear that ….

He was wired for growth, development and expansion.  

My husband and I separated about 7 years later and divorced a few years after that. During the initial part of our separation, I knew we likely would not be getting back together. I also knew my life was going to be very different. I was fearful, sad, angry and scared of the unknown.  On a whim, I took a trip with one of my other travel-obsessed and recently divorced friends. I, quite literally, bought a ticket on a Saturday, hustled to rearrange my schedule and was on a flight to Ireland within 5 days. My ex-husband and I had travelled all over the world when we were married and this would be the first international trip I would take without him.  

I was planning to arrive in Ireland and take a bus to meet my friend who had arrived one day earlier and was going to stay in Doolin. I can plan and execute a trip with the best of them, but navigation (especially behind the wheel) was not on the top of my expeditionary resume! And being not the least bit confident about driving on the opposite side of the road, I figured a bus would be the best option. So it was a surprise even to me that when I got off the plane, I had a change of heart.  I decided to rent a car by myself, add the GPS, and attempt to get my directionally-challenged butt to Doolin, solo! I drove for 2 hours through the winding roads of the green Irish countryside listening to Irish music and news updates on the static-y radio. I had a sense that more surprises were in store for me, as I knew my life was about to take a very different direction than I had planned. Yes, I was fearful and sad, but I was also starting to embrace the excitement of a new phase in life. I knew that I was going to be OK because…..

I was wired for growth, development and expansion.

During the trip I felt compelled to get a tattoo of the Celtic tree of life and the Celtic spiral. I had never considered getting a tattoo, but being in this magical place and entering a very new phase of my life, I figured a tattoo would be perfect.  When we returned from our walk, the tattoo parlor I scoped out was closed, so my Celtic tattoo had to wait a few years until another friend and I got tattoos in Bellingham, Washington. Yes, I got the Celtic symbol to remind me of its meaning in this journey.  

The Celtic spiral is one of the oldest symbols known to be used in spiritual practices. It is believed to reflect the universal patterns of growth and evolution, reminding us we are not on a journey that goes from Point A to Point B. In fact, we are all on a journey with both inward and outward evolution. The spiral represents going inside to the core of ourselves and going out into the world. It is also said to mark the evolution of humankind on an individual and collective scale. I hope when you see spirals in your life, you remember….

You are wired for growth, development and expansion.  

My future blog posts will be devoted (as are my life and my work) to supporting the growth, development and expansion of you, your friends and family, your teams, your organizations, our communities and the world.

We are ALL wired for growth, development and expansion.  

Upward and Onward!