My path has been somewhat directed by my mom, my sister and Oprah. My mom was always reading her bible but detested formal church settings. She also was interested in Edgar Cayce and I would read the books she left laying around. My eldest sister gave me a copy of the celestine prophesy when I was 18 and that opened up a new stream of learning as well...Once I graduated from massage college, I was able to buy a house and work from home. I could manage my own schedule thus could catch oprahs show most days (if it interested me). Her show, introduced me to many self help/spiritual teachers including Gary Zukav, Eckart Tolle, Iyanla Vansant, etc etc....and Byron Katie- "The Work"-questioning your stressful thoughts. I would regularly get locked up/caught up in my tornado of thoughts. The work freed me (if I remembered to question) from being governed by my stressful thoughts. One more teacher that i found helped me out of stressful thoughts, and got me through my divorce was Matt Kahn. I still to this day hold to his mantra that everyone is doing their best. All of these people gave me tools and helped me through a lot but I have always surrounded myself in healing modalities, guided meditation, shamanism, yoga, body work etc etc etc to bring me into my center so to speak, but this is just soothing, never a big picture "fix"
Meeting Roy though has been the most profound....instead of continually seeking he showed me the one step path to freedom. He taught and showed me that my thoughts.... that they aren't even necessarily my thoughts! and that between them resides our natural and innate stillness. I remember giggling once I found it, knowing it is always there.
I am always practicing, getting distracted and going back and forth in between it all. Im grateful to have this place/space to land. This community is accelerating my practice and leading me back to stillness. Blessings