Discovering Gold on the Gold Coast of Australia

On a cold, wintry day in January 2013, the Universe spoke to me. Maybe the Universe has been speaking to me all along, but my vibrations were not in sync with the messages until that day. As the sunlight pierced through the blinds and collided with my eyes, I knew that one day I would experience Australia in the flesh. This was not some fleeting bucket list thought. Instead, a deep sense of urgency to explore the land down under tugged at the strings of my soul. Having grown up in a large city, my interests naturally gravitated to the busyness and lights of other metropolitan cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Sydney. However, the Universe gently nudged me to the Gold Coast. The desire to visit Australia grew intensely over the next year. In May 2014, I embarked on a flight from Dallas to Brisbane. Eventually, I arrived at Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast. The area is as breathtakingly beautiful as it sounds.

Although I arrived with a sense of self-assuredness, the truth is that my ego, a brilliant fashion designer, adorned me in quite the masquerade ball mask. My insides did not match my outsides. Operating from quite a fragmented sense of self, a void so great pervaded my being. At the time, I chose to escape the discomfort in unfulfilling ways. The allure of the external world appealed to my brokenness. Despite being so oblivious to my need for connection to something greater than my ego, I felt shielded by a calming presence on the Gold Coast.

A force beyond my comprehension directed me to discover and connect with my Higher Self. Despite the barricades of fears and defenses that had been erected over the years, this beautiful energy pierced through the walls and allowed me glimpses of relief, comfort, and serenity. Glimpses is all that I could ingest at the time. I was exposed to just the right dosage of love and light. Goldilocks would have been ecstatic!

The Universe spoke to me through water. Standing in perfect stillness as I faced the abundance of the ocean, an unexplainable sense of liberation flooded my being. Noticing the ripples and waves continuously flowing towards me and eventually breaking into foam catalyzed the transcendence of my self-centered fears at that moment in time. The sounds of the waves surging and retreating suspended me in a trance-like state. My contact with the sparkling turquoise-blue waters of Surfer's Paradise was hands down the most spiritually intense encounter that I have ever experienced in my life. Showered in unconditional love, purity kissed my mind, body, and soul. Enchanted by the magic of such natural beauty, I was unable to speak for quite some time. This infinite source of love is what I sought for years outside myself. The sense that I am whole emerged for the first time.

As my time of departure drew near, a final chance to share an intimate moment with the beautiful waters of the Gold Coast came to fruition. In a moment of deep revelation, the Universe said, "You will return to the Gold Coast, but the next time you will be deeply connected to the Whole." Tears streamed down my face. Finally, I was ready for the light to guide my way.

The Universe ingrained in me the reality that the summer of 2014 was not just a vacation. Soon after my arrival back in the United States, I began to experience a rapid flow of synchronicities. Prior to my time on the Gold Coast, I did not know anything about the area. Not long after I left Australia, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, my two favorite American male swimmers, competed in the Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast. Pirates of the Caribbean 5 began production on the Gold Coast. I purchased a book titled The Earth Diet: Your Complete Guide to Living Using Earth's Natural Ingredients by Liana Werner-Gray. After the purchase, I realized that Liana is from Australia. At a traffic light, a van advertising "Kangaroo Plumbing" caught my attention. Were those Koala Kare baby changing stations always in restrooms? Any attempt at analyzing these synchronicities kept me imprisoned by the limits of my intellect. Eventually, I learned to embrace a deep reverence for these signs by just letting them be. I do not want to destroy the magic.

Since my time in Australia, I continue to experience acute awarenesses about myself. Most importantly, I have an innate desire for connectivity with a variety of cultures and people. However, I now know how imperative it is for me to be in proper alignment with my Higher Self. Only then, I am able to unconditionally offer my whole self. What a beautiful gift to share with humanity. I have immense gratitude and love for the land down under. We shall meet again!