HOW DO YOU FIND
YOUR
NORTH STAR’S TWIN?

Here, I reference the quote:

“The door can be seen, where it is not…”

From the film:
The Thief of Baghdad
(1961 version)

OPENING:

Hello all you Vanguards & Visionaries, Innovators & Rule-Breakers!

So glad you landed here today!

Here we explore the creative and metaphysical, the link between consciousness and invention, so—let’s break some boundaries, turn things upside down & use the chaos to create in a whole new way!

And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my podcast. This way I can let you know exactly when the next episode arrives.

You can do it at gailconrad.com. That’s
https://gailconrad.com

And now—here we go!

(OPENING continues, with MUSIC:)

Hello and welcome to the Wildscape Podcast, sharing tales of stepping into the unknown to create more art, beauty, and magic in your life.

I’m your host, Gail Conrad, and today you’re listening to:

NORTH STAR’S TWIN!

—

Hello everyone!
We’re not going to explore anything ordinary today.

Instead, let’s aim straight for the transcendent, for what inspires you and most important, the direction for where you want to go next.

But—where is that map?

And, how do you navigate when so many of those old signposts appear to have disappeared?

To answer that, I’d like to introduce you to a thief.

This thief lives in a film called The Thief of Baghdad. It’s like an Arabian Nights fairytale.

In the story, a thief falls in love with a princess. The princess is deathly ill. The only way to save her is to present her with a magic blue rose, but—to find the blue rose, the thief must go through seven doors.

Naturally, behind each door, is a challenge.

But how to start out?

How do you find the first of the seven doors?

Even for this, the clue is a puzzle. All that is said is:

The door can be seen, where it is not.

The moment you hear those words: The door can be seen, where it is not, you know that both the thief and you, are in for a very different sort of journey.

The path may not look like a path; the door may not look like a door, and like many things, it may not be visible where you expect it to be visible—at all.

I flash on those doors and the story of the thief a few weeks ago. I’m talking with a friend, and she says:

I feel like I’ve lost my North Star.

And that stops me. For what’s the one thing, that one universal action, that we all tend to take when we’re seeking direction and inspiration?

Well—we look up at the stars. And when I hear, lost my North Star:

I think about how many of us feel like we’ve been underground, and now just coming up for air, emerging into the light, but the light feels different, looks different, might even have a different color.

We’re not sure where we are, and where we’re going.

Next, I think about a lost map, and what happens when our compass that points: go this way, no, go that way—appears to be gone?

Do you ever feel this way?

I say—let’s explore the North Star.

We often think of the North Star as our guiding light in the sky. It’s famous because it points true north, meaning, towards our planet’s North Pole.

That’s why travelers throughout centuries have looked to the North Star to navigate, and if they’re lost to bring them to safe harbor.

It’s also called the Polestar or Polaris, and you can always find it in the constellation of stars known as the Little Dipper, or Little Bear.

The thing is, you only can see the North Star if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere.

From the Southern Hemisphere, it sinks below the horizon. It’s not visible, at all.

So—if you can’t see it, does that mean that it’s not there?

I ask, because the North Star contains a secret, a less famous part of it, that I want to talk about today. So okay—I gave it away in this episode’s title, so I’ll tell you:

The North Star has a twin.

Now, you might not have heard about this twin. It’s quirky! Likes to pop up in brand-new constellations, and it doesn’t always look the same.

Still, unlike its more famous Rockstar sibling, you can find it wherever you are on the planet.

I consider it to be the much more powerful guide. And here’s a hint:

No one but you can see it and it doesn’t live in the sky. So maybe you guessed: This twin is your inner North Star. It is uniquely yours.

But I admit—it can appear to be lost, under wraps, or in disguise. I bet that when my friend says, “I feel like I’ve lost my North Star,” she’s talking about this twin.

Why—becaus­­e it beckons us towards what we now care about the most.

But as we change what inspires us, and especially, when we shift our direction—guess what?

Our twin North Star shape-shifts; it changes right along with us.

So, we often have to find it all over again, because if there’s one thing our Twin North Star loves to do—it’s to forge a new path.

The trick is, to see it. But, like the seven doors, it leaves clues.

Let me tell you more about the thief:

This thief is a talented thief. His passion is stealing jewels.

When we meet him, the King announces that he will choose the most qualified suitor to marry his daughter, the Princess. Naturally, all the most powerful and wealthy nobles, seeking more power and wealth, line up.

But so does the thief, for he is a master of disguise.

He arrives outfitted as a wealthy Prince, and while he mingles with the members of the court, he of course—is stealing their jewels.

What he doesn’t count on is in spotting the Princess and falling in love, and in storybook fashion, she sees him, and falls in love too.

From this point on, it’s love, not jewels, that drives the thief. When the Princess falls ill, his sole mission becomes to find the blue rose to heal her.

To do that, he must find that first door.

You could say that his values shift, so his twin North Star creates a new path. Which brings us to the desert:

All you see is sand and dust. The thief joins the other suitors. They too, are looking for the first door.

That door, the first challenge, appears like a mirage.

Okay—take a time-out and notice:

What in your values might recently have changed?

How about your direction?

Can you see what’s clear and maybe what is not?

Just keep this in mind, and let’s return to the thief.

I said that this film is like an Arabian Nights fairytale. It features trees which strangle, a dangerous oasis, giants, genies and more.

I saw it as a young child & loved it all, but what I remember the most, is when that first door appears.

Remember the clue:

The door can be seen, where it is not.

The magic is, that first door, and in truth, all seven of the doors, are meant only for the thief. They create his personal journey; only he is meant to go through them.

That’s why all the other suitors barely survive upon arriving at the first door and why within hours, they all flee.

Also, all of the doors contain an element of something hidden—a challenge, but each challenge leaves clues that lead to the next.

The only way the thief can navigate each challenge, is by drawing upon the one thing that now, compels him the most.

As you know, in his case, it’s love.

And—each of the seven doors opens into what feels like a completely different world except, they’re all connected.

Taken together, they form a map, that guides the thief to the rose.

The key is to find that first door.

I tell this story because this is how your Twin North Star acts, and often, how it reveals itself as well.

If you’re feeling at a crossroads, can’t see your direction, or don’t know how to get to where you want to go next, maybe—take a look around.

Look for the clues.

Focus deeply on what’s now calling out to you the most, and notice:

What might be right in front of you, but wasn’t visible before?

And here’s the trick:

Don’t search too hard. It’s more like lightly scanning the horizon, or rather, the landscape of your daily life.

You might notice some funny synchronicity, like someone calling you out of the blue, or an invitation to an event, that you normally wouldn’t attend.

Or you might just happen to come upon a post online and see the exact words that give you a clue—a jolt that says—YES!

I’ve had my car break down in strange places that I’m meant to go into, or literally tripped over someone who just happens to tell me exactly the right thing.

Sometimes, this process can feel as startling as when you hunt for your phone for hours, only to find that it’s been in plain sight, just sitting on your bed.

Then, once you’ve gathered your clues, decide:

Which ones stand out? Feel the most meaningful to you?

Perhaps with each of these clues, you take a step. You act on it.

Now, here comes the fun part. Imagine that each step is a dot—a bright, shiny dot.

I invite you to play:

Connect the Dots.

And here’s what you do:

Draw your own imaginary lines between the dots, these steps that you take. Do this, however it feels right.

Can you make out an image, a picture, or does some interpretation just flash into your head?

It might feel like when a city lights up after a black-out, or like you turn on a switch, and it lights up your inner sky.

But whatever you see, you’re looking at your new constellation.

So notice:

Which dot shines the brightest?

To use a metaphor from our story, you’ve just discovered your first door.

Your path.

It is your Twin North Star.

Your only job is to follow its direction.

Thank you.

—

I’m Gail Conrad, your host of the Wildscape Podcast.

The opening music is by Chip Barrow and as always, I love to hear from you, so if you’d like to contact me directly you can go to gailconrad.com.

That’s 
https://gailconrad.com

Thanks so much for listening, and again—do subscribe.

Bye for now.

Will you look for your North Star’s Twin?