Hey,

there is one thing I am really curious about: there are lots of new age books and recommendations that say "it doesn't matter where you are, it is all here, in every moment. you don't need to go anywhere to discover that"
Well, hang on.

Standing in the middle of a shopping street, traffic rushing bye and people being stressed out on the saturday afternoon shopping route makes it quite hard to stay in the moment. ...and almost impossible to find the moment.

So we are needing some sort of save area, a launch pad for understanding. Monks go to the monastry, lay people to gompas, believers to the church, business people to the psychiatrist. There must be some kind of refuge that allows us to go within ourselves, to discover what is going on there and to see "who's really running the show" as my boss Trish would say.

What characterizes such a spot? In my opinion it has very little sensual distraction, but still offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It provides symbols according to your beliefs, an understanding and supportive community who is on the same track as you and is available and maybe even offers retreats for no or little charge.

I can imagine that this is pretty hard to find when you are suddenly discovering that there is more to life than just "eat or be eaten". Your normal environment opposes roles upon you that people want you to fulfill which don't suit your understanding and beliefs any longer and the space for discovery is most likely limited. One first thing I can recommend: stay focused, search, keep eyes and ears open for the possibilities. You might come across places that don't feel right at first. Let it settle a bit, keep the distance and see if you can get accustomed, but most likely you'll need to have the "this is exactly what i was looking for" feeling to really have found your new "home". So keep searching and don't be put down by disappointments.

What were your experiences with finding your launch pad?