The Book
The Golden Treasury edited by F.T. Palgrave, originally published in 1861.
The publisher did not skimp on the gold!
The Full Poem
“The Golden Journey To Samarkand” by James Elroy Flecker
The Stanza
Thoughts
Within each of us there lies a pilot light, an inner-essence.
The tomato plants sprouting on the windowsill in my parents’ kitchen right now have a version of that essence. Within each seed is a blueprint of all that seed has the potential to become. Put it in soil, give it light, give it water . . . and something powerful turns on. The blueprint wakes up and suddenly there you are, watching the seed go into a version of autopilot that is always constantly geared toward one thing:
expansion.
It’s the same thing that pilots a pilgrim, the group of people in Flecker’s poem who are on their way to a faraway place. They are the ones who will not stop at the last blue mountain blitzed with snow or turn away from a roaring sea. That part of the earth where you say the horizon drops off into oblivion? They’re the ones saying: I’ll go beyond that. Let’s go.
An “old boat” book salvaged from a thrift store
‘Pilgrim’ is a word I seldom hear and ‘seldom’ a word I don’t think I’ve ever used.
As words they’re creaky doors, the kind of language that’s out of use. They’ve gone the way of relics maybe because we don’t see ourselves as pilgrims anymore. We haven’t for a long time.
The big wooden sailboats aren’t what we’re boarding to get where we want to go, and the land of this earth we inhabit? We’ve traced every inch of it by foot and computer by now.
But we are still pilgrims.
The version of “pilgrim” we’re currently embodying looks a little different, but it’s the part of us connected to that same core pilot-light-thing that holds an innate will to just . . . keep . . . going. “Always a little further.”
It is the part of us that is wired to grow past the boundaries.
Seedlings (2026); tomatoes on the vine in my Dad’s garden (August 2017); Dad’s map (2022)
Old Boats & The New World
Before I flipped to the page for this week, I saw ships in my mind — big, luminous, old-school wooden sail boats like the kind the pilgrims would have traveled in. I instantly thought of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, the three ships Columbus sailed to the Americas in.
I don’t think I’ve thought about these boats since maybe the third grade, back when the teacher would quiz us on the names every November. Looking at a rendering by the artist Kipp Soldwedel, I was struck by the bigness of what they represented — the idea of what it even means to sail to “The New World.”
To have the bravery to leave everything behind and journey to a place that does not yet exist, except in your mind or in your inner-knowing — and to have that inner-knowing rocked constantly by the choppy waters of not knowing? Not knowing where it will lead, how it will turn out, what comes next . . . and still to say: I’m going to keep sailing on?
We do this each day without necessarily realizing it, and it’s powerful.
Sunset at Finisterre (2018), Latin for “end of the earth.” The place believed to be the end of the earth before Columbus set sail to the Americas.
Golden Treasury, Golden Pages . . . Golden Path
I don’t know where or what Samarkand is (I’ll look it up after I write this all out).
But I’m going say it’s the place where we feel most connected to the biggest, truest version of ourselves. The place where we feel like we show up in the world in our most alive, awake, expansive way and get to embody that core blueprint that is unique to ourself and ourself alone.
Our soul is always piloting toward that place.
Just like the garden seeds and just like the wooden boats, every part of you was built to get there. Not a single person on the face of this earth has had your combination of experiences. There is not a single person on the face of this earth who is physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually built like you. You are your own ship.
The heartbreak that frappéd you emotionally for a year or for decades? The scar on your ankle that happened when you tripped on a gnarled root? The birthday cake with candles that lit up a dark room on your 56th birthday? Every single detail, large and minute, has given you something.
Then there is the archive of your soul. Think of all the wisdom you have accrued in this lifetime alone, then multiply that times one hundred, five hundred, a thousand. That’s what your soul holds, and the growing never stops. You get to the mountain and behind it there’s another range of 600 mountains. You land the presentation at work only to be invited to speak to 60 people instead of six.
There are 10 million puzzle pieces in the pilgrimage of a single lifetime, and each day you are connecting to one new golden piece — even (and especially) when the water isn’t glimmering. It’s simply the way you were built. It’s simply part of what it means to be human.
The very build of Palgrave’s book echoes this, too.
Each page is edged in gold leaf, and stacked together they yield one whole book that feels kind of like holding a golden brick (or dare I say a hunk of “golden treasure” given it’s The Golden Treasury). The last line of the stanza and the title of Flecker’s poem do the same thing. It isn’t the end goal that’s golden. It’s the journey. The page-by-page, step-by-step golden journey to Samarkand.
Each step, each page, each day is a part of a bigger plan.
BUILDING TRUST IN “THE BIGGER PLAN”
How do we build trust in the bigger plan?
We have to start seeing the genius at play in our life already, puzzle piece-by-puzzle piece.
. . . especially when the boat feels like it’s hit a sandbar . . .
Which is exactly what happened to the Santa Maria 🙃, leading the timber from the ship to be repurposed into a fort.
TOOL FOR THIS WEEK:
BECOME THE PUZZLE MASTER OF YOUR LIFE
At the end of each day, flip to a fresh piece of paper or a fresh note in the Notes app on your phone
Ask yourself:
What is one challenge I experienced today?
What are the parts of me that got me through it?
What are the qualities I hold that helped me navigate it?What is one thing I learned?
One thing it taught me?
One perspective shift I had? or
One positive thing that came out of it?
. . . Why?
If I zoom out big picture and think about “The New World” as a bigger goal my Soul is wanting to master -
Being seen as a leader by those around me, starting my own business, connecting with what makes me special, seeing myself as an inventor, feeling less fear in my day-to-day life, feeling more powerful in my life, feeling more confident in my decisions, putting myself first so that I’m taken care of, feeling more connected to a sense of purpose, cultivating incredible physical health, mastering my emotions, living a life that feels more filled with joy, etc.
How did this challenge help me get even a half-inch closer to that goal?
EXAMPLES
Start With The Guppie
Instead of going for the emotionally-charged “biggest fish” challenge, go for the guppie first
Scenario:
I didn’t realize I had mud on the bottom of my shoes when I walked into the house, so I got mud stains on the carpet. This happened when all I wanted to do was finally relax.The parts of me that got me through it:
I didn’t smear the mud in right away (good instincts under stress).
I didn’t have stain remover so I poured some baking soda and water on the mud (resourcefulness). But this actually made it worse.
I didn’t want to go to the store to buy cleaner, I was too tired (awareness of energetic resources) so I asked a neighbor if they had anything that could help (ability to network).
They did.One positive thing that came out of it:
Sometimes I feel like I’m spending money on a lot of little things I don’t want to be. I didn’t do that here. I put my resourceful into full-flex mode and prioritized myself by not running out to the store. My gas tank would have been in the negative had I done this.Bigger picture goals that got nourished:
I have the ability to pull in the resources I need at all times.
There is no mess that I cannot find a way through.
(Both of these things are all about my innate power)
Repeat this process at least 17 times in a row.
After The Guppie . . .
Go For The Tuna
Avoid tackling the “big fish” challenges if your emotions are 10 out of 10 heightened.
Do this work when you’ve cooled down a little
Scenario:
I got into a blow out fight with my partner. I asked him/her to take care of the mess that is our kitchen and they didn’t.
Next thing I know we’re arguing and now we aren’t speaking.
We were on one boat and now I’m floating out at sea, clinging to the wreckage of my little piece of wood.
The parts of me that got me through it:
I don’t feel like I’ve gotten through it yet, but I’m technically not in the fight because after the arguing, I left the house and went for a walk (ability to take myself out of a charged environment). I turned on some music and zoned out (ability to use the five senses / sound to calm my system).One perspective shift I had:
On a very basic level, I’m still standing — which means there’s an inner-strength I’ve got within me.
He/She said something in the argument that made absolutely no sense to me, but it stuck out. I’m not ready to talk about it, but there’s a piece of information this whole blow-up has given me that might help me understand this person more.
It could possibly bring us closer.Bigger picture goals that got nourished:
Relationship mastery.
Ability to take care of self in challenging circumstances.
Repeat this process at least 44 times.
Build in “fish-sizes” along the way.
What This Will Give You
Heal Your Problems Faster
Do this over and over again, and your brain will rewire itself to start seeing obstacles as the key to your gold.
Challenges no longer hold an intensely negative charge because you’re no longer seeing them as only negative.
You’re creating a new pattern for the brain to recognize, and it’s a pattern that is more neutral (both negative and positive).Those arguments with a partner or a family member that feel unsalvageable? They start to have a bigger purpose, a bigger meaning. They’re actually giving you something important for the bigger puzzle, which dulls the edge of the ache.
Which brings you closer to acceptance (you’re able to see the good and the bad within the whole situation) . . .
Which then opens the door to the healing process.
Have a great week, Pilgrim . . . my boat is out there rooting on your boat.
Love,
Brooke
