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Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs our way, doesn’t it?
I’ve been reflecting on how sometimes what seem like obstacles can actually be gentle redirections towards something even better.
This past weekend gave me the perfect chance to experience this firsthand.
I’ve been planning to refresh photos on my website for a while now. You know the drill: book photographer, hair, makeup, nails, find the perfect outfit, and plan a photoshoot in the beautiful bushland in front of our home. I also had the idea to get henna tattoos on my hands to highlight the featured mudras (sacred hand gestures that activate prana [energy] in the body).
But then…well, everything that could go wrong—did!
A family situation arose requiring a reschedule (after trying to coordinate all this for ages), thunderstorms threatened, the timing didn’t work out with my dream photographer, the henna artist was on holiday, and my tight budget got tighter.
This experience reminded me of Gurdjieff’s “Law of Seven,” also known as the “Law of Octaves”*. This spiritual principle offers an explanation for why nothing in nature follows a continuous straight line—everything moves in cycles with inevitable points of resistance or deviation.
Just as a musical octave has semitones where the vibration naturally shifts, our projects and plans also encounter similar “intervals” where additional effort or a change in direction is needed in order to reach completion. These moments of resistance aren’t random obstacles; they’re natural points in the creative process where transformation becomes possible.
The journey my photoshoot took perfectly illustrated this principle. What could have simply been seen as challenges, were actually opportunities for the project to evolve into something new. The “intervals” in my original plan created space for new possibilities to emerge.
It got me thinking:
How do we know when obstacles are telling us to stop, versus when they’re testing our resolve? When should we push through, and when should we pivot?
The answer I’ve found lies in that quiet voice of intuition. In this case, something kept telling me to keep going, just perhaps not in the way I’d originally anticipated. Once I let go of my rigid ideas about how everything “should” be, the solutions started flowing effortlessly:
- A local yoga studio popped into my mind (I emailed them on a whim, and had a studio space booked to shoot in within an hour!)
- My hubby, Steve, stepped in as photographer.
- I discovered some affordable hair and makeup options (me: “Hello can I please try out the latest Dyson.” Shop assistant: “Sure, let me put some curls in your hair!”)
- The “delay” actually allowed me to get the henna art I really wanted, beautifully highlighting my chosen mudra poses, and making the images sing.
The final photos turned out better than I’d imagined, with the studio setting providing exactly the right atmosphere. I also realised the “bush landscape” background I originally wanted would have been distracting. I needed a simple, clean space. And working with my husband Steve brought a natural ease to the entire process.
A Mudra for Intuition.
In response, I’m sharing the Shankhavarta mudra—a powerful hand gesture for enhancing intuition, and inner knowing. This simple practice helps us tune into our inner guidance system, especially during times of uncertainty.
How to perform the mudra:
- Press the tips of all corresponding fingers together. With your thumbs extending downwards, bend the right index finger only, downward at 90 degrees to the middle joint.
- Honour this mudra as a portal to another world. Taking its shape opens you to new inner dimensions. Hold the mudra in front of your heart chakra.
- Close your eyes, and take deep gentle breaths.
- Hold for five—15 minutes, or as long as feels comfortable.
This mudra is particularly powerful when you’re seeking clarity or trying to discern which path to take. It helps quiet the mental chatter so you can hear your inner wisdom more clearly.
When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan.
Here are some gentle reminders I’ve learned through this experience:
- Sometimes your original plans aren’t quite as perfect as you first think.
- Letting go of control can open doors you couldn’t see before.
- Our intuition speaks quietly—you just need to create space to listen.
- The “perfect” solution might turn out completely differently than what you initially imagined.
I invite you to reflect on your own relationship with future plans, and intuition. When was the last time an obstacle led you somewhere unexpectedly wonderful?
~
*Gurdjieff was the founder of “The Fourth Way” school of ideas.
author: Emma Wertheim
Image: Author's Own
Editor: Molly Murphy
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