The Waiting Room:Finding Inner Guidance in Uncertain Times

Life often places us in a “waiting room,” a space between what was and what will be. In these moments, finding inner guidance becomes essential. Explore how Althea Provost moved through her own pause, and discover how stillness, emotional resilience, and conscious listening can reveal clarity and purpose.

Spent the greater part of new year in what felt like a waiting room.  My purposeful aim was to secure long-term care for my mother, an undertaking that required considerable attention to detail and time spent with state and federal agencies.  With the U.S. landscapes quickly shifting and social media feeds becoming political charged, as a sensitive person to ongoing issues in the world, removing myself from social media became necessary.  A decision not to be ignorant of worldly affairs or non-participatory in the lives of others, rather to moderate the speed in which information entered my mind and nervous system.  

To manage information overload, I switched off streaming, choosing to read the news instead of audio and visual media.  My concentrated focus was on spirit, which is beyond this time and space, for steadfast guidance.  Had I succumbed to fear or been consumed by political what ifs, I might have lost the clarity and focus needed to pursue my intentions, wasting precious time and opportunities for successful placement. Listening to spirit for big picture understanding while taking common sense action steps, the outcome entered the miraculous zone.  The highlights included receiving personal follow up calls from agencies, boots-on-the-ground support that were heart-opening and informational, and of course, lightning-fast placement with my number one pick.  The soul growth came from facing challenges, getting up and pushing through inertia or resistance, and through creative practice, turning chaotic mess into acts of beauty–whether the pay off is immediate or months from now.  This was our experience.  

Throughout the new year, many clients expressed increasing worry or anxiety around policy and political rhetoric that would directly impact their lives.  Some expressing a ‘waiting room-like environment’ where political changes on the horizon created a limbo field that triggered anticipatory emotional states.  Some found it difficult to feel or trust their connection to their inner guidance amongst worry or concern.   Do thoughts, whether experienced or anticipatory, influence our well-being?  Scientific research connects the quality of our thoughts to our mental and physical health while mystic writers emphasize our spiritual health.   

Saint Teresa of Avila used the metaphor of “reptiles” in her spiritual writings, particularly in her work Interior Castle. She referred to reptiles as symbols of worldly distractions, temptations, and harmful thoughts that can hinder spiritual progress. These “pesky reptiles” are described as creatures that sneak into the castle, representing the soul, and disrupt the journey toward divine union.  

My Hawaiian friend uses a similar metaphor, “Don’t let the war canoes reach the island.”  

We all face obstacles in life, steep learning curves, and side-swiping moments, but we can also choose to not let increased hate and division impede our spiritual growth and divert our well-being.

When I look outwardly, I see this moment in history offers an irresistible attraction—like a moth drawn to the light, despite the risks. This captivating phase reflects the allure of fast-moving external forces that draw attention where the search for safety or well-being is outside oneself.   The flame is external, a risk, a pursuit without understanding its consequences.  The external attraction, a bright light, a spectacle that might lead to fleeting satisfaction but the depth of harm not truly understood.  

In contrast, there is another path, rarely taken, as it leads inward to a light—a divine presence within—a guiding force that offers clarity, peace, and purpose. Rather than chasing external temptations, it’s about connecting to a sacred truth already dwelling inside, safe and eternal. It’s not something that burns; it’s something that illuminates.

Both examples touch on spiritual path but in strikingly different ways—one external and often destructive, the other internal and restorative.  

The journey of spiritual growth is a transformational process that leads to deeper states of presence while we face challenging times.  The quality of my choices was influenced by the spiritual world and a consistent interaction with kind people working exceptional difficult positions but who still showed up to help another.  We are grateful.