I've been on the Earth plane for quite some time. From this vantage point I can look back over the years of my life and discover some very interesting things. I did this in earnest about six months ago when I began to think about a number of events that unexpectedly came into my life at various times. Each of them had a major impact on the direction it would take.

It was during this time of reflection that I experienced a major eureka. I began to realize that there are two forces that can influence the path of one's life while one is in body. The first force occurs when we use our minds to change and create a new reality on our own. For example, we can decide to go to the store, sell the house, sit on the porch, change jobs, take a vacation, wash the car, take a walk, look out the window, brush our teeth, write a book and so on. These kinds of choices take place all the time and we make hundreds, if not thousands, of them each day.

The second force that influences our earthly journey is a far more interesting one, if we are interested in learning about the life plan we made for ourselves before incarnating. Out of nowhere this "force" can bring unexpected events, circumstances or people into our lives creating change and a new life path in its wake. These kinds of spontaneous, unplanned experiences happen to all of us at various times in our lives. Unfortunately, they are usually written off as fate, accidents or coincidences. They are not. Here are some typical examples…

A unexpected blind date that leads to lifetime partnership.

 A unplanned, delayed airplane flight that brings you and a future business partner together.

Without warning, you lose your job. Several months later another company hires you and you meet your future wife there.

A university unexpectedly accepts you. You go there, meet your best friend, have a relationship and discover many things about yourself that affect your life path.

You receive a surprise bonus at work. With it you take a long weekend vacation, during which you meet an editor who wants to publish the book you have written.

Your father passes on, you relocate to be with your mother, work for a local company and meet your future husband there.

You change universities to play football, attend a class, meet someone you recognize, but never met before, and have a profound relationship that teaches you many things.

Out of nowhere a thought comes into your mind that helps you paint your first successful picture.

During a dream you receive inspiration for your first novel.

You visit a metaphysical bookstore, pick up someone's business card, and meet your twin soul.

Your sister gives you a New Age book during a severe life crisis and you experience a profound spiritual awakening that puts you on a new path in life.

You stoop down to help a homeless person and the tears of thankfulness you've created inspires you to join the Peace Corp, which in turn leads to a life of service for humanity.

You stop to save someone's life who has been in a car accident. You are so moved by the incident you decide to become a physician.

I've reached a point in life where I no longer believe that these kinds of spontaneous events happen randomly or by accident. On the contrary, I am quite convinced that prior to incarnating we planned the general theme of such events. Then, when in body, they occur with those individuals we chose to experience them with at certain stages of our lives.

I also believe that prior to incarnating we review the most recent life we've had, as well as our other past lives. Then, with free will, we choose our next life and what, if anything, we want to accomplish with it.

Once that decision is made our parents, siblings, best friends, and lovers are chosen. We also decide where we want to live, our profession and so on. All of this is done to suit our goals and the goals of others who will be part of our next life drama. 

The overall result of these personal choices is a general life plan that will unfold for each of us while we are in body. And, in order to keep it on track, unexpected events and people appear in our lives, out of nowhere, to alter its nature and direction. Said another way, unexpected events are no accident. On the contrary, they help us understand the life plan we made for ourselves prior to incarnating.

As I began to review the major, unplanned events that periodically changed the course of my life, I realized that there was a pattern to their sequence and meaning. That is, they weren't isolated, random, disconnected events. Rather, each could be linked in a way that set the stage for the next to occur.

It was the threading together of those related events that led to my eureka. I realized that by stringing them together in sequence I could see a clear reflection of the plan I made for this lifetime. Just as importantly, I could see how each episode had its unique cast of characters who helped me in some special way at a certain point in my life. All of a sudden, all who were a part of my plan became very sacred to me.

I highly encourage the reader to take a piece of paper and, in chronological order, list those major events that came into your life unexpectedly and changed the direction of your Earthwalk. Perhaps it was your career that was affected, maybe you met someone who changed the course of your life. Or perhaps it was an event that set you off in a completely different direction. It can even be an unplanned circumstance that dramatically affected the way you look at life, which in turn changed the path you chose to walk. The key to this exercise is to identify those circumstances that came into your life unexpectedly and without warning.

To begin with, limit your list of unplanned events to those that fit in the "major" category; the ones that had a profound effect on your journey. Once you have them arranged in chronological order look for patterns and connections that link them together in a meaningful way. As you do this, make sure that your insights feel right to you. I'm quite sure that in most, if not all, cases you will see how each event set the stage for the next to occur. And as you begin to connect these dots of your life, the general picture of your plan will unfold for you as if by magic. 

Keep in mind that unexpected events can be categorized as minor, medium or major. If you've started with the major ones, you will find that each was influenced and supported by others that were minor and medium in size. And they too can be discovered quite easily.

Most importantly, all of them paint a picture of the general plan you made for yourself this lifetime around. The picture you create won't necessarily give you all the details. But you will have a clearer idea of what it is you chose for your current 3-dimensional drama, whom you chose to be with, and why.