Transition Time
from Cyprus into Europe
Hey Epic Human,
What a time I've had!
This last month was dedicated to tying up loose ends, squeezing in last-minute sightseeing, packing up, and getting on the road. Whew!
I call this process “transition,” and it’s the most nerve wracking part of travel. It typically lasts between 3 days and a week.
This transition is different. It will run over about 3 weeks—yikes! It’s sort of a mirror of the “transition” we went through on our way to Cyprus—which took 4 ferries, gallons of sightseeing, and bureaucratic nightmares. These adventures are not for the faint of heart.
Our exit strategy entailed putting our car onto a cargo-only ferry while we flew to Athens and waited for it. In the meantime, we took a guided tour of the Acropolis and the Parthenon and environs, and then visited the Benaki Museum and the Acropolis Museum. Wutta day!
The 90-degree temperature was not helpful.
The next day Robin went to retrieve our car. I’ll try to be nice. The shipping company was not terribly forthcoming about how we might regain our car, so Robin sort of invented generous timings so he could plan logistics. Altogether, he allotted 3 hours to get the car—and he should have budgeted 5 hours instead. Who knew?!
We went over checkout time for our AirBnB, which was terribly stressful.
Next we had to retrieve the stuff we had stored in Athens. Guess what! We must have stored rabbits, because we now had twice what could fit inside the car! So it took a long time for Robin to re-pack the car and store luggage on the roof. I feel like the Beverly Hillbillies traveling down the road.
Finally, we headed for our next destination: the magical site of Delphi.
Guess what!
Car trouble. Our dashboard lights began acting possessed, flashing and blinking wildly. On a Sunday. No place was open to arrange even a diagnostic, much less repairs.
Robin intrepidly chose to push ahead while we discussed contingency plans. I tried not to think about the disco lights on the dashboard. …And then night began to fall.
Guess what!
We discovered, to our horror, that we had no headlights. That was bad. Robin flipped on our four-way flashers, which thankfully worked, and we drove nearly blind for an hour this way in the dark (yes, it was dangerous and frightening).
Miraculously, we arrived safely and checked into our hotel, where we both collapsed with exhaustion. But first I made Robin drape a tarpaulin over the roof luggage.
The next morning, angels began smiling on us once again. The woman at the front desk placed a phone call on our behalf and scored an instant appointment with electricians she knew at a nearby auto shop.
Robin buzzed over there and these two old Greek guys seemed to have a blast unraveling the puzzle of our car’s electrical system.
They diagnosed it as a battery problem, which explained several bits of odd phenomena recently. Miraculously, they had a battery in stock that fit our car, and they also replaced all of our lightbulbs, which the battery had blown out. They were fast and effective, and only charged us parts, no labor. We felt blessed and gave thanks to them and Hermes.
Finally we were back on schedule! We drove to the nearby ancient sacred site of Delphi and spent the day touring it. I had an “aha” near Apollo’s Temple around where the oracles were given that I’ll tell you about later.
Our experience was sublime, and the site seemed to have a “feminine” energy around it, unlike the “masculine” sort of energy we felt on the Acropolis.
Next we went on a high-speed trek through the Delphi Museum, which we also loved.
Then into the gift shop to buy postcards and books I could study at greater length later on.
Guess what!
When I left the gift shop, the skies opened up and a deluge came down. It might have been the worst storm I’ve ever been caught in. Thank goodness for the tarp on our luggage. I pulled out my umbrella (my husband forgot his), and we hoofed it back to the car about half a mile away, getting entirely soaked in the process.
Robin turned on the heater and we high-tailed it out of there. We had a couple of hours of driving to do in order to make our ferry.
Well, we got to the ferry on time and shrugged off our wet things. Robin played the “sick old man” card (rare for him!) and managed to score us a cabin, which we were desperate for.
Sometime tomorrow we should arrive safely in Venice and start the next leg of our crazy transition. This won’t be over for a while yet.
…So the “aha” I had at Apollo’s Temple…
I’ve been coaching professionally now for over 20 years, and I still struggle with branding. I’ve called myself a “typology coach,” an “individuation coach,” and all kinds of fanciful things. I once had a friend introduce me as a “success coach,” and I’m still shuddering from it. That’s just not my vibe.
At Apollo’s Temple an idea floated into my mind that I’m a “two worlds coach.” It follows from Jung saying:
“Human beings do not stand in one world only but between two worlds and must distinguish themselves from their functions in both worlds. That is individuation.”
-C.G. Jung, Jan. 21, 1918
The processes and coaching techniques I rely on help individuals come into relationship with their own “two worlds,” and that’s always where my attention is laser focused (particularly on the so-called “inner world”). It’s the clear, conscious path to individuation.
I think I’m going to brand myself as “Two-World Coaching” and see how that goes. If nothing else, it should pique people’s curiosity.
What do you think of this idea? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a line and let me know.
Until next time, over and out!
ciao,
-Dr. Vicky Jo
Two Worlds Coaching
PS: Guess what! I’m suffering with computer problems too. I hope Robin can fix me up in the next day or so.