Where to next? That is the question that every modern day gypsy asks whenever the north wind blows. Where in the world will this journey take me next? Who will I meet? What will happen? How is this going to roll out?

In the previous post on Knowing When It’s Time To Go, which is largely based on listening to your intuition and when the wind blows, I discussed how I know when it’s time unfurl my roots and traverse unknown horizons again. But once I know that I’ve been called to keep moving, it’s really good to know what direction to start moving. For me, there are four main ways that I recognise my direction, and they tend to generally occur simultaneously, once I have made my decision to move.

THE GYPSET GUIDE TO CHOOSING YOUR DESTINATION

MY HEART YEARNS

More often than not, the next destination has already been imprinted into my heart and my heart yearns to go there. This feels kind of like being in love with someone and missing them dearly, but instead of having that feeling for a person, you have that feeling for a place which, more than likely, you’ve never been to before. I don’t wildly choose to just go anywhere though. I always choose to go to places that are in harmony and flow with where I’m at right now. I don’t like too travel too far or too fast, and try to remain in the same country or continent as long as possible, until I am satisfied that I have completed all the things that I am to do, in that specific, geographical area. Sudden, fast movements into obscure, far away directions aren’t good for either body nor soul.
 
MY SOUL DIRECTS
This is where I go back to my feeling practise which I illustrated in How To Be A Modern Day Gypsy: Listen to the Wind. When I sit and connect with my intuition and Soul, I can feel which way it is swaying towards. The name of a town, city or country will pop into my mind and imagination and I am filled with a sense of joy, warmth and ease at the prospect of going there. This step of discerning where to go is really fun, some and easy. It can however be obscured if you have other worries, fears or concerns around moving forward, which often have nothing to do with your next destination and everything to do with some deeper blockages that you need to take a look at and process. Sometimes I just write a quick love note to the Universe with something like: “Dear Universe/Life/Source, where do you wish me to go next? Where am I most useful and can I give the best of me? In love and gratitude, Vienda.” And then I wait and see what happens. And always, always, always I receive an answer in some way or another. Sometimes from a phone call or an email. Sometimes I just have an inspired idea. It varies, but the point is to listen!
 
THE PLACE CALLS
I love it when a place calls my name so loudly and clearly! It makes itself heard and apparent by showing up serendipitously through people talking about this particular place, reading the name in books, overhearing about it in conversations or films, and generally being bombarded by the calling of a place in various and frequent ways. It wants you and is making itself heard by appearing to you over and over and over again.
 
PEOPLE CONNECT
Finally, this is always the clincher for me. I know that I am meant to go somewhere when there are people asking me to come. I remember about 12 months ago I was in Germany, and I knew that it was time for me to move on but I simply had no idea where to. So I went through the process described above and within two days I received 20 emails from friends asking me to come to London. And so, clearly, thats where I went. I hadn’t asked any of them to direct me. I asked only my intuition to guide me. But this just shows how connected we all are. Again, more recently, I had to decide what to do after the event in Costa Rica that I worked at finished, and although I had options and opportunities in Mexico and Los Angeles; San Francisco called the most strongly to me. Since then it’s been Los Angeles, Vancouver and then back to London about 3 months ago where I will stay for the winter. The people who I have connected with and feel most sweetly and deeply, are the ones that win my heart and the direction that my gypsy feet will follow.
Choosing where to go is made so much easier when you know you have a friendly, sweet and smiling face greeting you at your destination and I am always overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity that has been extended to me and can only give back all I have and am, in return, as I live the gypset life. But it is important to ensure that your decision isn’t based only on one of the tools outlined in knowing where to go, but equally balanced across all four to ensure that you are covering all your bases and your decision is harmonious and in line with your highest good.