This is the first law on the Tree of Life as I learned it from my teacher, Ra Un Nefer Amen.

“From heaven I have come, and to heaven I shall return. I seek not enduring works upon the earth.”

In the ancient Egyptian spiritual tradition, as I was taught, there are the 11 Laws of God. Law number one speaks directly to our earthly presence and how we relate to change, work, and identity.

I want to share this with you during a time when our profession feels so uncertain. I’m older now. My life has already changed in major ways at least three times. And this first law, the so-called Law of Geb, has given me the understanding and the ability to open myself to change rather than clinging to what I’ve been doing or who I think I am.

Each time one of these changes begins, my first reaction is panic: “Oh my God, what am I going to do? I’m losing my work. What’s going to happen?”

One example is when I had my nonprofit back in the early 2000s. It was my passion and my life. I believed it was my way of helping the world fight climate change in a natural way. For a while, it was exactly what I was meant to be doing. It was successful, it had an impact, and it shaped who I was.

Then, slowly, things started to change, the people, the circumstances, and the direction. Deep down, I knew it was time for a transition, even though I resisted it at first. Before that change fully unfolded, someone suggested I sign up with a translation agency. I spoke Spanish and English, had lived in Costa Rica, and had been translating naturally as part of my work.

I followed that suggestion. Within two years, I went from earning no income while working with the nonprofit to earning enough to support my family and save. The change I had feared brought something even better than what I was leaving behind.

Now I find myself at what my teacher calls “the crossroads” again. I’m still doing what I know and love, translation and being a word nerd, and I’m not giving that up just yet. But I’m also keeping my heart open to whatever new path may be coming. I trust that whatever arrives next will be right for me, and that it may be even more meaningful and surprising than what I’m doing now.

“Coming in from the Cold,” my favorite Bob Marley song, goes. “Don’t you know: When one door is closed, / Many more is open?” That idea echoes this law and has helped me every time I start to worry about all the “what ifs.”

We don’t control whether every work we do endures. Projects end, roles shift, careers evolve, and industries transform. But we can choose how we meet those changes: with fear and resistance, or with curiosity and an open heart.

Let’s move toward the future with open, joyful hearts, as we did when we were children, excited for what might come next rather than dreading it.If you’d like to discuss the uncertainty you feel, let’s have a virtual coffee. Let’s lean on each other. If you’d like to schedule a call or if you need a translation, let me know. I’m here to help.