Unleash the dragon within

(Image credit: Orestes de Armas Centeno)

Notice if you have ever travelled anywhere, near or far, chances are you know what its like to take things you never need and later wonder why you did.

Excess baggage echoes our fears, the fear of not having enough, or the right stuff, not meeting our needs. Fears weigh us down. Its common to judge some personal experience as negative. Fear of history repeating can influence how we respond to life, people, situations. Often, the dead weight feels like part of us.

Just like a backpacker carrying stuff that is not needed or serves no real purpose, the universe is nudging us to let go of things, thoughts, emotions, memories. Then true being shines. People in our lives do not see the real us, the best of us, if we hang onto what no longer serves us. Maybe it used to but we can change.

Maybe it is time to do what many travellers end up doing along the way during a long walk. Unpack our overloaded personal backpacks, all that we outgrow yet hang onto 'just in case'. Engage in your own inner inventory. Examine each item honestly. Only as lessons are learned can situations change. Decluttering our lives is a step toward decluttering the mind. Lighten the load.

Turns out, I recall climbing up Kazakhstan mountains with far too much stuff. I had told myself I took what I needed for different purposes on a 6 week trip through different countries. Before long, I gifted 2 of my 3 bags away. Not only was the sky clear to observe stars that night, but my mind got a little clearer. Now the more I travel, the less I take.

Admittedly, letting things go can be hard. Value is so subjective. Sometimes we believe that we are not whole without a given thing, situation, relationship. Once we have the courage to set certain things free, an incredible lightness arises.

The analogy of the alchemist and the dragon's egg rings true. To discover real freedom is about unleashing the inner dragon, the dragon within. The symbolism of a dragon egg is a reminder to acknowledge our inner potential, be open to big change, embrace our spiritual journey. We are each in process of an unforeseen metamophosis and self-discovery. Letting go of what we thought was important at another stage of life is how we navigate challenges and evolve consciousness.

Surrender to the Mystery

Notice much like a caterpillar cannot turn itself into a butterfly, the ego cannot turn itself into a Soul. HUmans hold potential for a level of collective consciousness that is more expansive than where we are. Yet, only as we surrender to what is beyond ego, only as we trust that which ego cannot see, think or comprehend, and let go of the desire to have to know, does the miracle of alchemy occur. The elixir of life is within and each of us is called to experience it fully for ourselves. Consider a caterpillar eats its way to oblivion, innocently encloses itself in a cocoon, not knowing what is going to happen. Then, a mysterious metamorphosis takes place to transform it. The butterfly emerges effortlessly from the liquid like a phoenix that surrenders to death and emerges from the ashes. What happens to the caterpillar inside the chyrsalis and the phoenix within the ashes, is not for the physical eyes to see. This transmutation is timed precisely to coincide with the ultimate expansion of consciousness. So, a new mode of magical thinking or being is emerging without conditioned limitations. At the perfect moment, it dawns one cannot take an external bridge to infinity when one is itself the bridge.

Grow beyond blind compassion

(Image: Sacred geometry 792 by Endre Balogh)

Notice the importance of allowing all things to serve our awakening. When we are offended by behaviour or actions, if we are always completely non-judgemental, or at least, resist expressing true feelings or saying anything that could be seen as judgemental, we may be doing a disservice to ourselves and those who offend us. For, in not doing what we can to bring people face-to-face with the consequences of their actions, we are actually depriving them of Soul growth. Further, in letting them off the hook, we are doing the same for ourselves. As an analogy, by not allowing a butterfly to struggle its own way out of a coccoon, it emerges weak. Metamophosis is supposed to be difficult to build resilience, trust, discernment. Butterflies need a surface they can climb and hang from so their wings can expand properly. This is why they emerge in phases, building strength, confidence, energy at every stage. Similarly, certain kinds of compassion may hide misguided tolerance and aversion to confrontation, as well as avoidance of pain and anger that exist to facilitate human Soul growth. Although its helpful to examine how judgement of others can reflect our own shadows or invite us to self-examine, build our discernment a focus on self alone is misguided. Blind compassion for others can arise as a tool of survival learned during childhood. Recognizing our own patterns and changing our behaviour not only empowers us, but also nudges others to do what they exist to do. To cut to the chase, at some point, we would have to not only feel the pain of what we suffered but also feel its consequences later in life, and many of us resist that, even when we see value in doing so. At the perfect moment, it dawns that suppressing the hurt we were suffering often made things worse. Being solely compassionate about behaviour that evokes discomfort keeps us 'safely' removed both from standing up for ourselves and the consequences. Yet, if we do not russle feathers, make a fuss or contront anyone, it robs us of our autonomy and accountability, implying we do not have a choice when we do. To confront someone with fierce compassion (express true emotions) has another impact. If we hurry too fast to forgive, we skip the process that leads to authentic forgiveness, feeling our hurt, expressing our needs and navigating conflict. As we shed our blinders and see our pain clearly, our anger, hurt, frustration, moral outrage, we re-enter a realm of love that had been closed off from which we can now freely give and receive. As we welcome struggles and challenges, strive for nobel and lofty goals, we are connecting and expanding our Soul in ways beyond the wildest imagination