The Lotus Path- 6th of September, 2020

Preface

This reading applies for 5 Weeks until Sunday, 11th of October 2020.

Please read the starter guide to get an overview of the intent of this reading and how to use it in your personal life. Also look at earlier readings to get an idea of our progress as we transform in who we are becoming.

It occurs to me to highlight the fact that this reading, and in my opinion any such reading, is given from the reader’s own perspective. Think of it as a map of the collective territory from my perspective and what I’m tuning into. In it I outline the risks and difficulties I see, as well as the many opportunities available for growth. This report can be used as either a set of binoculars or as a microscope, depending on your need over the coming weeks.

The Lotus Path

During the last 3 weeks, it became clear that the end point to the path we are on is one of material comfort  and safety (see Crown Chakra, reading on 16^th August). The hidden message was that this would be available at the end of a long and arduous journey. We are now facing the arduous part…

It feels like we’ve lost our way… There is no more guiding light on that road. It appears that we’re walking down a path of separation, unable to focus the mind or be consistent in our actions. It’s tempting to think we’re defeated and our efforts will lead nowhere. Where to direct power? It’s as if an illusion regarding that path we’re on has been revealed. We are now facing the reality of walking that path to security, and that is that it’s not always a straight road.

We need to maintain the vision of reaching that security we long for, even if the road right now is quite difficult. It’s simply a part of the journey. It’s not pleasant, but like all things, this too shall pass.

The energies of the this reading apply for 5 weeks. So, we have plenty of time to navigate this stage of the journey.

We have survived the earthquakes that hit our foundations and stability, and the fear and worry that came with them (see Sacral and base chakra, 16^th of August). We have now reached a place where we can manage our emotions through consciously monitoring what ideas/thoughts we focus on. The greatest opportunity for growth lies in maintaining a big picture view of the situation, rather than giving into specific narratives. By detaching from any stories (perceived as negative or positive) we can be free to experience true equanimity and liberate even more power to use in the present moment.

This process of release we’d been undergoing for the last three weeks has generated a fair amount of waste water (old emotions) right at our own feet! The image that comes to mind is that of wading through a swamp. It’s messy, and you’re going to get dirty. The immediate reaction to encountering this swamp is feeling not only defeat but humiliation. We have not arrived at safe and stable ground yet and must somehow trudge through…

There is a strong invitation to walk through the swamp with the same curiosity and sense of wonder that a child has as it’s about to leap into a puddle! That child doesn’t care if it gets dirty. It’s only curious what it will FEEL! Be curious! Be creative with how you wade through the swamp. What is needed here is no grandiose magic but a simple child like pleasure in the unknown, and working with the absolute basics available. It is that which will lead us to a whole new knowledge of our ego selves. Perhaps that’s part of the reason you hear stories of soldiers singing in the trenches to keep their spirits up.

It’s a good thing that our energy levels and endurance are experiencing a birth process. We are learning the subtleties of walking the path of the feminine deliberately, and with integrity. This means that if you choose to focus on developing the feminine aspects of your nature, much discipline and focus will be available to do so. It’s a good time to focus on creative endeavours, on the simple things in life, on stillness, on nurturing yourself and others.

Despite the challenges of the swamps we’re learning to navigate, there is a beautiful loving energy available for the coming 5 weeks. It will be easier to find compassion for yourself firstly and by extension for others. It’ll be easier to accept differences. It will be easier to integrate aspects of yourself that you were ashamed of, hidden, or wished were not there. Even in the midst of a swamp, the wise can find beauty.

Taken together, I feel this reading hints at a penultimate clearing process of our emotional field, especially in regards to the feminine aspects of our nature. We are able to, if we so desire, meet that process with compassion, commitment and a child-like curiosity, seeking to find beauty in the strangest of places. This approach will see us through this swampy stage of the process we’re in as a collective. Focus on the present and on building stability in the NOW. This is not the time for grand adventures or incredible new ideas. It’s not the time for masculine endeavours directed in the outside world. The masculine is currently dedicated to walking the feminine path. It’s time to do the grunt work of healing.

And if you get stuck, remember that the beauty of a lotus is rooted firmly in mud. So you may as well give blooming a crack!

If now is not the time to bloom, then when is?

What makes a lotus flower truly beautiful is as much governed by its intrinsic beauty as it is by its contrast to the background.

Of your beauty, what are you able to share?

Perhaps you may find something of yourself in the plot of this pretend story. Imagine that your hopes for something had been dashed and you’re feeling unable to move or think. It might feel like you’ve somehow lost your way. You figure, hell, I may as well try this “sitting still and just being” business. Moments into it, you get itchy to check your phone. It’s a habit. You wonder what it is that happened in your mind to demand a distraction. You might discover that it’s the easiest way you know of entertaining yourself. Or dealing with boredom. Or masking that lonely feeling . You start to feel these feelings allowing them to just be. The phone is no longer necessary. The messiness of the emotions is realized. They’re released.

…You settle and start to get used to the muddiness of it all, beginning to recognize the reality of  navigating in this terrain. You jump up and down a few times in a puddle just to test it out. Hmmmm… it’s not so bad… You rise above it all for a moment and realize that you’re learning to find your stability in tricky terrain.

…You vaguely remember, or think you do, feeling that way as you took your first steps when you were a toddler. How everything seemed to wobble, how unsteady it all was.

…Older and wiser now, you understand that it wasn’t the ground that was all wonky, it was your feet!

… Somehow that didn’t stop you from trying again and again to stabilize the ground, so you thought…

Until you were stable enough to move with it 😉

The paradox entertains you.

You know it’ll occasionally get messy, and you’ll rail against that. You hold that part of you that’s reacting like you would a child who’s needing a hug and not a thesis explaining the meaning of life.

And so the next foot goes forward, naturally, a bit more stable this time. A bit more sure…

Weekly Themes

Week 1 – Surrender to the process. It’s about accepting this stage of the journey without wishing it away. We are learning the deep medicine of acceptance

Week 2 – Tone down the self-criticism! Get back into your heart that knows how to bring all elements of you together. If you criticize yourself, hold your mind to account. Write down the criticism and proceed to question it. Force your mind to provide evidence for the self-critical idea. When it does, question that too! It’s easy to fall into despair with this energy, so you’ll need to get specific and not let stray ideas rule your thinking.

Week 3 – Movement and change are in the air. The journey is accepted and embarked on. Rolling with the punches.

Week 4 – A sure step is developed. We know how to walk through the swamp now, and we feel safe doing so.

Week 5 – Revelations! Things that were in the dark will come to light. Shadows hidden from view will be illumined. We’ll be looking to see where we’ve deceived ourselves and where we have been deceived.