Fun fact: I almost never remember my dreams. However, when I do, I am usually in
flight. Ever since I was quite young, in
fact, my preferred mode of transportation while dreaming has been flying. I had not thought much about this dream-theme
of mine until I studied dream analysis in college and learned that dream flying
is considered the perfect metaphor for living the soul’s longing, or life
purpose. Upon learning that, I did a
forehead slap and thought to myself, “Duh!”
The symbolism is unmistakable:
For many, flight is associated with freedom, ascension, exhilaration,
and peace. Yet, not ironically, many of
us have a fear of flying. The idea of
free-falling, losing control, letting go, and most obviously, the hard landing
is incredibly frightening. The metaphor
still holds true, does it not?
And so it is with fulfilling our
life purpose, for doing so involves navigating obstacles, conquering incredible
feats, and then making a conscious choice to evolve and grow. Living out our soul’s longing means choosing
the challenge of change over the difficulty of remaining the same while
conquering fear and overcoming resistance every step of the way.
If you have ever set out to
accomplish something meaningful, you will know that resistance is an
inescapable part of the journey. And if
you are anything like the rest of us, you have likely experienced resistance as
an adversary. And this was likely so
because you did not understand your resistance well enough to make it your
ally. You tried to avoid, persist, and
resist, rather than carry on with intention, commitment, surrender, and
trust. Because resistance really is
nothing but a form of fear and insecurity, we are much better off examining it
with self-awareness and honesty, getting to know it, and thus better
understanding ourselves. For the sooner
we are able to do that, the sooner we are able to live out our higher
aspirations.
So in practice, what can we do
about the resistance we experience? We
can start by being mindful of all the big and little things that distract us
and slow us down as we set out to do the things that our hearts are telling us
to do. Notice when you procrastinate,
when you make excuses, when you are highly defended, and take note of the
things that you worry about. Likewise, acknowledge
any patterns that you discover, the limitations you perceive, and the strength
of your resistance, and remember that most often, the greater the resistance
surrounding a particular longing, the more important it likely is.
As you make a habit of examining
your resistance and get comfortable with it, you will become increasingly aware
and empowered to move beyond these distractions and forge ahead into the
creative and authentic territory of your soul.
With more and more ease, you will bring your mind, body, and spirit into
alignment and make decisions during each and every moment that support your
higher purpose. And ultimately, you will
feel at home with yourself as you fly, and live a life of conviction, intention,
and peace.
-El
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