Anyone can slay a dragon… but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero. – Brian Andreas

Will things be ‘normal’ again? No, they won’t. Is that ok? I think it is. 

We have to embrace that truth. Over the last year, we have awoken to new landscapes. Our suffering, big and small, has the power to crack us wide open. Perhaps it already has on so many levels. And if we surrender to letting it shape us for good, there’s no telling what positive potential for lasting change can be attuned, alchemised and actioned.

What is being revealed right now in the world takes guts to face. To really turn towards the dragon, heart open, and holding our heads high, whilst boldly claiming, “Here I am, come to me.” Dragon fire is going to come. We might as well meet it face to face. We might as well prepare our hearts, our nervous systems and hone our spiritual practices.

We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem. But the truth is that things don’t really get solved: they come together and they fall apart. – Pema Chödrön

We battle for our souls in countless ways in this life. Days and nights will come and go as the clouds pass overhead, all silently witnessing our epic dance. Some choreographed seamlessly and some a spontaneous freestyle solo show. The dragons we encounter will be entirely personal and precise. Where we feel the slice of the talon will be exactly where we need to feel it. Ouch, right?

Some may say, “Wait, I deserve to be hurt?” Read one more time, contemplate it for a moment:

The dragons you encounter will be entirely personal and precise. Where we feel the slice of the talon will be exactly where we need to feel it.

Face the fire. Image: Adam Wilson

We will all be preoccupied with survival and suffering at some time in our lives. When the storms of life come, and they will, we will pass through the hardships and if we are smart, we can simultaneously mine them for the golden treasures hidden within. There are always treasures just as there is always something to be grateful for. 

Trying to run away is never the answer to being fully human. – Pema Chödrön

We can also create a clarity of mind and a peace of heart that allows us to glean wisdom in the NOW of challenges rather than in hindsight. This takes practice but it is entirely possible. There are many ways to face this dragon. This is life. It contains all the dangerous fire as well as the nourishing warmth and light. 

When you are in the depths of the darkness, whatever that may look like personally for each of us, it’s challenging to maintain this big picture view. All we see are your bloody hands as they push away the thorny bushes. 

Taking a deeper breath, rather than the shallow, ragged panting of fear, can seem insurmountable: near to impossible. Naturally. There are stages to this journey. Each turn of the path is different. The path will inevitably keep changing. The interpretations of the morphing vistas can be tempered with meditation, presence and a willingness to surrender to the teachings. Our pace is unique. Our pace is divinely designed for us, moment to moment. 

To judge one another for being on the path two miles ahead or three miles behind will lead to more suffering and deeper pain. To judge yourself for being on a particular part of the path that you are currently on leads to more compounded pain. Yet, hope dawns eternal. The only constant is change. 

That where you are now will change. How can it not? When has your life ever stayed the same? This too will pass and fade, soften in memory. You will be able to put down the armour, put away the swords used to face off with the dragons. Leave that particular dungeon. In truth, these dragons were never attacking us, it just seemed like it. They were really bowing down to us, serving us. It is an age-old epic story. The sun shall rise and shine again. It’s simple. Keep your hope alive in whatever way you know how.

These dragons are serving us, they are our teachers. Image: Kumiko Shimizu

Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday. – Uncle Iroh

All the practices and knowledge of the great sages, gurus and wisdom keepers have often centred around this expanded viewpoint. Most definitely, their teachings are invaluable in the midst of our troubles. To hold this paradox in the same one hand is the key. To be brought to our knees by so much personal and collective grief while simultaneously being so cracked open that the light pours in – illuminating our interior dungeons and leading us deeper IN and swifter THROUGH.

NEVER GIVE UP! No matter what is going on. Never give up. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart. Be compassionate. Not just to your friends. But to everyone. Be compassionate. Work for peace. In your heart and in the world. Work for peace. And I say again. Never give up. No matter what is going on around you. Never give up! – Dalai Lama XIV

Reminding each other of these simple truths helps immensely. We need each other. We must hold each other ever so gently as we dance with the dragons of life. I’ll be there with you, reminding you that the battle will be won, just hold on. You are not alone. We are living on the brink of a global moment of momentous shifting destiny and a brilliant new dawn is coming. Our hearts can take all that has happened and all that will happen. We will remember and return to Love — it is gloriously inevitable.

~

Beloveds,

As you are evolving and freeing yourself up and out of the dungeons and dragons of life, what are some of the resources you use daily? Mediation? A walk in nature? Charitable work? Watching comedy? What helps you slay your dragons?

Much love

Team UPLIFT