Why do so
many of us have difficulty trusting the fire cycle and owning our
power in the world? What does it mean to be in the fire and to push
on through to the other side?
These are questions I seek to answer for those I work with
as well as for my own soul.
We travel
through many cycles in our lives. Some of these cycles everyone
moves through at specific times, such as the various stages of life.
We all have to deal with youth, maturity and aging. Other cycles
are brought on by individualized life challenges - the death of
a loved one, relationships ending, careers closing, moving from
one location to another, health issues. Some cycles are a result
of our soul coming to the fore of our consciousness and seeking
the deeper meaning of our lives.
The fire
cycle, which is most closely related to personal power, is one of
the most difficult to embrace. It requires voluntarily entering
into a period of chaos, of things falling apart, of not knowing
what the outcome will be on the other side of transformation. It
is when we begin the process of letting go and diving into the truth
of a situation or an issue. It is when we take our sword in hand,
cut away the dead wood and turn up the heat. During this time you
will be confronted with your fears as well as your dreams, hopes,
and wishes. You may feel like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings and
wish to return to the comfort and safety of the shire ~ and yet
there is a part of you that knows that true safety lies ahead and
not behind.
One reason
that many refuse to step into the fire and own their power is the
fear of hurting someone else. It is true that others are often confused,
fearful and angry when our decisions affect them, especially if
it disrupts their comfort zone. This does not mean that you should
stop your journey or postpone it, although the guilt you may feel
may tempt you to abort the change, at least temporarily. In truth,
you cannot quit your journey without grave consequences. It is said
that The Christ said, "That which you bring forth will save
you and that which you do not bring forth will destroy you."
Because our souls are linked together karmically, our decisions
will affect others, and they are supposed to! We do not need to
protect others from the lessons they need to experience. We can
be true to our own lives and be compassionate ~ not codependent
~ with those whose lives are intertwined with ours.
When the baby is ready to be born it does not ask permission. Life
does not travel in a neatly packaged box, or a straight line, but
rather in a spiral of cycles and constant transformation. All things
change, from the cells in our bodies to the expanding galaxies,
in a dance of life and death far beyond our imagined control.
So what
is our part? When we enter into a conscious fire cycle we must be
willing to let go, and to do our part ~ whatever that is ~ to change.
We must not blame others, or even ourselves, for wrongdoing. We
must, however, become cognizant that we have Goddess/God-Given Co-Creative
powers and can choose to move forward, or to hold back, the process
of change. We can actually stand in the way of creation. It becomes
our responsibility to discover and remove the blocks from our path
and lean into the destiny that is calling us forth.
Nietzsche
said, "Unless there is chaos, one cannot give birth to a dancing
star." Chaos only looks like chaos to the uninitiated soul.
Those who are familiar with change know that what looks like death
to the caterpillar is life to the butterfly. The willingness to
enter the chaos ~ the fire ~ and birth your own power, is often
hard won and only comes after much resistance and suffering. After
one has gone through a fire cycle consciously a few times the resistance
can lessen. Suffering becomes an option. The fire cycle will most
likely never be easy, but with faith it can be a time of grace,
excitement, and embracing passion and dreams. You can begin to experience
the exquisite power of your own soul, as you make change in your
life and become a co-creator with your higher power.
This world
has become a place where power is frequently misused. Perhaps it
has always been so upon our earth. This has created an imbalance
between those who are powerful and those who feel ineffectual in
their lives and depend upon others to run the show. Many people
feel wounded around their power and so either reject the power/fire
or misuse their power/fire. Neither course solves the problem. We
were all born to be beautiful and to shine, no matter who we are.
The earth and all her creatures need each and every one of us to
be willing to step into the fires of transformation and to rise
up out of the ashes of our old selves, just as the phoenix does
again and again. If ever there was a time for us to do the conscious
work of transformation and step more fully into the fire to embrace
our power and our true selves, now is that time.
The world
was born of fire and so is each decision we make to change. Make
it conscious, step bravely into the fire and embrace your power.
The world needs us to be powerful and wise, now more than ever.
