Hitting the PotHoles on the Road to More Happiness

So, you are moving along your path in life, feeling good, and driving along the High Vibration Highway when *KATHUNK*! You hit a pothole! ARGHHHHHH!!! But you were feeling soooooo good!!!

"Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before, but rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God."

—Ram Dass

 

We often can get frustrated and stumped by what appears to be going backwards, losing ground, or getting visited by the great annoying god Loki.

  

It is not unusual for us to instantly hit a wall when we are feeling so happy, so in charge, and so very sure we have mastered a big chunk of our lives. We then conclude, without even actively considering all the choices, that something bad surely is happening. We have stopped or slowed or are going backwards. Why did we EVER think that we could succeed? No one lets me get ahead! See, I try and what is my reward - a massive smack down? When will I learn that life isn't fair? Why did they have to tease me like this? BASTARDS! 

 

Roll the tapes of the unending negative, painful, lower vibrations!

 

 







Sure, we can all spiral into a vortex of obsessing negativity. Dealing with that trap will be the focus of another post. This writing is specific to when we are doing all of our positive active work - reading daily meditations, practicing yoga, picking coins from the IChing, and doing everything that feels good. We have raised our vibrations and we just keep feeling more aligned, the synchronicities are zooming, and all seems centered and right in the world.


Then *BAM*! The flu, a break up, a pit of depression, daily anxiety on the brink of panic...where the heck did THAT come from?! It can be a small glitch, like just one night of feeling some free floating grief, or a small head cold, or we completely forget and miss that play that we wanted to go to and spent fifty five dollars for a good seat. We do what we need to do to care for our body, heart, and soul and we continue driving...a little shaken and wobbly from the hit.

It can be a bigger pothole,  and we just can't keep driving along. We find ourselves face down into a ditch. Perhaps we twisted an ankle into a bad sprain, or we are so sad that no Lifetime Channel movie and pint of ice cream can solve the crying in a few hours. Maybe we discover that the promotion that we thought was a done deal for us ended up being handed over to someone else. There are a number of experiences that fall under this category of change. When we hit this size pothole we take a few days off to heal, or a few weeks off to readjust. We will continue driving after this digger, we just need more help and Spiritual muscle to get back moving.

And then, well, there are the huge potholes that really make it difficult to flip into an understanding that this event truly is along our path. These are the ones when we lose it and yell, "Are you freaken' KIDDING ME?!"

These potholes on our path show themselves as something very big and deep - we may visit the Dark Night of the Soul, http://www.themystic.org/dark-night/. This time is imperative for our continuation on the road to a higher vibration. Remember, we are NOT going backwards. We are still on the road, OUR road. We are waiting. We need more assistance and by searching for and receiving this assistance, we find that we are strengthening our Spiritual muscles.

We ALL hit potholes. The best way to deal, is to accept that we are always moving. Stay true to our guts, be honest, and just be present in whatever and wherever we are. This too shall pass.

It is good news to hit a pothole. It means that we are raising our vibrations and as we do so, we hit a little pocket of lower vibration. *BARUMPTTHUMP*! Into it we go...and then we can raise our vibration, bringing ourselves up and out of a pothole, that once worked through, will forever be cleaned and closed.

When I hit a pothole while moving along happily on my path, I often think of Deer medicine from
Jamie Sams & David Carson's Medicine Cards:

"Gentleness. One day Fawn heard Great Spirit calling to her from the top of Sacred Mountain. Fawn immediately started up the trail. She didn't know that a horrible demon guarded the way to Great Spirit's lodge. The demon was trying to keep all the beings of creation from connecting with Great Spirit. He wanted all of Great Spirit's creatures to feel that Great Spirit didn't want to be disturbed. This would make the demon feel powerful, and capable of causing them to fear him.

Fawn was not at all frightened when she came upon the demon. This was curious, as the demon was the archetype of all the ugly monsters that have ever been. The demon breathed fire and smoke and made disgusting sounds to frighten Fawn. Any normal creature would have fled or died on the spot from fright.

Fawn, however, said gently to the demon, "Please let me pass. I'm on the way to see Great Spirit."

Fawn's eyes were filled with love and compassion for this oversized bully of a demon. The demon was astounded by Fawn's lack of fear. No matter how he tried, he could not frighten Fawn, because her love had penetrated his hardened, ugly heart.

Much to the demon's dismay, his rock-hard heart began to melt, and his body shrank to the size of a walnut. Fawn's persistent love and gentleness had caused the meltdown of the demon. Due to this gentleness and caring that Fawn embodied, the pathway is now clear for all of Great Spirit's children to reach Sacred Mountain without having to feel the demons of fear blocking their way.

Deer teaches us to use the power of gentleness to touch the hearts and minds of wounded beings who are trying to keep us from Sacred Mountain. Like the dappling of Fawn's coat, both the light and the dark may be loved to create gentleness and safety for those who are seeking peace.

If Deer has gently nudged its way into your cards today, you are being asked to find the gentleness of spirit that heals all wounds. Stop pushing so hard to get others to change, and love them as they are. Apply gentleness to your present situation and become like the summer breeze: warm and caring. This is your tool for solving the present dilemma you are facing. If you use it, you will connect with Sacred Mountain, your centering place of serenity, and Great Spirit will guide you.

Contrary: Deer in the contrary position indicates that you are courting your fear by fighting the internal demons of negative ideas. This is a clue to you that force is not always the best method. You may not be willing to love yourself enough to feel your fears and let them go. You may be projecting your fears on others. It may also be others whom you fear, reminding you of a time when you reacted to life in much the same manner. At any rate, love is the key. The only true balance to power is the love and compassion of Deer. Be willing to find things to love about yourself and others, and your demons will melt away. Your fears cannot exist in the same place that love and gentleness abide.

Remember, Fawn can teach you many lessons about unconditional love. In its true application, unconditional love means that no strings are attached. The gentleness of Fawn is the heart-space of great Spirit which embodies His/Her love for us all."

May today be a First Day to Begin understanding that our potholes are just our way of meeting and surpassing a lower vibration. May today be a First Day to Begin equating our potholes to the demons which Deer encountered on her way to Great Spirit. Through love, compassion, and calm behavior, she waited on her path for the demon to melt away so that she could continue on her journey. May today be a First Day to Begin our pride and gratitude for all the potholes that we find ourselves falling into, and the love and compassion that helps us find our way through.

"Gosh, that takes me back...or is it forward? That's the trouble with time travel, you never can tell."

- Dr. Who