| A Refreshing Mint for the Breath of the Dragon | 1 comment |
 10 Apr 2008 @ 16:48, by David Bartholomew[excerpted from DoingIt!, July, 2006] rampant and increasing anger, fear and uneasiness is causing the "beast" to stir. In a secluded glen of old forest, where the hoot owl’s cry and the concept of time is muffled by a blanket of moss and diffused through an aura of magic, Merlin councils young Arthur on the spectre of… the dragon. I must have seen and read as many versions of the tales of King Arthur in my life as anyone not currently role-playing or serving up oversized turkey legs to tourists at some Medieval Knights buffet attraction. And the mysterious concept of the dragon—everpresent, ethereal force—has always intrigued me as one of the legend’s most potent archetypes. People within the lore are always working to understand or tame the dragon, or at least to work out a chivalrous gentleman’s agreement whereby the tiny hamlet is not in so much peril of being razed by the dragon’s breath. Yet while understanding it as a force to be reckoned with few within or outside of the yellowed pages of these stories have ever really gotten a handle on articulating what it is exactly. Well I got a glimpse of the workings of the dragon this weekend, and feel it has immense relevance for us all at this time, for it is raising its ugly head—fueled off of the fearful energies of a good number of us—and only we have the power to calm it. The dragon is a living, metamorphosing, waxing, waning force, alive by definition as is fire by most scientists’ pre-requisites of life. It is the collective consciousness on one level, and on another we are also able to disengage and observe and work from within it. We are each part of it. Our emotions fuel it. Right now rampant and increasing anger, fear and uneasiness is causing the beast— and “Beast” is an interesting and operative word on a number of levels by way of some folks’ vision of this era we have entered into— to stir. The precarious and uneasy balance between peace and war, fear and trust, ease and disease is in danger of tipping away from light and hope, and toward fear and darkness, overwhelm, dissipation of hope… and down a slippery slope where it may gain the momentum that fuels stampedes in dumb animals and mob mentality in supposedly smarter animals. This fear and unrest, reactivity and protectiveness of perceived limited resources from others, is the fuel that becomes— the fire of the dragon’s breath, its ominous sputtering and snorting, and the destructive whipping of its tail. It is a ride in danger of reeling out of control. The continued detachment of ourselves from complicity in this outer world manifestation of the collective consciousness is irresponsible. It is not just “those” people’s hate and hostility, intolerance and non-acceptance of each other that can lead us to ruin. It is our denial of all of the agitation within us-- that requires larger and larger mirroring of such back to us from our outside world; our failure to illuminate our individual shadow sides; that will have us sharing in the fates of others like or unlike us, regardless of how much finger pointing we are capable. three are pointing back at you. The good news is—awareness and acceptance of our “stuff” adding to the big, yukky ball of ugly world stuff… can lead us to take the actions that will help transmute it, in every way, back into a big, fluffy, non-fattening marshmallow of love to be shared by all. The dragon may be relegated to a tame, cooing/purring (I am not sure exactly what sound a contented dragon makes) housepet. As we take our personal steps toward peace, joy, love, acceptance, inner peace… as we ground our calm and centered nature… as we learn to transform and channel our angst in healthy ways and pursuits… we will each feel more of this surrounding and comforting us. We will sleep peacefully in the arms (wings?) of the dragon. So how do we do it? Observe where you place your attention (and how much) when there is the choice to participate in or withdraw from—the news, fear-based conversations and situations. Do you chime in and add your own fears and uncertainties as more fuel on the fire, or try to shift the focus to something from a higher plane, or remove yourself altogether? Do the dragon’s eyes open or close based on your response? Observe how you manage your own stress/fear/worry. Do you project it onto others, attempt to dull it with unhealthy/numbing addictions or pursuits… or attempt to ward these off or alter them by way of relaxing, meditative, spiritual, physical outlets that can be built, over time, to withstand and absorb the barrages of greater and greater stressors? There are so many questions and exercises and play you can take yourself through, that will guide you to your own level of increased peace… all based on this dance that has been your life thus far... and in honestly assessing what has worked and not worked, what feels right on your body and energizes you, or feels like it will sap your physical and emotional attitudes and strength, as you contemplate the doing of it. As we play more and more with unshakable inner peace and joy— especially, perhaps counterintuitively by current standards, in the face of harsher news and circumstances-- we are truly DoingIt!; and affording ourelves a deep and satisfying relationship with man’s newest best friend… the dragon. |