by Anja Heij
A woman walks in the bare coldness and desolation of the Himalayas in wintertime. The sun is her only companion in a contemplative foot tour in which she thinks over the faded dreams, disappointments, unpleasant activities and unhappy relationship that make up her life. With the scarce snow crunching under her shoes she asks the huge naked mountains how she possibly can start over now she’s filled with depression, feelings of failure, guilt, responsibility, worthlessness and lack of courage. Suddenly a crystal clear voice inside her answers this desperation with the magical words “You can do everything!”
You can do everything? This is food for thought. Most of us grow up with messages like “don’t think too high of yourself, you are not capable enough, not beautiful enough, not intelligent enough, you lack the right education – talent – background – financial resources, you need more…..(fill in)…, you cannot…..(fill in)…, you are not….”(fill in) And next we are encouraged: “you should….., you ought to….., you will be a good or respected person if…..” (again fill in the blanks). These are usually well meant advice by people who are just like you searching for happiness, who are just like you trying to ‘fit’ in the pattern of societal rules hoping for fulfillment, and who will probably just like you end up feeling lost in a lonely desert, like the woman in the Himalayas. But the darkness of the soul is never complete; at its deepest point our inner knowledge shows the way out by offering a different viewpoint. This painful but very enriching process is depicted by the card The Hanged Man in the tarot. Take for instance a look at Alison Stones intriguing interpretation of this card.
You see a tied up hanging figure who clearly cannot go anywhere, but the bright sun behind the head of the figure suggests that there is hope for new life (sun) if you change your way of thinking (the head), what will lead you on a new, creative path (the bright red road and gateway behind the Hanged One).
How could this new path look like? It starts with a heartfelt declaration that this is not the life you want. It continues with a heartfelt declaration of what you do want your life to be, of what you want to give to yourself and to the world. And it ends with the courageous decision to live your life according to your own dreams, beliefs, needs and standards. This is where the rebel, or the spiritual warrior, in all of us stands up. And this is where our uniqueness begins to give its present to the world. This is where we begin to make a difference.
You do not need special gifts or talents to make a difference; what you need is the willingness to let the inner you come out and show its beauty to the world.
Some advice on your path of self-empowerment:
· believe in yourself, and believe in your divine right to be here and to express yourself on this planet
· love, accept and respect yourself in all your perfection and imperfection; if you want to create a higher version of yourself you first have to accept what there is right now
· do what you really like to do and do it the best way you can
· invest time in yourself; just doing nothing but enjoying life and yourself is fine, meditation is great, inner communication is essential
· think for yourself, question authority; dare to ask “why not?”
· think in terms of opportunities and possibilities
· dare to try something new and to learn something new
· acknowledge and empower each other in (small) groups of like-minded people; they can encourage you if you lose it for a while
· feel humbleness and love towards the greatness called life, nature and your fellowmen.
In short it means changing your perspective from thinking in “I can not” into “Yes, I can.” And so it seems that the inner voice the woman heard in the Himalayas is right. With belief and passion you can create yourself a magickal life. Be the salt of the earth and the fire in your soul!
Article by Anja Heij
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