For most of us (if not all), we approach certain aspects of our lives as if we were facing down an army bent on destroying us. This army comes in the form of negative expectations, poor thoughts of potential performance, critical assessment, and the like. Why do we do this? Why do we have these thoughts?
I sat down and pondered this one day. No doubt, some thoughts from Spirit made their way in, and as I opened to the possibilities of the search, here’s what followed.
The idea of a constant block of force – a counteractive agent – is purely a psychological condition. This stems from multiple factors; the two main contributors being a deep mass consciousness belief system adopted by humanity over time, the other being a representation of life through Hollywood and other entertainment providers. That is, in any drama or story, there is a protagonist and an antagonist. This supplies the framework which then gets projected onto the face of reality, for which one accepts as the “packaging” of existence.
It’s a very old story of “hero versus villain,” which contributes to the mass consciousness factor. In the old times, mankind was always at the mercy of “demons” or “forces of darkness.” Catholicism played havoc with the notion of an angel on one shoulder, a devil on the other, and it was a constant battle between the two for the sanctity of one’s soul. Generation after generation. That’s a lot of belief and energy embedded in the human mass psychological structure. But it is only a thought, a projection, a hard-core opinion which unfortunately was received as a truth of existence. It’s not.
The second component – entertainment – places the same motif within the framework of modernity. That is, as stated, every hero or protagonist must have his or her opposite in order to make the story or drama exceptional and exciting – to keep the interest of the viewer. The working of Drama takes our plights and assigns them to a single person or organization; a simplistic approach taken out of necessity for the sake of time and storytelling. The more we watch and get wrapped up in such storylines, the more our own subconscious begins to supplant a loving, acceptable reality with what our other senses are telling us from the repetitive viewing of such dramatic structure: reality must actually be this way. What we forget is that Drama is symbolic and inspired by perceptions and thoughts of outside reality and not the creator of reality itself. This amnesia is not something we are reminded about, however, as it would really hurt the bottom line of businesses worldwide, who wish to make you think their commercial is what reality would be like if you bought their product! How easy it is for us to take entertainment’s depiction of reality and accept such a simple philosophy of protagonist/antagonist as being a fact of daily existence: my proactive life versus some force working against me.
The fact of the matter is, life is always growing, expanding, changing, and there has never been (nor will there ever be) an antagonist always looking and hoping to get in the way and foil our deeds. That’s the truth – the reality which we must come to accept. The universe and Spirit, from which we are birthed, is One and does not battle against anything. It lives, loves, grows, and expands. Anything to the contrary is simply a perception – for life continues regardless of obstacles. Even “death” does not stop one from living and continuing on – it is simply a path and a journey which moves one into greater avenues of experience (in that case, death is a continuance of life’s AFFIRMATION).
When we view our world – in particularly our own goals – how often do we see them as mountains and struggles? With obstacles we must overcome? Perhaps we place such challenges in our way not because they are real, but because we believe they MUST be there, in order to match our psychological framework we have accepted: the consistent presence of antagonism.
This is not to say there will never be challenges, or that there won’t be times when it appears things are conspiring against you. However, the phrase “conspiring against you” is a psychological one – a clear sign of the Phantom Menace. Perhaps – because Life is always expanding, growing, and Becoming more than it was before – such obstacles are not really obstacles, but CLUES that suggest the path to enlightenment, growth, and success, is not what you currently have in mind. Taken from that vantage point, the obstacles are not obstacles at all; rather, they are the purveyors of success – wayfarers who cry out “don’t tread here – it does not contain the positive outcome you desire. Our obstructionism is meant to help and guide, not hurt nor hinder.”
The universe is a loving universe. It is LIFE AFFIRMING and LIFE GIVING. Is there anything antagonizing or stopping the universe? No. Whenever there’s an obstruction – such as a concrete sidewalk atop the petals of a dandelion – the dandelion still finds a way around and out of the cracks, alighting into the brilliance of the sun. That’s because it doesn’t know of a power trying to stop it; instead, it knows of a power that is helping it, as it directs it to find the crack in the cement and bloom skyward. The cement itself isn’t challenging it to a duel, saying “I’m going to keep you under until you die”; no, it is simply saying “The path you seek is not here. You belong and will grow better and much happier someplace else.” I assure you, the dandelion probably doesn’t take the blockage personally, which is what we are more apt to do when we feel there’s a fight happening with our “villain.”
Part of the antagonist philosophy also makes us believe (on some subconscious level) that whoever is playing the antagonist is laughing and living things up at our expense; that the antagonist delights in a perverse mockery of our struggles. This contributes to taking losses so personally. However, this, too, is an illusion, as the universe (for which you are a child of) has no rival. The idea of a twisted maniac celebrating our demise is again a construction of artists and storytellers – not a truth of the universe; it is simply a philosophy which has grown into a belief system. In the old days, it would have seemed fitting, as tribes warred against other tribes – life was a series of struggles and clashes between what appeared to be (and oftentimes were) consistent rivals. But let’s face it – that was on a societal level.
On the base of a single individual and his or her life, there isn’t an archrival or nemesis wholly designed or birthed to counter one’s every move. There is only the energy and drive of life and the universe – whose sole purpose is to expand and grow. Whatever obstacles or challenges we encounter, we must do our best to acknowledge NOT as an obstruction laid on the path of our journey by some entity hell-bent on destroying us. No. We must examine the challenges and determine – in the light of a loving and expanding universe – if the challenges are meant to steer us in a greater direction, or if we have placed them there as the result of our inner psychological NEED for the appearance of an antagonist. (If it’s in your belief system, you WILL create it).
So – what’s stopping or blocking you? It isn’t anything outside of yourself. The universe (Spirit) is a loving and empowering force – the expansion of life and progress. Perhaps your nemesis is only an angle of your own inner perception. Perhaps obstacles – instead of being taken as the latest attempt by some Phantom Menace to derail your life – could be seen as a loving universe informing you “your best outcome will not be found here. Don’t dwell on me, just use me as a sign. I’m not here to destroy you, but rather empower you by showing you this is not the way.” In that light, perhaps we should THANK our obstacles and move on, versus putting on our boxing gloves or reaching for the latest psychological weapon of self-defense and go to war. If it’s not the greater universe, then it can only be yourself manifesting your own Phantom Menace.
It’s only a psychological structure.
Psychological structures can be changed.
There’s a phrase we use in offering advice to others we see struggling with certain issues: “You need to give yourself PERMISSION.” That’s another clue of the inner Phantom Menace psychological structure. How often do we apply that to ourselves? No such nemesis really exists – it is simply our own thoughts.
When we set a goal, we oftentimes try to imagine what obstacles we must overcome – which in some cases, is automatically INSERTING the Phantom Menace! Now, there’s nothing wrong with trying to determine where the most work might be needed for success, but more work does not mean “arch rival pounding against me.” How self-critical and judgmental can we be with ourselves, eh?
When you were born into the world, there was not another being born at the same time whose sole life mission was to challenge and obstruct you at every turn. So don’t create that psychology for yourself. Better yet, obliterate such thinking from your consciousness. Life will feel much more expansive and certainly more inviting.