“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:14
The narrow path by which we enter into this world is a mysterious one- is it not?
In Ted Andrews book, Animal Speak, he discusses those people with panthers as totems as generally being individuals “who have come into the world with their lights already on.” He goes on to discuss how many people enter the metaphysical world or field, taking up exercises or meditation to have their inner lights “clicked on.” However, there is a price to pay for those lights. They don’t come easy.
In the Garden of Eden, Eve is given forbidden fruit, “the ignorant bliss” now stripped away as she and Adam hide from God. People innocent or naïve to the “evils” or “hard lessons” of this world that receive the “trials by fire” do not easily slip through the gate without a monumental amount of pain, introspection or discernment. It takes work to throw open the gates of self, exposing ourselves to a life unknown, verses hiding in the confines of our routines and comfortable behavior.
There is a responsibility that comes with such knowledge. It is certainly not looked upon as a privilege when we are hurt, the aftermath damaging and destroying all that we knew, possibly taking all that we had. Lying in the dark, we may pray for those lights to click on for many years to still find ourselves overwhelmed with a pain that consumes our every thought and the path to the light internally black and long. It can become easy to hide behind a judgment or two as an excuse to remain numb and not experience life, but if we are not careful we may start believing those judgments mistaking them for the world around us. More so, hiding from God and hating oneself is not the shortest way to get there. We don’t get to embrace the lessons and the love that is waiting.
For some who come into the world with their lights already on, it can be hard to see the injustices or ugliness that exists in our world, however turning inside away from everything will never allow a love for this side, equally important. The lights don’t make for better people, just more awareness, perhaps with even more responsibility. Maybe our path is to walk in those shoes of the individuals we are confronted with every day. Not to simply try them on, but to actually wear them for a while.
We can walk in “ignorant bliss”- Lord knows this would be much easier! But could I ever really look myself in the eye again? The light beckons us to move closer and to live a genuine life. It is not the easiest path, but yet at some point, it is through grace, a privilege. It is our responsibility to walk with it, fall in love with ourselves and shed light on everyone we meet. The light may not always show us what we “want” to see, but it does offer a truth that opens the gate a little wider. It is the spirit that expands into every corridor of the journey we call “life.” A life that is not nearly as narrow when bathed in a light of love and shared with others. It is the circle that makes us complete.
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