What do we do now?

Positive Thinking?

I want to stay positive, but I have just read today’s newspaper (after telling myself that it would probably be better not to do that right now) and I find myself confused about the value of all this positive thinking. How can my staying positive help people who are suffering in the world, help the dismal economic situation, stop the destruction of our beloved planet, prevent selfishness and greed (just to mention a few…)

Good old trickster

As I have discussed in my newest book, it is at these moments that I need to go find my old friend Trickster. He/She (being an archetypal awareness residing inside of me) is my key to understanding the many complexities all of us human beings must experience on this adored earth of ours. By going to my “inner trickster” for help, I am better equipped to accept the endless complications of life which, at first glance, appear to be nothing less than disastrous. How do I do this?

Precious Neutrality

As a teacher of metaphysics, I have often used the metaphor of “detached observation” as a way of describing the dynamics of “seeing behind the curtains,” so to speak, of “looking behind the illusion” of life’s stage show. As my students will know, I never meant the kind of detached observation that is cold and unfeeling, but the kind that is warm, fuzzy, and sometimes even humorous. And this is where my buddy, Trickster, comes abundantly to my assistance. The ability to view life from the neutral perspective of observer—as a member of the audience as opposed to a players’ standpoint—is, in the opinion of many, one of the most valuable spiritual tools we could possibly have in which to help and heal ourselves and the world.

Lightworker: The inner teacher

And if I ask, I can feel my other favorite archetypal-travel-companion coming directly to my rescue. This is Lightworker (who will certainly agree with Trickster) that, since the dawning of human consciousness and our very first collective grunts of spiritual realization, knowing how to gaze through a secure veil of “neutrality,” instead of taking a direct hit-into-the-guts approach, has surely done wonders for the status of anyone seeking spiritual understanding. Lightworker (a.k.a. Inner Teacher) can come to assist us in a flash if we only know how to ask for this assistance. It may not always be easy to begin, but fortunately, there are plenty of helpful intuitive tools to work with when we need them—if we are willing to give them a try. 

Dynamic duo

These two comrades, Trickster and Lightworker, symbolize to me the Powers-That-Be, the dynamics behind what I personally view as the greatest teachers-about-life, our mentors and icons. This dynamic duo are both instigators of the ordinary and the extraordinary to an equal extent. Their antics are constantly illustrated in all the challenges of daily existence, although not usually directly apparent. And, unfortunately, most of the time, the invisible presence of Trickster and Lightworker in our lives tends to go unrecognized. Their illusiveness has often made our existence so much more painful and difficult—our true virtue seemingly betrayed—as we constantly watch ourselves being thrown out into the cold, sleet, and rain “by fate,” to suffer for no discernibly good reason. But are these archetypal characters really so difficult to get to know? Why not have a word with them directly?

Clever disguises

If only we had been able to recognize Trickster and Lightworker for who and what they really are, we would have figured out eventually that they are unmistakably parts of ourselves in extraordinarily clever disguises. We would have realized that this dynamic duo has always been gladly showing us everything about ourselves that we have ever needed to know and to see. In particular, they have been helping us to recognize from the very start the irreplaceable value of (to quote an Irish folksong) the “broken bones and muddling hands to catch” the secret and powerful forces of all we have brought with us into our present lifetime.

Our dance of day and night

You might be asking yourself: why am I only talking about these two players? What about all the other actors, actresses, mythical figures and archetypal individuals sharing the theater and stage of our life? I suppose it is because Trickster and Lightworker have continued, personally, to show me in many diverse ways how I must learn to master the balance between the dominion of dark and light, heaven and earth, and the natural confusion of planetary contrasts. Perhaps these two power players have emerged from my subconscious because they represent the immense persuasion of duality in the great hall of choice and resolution. Who really knows? What I do recognize is that both personas are always exceptionally hard at work, giving us exactly what we need at every step and turn of the way.

Yes

Positive thinking does work if we ally ourselves with the natural archetypal forces within us. This means we use not only our familiar logical minds, but that we are able to take a few steps further to enter a vast world of intuitive understanding. Because, the word “intuition” is partly defined as “knowing without reasoning.” This knowing is so powerful, it can set off an entire domino-effect in our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. In turn, these potent aspects of “human being” will lead us to the next levels of accepting ourselves and the perplexing world around us.

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