Many years ago I was required to complete a swim test in order to raft the Colorado River. The river water that year was intense and freezing. In addition to the wet suit, we had to complete the swim test in the wild uncharted waters of a turbulent river.
As the instructors explained the test and what was expected, I began to feel my body become locked. I knew fear had catapulted its way into my mind. I kept breathing and reviewing the directions shared for swimming down the river and crossing through the barrage of wildness to the shore and safety. Plus, I did not want to be left behind and not able to join my group of friends.
There is always an energetic force that pulls us toward something or pushes us away from something. Navigating the turbulent waters of desire, reward, punishment, and traps is the wonderous work of our beloved ego. Our sweet ego wants only the best for us and will go to great lengths to orchestrate what it believes is best. It hates conflict, despises disorganization, and becomes unraveled within chaos. And the exact thing it tries to keep us from is the exact thing we end up flirting with. After all, quantum physics tells us like attracts like.

There seems to be a common thread among all experiences. The pressure to conform is a guiding principle among many cultures, groups, organizations, and systems. We are rooted in such traditions. They, not only, keep us in belief systems that are often outdated and limited. They, also, cut off the very nature of our consciousness which is the heartbeat of our existence.
When our external experiences create pressure for us to move – like danger, physical threats, etc. – we are more than willing to move. During that swim test, my desire to be with my friends to experience the rafting together outweighed any fear that encapsulated my ability to move. I did indeed finish the test and can happily report I got to enjoy a beautiful day of rafting in the wild Colorado River.
When the pressure to engage internally arises, meaning something nudges you to become untangled and free from an inner conflict, we often get soaked in the traps of drifting. Imagine holding onto a log and floating down the river. We are too happy to drift into an incognito narrative never discovering the deeper truth of who we are.

Can you recognize yourself in these three traps of drifting which lead to bypassing your own
spiritual truth?

1. The Persona of Apathy

The persona of apathy is like a record player cycling through the “Everything is okay” narrative. This pretend-play is toxic because it ignores the human necessity to use emotions constructively as a way to feel alive in a conscious world. You only have two options for living consciously – awake or asleep. When you are awake, you will have the ability to respond. In contrast, when you are asleep, you will always react. The persona of apathy is a form of sleepwalking where you consciously act as if nothing is happening.There is always room for truth within our lifespan of consciousness.Get curious. Use experiences to ask for higher knowledge to be revealed. Trust what comes.How do I feel about this person or this experience? and What do I want at this moment with regard to this person or this experience? are really powerful questions.

2. The Persona of Disconnection

Anything that numbs you and keeps you away from connecting with your true self is the Persona of Disconnection. Your true self is divine, authentic, and beautiful as you are. The body is the home of your divinity. Connection to your divinity is your birthright. Another form of spiritual bypassing is negating the human experience as meaningful and disconnecting all ego actions and narratives as wrong or beneath the self. The spirit of wholeness requires we show up in a totality comprised of all ego interpretations, as well as higher infinite wisdom.The comfort of being uncomfortable invites a more curious state. Uncover all interpretations as guidance to greater possibility.What is this telling me about who I am? and What am I not accepting about myself? are great openers to peek into what aspects of our true selves we sometimes hide.

3. Persona of Disassociation

While you may physically leave an experience or a relationship, you are infinitely connected in the ocean of consciousness. This constant connection allows us to feel a true sense of belonging whether we are in a system or organization. If you cut off from the very essence of your spiritual nature, you create a persona of disassociation. The forever flow between separateness and connection is our most valued commodity.

Who needs to be welcomed here? and What do I need to accept all of me? can help you armor with the truth of who you are.

*************************************

“When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” -Unknown

You are here, in this lifetime, to experience consciousness and awaken your gifts so others can experience consciousness. The lure of drifting is a trap to keep you asleep and locked in fear. These are death traps for the soul.

The conflicts that appear as you encounter experiences and people that seem drastically different than you ARE presenting so that you turn the conflict into connection. These conflicts are catalysts for you to be so connected to your truth, you do not break when the wind blows and you do not fear the wind.