When I’m talking with clients they sometimes struggle with the idea of manifestation and definitely struggle with the practical aspects of free will. Which is complicated by all the religious dogma they have experienced since childhood and the messages out their about spiritual paths and surrendering to a greater power. So they start the conversation explaining to me how often and how well they meditate, how open they are to suggestion and help and messages from their guides/teachers/angels/helpers etc. And they constantly ask for help, but seem to get nowhere and nothing every changes.
Well, here’s the thing. In Western Cultures the perspective that people are broken, sinful, incapable of right action or even best practices and right thought is enforced day after day. And the remedy is to give up our will and allow a deity to lead them, guide them, and make all the decisions because we are incapable. Which, depending on the person, the situation, and the path that the person is on, could be good advice. However, for most people, it’s exactly what keeps them stuck. The clients that I speak with are certainly not children, their guides/teachers/angels/helpers and what have you are not parental figures, nor do they want to be, and trying to surrender to the will of others becomes an act of shirking responsibility.
We have free will for a reason. We have the ability to make choices. That doesn’t mean we won’t ever need help or want it. But it means that asking for help shouldn’t look like you sitting on your hands in a corner waiting for Dad or Mom to do it for you or rescue you. You need to decide what it is that you actually want, state what you would like it to look, being open to many possibilities because our minds are limited and the Universe is infinite, and put a time frame out there. If you’re asking non-corporeal beings for help, you might want to give them a hand by putting a linear, constrained time frame on the result. Because they don’t live that way and might not take that into consideration.
When I get into these conversations with clients, I like to remind them of the joke about the blonde and the Lottery Ticket. Her absolute faith in God and in God’s ability to have her win the Lottery had her making choices that lost her everything she valued, her marriage, her house, her career, her car, and as she was dying on the church steps she asked “Why have you forsaken me? Why did you not allow me to win the Lottery?” And he replied “Buy a Lottery Ticket”. We can’t control everything, but we can control our actions and take responsibility for them. Live is an ongoing conversation between ourselves and everything else. And if you aren’t holding up your end of the conversation, there’s not much that anyone or anything else can do. So don’t just ask for help, do what you can do to help things along…and buying a lottery ticket once in a while can’t hurt….(These games are for entertainment only and should not be used for investment purposes…)
I completely agree with your point of view and the need all of us have in taking responsibility for our path, past present and future and in making the choices that have led us to where we are now. I think for most of us, myself included, the ‘fear’ that comes up which may look like indecision or stalling, is actually not wanting to make the wrong decision or a deeply rooted fear of failure. Many things are deeply ingrained in us from our families and society and learning to take chances and move forward, despite failure, is not one of them. We don’t want to appear weak, make the wrong decision, fail, etc even though doing so would present alternate opportunities and alternate paths.
Several years ago, I decided to have a yard sale on my marriage of 9 years and my business of 5 years. I had reached an uncomfortable place with both where growth did not exist and staying (even though they appeared peaceful and fine by everyone elses standards) seemed to have a sandpaper irritation effect on my soul and I could no longer suppress my desire to move forward in my life. Upon telling my mother about my business decision, she said “First your marriage, and now your business. What else are you going to fail at.” Her response wasn’t, “I understand. Sometimes it takes courage and a willingness to step outside of our comfort zone to expand and grow. Good for you for having the awareness to know when to hold on and when to move on.”
Even though we shouldn’t concern ourselves about judgement from others, we inevitably do. And this seeps further into the judgement we have with ourselves. Part of my resistance to moving forward at times when I’m presented with a fork in the road isn’t about my refusal to take responsibility, it’s about understanding the gravity that I place on making the correct decision or the decision that I feel is in alignment with my souls purpose. I have a tendency to doubt myself and therefore vacillate from path to path. Clarity is power but getting to the point of CLARITY hasn’t been an easy one. But maybe that’s my souls ultimate struggle.