Nature Loves Courage
“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”
The world of the unknown is territory that we like to live very far from. As human beings, our minds operate from a place of caution- a protection mechanism cultivated from hundreds of years of evolution. It is a lovely fur cloak that we all seek shelter in. While this warm layer of safety intends to protect us, it can also weaken us. It allows us to tip toe around the cracks of risk and fear- residing somewhere in the middle of not feeling bad, but not feeling good either.
Get uncomfortable. With much predatory threat removed from our modern lives, we are not triggered as often by the kind of stress that comes from fighting and taking a risk. Following the path of our dreams is filled with so many questions and uncertainty that we usually turn around before finding the answers. When we continue on despite feeling uncomfortable- we send the signal that our faith is stronger than our fear, and we are carved into a version of ourselves that we never knew possible. Consider what it would take for you to live your most fulfilled life. Would you want to leave your job, and spend your days painting on the shores of Greece? Break up with your significant other of 10 years, despite not knowing what will come next? Maybe it is as simple as finally entering that slam poetry contest, or dying your hair ocean blue. Trusting your inner callings is an act of pure surrender and vulnerability.
Lets imagine for a moment you did go to Greece. Doubt would be impossible to avoid, wondering how you left such a reliable life and made such an illogical decision. What would happen if you held on and trusted the process? The universe works in mysterious ways. You could spend your time taking up fishing and painting the sunset. You could meet a fellow fisherman, become friends, and spend Saturdays catching mackerel together on his boat. You could visit the central market with him on a random Monday morning, where a stranger asks about your paint splattered overalls. You could get acknowledged for the passion in your paintings and begin teaching a class in town on the weekends. You could share your work and one day see it hung in galleries. We can't question why our soul wants what it wants. We just have to have the courage to follow it and see where it takes us.
When you get an idea that is both wildly exciting and incredibly scary, the universe has dropped a gift in your lap, and it is waiting to see if you will unwrap it. This is the trick McKenna spoke of. Reaching for the bow. Life itself is a force that responds and bends itself according to your desire. Throw a stone into a still lake and see how quickly the water ripples to create something beautiful. If you want to experience the miraculous, you first have to trust the possibility of it. Courage and trust are the framework of miracles. Inch your way towards the cliff. Make the jump. I promise you that those few moments of suspension will be the scariest of your life. But the world is watching you. The sky, the ground, the waves, the birds, the watchful eyes of the divine- they are all watching you, and they have been anxious to meet you halfway.