We are living in a time of deep disenchantment, disappointment and discouragement. All one has to do is turn on the news and you will find that you can no longer hide under the illusions of the past. While at first glance, this seems like a dismal thing, if we dig a little deeper into the appearance of things, we may discover that disenchantment can lead to enlightenment.
Things are beginning to appear more like they really are. We have been living behind of veil. What a shock it is to see that things are not the way we thought they were. Many of us have grown up believing that those in leadership were trustworthy and unselfish, that business has had our best interests in mind, and that politicians sought office because of their deep desire to serve humanity. Although some of these things may be true, we are always saddened to learn when they are not.
But the upside to disenchantment, disappointment and discouragement, is that you are no longer satisfied with those very things that have, in fact, been poisoning you. In mythology, it is the crone, the wise woman, or the old hag that out of mercy removes the rose colored glasses from one's eyes. It is She who helps you to 'see what you see' and stop making excuses for what is in fact, poisoning your life. Personally, I have found her medicine, although bitter at first, a needed antidote for those things that were actually killing me.
The story of Demeter, Persephone, and Hecate is one that I have found endlessly fascinating as it so beautifully tells the story of the three faces of the feminine. Hecate is The Hag, the one that scares you to death, literally killing off the part of you that needs to go. It is interesting that Persephone, who is so attached to the Loving Mother, Demeter, is forced to live part of the year with the Old Hag, Hecate, in the Underworld.
This creates a balance in her that no amount of loving could ever do. It is important to remember that the story at first appears as a tragedy, but the real truth behind it, is that Persephone becomes initiated into deep wisdom and is able to walk between the two worlds, in actuality, growing beyond what either of the other two women are able as they are polarized into their world to such an extent that they can only remain in that dimension. I believe there is a deep truth in this for our current situation. I know in my own life, it has been essential.
It is through discouragement that we give up on the old, worn out ways that no longer serve us. It is through disappointment that we learn to make better choices. It is through disenchantment that we wake up from the sound sleep that we have been in and learn to see things as they really are, removing the rose colored glasses that obscure and cloud our vision and work to create a new and better reality.
So we should celebrate this process of disillusionment, for through the death of what we currently know, we will experience the re-birth of something new and better. We may not be able to control the response of the whole, but we can control our own response to difficulty. I choose to let go of what no longer serves me and open to greater learning and awareness. By releasing my attachments to the way things are, I can make room for something better to move in.
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Love, Mom~