The Tulip – Illusion

Illusions are Powerful – The seventeenth century Dutch needed a desirable luxury exchange item the privileged could trade back and forth for status reasons. Yes, that was the tulip bulb. It was a bubble – the bottom fell out and left a whole lot of previously comfortable people bankrupt. We don’t have anything like that, these days, do we? Or do we?

Warriors Need to Avoid Fantasy Thinking – Of all people, Warriors traffic in reality. We create magic, but we can’t get lost in magic. Your map must represent actual ground, not pie in the sky, or you won’t be able to maneuver across it. We understand the attraction of The Mirage. The problem with mirages – especially those we long to believe in – is that they evolve into illusions which create delusions. We find ourselves clinging to an obvious fantasy so hard we surrender our ability to discern fact from fiction. Warriors end up battling for falsity – the worst of all possible situations.

Warrior Challenge – Let’s face facts. Learn to enjoy reality as a bracing polar dip. Are you trapped by an illusion that you used to need but now is killing you? You can identify this by your increasing suffering over an increasingly problematic life and your diminishing pleasure over things that once were reliable joys. Is it a relationship? An activity? A belief? Look at the problem honestly. Find others going through the same experience and generate an honest discussion. If any group member rushes in defensively to shame and discourage you, to convince you you’re not feeling or understanding what you KNOW you ARE feeling and understanding then realize you’re being gaslighted. What you’re trying to exit is a cult. Stop communicating with those flying monkeys and find somebody who supports the truth of your actual suffering AND your desire to feel better.

Warrior Danger – Take charge of your illusions. The path to re-making yourself is fraught with danger and you will require all sorts of help. Don’t be discouraged if your feelings are volatile and transitory and you are confused about their reality. Move slowly, consulting Models & Mentors – kind others who respect your autonomy, individuality and with whom you feel safe.

Warrior Opportunity – Warriors become adept at shifting vision from night vision to day vision, forward and backwards through time, manifesting others’ auras until we can see possibility and love.

We Transform Illusion Through Skill – The impossible takes longer, because language is not as flexible as reality. You are embarked on an exciting growth challenge where you leave a constricting carapace behind. Sometimes the “shell” was protective and served for a time to keep you safe while you matured. You don’t need to disparage the old you, or the old relationship; it served its purpose. Often people who have been through a trauma say afterwards they wouldn’t change the past, because they treasure and embrace the person they’ve become.

Models & Mentors – “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours” – Richard Bach

“The world is an illusion we must take seriously.” – Aldous Huxley

“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion – the tunnel’s the illusion” – Alysse Aallyn

“Separation from each other is an optical illusion of reality” – Albert Einstein

‘Limit, like fear, is often an illusion” – Michael Jordan

#Haiku: Coach Don’t Play

When you learn the game
Rise above the game;
Insight
Renders you
Magic