by Dr. Alberto Villoldo: We know that as luminous warriors our goal is to build collaborative relationships with others instead of trying to conquer them; consequently…
we get much closer to finding common ground and solutions to our mutual problems. Instead of clinging to our belief that we won’t have enough or that we’ll be taken advantage of, we bravely extend trust and find win-win solutions. This seems naïve, of course, and part of us says that real life doesn’t work this way, but the most successful organisms in nature are the result of collaborations. The human body itself is the product of a dozen organs and many different kinds of tissues working together.
And yet, we also know that being a luminous warrior requires a great deal of courage. Courage takes many different forms such as physical courage in the face of bodily harm or death, social courage in the face of rejection or exclusion, intellectual courage to engage new ideas and concepts, and moral courage to do the right thing in the face of opposition or disapproval. We only need to look at current events to know that we are living in a time that requires from us great courage on a daily basis. Sometimes physical courage is required to march against racism. Sometimes social and moral courage is required to speak out against injustice in the face of opposition or disapproval. Often, we must courageously continue to engage with new ideas and concepts even when those near and dear to us don’t understand.
How can we find balance between facing opposition with courage, and building collaborative relationships? As luminous warriors, we never forget to open our eyes so we can see in others the capacity for peace, even if they aren’t expressing it. Some psychologists would say that we project our dark side (our shadows) onto others, creating adversaries in order to avoid looking into our own unhealed selves. Making others wrong distracts us from the power we have to eliminate our own potential for being bullies, and prevents us from accessing our creative, healing energy, which we can use to collaborate and dream a better world into being.
On my own healing journey, I understood that like all people, I am made of the Primordial Light. Every cell in my body relishes this. And when I forget this for a moment, I contract. I begin to wonder who I am, what I am doing in this situation, and where I am going with my life. I see battles all around me that I feel I have to fight. When this occurs, I try to be quiet and find the light within, and remember that my nature is identical to the Primordial Light. I am the light.
The Primordial Light holds boundless resources that are available to us and allow us to face opposition with great courage and yet find ways to collaborate with great love. Whatever you do today, remember you are the light, so do it with great courage and with great Love.
