“I’ve tried EVERYTHING!” It’s the tried and true refrain that starts most every advertisement for house cleaning products and gadgets. Of course, there’s this one magical product that is the solution to the problem and will magically make life make sense: Amazmaflagicum! Cleans everything while you are out enjoying life. You can have all the fun and pleasure and happiness while having all the work done for you and it’s such a breeze! Just 15 payments of $29.99 plus shipping and handling…but there’s more…
I hear this in spiritual circles as well. This one practice will solve all your problems, this one belief will make it all make sense, this one thing will heal all of your ailments, etc, etc, etc. And when they don’t the person moves on to the next thing looking for the solution and not finding it, collecting remedies and practices and memberships and retreats and gurus like they are spiritual collector cards. Here’s the thing. The remedy isn’t the remedy to what ails you and there is no way to get around the fact that you have to do the work. Chop wood, carry water. If there’s healing to be done, no one else is going to be able to do it for you, it’s something you have to do.
That’s not to say that we don’t all need help. We do. We can’t do it all, be it all, or even figure it out on our own much of the time. We need support on this journey from the medical profession, from clergy and therapists, from herbalists and massage therapists and the bartender at the local pub. Lucy with her wooden stand dispensing wisdom for 5 cents could be the key that unlocks your healing journey. I’m all for it. But they can’t do the work for us. If we need to move more, no one can move for us. If we need to heal our emotions, no one can feel them for us. If we have fears to confront, it’s on us. So, when you’re ready, look up from the searching and peek back and all that you’ve already found. You’ll find that in that pile, everything looks pretty much the same because the true answer is all the same. The only way out is through and it’s up to you to take that first step.
