Laura Bruno’s Blog | April 27 2012
“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” —Author unknown
No, I don’t eat fish, and yes, this analogy applies to women and children as well as men. I mention it today because so many people have lately requested I “just heal them” of whatever physical, mental, emotional or spiritual pains trouble them. I keep having to say, “No, I will not do the work for you, but I will teach you how to heal yourself. The energies of this time do not support a complete outsourcing of self-healing or any other responsibility. Yes, in most cases, I can help, but that comes through educating people about how their own energy system, karma, and self-talk work so that they know how to shift themselves into the positive feelings they’d prefer.”
Some people appreciate this, while others feel angry that I’m withholding what I “could” give them. The truth is that I love and honor them enough to offer much more than just a quick fix. The challenges of our times (both individual and collective) all stem from people outsourcing their own responsibility, which ultimately results in feeling “stuck” or “trapped” by circumstances “outside” their control.
When we abdicate personal responsibility, we also give away our freedom and power. In order to reclaim freedom and power, we must accept the responsibility that goes along with them. Yes, we can ask for help, but we should be wary of those who offer or claim to do everything for us, because real healing and empowerment come from within. Giving responsibility for our own well-being to another person, corporation, doctor, government, religion, or the economy makes us vulnerable to their whims, flaws, limitations and control. How can we know they truly have our best interests in mind? What choices do they leave us for opting out if we don’t like this feeling of dependence? What if we learn, mid-stream, that they not only can’t live up to their promises to save us, but never intended to do so in the first place?
Suddenly, the free ride doesn’t seem so free. Whatever its form, true healing comes with a price. In most cases, that price means throwing off the illusions that got us sick, ill, in debt or trapped. Some of these illusions run deep, and we may not want to let them go; however, we will only heal to the degree we manage to surrender the illusions. We can’t fake this casting off process to our deepest selves. If we haven’t finished, then the same issue(s) will continue to appear until we clear away the root distortions and lies. I see these patterns in clients and myself regarding past life issues, limiting beliefs and the blame game. Understanding our process makes letting go much easier. It might seem to take longer to learn how and why we engage in certain patterns, but ultimately, consciousness is more efficient than playing whack-a-mole with the next symptom, drama or disappointment.