Will Power
I heard from a lot of folks this past week that 'circumstances' prevented many of the usual traditional holiday gatherings …
… which, while somewhat sad, also carried some shades of relief around small, quiet celebrations, and I tend to think that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Indeed, winter does invite us to power down - which we rarely are afforded the opportunity to do otherwise in our culture (even as some amongst us are probably quite over the hibernation thing by now...)
Ah well.
We're here in 2021 and some of us, maybe even you, feel inspired to consider where to direct your energy in the coming year. (See what I did there, NOT using the "R" word...?)
It's interesting to me that the concept of 'willpower' is often implied in our intentions - especially when it comes to those intentions we set around this time.
Because, according to Chinese Medicine:
Winter is embodied in the element of Water, and the 'spiritual capacity' of Water is the will.
Will, as but one basic facet of human life expression, is that capacity that keeps us alive - as in our survival mechanisms, the fight-or-flight response, the will to live.
Of course, when we think about willpower concerning a goal, we're not necessarily considering it in light of a life-threatening situation.
And yet, the basis of why we take action in any case is to both protect and put forth our life force energy.
Will is the impetus, the spark, the energy of movement that transforms thought into action.
So, why can willpower - particularly when reaching for a goal - be such an elusive capacity?
Will power often feels like something we need to conjure up in ourselves - as though squeezing it from our very bones. Or, we either have it or we don't.
We tend not to see the invisible forces that support and nourish the will, the basis for its existence, or the life force continuum from which we must both draw from and protect like a sacred river.
A few thoughts about this, which I plan to explore further in the coming weeks:
Fear. (I may have mentioned before how fear is the 'emotion' associated with Winter and Water, and as a function of survival, we can easily see that connection.)
Fear as a protective mechanism - even when and especially when - we are not in immediate danger, but can imagine we are - can be paralyzing instead of galvanizing.
Even something like a personal creative project - not at all life-threatening, but still scary - can suddenly turn folding my laundry into a critical priority. This can look a lot like lack of will power, as well as procrastination, 'busy-ness', or 'workaholism' - lots of circular and obvious activity, but no real movement forward,.
Fear can present as insecurity, which can certainly dampen will, or, on the other end, exaggerate it to the point of obnoxiousness.
Other fear-based factors around our sense of self may cause us to allow the will of others and the meeting of their needs and expressions to supersede our own.
Misalignment. Will and purpose are partners, two sides of the same coin.
Without clear purpose, and alignment with the Heart (or Who We Really Are), will cannot be supported indefinitely. We all know what it feels like to try to muster the energy to do that which we don't really feel aligned with.
This, I believe, is where Will in our culture gets the most called upon, exalted and abused. We laud the power of Will and those who posses it to push through any circumstance, no matter how one feels about it.
It's not about whether this is right or wrong - just to recognize that it can come with a cost. That is...
Malnourishment. Depletion. Burn-out.
Purpose, as well as the literal energy reserves of the body, has to be revitalized and replenished. This is one of the Medicinal gifts of Winter. The time and space to rest, reconnect, go deep. To consult with the Heart about what truly matters. Fill the well, in whatever form it calls for.
In closing...
If you're feeling less than Will-full at this tentatively-hopeful verge of the new year (or, even if you're full of vim and vigor...) I invite you to a practice this week - before or during or instead of setting your intentions.
The life force energy that takes shape in the form of our Will and Purpose is but part of a lineage: from Source ... through every human being ... to the end of time.
Like the water of the earth that gives forth all life on the planet, shelters us in the womb, and circulates within our very bodies, our Source Qi is passed through us from every ancestor before us to every descendent (or every creative expression) that comes after - very literally - through our bodies, our reproductive organs, our DNA.
We have this fluid legacy to draw from for sustenance - as well as from the heavens and the earth - and we are responsible for honoring, nurturing and passing along this gift to those who follow.
If you are feeling disoriented, unsure of your purpose, or where to draw your Will from - remember, you can always take a moment to align your Self within this Continuum.... mind, body and soul.
I invite you this week to give yourself time and space to allow your cellular memory to awaken, and reorient to your precious place in this miraculous human lineage. Nothing to 'do'. Just be. Honor.
Give thanks.
This is our purpose. Everything else is extra-curricular :)
