Well, I looked my demons in the eyes
laid bare my chest, said “Do your best, destroy me.
You see, I’ve been to hell and back so many times,
I must admit you kind of bore me.”
R A Y L A M O N T A G N E
Entertaining the audience of your demons is a rite of passage; a birthright of your humanity. It is the necessary introspection that will frighten you to the core and liberate you from judgment all at the same time. We are not talking about those skeletons in the closet that our defense mechanism says is our deepest. No, the lies that we tell ourselves are only the tip of the iceberg. They are merely the bastard children of the demons that prevent us from waking up and taking control of our reality.
If you want to become a better person and you wish to taste the freedom you witness other people so effortlessly express, then it is time to evaluate what is keeping you from living your life without such abandon. It isn’t your parents fault, it isn’t your current circumstances, it isn’t even the way you were treated by your peers. It is you and your choice to remain in the imprisonment that has become so familiar that a normal happy day is the scariest event of your life. Yes, you must have courage to get past the shadowy haze of comfort and experience a little hell.
Each and every time we dip our toes into the lake of fire, while staring our demons in our face, we are heroes. We are triumphant in truth and fearlessness. One of those times, you will realize that the burn of the lake doesn’t actually have the power to destroy you and you will feel the heat of courage. That is the only true transformative burn. Look at your mistakes and actualize this new found courage by forgiving yourself and moving on to bigger and better moments.
In the thick of the fire, you may be bloodied, bruised, burned, scorned, and impaled by the truth that is your darker side. Stop hiding from your darkness. Commune with it and you will no longer wage a war, but have an ally to help you stand your ground when the moments count. Your expectation of how your personality should be, things that are appropriate to say or not say, feelings appropriate to feel or not feel do not come from you. They come from sources that do not have the responsibility of bearing the weight of your soul when you look in the mirror and have no authority on the subject of you. Be you, for you. Make no other compromises and care nothing about what other people think and their judgments. They are not there to help you, they are there to be fascinated by your dirty laundry and lack of conformity.
Your demons are the truest teachers of courage. When the last battle has been fought, expect more, and let them help you grow. Sweep away the remains of who you think you are and welcome the depth of your inner light. This is a divinity that has proof of life in the path you have created all around you. Aren’t you awesome? You are a hero, you are Shiva the destroyer. You are Brigid, transformative fire goddess that has risen from the depths.
Hope is the only weapon you will need. It is the key that opens you to a world without hate or bitterness, free from the jaded edges of your heart. Hope is the sword that cuts through the thicket of defeat and shame. It is the healing salve that will make you invincible to the wounds of the ego. Hope takes courage to activate its transcendent powers.
Don’t waste another moment of this gift by repressing any unexpressed feelings. Do not writhe in the pain of secrecy and internalizing. Own your life and face the greatest adventure you will ever experience.
