Procrastination or Divine Timing

Procrastination or Divine Timing?

by Linda Heron Wind, Ph.D.

There seem to be three states that we find ourselves in: resistance, flow or blocked. We all know what flow is - when we seem to move effortlessly and everything feels easy and smooth. Resistance, on the other hand, has a much sticker feeling to it - like you want to, or feel you need to, do something but have a hard time getting yourself to actually do it. We often call this procrastination. Being blocked, however, feels more like frustration when you want to do something but the universe does not seem to be cooperating.

Now looking more closely at the resistance and blocked states, it occurred to me that there are two possible reasons why they occur. One is because some old patterns or issues are sitting like boulders, either blocking the flow of energy within us or being reflected back to us by blocks in the environment. The other reason is that we are not in sync with divine timing. Of course it is important to discern which of these is the case in order to know how to respond.

I am reminded of a new translation of Jesus' teachings directly from the Aramaic language that he spoke. This teaching is about the state of fruit. Fruit can be ripe, in which case it is sweet, nourishing and easy to digest, but it also can be over-ripe or under-ripe. When it is over-ripe, fruit gets a bit stinky, and it makes nice compost material but it does not nourish the body. When it is under-ripe it is sour, still hard and also does not nourish the body. It feels as if ripe is symbolic of the flow- where you are in sync with the universe and in the present moment. Over-ripe is like the issues that block the path of energy flow inside or outside, while under-ripe is being out of sync with divine timing - it is simply not "soup" yet.

Using the fruit metaphor, it is easy to see the appropriate response to these states. If something is over-ripe, like an old pattern of response or an old habit that no longer nourishes you, the best thing to do is to compost it. Any focused releasing ritual will work, combined with putting in place a pattern of response that works, or at least that you feel might work. If something is not yet ripe, patience, prayer, and positive manifestation will call energy to help it grow, if that would be in your highest interest in the larger scheme of things. Also, simply looking for what is ripe and moving in that direction will be the quickest way to move toward the fulfillment of your dreams.

I find that some dreams and visions are given to us to simply get us moving in a particular direction but are not meant to be blueprints for the future. A nice metaphor that is helpful to me is that of walking the labyrinth. Your ultimate goal may be to get to the center, yet there are times that you must walk away from the center to get there. If you stay rooted to the ground when the path turns because you are so attached to moving only toward the center, you will not get there and you will feel blocked or stuck. Regardless of how much you might want to be in the center, the focus must be on the next step not on the center - it is the next step in that one moment that is ripe. You may end up in that center or one far greater than you were aware of before.

Discerning whether you are dealing with over or under ripe fruit when you hit the resistance or blocked states takes some practice. There are many times when I have had great resistance to doing something I wanted to do when later I can see that the timing was not right. Other times I have found that the resistance was only pointing the way to the compost pile.

The first step that I use when I encounter either resistance or a block is to go inside and take a look around. I call forth whatever part of me is associated with the situation, asking it to take a symbolic form that will help me to understand the teaching. If clarity does not come, I ask again the next day, I draw the feeling of resistance or the block, I journal, I call on the ancestors for help, I go for a walk or spend time in nature to contemplate it, or I ask for a dream about it. We all have full toolboxes for accessing inner guidance - we only need to remember to use them and to be persistent until the answers come.

So as we move into this a-mazing time of change, remember to stay with the ripeness of the moment, focusing on the next step of the path in this moment. The pattern of the labyrinth we are walking is new. We can only take each step together knowing that it is the most important maze we have ever walked!

Ripe in this moment
Not compost from my past or
Future still too hard

Unity here, now
No where else but this moment
Will the door be found

If you have comments on these articles or ideas for future topics, call Linda Heron Wind at (585) 924-5620 or send e-mail to LHWind@aol.com.

Page last modified November 2, 2003 by RMC