Go with the Flow

Did you know you can paddle upstream your whole life, make yourself miserable for one reason or another and  when you croak you're going to go with the flow.
Abraham

Letting the Rapids Guide

I once went white water rafting with friends and family.  We travelled down class  4- 5 rapids which was obviously quite intense.  We paddled but the purpose was not to go against the current but to keep us with it. The current was going to  take us, regardless of what we did,  down stream.

 I remember the guide lecturing us, before we started, on what to do should we fall in.  We were told to relax with toes pointing up and to just let the water take us.  We were assured that the river would carry us to where we had to go. We were strongly warned not to fight it. You cannot fight against level 5 rapids and win :)  One would get pretty beat up and would likely drown in the effort of resistance.  I was not so sure that I would be able to relax in the water if I went over. 

I didn't quite have the faith the guide did in the flow. So, hoping that we would never have to test that faith,  we buckled up in our protective gear, and off we went while I clung desperately to the paddle.  It proved to be a terrifying, wonderful and exciting adventure.

Life's Rapids and Paddling Down Stream

I compare that ride to the ride life offers.   Life is like a river...sometimes it has  rapids and sometimes it is smooth sailing...but there is a natural rhythm and flow heading in the "right" direction.  There is an up stream and a down stream.

All we have to do, to get where we are meant to be, is paddle in the right direction down stream.  Heck we do not have to paddle at all if there is a current ( and there is always a current when we are talking about energy)...it will take us there.  The faster the water (energy vibration we create with our desire) the faster we will get there.

The Flow of Source Energy

So we could think, as Abraham suggests, that our wanting something from life is like putting our raft in at the bow of the river.   They refer to the river as the flow of Divine Source energy that is always going in the right direction taking us to that thing we are wanting. If we just relax into the flow which would mean putting away the effort of paddling or  laying down, if we fall in, with our feet up...and above all ...enjoy the ride...we will get to where we want to be. If, however, we do what most people do...fight the stream, paddle against it, go in the opposite direction...travel upstream instead of down stream ... it will take a lot longer to get to where we want to be and we will become completely beat up and exhausted in the process. Hmm!

Why Do We Travel Upstream Against the current?

For some reason the majority of us travel upstream against life because that is what we were brought up to do.  We are taught at an early age that if we want to get what we want from life we have to work hard at it, fight for it and push, push, push against it. Ironically, this struggling often takes us further away from the life we want rather than closer to it...because to struggle  requires going in the opposite direction.  We anticipate and expect resistance...resistance can be only achieved by going upstream. We choose to paddle upstream.

Going with the flow of life, downstream, requires no effort, no resistance, no struggle.  What it does require, however,  is a letting go of a need to control the process and a faith that Life knows what it is doing.  If we choose this direction we will get to where we are going a lot sooner, we will come out of the boat a lot less bruised or exhausted and we will likely enjoy the ride life provided a lot more. Yet, many of us are afraid to trust and let go of that paddle.

So what can one do to change direction? 

1. The first thing we need to do is recognize what direction we are going in.  Are you going upstream or downstream?   When we feel a struggle...when it just doesn't "feel" right; when we are noticing those negative emotions like resentment, anger, frustration , fear or despair...or when we notice that we just don't seem to be getting to where we want to be...it is likely that we got the boat pointing upstream and we are paddling like crazy further away from the life we want. 
2. Then, we make a choice.  It is so simple...we have two choices to make in how we approach life.  We can decide to paddle up stream or flow downstream.  So easy! Most of us, upon realizing the futility of fighting a current just to get further away from the things we want in life...would choose to flow easily and peacefully down a stream that was going to take us to the thing we want, right? Make the choice.
3. Let go and turn around to life.  All it takes, in a current, is the act of letting go of the paddle to turn the boat  around.  Life energy is a powerful energy with a natural flow.  It knows where it is going and it is going there with or without our cooperation.  Once we stop resisting, however, we allow life to take over. If  we simply stop paddling, stop trying so hard...we will notice that the boat turns on its own.  Before long it will be pointing in the direction of the life we want.   We will know we are going in the right direction by how we feel: relief, a certain acceptance, hope, peace and the closer to our dream life that we get...the more joy we will feel.

The ride downstream  may not be the fastest ride but it will be a far easier one without the struggle that gets us nowhere.  In the meantime we can relax in the flow of life.   We can just lay back and enjoy the journey because that ultimately  is what life is all about.

All is well in my world.

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other source.
Lao Tzu