One of my greatest guardians to the threshold, I've noticed, is complacency.
Now, I do not mean to say that there's a problem with enjoying the good things in life, the easy periods, and wanting them to last long and stable. However, as I have come to realise, this same desire can lead us to stagnation. We stagnate when we stop moving so as to maintain the status quo, to 'not rock the boat' lest we lose that which we hold dear.
When we fall into this state, we lie to ourselves that we've just reached the point we wanted, and so it's OK to sit back and relax. In fact, we are then cheating ourselves of developing further, of taking our state of grace to another level. By deciding that a specific point is 'enough', we're hiding - yet agreeing with! - our fear of not being good enough for even better things. But we are!! We are Great, Magical, and Deserving! We should remember that and, while grateful for the wonderful things we have achieved so far, aim for even more amazing results next.
The twin of complacency is procrastination. Ah, procrastination, my long-time companion! At least, it is the guardian I have recognised and been able to name the longest. Anyhow, procrastination is linked to complacency in that, when one is complacent, no change or action seems all that pressing. Again, there is that fear that doing anything could tip the scales to an outcome we are not looking forward to. Consequently, procrastination justifies itself and lives another day for us to lie to ourselves and pander to our self-undermining beliefs.
Procrastination, unlike complacency however, is somewhat honest (if I may call it so) regarding its 'true nature'. Indeed, whereas complacency is invariably deceitful in its sticky 'cloudy contentment', procrastination is quick to let us feel the pain we're inflicting onto our True Self. Complacency could be represented by the bloated stomach that, after a rich and tasty banquet, prevents from us any further movement save closing our eyes and taking a long nap; procrastination would be a tin past expiration date, which we insist on eating rather than going to buy a new one but that will immediately make us sick. That bitter aftertaste of procrastination is, in a way, its saving grace. The guilty pangs will, sooner or later, prick us into activity.
Be that as it may, anyhow, we'd do well keeping the eyes of our Inner Attention peeled for these to guardians. Once spotted, immediate action must be taken. And by 'immediate action' I mean exactly that - do something, anything, but preferably that which called the guardians. This intention that has woken them is particularly meaningful in that, by their connection, it must signify another meaningful step into/though the threshold. I know it's tough (I should know! As I've said, I've often fallen for these 'bouncers'), but the alternative is much more dire, in the long term.
In the words of Bob Marley's song: 'get up, stand up; stand up for your rights / get up, stand up; don't give up the fight'.
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