Finding the Balance Between Greed and Martyrdom.
Several years ago, I was on the road driving to an appointment. The day was sunny and clear. The traffic was light. Like most people, I find driving relaxing and my mind wandered; it didn‘t go to any particular topic, but just skimmed over what I had to accomplish that day and the current topics. I stopped at a red light. While I was waiting for the light to change, I heard, “If sacrifice yourself, the evil will end.” Being an intuitive, I’m used to picking up on stray thoughts or the presence of those from other realms. Honestly, for a few moments, I did consider it. Think about it. Being able to cure all the world’s ills just by jumping from one life to the next. The light turned green. I had to wait for several cars coming from the other direction. Down the road, the next car was turning into a drive; behind it looked clear. I started to turn. Suddenly, another car appeared behind the one turning. Again, I heard the question. This time I said “no” and slammed on the breaks. The car pasted and I heard laughing.
With the ascension process rapidly gaining speed and intensity, many are finding that fear has become their biggest challenge. However, it is being expressed in diverse and sometimes extreme manors. Both greed and martyrdom spring from the same emotionally well--fear. As strange as it may seem, they are also ego based challenges for the soul who has yet to grow through or learn how create balance.
Greed stems from being afraid of being without or loosing what she or he has. Having things or manipulating others doesn’t make one powerful or secure. In fact, excess of both only increases the fear level. When a person’s security is based outside her or himself instead of being centered from within, she or he will tightly hold onto the things and people in their lives, choking not only what already have, but also future possibilities.
Martyrdom springs from two ego extremes--self doubt and self aggrandizement. If the gift is not given freely and for no other reason than to be of service, the gift is ego driven. Sacrifice is not the path to enlightenment or redemption. Forgiveness, wisdom and love can’t be bought or bartered. All three come from the learning process that comes from experiencing all the lessons the universe has to offer. It is through this process that the soul gains understanding of how to trust and share without the need to control.
If I had sacrificed myself, it would have been in vain; no one person can safe the world. Each and every soul that incarnates has lessons and challenges of its own, which are as diverse and complicated as there are stars in all the universes. There is no one size fits all solution since there isn’t a single issue, but an infinite number. The person or soul who thinks they can fix all the woes of the world places an unnecessary and unattainable challenge in their path. Free will is the highest law in all the universes that not even the Ultimate Source of all things will break. In order for one to fix the ills of the world, it would have to take absolute control on every level, thereby interfering not only with free will, but also intruding on every challenge and lesson. To have a perfect world, one would have to force perfection on everyone. Even if one had such power, absolute power corrupts absolutely. So that even the best of intentions would bring about disastrous results. No matter what the intention, using evil methods only creates more evil.
It’s no one soul’s right or responsibility to heal the world’s ills; each of us need only to do our best to heal ourselves and freely help those who come into our life. True power and security comes from within. Indeed, the most powerful person is the one who knows and understand her or himself. In Xena, there was a piece of wisdom that was a major signpost in my life--”To control others is to have power; to control yourself is to know the way.” Living life with an open hand and doing one’s best is the path to not only to achieving balance but also a major step in releasing fear. Both of which are part of the ascension process.
