I grew up in the State of Oregon. My parents had some friends that had cabins on the coast and we would often go there to spend vacation time. There is a particular crab that lives in the surrounding region that is very tasty called the Dungeness crab. We would get up early during the low tide armed with rakes and catch the crabs in the tide pools. The crabs were a pretty good size. Only the male crabs were kept so that the females could reproduce.

When a crab was caught, we put it into a wide shallow pan. The crabs were quite agile and the first crab would sometimes escape from the pan (the sides of the pan were less than 6" high). However, once you caught more than one crab and put it in the pan with other crabs, none of the crabs would ever escape. Why? Because the other crabs would always pull the escaping crab back into the pan.

Spiritual growth is much the same way. As we begin to escape from what Toltecs call "the dream of the planet," many forces try to pull us back into the dream. For example, friends and family will resist the transformation we begin to experience and try to pull us back to the "norm." Often society as a whole resists change. Transformation and growth always involves change, and change often makes the people we know and deal with uneasy.

It is not only people in our outer world that try to pull us back into the "pan." There are many things in our inner world that do the same. Patterns, habits, beliefs all resist change and transformation. It sometimes seems as though patterns have a life of their own. Knowing that healing and transformation may mean death to the pattern, the pattern resists continually pulling us back into the "pan." Toltecs (read more on Toltecs) call the force that resists transformation and growth the parasite. It doesn't matter whether you believe whether the parasite is an actual living thing that is always trying to stop our growth or not. When we observe and shine the light of awareness on ourselves, we will find that there are things in our inner world that resist change, which restrict our ability to grow and transform.

By acknowledging and getting to know the matters that limit us and hold us back we begin to loosen their grip on us. Most importantly, we must become aware of those areas where we hold our self back. Fear of change looms large for many of us and can run very deep. It is quite simple really - if we want transformation, we must embrace change. So often, the "pan" is of our own making.

Kristopher

To find free inspirational articles from Kristopher, go to:
The Toltec Nagual

To study the Mastery of Awareness course created by Kristopher go here:
The Mastery of Awareness

For Power Journeys to Sacred Sites, Pod Casts and other resources go to:
The Toltec Mystery School

Kristopher Raphael is the co-founder of the Toltec Mystery School, and author of The Mastery of Awareness, Seeing Through the Eyes of the Jaguar.

The Toltec Mystery School offers both practical and esoteric teachings to empower you, live your Divine Purpose, and Manifest your Deepest Desires.

While students from any level benefit from the courses at the Toltec Mystery School, Kristopher attracts those who are seeking the 'next step' in their Spiritual Growth and Evolution.

To find free inspirational articles from Kristopher, go to:
The Toltec Nagual

To study the Mastery of Awareness course created by Kristopher go here:
The Mastery of Awareness

For Power Journeys to Sacred Sites, Pod Casts and other resources go to:
The Toltec Mystery School