PRESERVE THE FLAME
by Julia Frodahl
Some dreams are dreamt for the whole of humanity. And one such dream is a dream that Carl Jung had early in his career, at a time when he was struggling with the theories he was writing and whether they were good enough and right enough. He dreamt he was facing into a terrible wind. He was wearing a great coat, which was unfurling behind him, and the cold wind was cutting right through this coat, down to his bones. Behind him he could feel a horrible, ominous force bearing down upon him, but he knew he had to continue to head into this cold and brutal wind. In the dream, he felt he could barely do that, until he looked down into the palm of his hand. There in the palm of his hand was a tiny little flame. And in that instant he realized two things: 1. It was not on what was behind him that he should focus. It was on this flame. He was to preserve this flame at all costs. To face into the wind and protect it so it could grow into a stronger flame. 2. The shadow force was growing precisely because of the presence of the light. When you protect and take care of this flame that burns in you -- your soul flame, your gifts, your ideas, your creativity, your unconditional love -- it will take care of your life in ways you cannot imagine or plan for. So you must value this inner flame. Be a fierce guardian and protect it as you would a precious child. And you must give it time to grow. You must say no to anyone or anything that takes more than is right from it. You must stand up for yourself under unfair criticism and incorrect projections, including from your own inner characters. And you must ally yourself with other flame-holders. Co-tend the flames like you would a sacred bonfire because collectively that's what these flames are. If your flame is bringing out the shadow forces, it is probably getting brighter. And I hope you will let the courage in you blaze in tandem with this flame. And if your flame feels weak, please know this: this flame never dies. There is always -- always -- a spark that can be fanned into a brilliant flame..
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