Power Struggles

Power struggles are conflict ridden, often messy, low vibration exercises in EGO dominance.  

And yet we can be easily enticed to play ball in this highly competitive arena because it feels like so much fun to WIN... 

for awhile.

When the dust settles, however, and we reflect on the quality of our behavior, we may not feel quite so satisfied.

And yet we are often baited to engage so easily in power struggles by the thrill of emerging as the smartest, quickest, cleverest contender.  But the reward for winning that title, though appealing at first, is ultimately a hollow victory.

And the reason this is so, I believe, is that all we did is strut our stuff and hear accolades for our trouble.  We didn't walk away with anything of substance...or spirit...from the encounter.


There is, however, another way to approach POWER STRUGGLES that will leave us in a much different (and higher) vibration.


Power struggles are fueled by our ATTACHMENT to the outcome.  If both parties aren't strongly invested in the outcome, what looks like a storm brewing on the horizon won't even combust.



Here's how Gary Zukav and Linda Francis view the process in their book, The Heart of the Soul:

"A power struggle collapses when you withdraw your energy from it."


And here's an interesting suggestion from them on why we might want to choose that action:

"Power struggles become uninteresting to you when you change your intention from winning to learning about yourself."



I'm loving that idea: 

Observing our reactions and our process for dealing with them.  Learning about ourselves...checking out how our reactions feel...and, ultimately deciding if we want an encore performance (which will  be sure to occur IF we don't change our strategy for dealing with negative feelings that have been triggered in us).


This approach has a great deal of merit...in substance (because it may change our ego driven reactions) and in style (because it could transform us into more gracious personalities) and, most of all, in spirit (because it helps us evolve into more caring members of society).


As Alberto Villoldo says in his book Courageous Dreaming:  

"Letting go of the need to control the outcome and instead serving the unfolding dream is extremely potent." 



Why not consider leaving the human attraction to power and dominance and choose instead to reach for what Villoldo calls the EAGLE level of  spirit?


Use EVERY opportunity to learn about yourself and apply that knowledge to improve your life.

Villoldo says, "Making the choice to break out of the old script, even in a small moment such as this, takes GREAT COURAGE."


Are you ready to fly?

                                                 Marie Helena



image from studiosonthepark.org