“The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.”
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
THE DEPRESSED MAN WHO OBSERVED A TREE
Once upon a time, there was a man called John. Suffering from severe depression and not knowing the Law of Flexibility, this poor fellow lost all hope and joy in life. Long ago, he used to run straight toward his career goals without looking left or right. His razor-sharp focus brought him material success but at the cost of his mental and physical health. Eventually, he burnt out, leaving nothing but chaos. Leaving his house caused fear and anxiety, so he stayed home, leading to depression.
Sitting on the balcony of his luxury home, he gazed into the forest without any specific focus. The wind was blowing strong bending the trees. He spent the whole afternoon watching the trees. Thoughtless, he observed the trees play in the flowing air. Then, the wind grew more intense. Some branches broke and fell, while most stayed flexible naturally applying the Law of Flexibility, bending in all different directions.
In an epiphany, he saw himself as an old tree in the middle of the forest, rigid and inflexible. Trying to resist any change, the stiff tree eventually shattered into pieces. The wind was too strong. John saw himself lying on the ground, destroyed into a million small bits of wood. In profound sadness, he realized what he missed his whole life – the flexibility to go with the flow.
This parable tells us that flexibility is crucial in the long run. We can run against the flow for a while and even have great success. However, true serenity can only come with the flexibility of going with the flow. When we stop to resist life’s gentle or harsh pushes and see them as an opportunity to wait or grow, we can live our life to the fullest.
SEEING ANYTHING AS A LEARNING LESSON THROUGH THE LAW OF FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility means accepting the present moment and making the best out of it. As a result, we are not just tolerating what is but turning it our way and using it to our advantage. Of course, good and bad things always happen. The question is how we deal with it. Do we see them as opportunities to grow or allow them to define our existence?
Great strength lies in flexibility. Instead of resisting, we go with the flow or get out of the way. Often we cannot see the bigger picture of a circumstance, but with faith, we can trust in the process and learn from any incident. Everything that happens can either smash us to smithereens or strengthen our spirit. Flexibility means total acceptance of who we are. Furthermore, embracing all circumstances and using them as stepping stones for our evolution. As a result, we live more fully.
The Alchemical Transformation process embraces flexibility. It provides a 7-step formula as structure, but within that we can freely move as necessary. Even if we want to completely forget about it, it always patiently waits for us to apply it again.
