I come from a country where we, the Chileans, normally have grown up with a very narrow and conditioned view of what power means. Being back in my homeland after four years living abroad, has given me the right distance to widen my perspective of this concept and to observe how we experience it on an individual and collective level.
I think worldwide there is a big misunderstanding between power, force and abuse, but the enmeshment between these three things is especially big in this land and among our people, as we have been severely wounded by violence and repression in our still very-young history.
Abuse is almost embedded in this culture, it is a shared karma in many levels, and the result is that the emotional state of the collective is very similar to an adolescent in crisis: not yet defined in its identity, with fear masked as rage, and trying to rebel and get independence from the so-called “authority” but not being able to do so in a sustainable way yet. Authority may show -from small to big- as parents, the government, or on a global scale: the obsolete American dream…
In my personal experience I can say: true power comes from inside, directly emanating from Source. It is a calm ever-expanding force that is strong enough to be a self-contained flow: it doesn’t need to probe anything to anyone. It doesn’t require to show anything, it doesn’t require validation from external sources. It doesn’t have to “do” anything and yet: it’s capable of everything. It is there as a peaceful certainty that comes with every breath.
True power is a knowing. It is a calm feeling that says: “regardless who believes in me, no matter the opinion of others, even despite the hostility of those who I love the most, I still know: I am one with the source and I am free to live my life as I want.” You know you are stepping into your power when you don’t need any approval, reassurance, validation or soothing from conditional people, when you are able to remember that true authority is Father Sun and Mother Earth directly, and that eventually: you belong to yourself as much as you belong to the universe that has created you. No one else in between…
Force, on the other hand, comes from trying to impose an ego-will on another. It comes from a place of lack and an unrecognised feeling of unworthiness. When we cannot cope with the most fragile part of us, that one that feels “it doesn’t really deserve”, the ego creates a protective shield that needs to crush other egos so nobody will suspect the underlying vulnerability. It can appear strong, but in fact is a mask for fear and shame.
From the land of revolution, this Chilean here affirms: true revolution is actually daring to follow your heart and to show up for your happiness without having to give anybody an explanation and without demanding others to understand your choices. True revolution is getting rid of everything that doesn’t serve your soul’s calling and being brave enough to simplify your life to the core. True revolution is surrendering your controlling scattered mind and letting the heart-energy lead your journey step by step, even when you have absolutely no idea of the outcome…
When you’ve done some inner work, when you’ve really sat to feel whatever is there and overcome every ego death that comes your way, you understand the concept of power from a different perspective: there’s nothing to prove to anyone, and those who want to make you feel small, those who want to put themselves above you, are actually the most afraid; they’re the ones who feel really powerless in the face of their circumstances, and they need to make you feel small. That’s all that is happening…
Force and abuse may inflate your ego for a while, it’s part of being human too, but it won’t last for a long time because it’s not sustainable and it doesn’t really make you free but dependent on other egos to survive. True power is only achievable when your ego can finally relax, letting spirit lead. It can only arise from a space of surrender, of becoming more humble. To whom? To Goddess itself and her ineffable plan.
