I’ve been sitting with the archetype of the sacred Trickster lately. In the shamanic cosmology, the trickster is symbolized by the coyote. The coyote provides detours for growth and insight by ensuring that things don’t always align with your best-laid plans. He embodies the energy of divine deception, freeing you from the constraints of your carefully constructed False I. The lessons of the coyote can often be perplexing, yet he always acts in concert with the most sacred and highest good to inform his bag of tricks.
I often experience the sacred trickster when I find myself entranced by the idea of being on a journey of enlightenment. It usually shows up as many forks on the road to nowhere. I quickly fall into manifestation mode and believe there must be something I can do about all this confusion. If I can figure out which path to take, I’ll get what I want. In truth, if I surrender this paradigm, everything will take care of itself. Then, my busy little mind only asks, “How did I get here?”
I refer to this as Stage Two consciousness. Stage One is that of the victim, where everything is happening to me rather than for me. In stage one, the goal is safety. The sacred Trickster Coyote resides in the glass wall between stages one and two.
In Stage Two consciousness, individuals believe they can manipulate reality towards a desired outcome because they have experienced a sense of responsibility free from the pain and disharmony that characterized them in Stage One. Stage One involves the assertion that what exists outside them punishes them and is the problem, and they are ill-equipped to act on their own behalf. When you enter Stage Two, you have experienced just enough relief that you now fall under the trickster’s illusion, believing you can overcome all this dissonance and discomfort.
One believes they can use the Law of Attraction or other modalities to manifest what they desire, but in the back of their mind, they remain aware of something greater- the separation from their true divine presence. You are still caught in the illusion that force equals power, and this further illuminates the illusion of separation and inability to embody your discomfort because it is disempowering. There is a tendency to double down on controlling the experience to achieve one’s desired outcome.
In Stage two, the mirror of reality begins to reveal something personal, and the trick of the light starts to reveal that what is going on is not separate from self and actually is the well-constructed False I, shapeshifting in the mirror of reality as the trickster Coyote howls. The coyote’s “noise” initiates true self-awareness, but there’s also a tendency to try to manage or manipulate the noise. Because, at some level, you are still holding the source of your discomfort outside of yourself and are unable to take full responsibility for your distorted projection onto the mirror. The movie you are starring in is being projected back at you and appears not to be of your creation. You still blame the supporting cast in your movie for the twists and turns in the plot of your film. The coyote trickster’s howling of dissonance continues; in fact, it has gotten even louder.
A reframing of the internal dialogue emerges with the divine source due to this separation dynamic, which is often entirely unconscious. If I learn and follow the rules, clear my karma, and somehow become worthy and a clear channel of the higher dimensions-
-I’ll get all I want, some of what I want, or possibly nothing I want, which is better than having the divine cause me pain.
-The Divine source is my servant. I can will my way with the Divine source—I know better than that which is the source of everything.
-I can command the Divine to grant me what I desire through chanting, playing finger chimes, using affirmations, reprogramming my subconscious, or jumping timelines with the concept of ascension in mind.
-Love and compassion might be offered, but with a hidden agenda: “I’ll love you, so you stop causing confusion and pain.”
-Eventually, you try to combine thoughts with feelings in an attempt to change the dynamic. Through my thoughts, feelings, and intentions, I can change my life experience because life and the divine are two separate things.
-The stage two metaphysics formulaic approach: “If I just do X, I can eliminate Y.”
Yet, after all these attempts, you still lack inner peace and fulfillment. The trickster still howls. You remain in a state of scarcity, “I’m trying” consciousness. Doubling down might present itself as a solution. The truth of the dynamic is that the coyote doesn’t want to be loved and can’t be reasoned with. His appearance and incessant howling are a gift waiting for you to unwrap and embody so you will realize they will empower you if you allow them to. You have to own your pain rather than blaming something outside you for playing their role perfectly in your movie. You must stop holding the gifts of woundedness in separation from you. You do not fully identify with the unconditional abundance of consciousness in all its aspects, including health, wealth, and love.
Eventually, you come to realize that this has little to no impact on your experience. It has probably only empowered the trickster, and the internal incoherence is howling even louder. Your sophisticated scaffolding of the denial system is collapsing under its own weight.
The paradox: Attempting to fix or appease the noise only amplifies its presence.
Many current healing modalities flourish at this stage because they focus on transforming the being instead of surrendering to what remains when one does not identify with the well-crafted False I, which supports the illusion of separation from the divine source.
The grand finale in the trickster’s repertoire, the closing scene, invites you to embrace everything you once saw as separate. You’ll recognize its disempowering nature and gently begin to surrender to the divine source for its ultimate guidance and transmutation.
This is Stage Three, but more on that next month. Stage Three is where the heavy lifting comes into play, where the real work begins. Surrendering the False I, who you were taught to be, and fully integrating who you really are is no easy task.
Who you really are is silent stillness in all its glorious, unique expressions. The coyote trickster ceases howling, and internal peace takes the place of internal incoherence and the dissonance of separation. You embody all this discomfort to have an unconditional experience of it. By surrendering to it, you allow the divine source to transmute the pain and discomfort, and all these disempowered experiences you have embodied become empowered. You integrate the personal power these embodied yet disempowered aspects have held in separation.
THE COYOTE MEDICINE: Recognize how you are co-creating your world—nothing is happening “out there” without your involvement. Remember that the world only reflects back to you the condition of your love and your intent, so change these within before taking any action.
Self-love is the first digit in the code that unlocks the heart to joy and fulfillment. Do not take life personally.
All the forks on the road lead to the same place deep inside you as they integrate into one unified interstate. You realize that you were never unenlightened, and in this realization, you become enlightened. What a grand paradox.
You are the source of light, not the light.
BE Well
BE Luminious
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