We've
all heard the term 'Life Lesson'. It comes up about as
often as 'soul-mate' and 'karma'. It lacks the romantic
allure of the first, and thankfully, the fatalism of the
second. But what exactly are Life Lessons? How do we learn
them? How would we know they've been successfully completed?
More importantly is there a way we can play hooky?
A
Life Lesson is not a specific event. Rather it is a pattern
of choices that we're forced to make. This pattern comes
back over and over in our lives, disguised by character
and circumstance to appear as separate incidents. We think
we're dealing with different people, different times,
different places and different choices. But underneath
it all is our own personal nemesis. We confront again
and again a choice that challenges our inner nature, and
forces us to reassess our priorities in life.
Not
every choice we face in life is tied to a the same lesson.
Not every lesson is a Life Lesson. Most lessons we can
face once, and if we successfully gain an understanding
of the correct choice, we can get by it. A Life Lesson
however, is set for us based on our choices in one or
more past lives. It will test us periodically for the
fullness of our current incarnation.
Does
this mean we are doomed to repeat the same choice over
and over, even if we 'get it right' the first time? Not
necessarily. There is a 'trick' to this. There are actually
two parts to mastering a Life Lesson. The first is understanding
the choice that must be made. The second is learning to
recognize the lesson when it comes back under a different
guise. It is learning to see through the illusion to the
true lesson underneath that shows our mastery of this
challenge, and allows us to truly move on.
How
then do we recognize the core lessons of our lives? This
can be a daunting task because there is not always a direct
relationship between the way a lesson manifests, and its
true nature. Two individuals may be faced with the same
outward choice or circumstance, but be learning different
lessons. Two other individuals may be facing totally different
circumstances but be challenged by the same lesson.
It
is important to understand that the core essence of our
life lesson is linked to the essential nature we have
undertaken in our incarnation. When our higher self consents
to incarnate into a mortal life, it takes on attributes
of personality. Who we appear to be in this life is just
the costume worn by our spirit. It is in a sense a role
that we are attempting to experience. The lesson we are
mastering is keyed to the limitations of our role.
By
understanding our essential nature, we are given the key
to recognizing our Life Lesson. The Ten Day Cycle is a
wonderful tool for gaining insight into both our natures,
and our lesson.
