It would be fabulous to always learn from the good examples shown by our closest tribe, but it just doesn’t always work that way. I have had some brilliant lessons bestowed by gentle observation of role models, but many of my deeper lessons come from contrary teachers. You know, those people who show you exactly what you want to avoid in the future. Those who show us who we don’t want to be, and how not to behave.

In my life, knowing what I don’t want is usually more valuable than knowing what I do want. Why? Knowing what I don’t want eliminates a few possibilities, while allowing an open door for what comes in next. Thinking I know exactly what I want is limited to my past experiences. My Higher Self has a much better idea of what will make me happy, and I don’t want to limit that.

Some of my greatest teachers have been the ones showing me how not to do it. I had a friend for years who always kept me on-path, just by being so far off-path. She always showed me the hardest way to do everything, thereby allowing me to avoid it. A friend? Of course! Knowing it’s wrong for me isn’t the same as thinking it’s wrong for another.

Discernment and judgement are very different. Discernment is knowing what’s right for you. Judgement is wondering why everyone else isn’t taking the same path. It’s a subtle, but powerful, distinction. It takes practice to stay on the discernment side. I have to remind myself all the time ‘not my circus, not my monkeys’. Only my path is my business.

Looking at the world stage in 2020 give us a multitude of contrary teachers, both personally and collectively. We get to witness people drowning in fear, and leading with hate. We get close-ups of all the options we don’t want. Don’t mistake this for the world going to hell in a hand basket. Look at it as a whole bunch of contrary teachings. Some of the things I have decided not to be: fearful, close-minded, hardhearted, and stubborn. And you know what? I can cross those off my list, and still keep the door open to other possibilities.

This has also been happening in my personal life. People show up, just to show me what I don’t want. Then others show up to show me what I do want. It’s like jumping from an icy river to a warm natural spring. The difference is so striking, I can’t miss it. Sometimes I need to be hit with the extremes to get my full attention. I think this is what’s really happening to all of us, at this point. Reality is just wanting our full attention, so we can more forward with awareness.

We now get to create with the conscious mind, instead of the subconscious. We are always creating, and our subconscious creation isn’t so pretty. No worries. We get to experience the extremes, and make a conscious choice. Conscious creation. That’s what we came for. Just look at your contrary teachers, and decide how not to behave. We got this.

If this info is helpful, you can follow my blog (lower right side of page) to have posts delivered directly to your inbox, or you can follow me on Facebook. You may also enjoy my books, Waking Up Indigo and Walking In Both Worlds, available at Amazon! Donations appreciated! Please feel free to re-post and share these writings… we are all walking each other home.