Power Produces

“Life shrinks or expands, according to one’s courage.”
-Anais Nin

At twenty-six years old, Mohamed Bouazizi would not live to see what happened after he set himself on fire in the streets of Tunisia. This young man had been unable to find steady work and was eking out a meager living by selling vegetables in order to support his family. On the morning of December 17, 2010, Tunisian police seized his vegetable cart and beat him mercilessly because he didn’t have a permit.

This wild act of abuse tipped the balance of power in a new direction. Whether setting himself alight was an act of incredible courage or the result of momentary insanity, the sparks of his burning body kindled a flame that burned across the Arab world in a  movement that has now overthrown three dictatorial governments and produced uprisings in at least a dozen more. Some say the sparks of his sacrifice and the ensuing Arab Spring ignited the Occupy movement that began in the United States and spread around the world. As we activate our individual and collective will and align with our higher purpose for a better world, we use our power to make change.

One never knows the impact that a personal act of power will have. We stand on the shoulders of those whose courageous acts changed the course of history. Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus, and after a yearlong citywide bus boycott, the segregation of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus system was lifted. Mahatma Gandhi, a barefoot man in a loincloth, united an entire nation against British domination. Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in jail, inspiring a generation to rise up and end apartheid.

Whether your acts of courage are large or small, they make a difference. They are needed now to change the course of history toward a sustainable future, a peaceful world, economic justice, a culture of kindness-in other words, heaven on earth. Every act of manifestation requires courage. This is where we need a strong third chakra, the center located in the solar plexus. By strengthening your will, you increase your capacity to make a contribution to our world.

Excerpted from the soon to be released CREATING ON PURPOSE: THE SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGY OF MANIFESTATION THROUGH THE CHAKRAS, by Anodea Judith and Lion Goodman. Coming out October 1st! 

Bright Blessings,
Anodea Judith