Following The Path of Least Resistance

Weeping Willow was slowly filling his pipe with tobacco. Noticing her, he smiled and indicated that she should sit down next to him.

“You must be the famous Miss Canada I keep hearing about. Please sit down with me,” the Hopi Indian said, his brown eyes friendly and inviting.

“I’m sorry to bother you but I wanted to share with you a dream I’ve been having for the past months,” Lucina began, sitting self-consciously next to the stranger. “Maybe you can help me with it? It’s been haunting me and I just want to understand it better.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Weeping Willow took a puff of his pipe and a strong tobacco odor swirled around them.

Life Is But A Dream

Lucina recounted her dream in detail starting with the screaming people, the flames burning everywhere, and described the despair and sadness that filled her every time she woke up. She also mentioned how her last dream had been different, and what the being had said to her about purification and the next step. She described the abyss scene and how she had fallen into the darkness, seriously thinking her life was about to end.


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Weeping Willow nodded slowly and smoked his pipe, listening to her intently, his brown eyes closed. When Lucina had finished, he took one long haul of his pipe and remained silent for a few seconds.

“This is so interesting! I can see you are still in the dark about the significance of your dream,” he said with a wrinkled brow. “Lucina, are you a woman who believes in prophetic visions?”

Lifting her eyebrows, Lucina took a moment before she replied. Was this a trick question? She decided to answer truthfully.

“I believe some people on earth can read the future, yes. But I don’t believe I can read the future.”

“I see.” Weeping Willow nodded, lost in thought. They sat in silence for a while. Lucina leaned forward, looking forward to his next thoughts.

Burning Away Old Beliefs

“It seems to me that this dream, since you don’t believe it to be a vision of your future, could just be Spirit talking to you about your present moment in life. I don’t know much about your life, but have you recently traversed a difficult moment where you had to let go of things and surrender to a higher force? Have you had to burn away some beliefs and venture into an unknown land?”

At that, Lucina couldn’t help herself. She laughed loudly and uncontrollably. That was a huge understatement! Weeping Willow pursed his lips together and looked at her.

“I guess that would be, yes? Then your dream is just indicating that you are passing from one state of being into another. You are purifying yourself, shedding skins, and becoming more real. This abyss that you fell into the last time is most definitely a new era in your life. You don’t have to tell me what you’ve lived recently, but I imagine it was of great impact?”

Lucina was sad suddenly as she saw flashes of her recent past. She saw herself crying in the dark at night, holding herself, feeling guilty and alone, feeling lost and disoriented. She saw herself jumping and running to the door anytime someone knocked. She saw flashes of broken glass on the floor. Red roses on the porch. A prayer in a church. A gas mask going over her face in the abortion clinic. Her body shaking in fear. Maria hugging her and telling her everything would be all right.

Path of Strong Resistance vs. Least Resistance

“Life is a series of moments which we can fight or surrender to,” Weeping Willow said in a gentle voice. “We are always faced with two paths. There is the path of strong resistance and then the path of least resistance. Always take the path of least resistance for that is where Spirit is flowing. If you take the path of greater resistance, you will find yourself losing precious time and energy.”

“That’s funny because taking the path of least resistance is what turned my world upside down,” Lucina commented, staring at the ground in front of them, her throat clenching up.

“Maybe your world was already upside down then, and you recently set it straight?”

The wise old man took a long haul of his pipe again, and turned to offer it to Lucina, who shook her head. Smoking was not something Lucina was attracted to. It was actually something she found disgusting.

“I am offering you a peace pipe. It is an insult to refuse it.”

“Oh, in that case, thank you.”

Uncertain how to proceed, she put her lips to the wet mouthpiece and took a long puff. Instantly she coughed and couldn’t continue.

“Real tobacco, not for weaklings,” he answered, laughing. “When a Native American offers you a pipe, never refuse it. It is a sign of friendship and complicity. Tobacco clears the mind and calms the spirit.”

It was the first time Lucina had looked at tobacco in that light. She coughed some more.

The Fear of Letting Go & Surrendering to Your Spirit

“You know, the funniest thing about life is that you always think you have everything under control until you don’t anymore. Your dream speaks about this fear of letting go, of living from a place of feeling rather than thinking. In your dream, you know things and you don’t need to rationalize. I think it’s time you just surrender to your spirit and let your journey unfold, without judging yourself or regretting past choices. Just enjoy the ride.”

That was a good suggestion. Lucina felt its truth inside her, like the time she had heard “You are forgiven” or felt the breeze kiss her skin in agreement. She was indeed living life in a whole new way lately. Weeping Willow stood up.

“Well, I should return to the group. It was nice talking with you, Miss Canada. Dreams are our best friends of the night, they should not be feared but welcomed. Learn from them, don’t run from them. Fall into the abyss over and over again until you no longer fear it. Burn over and over again until you feel you are one hundred percent true to yourself and nothing else. Follow the path of least resistance. And stop trying. Remember sacred knowledge. It lives inside you.”

Standing up as well, Lucina offered her hand and Weeping Willow shook it firmly.

“Thank you for your wise words, I won’t forget them.”

“Especially don’t forget who you are,” was the reply.

Lucina watched the tall Indian walk away and felt happy inside. Her dream was her friend not her enemy. She was on the right path. Her mistakes were just part of her soul plan and she didn’t need to understand everything anymore.

“The path of truth is loaded with hurdles and tests,” she whispered to herself, moving towards the group.

Subtitles by InnerSelf

 Excerpt from New Dimensions of Being,
Homebound Publications. ©2014 by Nora Caron.

Book by this Author

Journey to the Heart: New Dimensions Trilogy, Book 1 by Nora Caron.Journey to the Heart: New Dimensions Trilogy, Book 1
by Nora Caron.

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About the Author

Nora CaronNora Caron has a Masters degree in English Renaissance literature and speaks four languages. After struggling through the academic system, she realized that her true calling was to help people live from their hearts and explore the world through the eyes of their spirit. Nora has studied with various spiritual teachers and healers since 2003 and she practices Energy Medicine as well as Tai Chi and Qi Gong. In September 2014, her book "Journey to the Heart", received the Living Now Book Award Silver Medal for Best Inspirational Fiction. Visit her website at: www.noracaron.com

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Other books in the trilogy:

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