Goldilocks and the Three Bears of Spiritual Development© -

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears of Spiritual Development^©

Most of us know the English fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” first published in 1837 by Robert Southey. In every version since then, Goldilocks wanders into the home of three bears—Papa, Mama, and Baby—while their porridge cools. She tastes each bowl: one “too hot,” one “too cold,” and one “just right,” which she promptly eats.

She then tries their chairs: one “too hard,” one “too soft,” and one “just right”—until she breaks it. Then she tests their beds: one pillow is “too high,” one “too low,” and one “just right,” where she falls asleep. When the bears return, they find their porridge disturbed, their chairs used or broken, and Goldilocks asleep in Baby Bear’s bed. She wakes and runs away, never to return—depending on the version.

The idea of “just the right amount” actually traces back millennia. For example:
•  “Observe due measure; moderation is best in all things.” ~ Hesiod (Greek poet circa 700 BCE)
•  “Nothing in excess.” ~ inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi at least as early as the 5th century BCE
•  The golden mean between extremes ~ Aristotle (384-322 BCE Greek philosopher and polymath)
•  “Moderation in all things is the best policy.” ~ Plautus (Roman comic playwright writing circa 200 BCE)
•  And many other sources including a number of Bible references.

Today, the “Goldilocks Principle” appears in psychology, biology, astronomy, economics, engineering, and more. Stephen Hawking even wrote, “Like Goldilocks, the development of intelligent life requires that planetary temperatures be ’just right’”—the Goldilocks Zone.

But what does the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” have to do with Spiritual Development? Everything. The bears, the porridge, the chairs, the beds—and Goldilocks herself—all symbolize parts of our spiritual journey. So, please “Bear” with me for a few moments (OK, pun intended).

Think of the porridge, chairs, and pillows as life lessons you chose to work on to raise your vibration and become the Master of your life rather than being mastered by life. The bears represent the extremes we often fall into: “too hot,” “too cold,” “too hard,” “too soft,” etc. … And then there’s Goldilocks. She represents you (and me!)—the part of you that wanders into situations, makes impulsive choices, and sometimes sidetracks your own growth.

Goldilocks is just a beautiful, innocent child. She entered someone else’s house uninvited. OK, it wasn’t locked and all she did was just open the door to see if anyone was there. But she is just a child, right? Then she stole food right off of the dining table, broke some furniture, and violated the personal space of the bears’ beds. And when she woke up, she ran off without saying a word—probably in the hope she might not be caught and held responsible for her actions.

Goldilocks is either just a young, misguided minor or … this kid is an absolute juvenile delinquent! Maybe it wasn’t “breaking and entering,” only an innocent case of “trespassing.” She is “just a child,” right? Then she willfully contaminates two bowls of porridge, ate the third, and—the rest is just a story of one “questionable choice” after another using her “God-given free will.” She may seem innocent, but she is essentially a troublemaker, and that troublemaking energy is within all of us, often interfering with learning our life lessons.

I have written previously about Compassion (The Fifth Step Toward the Ultimate Life Lesson), a complex topic with many seemingly disparate perspectives often involving the “giving” of oneself either energetically (presence, care) or materially (tangible property). Too little compassion is obviously a problem—but too much compassion is also an extreme. Maitreya (channeled by Margaret McElroy) warns:• “There has to be an exchange of energy… so many of you give of yourselves without thought… creating karma for the soul you are helping because they should be doing it for themselves.” ~ Newsletter #187 … “When you help another, you could stop that soul from learning very valuable lessons… and create Karma for yourself.” ~ Newsletter #72

Then there is the “Big Life Lesson” which is unconditional love for yourself (including self-esteem). Mastering this lesson is absolutely critical to learning The Ultimate Life Lesson which is unconditional Love for others. Can you have too little love for yourself? Many people fall into this category, and it precludes their ability to love others. But can you have too much love for yourself? Duuhh! That is basically the definition of “too much ego.” We see this everywhere in broken relationships, miscommunication, and dysfunctional systems.

Both the Big Lesson and the Ultimate Life Lesson begin with unconditional Forgiveness. The key to all of the above is the requirement of “unconditional,” that is, without judgement. As Maitreya explains:
• “What is Compassion? It is the ability to see another with no thought of wanting to comment or to give advice… It is … total and unconditional love without judgement, fear, or any other emotion.” ~ Newsletter #146

Judgment (Attachment to my being “right” or “correct,” and your being “wrong” if you don’t agree with me or don’t do something my way) makes all the difference between conditional and unconditional Compassion, Love, and many other life lessons. Conditional Compassion isn’t genuine. Conditional Love really isn’t Love at all. It is pure and simple manipulation! Judgement is the essence of the Goldilocks energy moment-to-moment in our daily lives for every one of us. Non-judgement is detachment. Maitreya reminds us that “Detachment is one of the hardest lessons to learn in the journey of spiritual development.” (Wisdom Card #20).

A third life lesson is Allowing, the underlying foundation for Balance and subsequent Alignment in Conscious Living. Too little Allowing becomes resistance, and the reverse is also true. What??? Yes! It is easy to see that strong resistance (too little Allowing) prevents Balance which prevents Alignment. But too much Allowing also creates imbalance. Abraham (channeled by Esther Hicks) explains:
• “Your work now is to create the vibrational readiness that allows the specifics to flow into your experience… You’re working too hard! Your work is to chill-out and find peace with yourself.” … “Trying too hard means you don’t believe what you are asking for [that is, judgement!].”

Once again, either extreme (too much or too little) is counterproductive. So, what is “just right?” It is the Balance that emerges from Allowing all of your life energies to flow freely, naturally, without resistance, toward Alignment with your Higher Self. In fact, it is the basis of “just right” for all of our life lessons. Allowing simply is non-resistance—Detachment from your emotional body—and it only comes with detachment from your own outcomes (results or consequences) as well as detachment from other people’s behavior and their outcomes. It really is the “Goldilocks Zone” of Spiritual Development!

Again, extremes don’t work. “Just right” is the Balance that comes from Allowing your energy to flow naturally toward Alignment with your Higher Self. Allowing is non-resistance and Detachment—from your emotional body, from outcomes, and from other people’s behavior. Detachment is central to Conscious Living. Practicing it helps you shift your life experience so you become the Master of your life rather than being mastered by life.