Flypaper

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Post by Michael Avery

“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” 
—Rumi 

These barriers to which Rumi refers are numerous. Going through life unaware of these barriers is like driving an expensive sports car along a steep mountain road wearing blindfolds, not just one, but many.

If, for most of our life, we have looked out at the world through a brownish-colored lens, we will assume that it’s just the way everyone sees things. Not until we remove this lens will we notice how much brighter the world can appear.

A strange image came to me one morning during contemplation. Inwardly, I saw a thin, sticky sheet of flypaper wrapped around my consciousness. This was a representation of a diminished ability to enjoy life and freely give and receive love. In my contemplation, I also saw a family made up of various fears residing in my solar plexus area. My “control center” was not in the heart—it was in this lower center where the fear family ruled. 

These fears colored my overall view of life; my emotions were colored; my thoughts were colored; and my physical health and vitality were also colored. The colored lens through which I was viewing life was light brown, the color of flypaper. 

When I asked the Inner Teacher to show me how to remove the brownish flypaper from around my consciousness, I was surprised at what I was shown. Addressing the fear and asking the entire fear family to move out was not enough. There were also hidden judgments I needed to identify and transmute with love and understanding. 

Removing the Flypaper

The layers of flypaper were comprised of both emotions and judgments, but mainly judgments. There were several layers of flypaper that could be peeled away and thrown in the garbage once I discovered their true identity and released the accompanying emotions. I had formed these judgments at a time when I’d been unaware. These judgments became the rules I agreed to live by. The Universe could only bring me experiences that were in harmony with my own rules, dysfunctional as they were.

There were three primary layers of flypaper (judgments) that I originally found: “I don’t deserve love;” “I don’t have enough money;” and “I’m sick.” It was no wonder that the world looked so grim and hopeless when wearing these dark colored lenses.

I was directed to release these judgments one by one and allow the emotions their freedom.

Each person will likely have a layer (or several) attached to their consciousness. I’m sure there are many ways and spiritual exercises that can address the issue of trapped emotions and underlying judgments. Here is what I say aloud as one example:

“I release the judgment that I don’t deserve love.”
“I accept the truth: I am loved and appreciated.”

I then speak to the fear using a phrase borrowed from Dr. Hew Lin of Ho’oponopono fame and imagine golden light streaming into my consciousness. Singing HU adds love to replace the fear and intensifies the light.

“I release you little fear and free both of us.”

I discovered that it is the trapped emotions like fear, anger, and guilt that gave the flypaper its stickiness. It is necessary to release the trapped emotions in order to insure that the flypaper doesn’t reattach itself even after it has been tossed in the garbage. If it reattaches, more emotions need to be released.

Okay, one layer of flypaper removed! I’m sure Rumi would be proud.

Best of luck on your quest for love. Please keep removing your barriers to love, whatever they may be.