Have you ever seen the film, “The Neverending Story”?
As a Generation Xer with little confidence, I spent many days in my house while my mother worked watching Falkor (a LuckDragon) fly through the skies as Atreyu (the hero, or so we think) rushed across the lands desperately trying to save his beloved Fantasia from the “Nothing”, an entity in the form of a terrifying dark cloud.
“It’s the emptiness that’s left. It’s like a despair, destroying this world.”
He goes to the Empress, and asks what needs to be done. And in typical fantasy fashion, she sends him on a quest.
Along the way, Atreyu visits wise elders with cryptic answers, loses his beloved horse companion, and eventually ends up crossing the final gates as he desperately tries to reach the Southern Oracle. He barely escapes death to pass the first gate, only to come face-to-face with…. cue dramatic, anticipation music… his True Self in order to pass the second! You know, the hero’s journey.
Standing in front of the mirror that shows his True Nature, Atreyu sees an unfamiliar face looking back at him. It is Bastian, a young boy from the “Real” world that has been reading of Atreyu’s quest in a book.
Startled by the inquisitive look, Atreyu fakes some confidence and defiantly continues on to reach the Oracle. But his hopes are quickly dashed when she tells him that the only way to save Fantasia is to find a human child to give the Empress a new name.
Huh?
For years I watched this movie with complete fascination. I mean, a super cute hero—at least for a tween, which is what I was when the film came out—a flying dragon, a bullied kid lacking self-confidence, winches, wenches, and an unintelligible ending.
It turns out Bastian is the human boy who Atreyu “finds” through the story Bastian’s reading in the book. This part, I easily understood, even as a kid. Only the boys were not that quick. By the time they figured it out, Fantasia was engulfed by the NoThing and all appears lost.
The Empress breaks the fourth wall and pleads directly to Bastian, who overcomes his fear and does what needs to be done (which I won’t spoil for you). And in a flash, he is transported to Fantasia, where with great gratitude, the Empress hands him all that is left of this mythical land: a single grain of sand.
But this is no ordinary sand. With this one grain (of sand?? Seriously, they should have made it a seed, but I will get to where plants fit in in a little bit), Bastian can recreate Fantasia, one wish at a time.
Imagination is the Seed of Creation
For my child’s mind, it was easy to understand that Fantasia = Fantasy land created by our hopes and dreams. Every time a child closes their eyes and imagines, a new area is built.
What took much longer to understand was why Fantasia needed Bastian.
Bastian was a typical kid: divorced parents, bullied at school, lack of confidence. How could he be the one to save Fantasia?
The Understanding came when I became a Kabbalist.
There are many teachings of Kabbalah. In general they are all slightly different ways to understand the same basic philosophy: the relationship between the divine and the mortal, and how to confidently use your gifts from Source to become a Creator in the World of Form.
Like many, Bastian ends up hiding in an attic reading a book to escape from his problems, which feel insurmountable. Even when he tries to build his confidence by standing up to the bully, he fails. A common metaphor for all the times you tried to overcome some problem or fear, only to have it pop right back up and slap you in the face.
So you retreat into the safe space of the mind. Meditation, affirmations, positive thoughts… these are your refuge. They create a protected place where you imagine what your True Self is really capable of and dream of projecting it into existence. In this way, you build your own Fantasia with the hopes that if you wish hard enough, by resonance, something will change in the physical world.
But there comes a time when the Empress is quite clear, “Bastian. Why don’t you do what you dream, Bastian?”
Meditation is powerful, but it is locked within. To create a lasting change, you need to meditate with your actions.
Turning NoThing into EveryThing
If Kabbalah is completely new to you, to make things a little easier, I recommend you do a search and pull up an image of the Tree of Life, the most common depiction used to describe the essence of the teachings*. It doesn’t matter which one, it is more to give you a visible reference. If you read my previous essay, you will know that vision is the preferred sense used by humans. The image will help you make sense of what I’m about to tell you.
Around the The Tree of Life—unfortunately not often shown in a clear fashion—there are three layers. These are the primary states that precede manifestation. In other words, before the existence of Form. These states move from:
complete “No-Thing” (or in reality Every-Thing, but that is where we’re getting to)
- through a concentration of that infinite “Thing”.
- as the limitless light that brings EveryThing into Form through conscious action.
- Or you can simply call them Ain, Ain Sof, and Ain Sof Aur.
Conscious Action brings EveryThing into the World of Form through the top Sephirah (the circles on the image I asked you to pull up of the Tree of Life). This is Keter, also known as the Crown, and all energies into the physical universe emanate through it.
Can you see yet why the NoThing is an important part of Bastian’s development?
The NoThing is
The No Thing, which is just another name for
Ain, AKA EveryThing that is, has been, and will be.
Let me make it even simpler:
- If you feel defeated, lack confidence, are blocked, or are otherwise scared, you feed the NoThing.
- If you are hopeful, curious, ready to act, and open to new possibilities, you tap into the EveryThing.
Different sides of the same energy: one destroys, one creates. Which do you use?
A New Fantasia requires the Evolution of Confidence
Because the NoThing is also the EveryThing, you can always evolve what seems like a negative into a positive. That is what Bastian discovers by following Atreyu’s journey. Even after losing his horse, seeing lands destroyed, and recognizing that he is not who he thinks he is, Atreyu believes he can save Fantasia. His actions are an extension of his positive mindset. And this is what eventually gives Bastian the confidence to stop focusing on the NoThing and to consciously use the EveryThing to save Fantasia.
Had he not acted, the fear, despair, and eventual destruction of the NoThing would have engulfed the world. Sound familiar right about now?
And because ultimately the whole point of this cosmic game of Life we’re all playing is to Evolve so you can consciously use the EveryThing in your daily life to create, the manifest universe has a few joker cards you can use to get there.
If you know me at all, you know what’s coming next….
The plant kingdom (yep, they are always in here somewhere) is our ally in this game.
I’m not just saying this because I love plants. They have a vested interest in our evolution because they want to evolve, too. If we lose and the NoThing takes over, they have to start all over again. And 470 million+ years is a lot of time to just throw away because one young species didn’t want to play the cards they’ve been dealt.
Much like Atreyu’s quest—which in reality is Bastian’s journey—brings them to a state of awareness so they can use the positive powers of the NoThing (Ain) to create, the plant kingdom has direct access to tools you can use to overcome fears, gain confidence, and evolve into a conscious co-creator.
See why I said at the beginning that the Empress should have given Bastian a seed, rather than a grain of sand? A seed contains the building blocks of Life. With your actions, you plant a seed that sprouts little pieces of the EveryThing.
Within you are all the seeds you need to build the world you dream of. A world where you are confident, healthy, happy, and have everything you need to easily do more good for yourself, your family, your business, and the world. A world where you consciously use the full potential of the EveryThing every day.
The time has come for you to stop hiding in the attic of your mind and bring your thoughts into conscious action. You have the full power of the EveryThing within you, plus I am here anytime you need me.
So tell me, what is one characteristic, trait, or thought pattern that is currently holding you back from confidently using your full potential?
Book a discovery call with me to discuss how we can work together to evolve it.