#34 - Slaying Dragons in Our Lives Part 2 {Reflections}

what is up everybody?

My name is ryan braley and I'm here in the studio mike's beats laboratory, as always, with Mike Lauer himself and Mike listen.

We talked about Dragons a couple of well, an episode or two ago, depending on how they get released and I said in there I wanted to maybe do a part two and I do want to do a part two.

This is part two.

So this one's called I don't know something like Dragons Part Two, but a couple of years ago I discovered this.

There's a couple of people I don't know that were online or in the zeitgeist talking about dragons in this way and I just like that is incredible, and so I want to just share with you.

Here's the deal with dragons.

So in the previous episode I talked about the myth of the dragon and how, you know, ignoring them often makes it worse.

But there's another way to look at dragons.

The other way to look at dragons is this Dragons psychologists would tell us dragons have been in the human psyche since the beginning of time, probably, and they're this mythical creature that embody many things most prominently or most poignantly, everything which we are afraid of.

Think about it.

Any dragon typically any dragon in mythical sort of in history represents this thing that terrifies us, and so often in these movies or stories, dragons are this enemy to be conquered, or they're this thing that is terrifying cities or villages, or that is just they're violent.

I mean, think about the dragon itself.

Dragons fly, which is terrifying.

That's scary to have a flying dragon over your head.

They breathe fire, so they're dangerous and they can kill people.

They can burn up entire cities and villages.

And think about medieval dragons.

I mean there were things that could just be burnt to a crisp and no problem in uh in in our history.

And yeah, they're reptilian, so they're scary, because most people are afraid of reptiles, snakes and lizards.

They kind of creep us out, and so the dragon, in a mythical way, really embodies all the things that we're afraid of, and in stories that's what they represent, because they're horrifying and they're terrifying.

And we have been afraid of dragons and reptiles since the beginning of time or human sort of history.

And so in these stories, this reptile, this being, this dragon, is often kind of the final enemy to be defeated and so.

But here's the other thing.

So, while the dragon embodies everything which we're terrified of and can symbolize anything that we're afraid of, dragons are often holding something or hoarding something extremely valuable, and so, in you know, some of the myths, they're hoarding are like sitting on a pile of gold, and so think of I love the movie the Hobbit, the book the Hobbit, and in the Hobbit, the dragon Smaug is literally sitting on top of this pile of gold, and in this case I think it's called the Arkenstone, is that right, mike?

Yeah, whatever the stone is that the hobbit that Bilbo has to go and get, and it's the thing that's also most valuable for the person looking for it.

So Bilbo has to find the dragon in order to get the thing that he needs most.

There's a story called St George and the Dragon, and in that story the dragon is hoarding, he's actually guarding this virgin, this woman that will be St George's princess, and so in these mythical stories, the dragon which is terrifying, horrifying, violent, murderous being, that's reptilian, that embodies all that we're afraid of the dragon is often hoarding and hiding and guarding the thing that we need the most, and here's the connection.

I love it.

This is exactly how it is in life.

Many times there are things in our lives that we are terrified of, that we're afraid of, and you could call these things dragons, right, and you don't have to face them.

You really don't have to the things that you're afraid of in life, especially in modern culture.

You can just go around it.

You can build infrastructure around that thing and keep yourself safe from it.

You can ignore it, you can try to circumvent the thing again by going over it, under it, around it, whatever.

But in doing so, in avoiding the thing that you're most afraid of, you're also avoiding the thing that you're most afraid of.

You're also avoiding the thing that you need the most the gold or the Arkenstone or whatever the thing is that's embedded in the dragon.

And so it's this truth in life, this mythical truth that the thing that you're afraid of the most is hoarding or embedded within that thing that you're terrified of, is something you desperately need.

And it's wild, because that means this that the only way to get the thing you need is to face the dragon and to face the thing that you're most afraid of, to go into it head on.

The only way out is through, and so I think it's the King Arthur story as well.

When they're looking for the Holy Grail, they each go and look for the Holy Grail in the forest, this terrifying forest, and they each go to the place of the forest that is most terrifying for them, and so it is with you and I that you and I have, I don't know, a number of things in our lives that are terrifying, that scare us.

Whether it's taking on a new job, asking that girl to the dance, or saying you love somebody, or taking a risk and trying out for a speech club or a sports team, or asking your boss for a raise, or just showing up every morning in life, these things can be terrifying to us.

I don't always know why, but I know that many times, embedded in that thing is something that you can make a life out of, and so it could be courage that you need.

It could be that you actually get the raise you're asking for that, asking the girl to the dance she might be your wife one day, I don't know and so here's the invitation that we would face the things that we're most afraid of, and we would slay the dragons, and in doing so, we can go and create a world and a life out of the thing that we needed the most, that was actually embedded in the thing that we're most afraid of.

So, whatever it is that you're afraid of today, I invite you to go into it and face it and see what's in there that you desperately need, and if you do, let me know how it goes.

All right, I'm out.

Peace, love you.

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And don't forget, you are always welcome to join us in person at Central in Elk River at 830, which is our liturgical gathering, or at 10 o'clock, our modern gathering, or you can check us out online at clcelkriverorg.

Peace.