Wishes and desires (with conditions?)

One night, while experiencing solitude, Luise decided to stay at a nearby hostel, seeking company and relief. As she rested in the top bunk of a shared room, she noticed that someone was coughing constantly.

Distressed by her inability to fall and stay asleep due to the noise, she began wishing she were at home alone, sleeping in the familiar quiet of her own bed. Now she wanted to leave the hostel.

The hedgehog dilemma is ever-present: companionship attracts and repels us at the same time. We take a step toward companionship, opening ourselves to its possibilities, only to find that there is pain there, too. So we retreat into solitude, which, after some time, becomes tiring, too. And the ping-pong game continues.

We can recognize this game and stop it altogether.

Further, being specific about what we wish for is a useful first step toward allowing such desires to be fulfilled (because we know what we are seeking).

Luise wished for companionship, but with covert conditions (no coughing at night!). We seek love, but only if it comes in a specific form at a certain time.

Letting go of all such conditions can be a further step toward clarity and peace (opening the fourth chakra, as posited in some Eastern spiritual traditions).

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