When looking at antique maps, one would often find a dragon icon that would represent uncharted, unexplored waters. Here’s a twist of theory about that scary old dragon.  That dragon was not placed there to symbolize that we should fear to tread uncharted waters in life, rather, it was placed there to represent the courage needed to overcome fear itself.

Where have you feared to go before? It is not a physical destination. It isn’t physically necessary to leave and “go” anywhere. It may be a thought – that one thought that says, “someday I’ll do that,” … “maybe one day that will not affect me anymore” … “perhaps I don’t have to suffer.”

Should have,Would have, Could have.

History and Esotericism:

The dragon carries opposite meanings representing the paradox at the heart of our being - the mutual dependence of light and dark, creation and destruction, male and female. But more than any other symbol, the dragon also embodies the unifying force underlying these opposites. In itself it is neither good nor bad, but symbolizes the primal energy upholding the material world, which can be turned to either good or evil purposes.

In the Orient, the emphasis has traditionally been on the positive aspects of this primal energy. The dragon is depicted as a union of the beneficial powers of the elements. Uniting water (the serpent) with air (the bird, the breath of life), it represents the coming together of matter and spirit. This positive force was thought to be capable of animating the earth through the dragon pathways - symbolic arteries through which earth energy flows.

In pagan times the emphasis in the West, as in the East, was on the beneficent aspects of dragon energy - as the Welsh flag, with its proud red dragon, still testifies. However, in the Christian era, with the relegation of the serpent to the symbolic role of Satan the tempter, the dragon came increasingly to represent chaos, raw destructive power, the evil inherent in the world of matter. Sometimes it is shown as coming between ourselves and hidden treasure (spiritual wisdom) or carrying off a virgin (purity) to its underground lair. By an obvious logic, the dragon also came to symbolize the inner world of the emotions and the unconscious. In the West, it was the animal that lurks within us, the primitive energies which, left unbridled, can reduce us to the level of beasts.

In Taoism, the dragon is the symbol for the essence of the spiritual half of the cosmos. The dragon breath in-takes the chaos of the unformed potentials of the Tao and breathes out the order of our very nature.

The focus of Dragon is to re-connect and re-integrate with the spiritual aspects of life.

Finding your inner dragon has three requirements:

• Acceptance
• Awareness: Embracing Inner and Outer Truth
• Transformation

Acceptance cannot be obtained by gathering more knowledge. The route of knowledge, while powerful, is an endless chase for more knowledge. Acceptance is the hardest of the three levels to learn. Without acceptance: the understanding of inner and outer truth becomes impossible. Without acceptance, a person cannot transform their nature beyond flesh and blood.

Awareness has many aspects to it. To some it might mean expanding out their knowledge and exploring different variations of Taoism for perspective. It can mean for someone disconnected to the world to learn how to better use the information and resources around us and to better integrate to our society. However, it can also mean the exact opposite for a person too connected and the lesson could very well focus on disconnecting oneself from the larger world in order to heal.

Transformation is not a goal, it’s part of everyday life. To live is to change The true potential of transformation is limitless by the very definition of transformation.

祝福和治療
Zhùfú hé zhìliáo,
DRAGOI
Dragon Breath Practitioner

Resources:

Myself

http://wiki.answers.com

http://true-color-of-mind.blogspot.com/2012/01/symbols-dragons-and-serpents.html