Comfort

Comfort. It is what we all crave, what we all seek. A soft bed, a warm meal, a loving embrace. There is nothing naturally wrong with comfort. It is a basic human need. But there is a shadow side to comfort. There is a danger in making comfort the ultimate goal of our lives. The "Comfort" card is a fierce and loving warning against the seductive prison of the soul, and a call to embrace the sacred discomfort that is necessary for our growth.

The Tyranny of the Comfort Zone

The comfort zone is a dangerous place. It is a place where dreams go to die. It is a place where the soul withers and the spirit atrophies. When we make comfort our primary value, we are basically saying to life, "I am not willing to grow. I am not willing to change. I am not willing to risk." We become like a plant that is kept in a pot that is too small. We may be safe, we may be comfortable, but we will never reach our full potential. We will never know the joy of spreading our roots deep into the earth and our branches high into the sky.

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."

- Joseph Campbell

The great mythologist Joseph Campbell understood that the path to our greatest treasures is always guarded by our greatest fears. The comfort zone is the opposite of the cave. It is the place where we hide from our fears, where we avoid the challenges that are necessary for our growth. But in doing so, we also avoid the treasures. We avoid the joy, the aliveness, the deep sense of purpose that can only be found on the other side of our comfort zone.

The Discomfort of the Spiritual Path

The spiritual path is not a comfortable path. It is a path of radical discomfort. It is a path that will challenge everything you think you know about yourself and the world. It will ask you to let go of your most cherished beliefs, your most deeply ingrained habits, and your most comfortable illusions. It will ask you to face your own darkness, your own shadow, your own pain. This is not a path for the faint of heart. It is a path for the spiritual warrior, the one who is willing to be uncomfortable in the service of their own liberation.

A Real-Life Example

I once worked with a woman who was in a comfortable but loveless marriage. She had a beautiful home, a successful husband, and a life that was the envy of all her friends. But she was dying on the inside. She was living in a golden cage, a comfortable prison. She came to me because she was feeling a deep sense of emptiness and despair. She knew that she needed to leave her marriage, but she was terrified. She was terrified of being alone, of not having enough money, of what her friends and family would think. She was terrified of the discomfort of the unknown. For months, we worked together, and slowly, she began to build the courage to leave. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. The first few years were incredibly difficult. She was lonely, she was broke, and she was filled with doubt. But she was also alive. For the first time in her life, she was living her own life, not the life that was expected of her. And in the end, she found a new and more authentic love, a new and more fulfilling career, and a new and more deep sense of herself.

The Fierce Grace of Sacred Discomfort

To be willing to be uncomfortable is a fierce act of self-love. It is a declaration that you are more committed to your own growth than you are to your own comfort. It is a radical act of faith in the process of life. And it is a sacred act of devotion to the soul that is yearning to be free.

Embodying the teaching of "Comfort" is about cultivating a new relationship with discomfort – a relationship that is based on courage, curiosity, and a deep and abiding trust in the process of life. Here are a few ways to practice this deep teaching:

The Practice of Leaning into the Edge

Your edge is the place where you feel a mixture of fear and excitement. It is the place where you are being called to grow. It could be having a difficult conversation, taking a new class, or traveling to a new country. Whatever it is, lean into it. Take one small step in the direction of your edge. The more you practice leaning into your edge, the more you will expand your comfort zone, and the more you will grow as a human being.

The Practice of Voluntary Discomfort

The Stoic philosophers were great proponents of the practice of voluntary discomfort. They would periodically expose themselves to cold, hunger, and other forms of physical discomfort in order to build their resilience and to appreciate the simple comforts of life. You don't have to go to such extremes. You can simply take a cold shower, fast for a day, or sleep on the floor. By voluntarily embracing discomfort, you can train your mind and body to be more resilient in the face of life's inevitable challenges.

The Practice of Befriending Your Fear

Fear is the guardian of your comfort zone. It is the dragon that stands at the entrance to the cave. The way to overcome fear is not to fight it, but to befriend it. When you feel fear, don't run from it. Turn towards it. Breathe into it. Ask it what it is trying to protect you from. By befriending your fear, you can transform it from an enemy into an ally.

When the "Comfort" card appears in a reading, it is a powerful and loving warning that you have become too comfortable. It is a sign that you have fallen asleep at the wheel of your own life, and that you are in danger of stagnating. It may be a call to take a risk, to step out of your comfort zone, and to embrace the sacred discomfort that is necessary for your growth. It may be a reminder that your soul is not interested in your comfort; it is interested in your liberation.

This card is a fierce and loving command to wake up from the slumber of your own complacency. It is an invitation to choose courage over comfort, growth over safety, and freedom over bondage. It is a promise that on the other side of your comfort zone, you will find a life that is far more vibrant, more alive, and more fulfilling than anything you could have ever imagined.