Are you spiritually well? People are so busy with life that they tend to forget that there is more to life than making a living. That is what spirituality is all about. Spirituality gives meaning to our existence. But what really is spirituality? Why do we need spiritual wellness in our lives? A simple way of learning spirituality is through the story of Pinocchio.
The Story of Pinocchio
Are you familiar with the story of Pinocchio? Pinocchio is a classic children’s novel written by Italian author and journalist C. Collodi. Pinocchio is popularly known as the little wooden boy whose nose grows big each time he tells a lie.
The story started with a wood carver named Geppetto who created a wooden marionette and called him Pinocchio. A marionette is a puppet controlled by strings. Since Geppetto is old and alone; he wished for Pinocchio to become a real boy. This wish was granted by a fairy. The fairy gave Pinocchio life but he is to remain a wooden boy until he proves himself worthy of becoming a real boy. The fairy also sent Jiminy Cricket to serve as his guide and conscience.
And so, Pinocchio’s adventure begins. As he sets out for school, he finds himself being sidetracked and tempted by dubious personalities. He went on doing one misdemeanor to another. He also found himself lying continuously to hide his naughty and mischievous behavior. This is what caused his nose to grow bigger and bigger. He ended up missing, causing Geppetto to look for him.
On his quest of finding Pinocchio, Geppetto was swallowed by a whale. To save Geppetto, Pinocchio risked his own life. Through this brave and selfless act, the fairy deemed him worthy of becoming a real boy.
Spiritual Lessons From Pinocchio
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about lessons from Pinocchio is that lying is bad. But honesty is merely the superficial lesson. If you dig deeper into the story, there is more hidden meaning in the story of Pinocchio. The story actually is a perfect representation of our life and our journey towards spirituality.
1.Third Eye
The term Pinocchio means pineal gland. The pineal gland has long been associated with spiritual awakening or the third eye. French Philosopher Rene Descartes described the pineal gland as the meeting point of the physical and spiritual world.
The body and spirit not only meet there, but each affects the other and the repercussion extends in both directions.
– Rene Descartes
2. The Creator
Geppetto, the woodworker, created a puppet based on his image and likeness. Similar to the story of Christianity wherein God created man from His image and likeness.
3. Limitless Potential
Geppetto’s wish of turning a wooden toy into a real boy is an impossible dream. But what it implies is that anything is possible in life. We all have limitless potential; regardless of who we are. As long as we stay true to our human design, set a goal, believe and focus on it; then it is attainable. We can unlock the magic in our lives.
When you wish upon a star; makes no difference who you are; anything your heart desires will come to you.
-Song, When You Wish Upon A Star
3. Free Will
Just like all of us on earth, Pinocchio has free will. As humans, we all are capable of making our own decisions in life. We are free to make our own choices whether it will be good for us or not. But to serve as guide, we are given a conscience, an inner voice that shows us what is good or bad. Our conscience will lead us to the right path. In Pinocchio’s case; this is the role of Jiminy Cricket.
4. Temptations
Pinocchio met a lot of characters that introduced him to temptations. Life is similar. We will encounter many different people in our lives. However, not all of them will be good for us. Just like Pinocchio who was led astray. That can happen to us if we don’t choose the people who we hang out with. Remember that you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with. So, choose your five wisely.
5. Shadow Self
Although Pinocchio was given life, living a life without purpose is like losing one’s soul. This is where we manifest our shadow self. The shadow self is our dark side. It is characterized by anxiety, anger, depression, loneliness, fatigue, boredom and other negative feelings. Although fun and exciting at first, living in the dark side can have serious consequences later on; similar to what happened to Pinocchio. We can never be truly happy and successful if we continue to stay in our shadow self.
6. Enlightenment
When Pinocchio realized that he might lose Gepetto forever, he risked his own life to save Geppetto. This selfless act and showing of unconditional love to others is what made him become a real boy. Unfortunately, many people are the same. They will not value what they have until they lose it. When we lose something very important to us; this is the time when enlightenment comes in. Whether it is about your health, money or the people around you; learn to take care of them while you still have them.
Love yourself. Take care of your body. Cherish your loved ones while you still can. And lived a purposeful life.
Prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish and someday you will be a real boy.
– The Blue Fairy, Pinocchio
So, are you still living your life like a wooden puppet or are you a real person?
Feature Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay.
Special thanks to my friend Wyndie, an intuitive for letting me see the story of Pinocchio in a new light.
