Pinocchio - A story of Enlightenment

It's funny how many spiritual pointers can be found in the tales and stories from our childhood. I was thinking about Pinocchio today in reference to writing about the body/mind being a kind of puppet.

Pinocchio is a perfect allegory of enlightenment. The puppet, Pinocchio, is created out of the earnestness and selfless love of Geppetto. What a great allegorical depiction of creation. Geppetto prays for love, and it is fulfilled in the form of a life.

And Pinocchio himself, as all who are created from love must, has to find the balance of "supposed " free will and following his heart.

Pinocchio is a puppet who wants to be a real boy. This is an ideal picture of the "seeker ". Everything moves well, life is ok. School or work are ok. But there's this nagging feeling of superficiality, like playing a part, being a kind of a "puppet", and longing to be "real ". And what is it that makes Pinocchio, and us for that matter "real " ? Unconditional Love.

Pinocchio learns that "self " indulgence leads, quite literally, to making an ass of yourself. Sacrifice, as in the rescue of Geppetto, brought about the "real " that Pinocchio sought.

The lesson here is clear. Life is "created " from Love. And, even though a "puppet ", the "puppet " still has the "choice " as to "who's " "puppet " it is going to be. It can mistakenly view itself as a separate "got no strings " ego, me, I. But then it is a puppet only to itself, without even being "aware " of it. The mind sees itself as in control, the puppet now being "in charge" of the puppet. This of course, is ridicules.

Unlike with Pinocchio, in a sense, there is no getting away from being a "puppet ". The body/mind is a puppet; a thing that is "born " and "dies ". It is the creation of Love; the residue of the movement of unfolding potential. The "change " we all seek; this becoming "real ", as it were, is the "handing over " of the "strings " to the heart. It's as simple as that.

There is no need to beat down the mind, or subdue the body. All that need be done is to exchange the mind as a "puppet master " who calls and choreographs, and "makes " the puppet dance, for the heart. The heart is a "puppet master " who lays out potential like the well placed props on a dance floor. In it's hands the dancing puppet is free to become the "real boy " it has aleays been.

Call it destiny, or call it potential, we are puppets. These bodies, these minds are but expressions of the unfolding universe. We can live out our lives letting the puppet imagine that it is operating itself, or we can completely surrender, and let the creator of the puppet fulfill it's "purpose " in the unfolding. Then we can all be "Real Boys and Girls"

Peace