This Terence McKenna Quote Is One My All-Time Favorites

Main photo by Fabrizio Cassettaon Pixels.com

Some quotes leave you awe-struck for just a moment. Others linger with you for a whole day, while a select few will light up your soul and inspire you for a lifetime.

What American ethnobotanist and mystic Terence McKenna said in one of his classic lectures, speaks directly to the power of showing courage and deliberately doing things that make us uncomfortable.

It captivated me the first time I stumbled upon it many years ago and has become one of my all-time favorite pieces of wisdom to live by.

Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles.

Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up.

This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood.

This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall.

This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.

—Terence McKenna

Let’s dive in and go line by line.

---

Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles.

The Universe, God, innate intelligence, chi, infinite mind, the quantum field, or whatever you want to call it—not only loves when you commit to doing something that takes courage but rewards it.

When you hold yourself accountable to step out of your comfort zone, you receive unimaginable support. The Universe will begin to help you by working through you.

---

Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up.

Plain and simple, the Universe wants us to play bigger and be truly bold with our goals.

Why?

Because the Universe as the source of all life is always moving toward more life, higher consciousness, and finding ways to express itself more fully.

In his 1910 classic The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace D. Wattles describes this notion by saying:

It is the natural and inherent impulse of life to seek to live more; it is the nature of intelligence to enlarge itself, and of consciousness to seek to extend its boundaries and find fuller expression.

In other words, the Universe needs dance partners. It seeks those who want to co-create with it so it can express itself in new and fuller ways.

Doing something audacious that makes you uncomfortable is a signal to the Universe that you want to come out and play — that you want to create, and more importantly, you want to become a better human than you are now.

Here comes the “it will lift you up”part from McKenna’s quote:

When you find the courage to commit, you become a magnet to attract the right people, resources, and situations that can help you on your path.

The Universe will move the physical world to help you.

Back to Wallace Wattles:

“You can never know all the combinations which Supreme Intelligence is making for you in the world of things and of human affairs; your neglect or failure to do some small thing may cause a long delay in getting what you want.”

That “some small thing” is stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into the unknown.

---

This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood.

When we realize that the Universe is working through us, this is how we tap into our divinity.

As the prolific, mystic poet Rumi said, “you are the universe in ecstatic motion.”

The “alchemical gold” is the secret to manifesting. This is when you become a co-creator in the Universe. This is not only how miracles transpire but what makes you the miracle maker.

If you look back in history to some of the great mystics, healers, and leaders from Buddha and Christ to modern examples like Nelson Mandella and Martin Luther King Jr. — these individuals were powerful movers and shakers who went against the grain to elevate the consciousness of the planet.

They were fueled by an unwavering commitment towards their cause paired with an uncanny faith that they will be supported along the way in carrying out their mission.

And most importantly, “this is what they understood” just as McKenna says.

---

This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.

Purposely stepping into your fears and embracing the great unknown is like magic.

Why magic?

Because this is the great paradox of overcoming fear: the more scary stuff you do, the freer and more fearless you become, and in turn unlocks the cheat codes to life.

This is the proverbial feather bed.

Or like Joseph Campbell says, “the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

Instead of running away from our fears or avoiding them, we must lean in and take action. This is what builds courage which empowers you to do more scary stuff. Then sooner or later you find yourself stumbling upon that buried treasure in what seemed like a dark, scary cave.

The result?

You have your aha moment while doing your happy, shamanic dance in the waterfall.

But to discover that treasure and do that dance—to transform into the most extraordinary version of yourself — you will have to do what you fear most. You will have to do the work you don’t want to do.

Isn’t doing magic fun?