Robin Volker

Ballooning was the first demonstration of air travel for humankind. In many ways, it mirrors our spiritual journey. How does a hot air balloon fly? A burner pushes hot air into the envelope, which is the colorful fabric bag. The hot air inside the envelope is less dense than the colder air outside the balloon. This causes the balloon to float up in the more dense air around it. Once launched, the air currents move the balloon along a wind-driven trajectory. The pilot guides the balloon by increasing or decreasing its altitude to catch different air currents, which are moving in different directions and at differing speeds.

The pilot does not know exactly where he or she will end up until the balloon lands. This is a part of the adventure and thrill of the sport – launching off into the great unknown. Prior to launch, the pilot studies the wind speeds, humidity, and air currents. The pilot has total control of the balloon by regulating the hot air inside the envelope and by moving it up and down in altitude.

There are vents in the fabric of the envelope. These vents help the pilot to navigate. If the balloon is ascending too quickly, a short release on the vent will slow the assent. When coming in for a landing, regulating the vents help to direct the balloon onto the preferred landing site.

We can equate the wind to consciousness. It is moving, flowing, expanding, alive. It is always in motion, even when we can't see it move. The wind direction is our intention. We know we want to move toward a specific horizon. The hot air inside the balloon is our faith. It lifts us up. We use our faith to move us along effortlessly through the ups and downs of life. The pilot is our mind, our link to Divine Intelligence. The burner is the fire of Spirit. It warms our faith and raises us up to higher levels of consciousness. Our faith must be lighter and more buoyant than the appearance of physical facts or the colder air around us.

Like the air currents, which move in layers, there are layers to our consciousness. Parts of our consciousness are moving and expanding at different rates. Sometimes we feel a rush of Spirit moving into our awareness, and it propels us forward. Sometimes we are just floating along, waiting to catch the next divine idea.

And, finally, the ride is the adventure. Life is no fun if everything is planned out for us. There is no excitement or exhilaration without our ability to co-create with God. Of course, we always have a choice. We can stay on the ground and live as safely as we can in the world we build around ourselves, or we can launch the balloon of our lives with faith, like those first air travelers, to seek expanding and moving levels of consciousness that will take us places we only dreamed were possible.

Are you being called to turn up the fire of Spirit and lift off in faith - up, up, and away!