There is No Secret Ingredient

The kids' movie that gifted me awareness

What may seem obvious to one, may not be obvious to another.

You hear something. You read something. You see something.

You think you understand the meaning of it, then years later you encounter it again.

It’s the same message, maybe wrapped slightly differently, but the meaning has changed to a whole new level.

You know — those a-ha or burning messages life throws us.

The ones that seem so bloody obvious we wonder how we missed them.

These messages are everywhere.

Even in kids movies.

We just have to be willing and receptive to catch them.

Kung Fu Panda.

It’s the kid’s movie that gifted me several of these moments.

Seriously.

Warning Will Robinson — Spoiler alerts, spoiler alerts!

Po lives for Kung Fu.

He dreams of becoming apart of an elite Kung Fu team called The Furious Five.

He plays with their toy characters and acts out Kung Fu moves as best he can.

My take on this — Po is practicing Life Visioning. Think The Secret, Spiritual Laws, Michael Beckwith . Po is in pure joy dreaming of a future he longs for. He not only see’s but also feels himself becoming a Kung Fu Master.

Thing is, his Dad— a goose (yep panda with a goose as a father — kids movies are awesome!) believes his son is destined to take on the restaurant. He is waiting for the right moment to tell Po the secret ingredient for his secret ingredient soup.

Just like us all, we can get a bit misguided on our path by expectations from society and well meaning family members.

Meanwhile, with fear and nostalgia clouding the thoughts of the Furious Five’s Master, Shifu, a chain of events are set in motion that makes a message become a reality.

Your thoughts create your reality— Neale Donald Walsh

Legend has it that a Dragon Warrior will save them all by learning the secrets of the Dragon Scroll.

…and you guessed it — Po is unexpectantly bestowed with becoming the dragon warrior.

Master Shifu is enraged by this choice and does his best to “break” Po as his fear of impending danger rises.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

— George Lucas

Po stays perpetually stoked and grateful no matter what Master Shifu throws at him.

When Shifu realises Po is not giving up and witnesses Po’s potential he guides Po to Kung Fu mastery.

Po is now worthy to learn the secret of the dragon scroll.

WHAT?!

The scroll is blank. It‘s a long shiny blank piece of paper.

It throws all of them into a dark hole of confusion. The energy changes. Po feels defeated and gives up.

The doubt of new awareness — the moment the pink cloud pops. I know this is traditionally referenced with recovery from alcohol addiction, but I feel like it relates to any type of personal growth.

Long story less long — while Po is helping evacuate the city his Dad shares with him the secret ingredient to his secret ingredient soup.

There is no secret ingredient!

My mind is blown….

The page wasn’t blank. It was a mirror — reflecting himself.

The answer is you

There are no secret ingredients.

There are no magic fixes, pills, certificates, things that will make you more successful.

The answer is within you.

Po’s qualities, his dreams, his goals, his passions, his positivity, his willingness to make the best of his situation all led him to make his dreams a reality.

A reality more beautiful than he ever imagined.

A-Ha — message received.

Thank you.

So much gratitude for those names on the credits..the ones that scroll down way too fast for me to catch. So much energy gifted to deliver a message.

Who knows when a message you share will trigger the same kind of a-ha moment for someone.

Thanks for reading.

PS — the other 2 movies in the trilogy are just as awesome…the hero’s journey flows through gems about finding inner peace and mastering Qi. Totally recommend watching all 3, I reckon this is one of the must-watch timeless classics.…full disclosure- I have only been watching kids movies the last few years…old ones at that so my perceptions are somewhat skewed on the movie front!

PPS —I love being told the cracks in my consciousness…so much easier when someone points them out for me. Sooooo, I encourage you to shine your light and comment….each one will be cherished!

This is the first, of what I hope to be many, I plan to share. Triggered from a challenge I set for myself —

Picking the first was tough. It came down to this thought — if my daughters’ were to read only one — this would be the one. At least I believe it is the one…. at this point in time… I’d want them to read.

To avoid rambling— I call it a tramble — a typing ramble…it totally is a word in my Amy-ish dictionary… the end… for now!