My Rebellion Against Soul-Sucking Allegiances

Insights From What I’m Discovering

There comes a time when you must choose whether to succumb to life-draining relationships or invest in people who co-create with you, see your essence, and amplify your light.

My journey has been marked by both—dizzying seasons spent entangled in the dreams of others, and emerging moments of clarity when I stepped fully into my own power.

The wisdom of the I Ching—China’s ancient book of changes—teaches that life is not static, and in its 29th hexagram, “The Abysmal (Water),” it warns that one must move carefully through dangerous currents. To survive, one must know when to swim away.

I’ve had to learn the hard way that not everyone who is good to you is good for you. Some come with open hearts, ready to build, while others arrive with masks—charismatic and needy—draining your energy to fuel their own unfinished stories.

The I Ching calls for discerning detachment, especially in Hexagram 17, “Following.” It cautions against blind allegiance to those who do not align with your inner truth. True following, it says, is not servitude, but shared purpose.

For years, I was a willing co-star in other people’s productions, seduced by their scripts, casting myself in roles that dimmed my light. I mistook sacrifice for love, approval for belonging, and ambition for connection. It felt noble at the time—until the dreams I was building collapsed under the weight of their inauthenticity. I had betrayed my own greatness.

The myth of Greek mythological figure Helen of Troy offers a haunting parallel. She was the face that launched a thousand ships, yes—but whose war was she fighting? Who authored her story? Was she a temptress, a victim, or a woman trapped in the projections of others’ desires?

Helen’s life, in many ways, echoes what happens when we are adored not for who we are, but for what we symbolize. When we’re not living from our own truth, we become pawns in others’ myths.

One of my all-time favorite books, Brad Blanton’s Radical Honesty, shattered the illusions I once clung to. His words pierced like lightning: “We lie to protect the image of ourselves we think others will accept.”

I had spent years doing just that—lying by omission, by silence, by suppressing the inconvenient parts of myself in exchange for validation. Blanton urges us to say what is true in the moment, not what is polite or strategic. That includes naming the people and patterns that no longer serve us.

When I began speaking the truth—not just out loud, but in the way I lived—everything shifted. Energy vampires drifted away, no longer fed by my silent compliance. In their absence, space opened up for co-creators — people who don’t just take, but give back; people who challenge me with love, not competition; people who are building something timeless with me, not extracting something temporary from me.

The takeaway is not just personal—it’s universal. You aren’t obligated to stay tethered to people who diminish your soul. Your loyalty must first be to your inner compass, not to the ghosts of obligation or guilt. Co-creation is sacred. It happens when honesty is mutual, energy is reciprocal, and presence is real.

So let me offer you this…. Step back. Breathe. Notice who nourishes your soul as opposed to those who merely consumes it.

Ask yourself…Are you living your life, or playing a role in someone else’s epic?

The moment you choose truth over performance is the moment you begin to live greatly—and co-create with those who are truly worthy of your journey.

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Diamond Michael Scott

aka The Chocolate Taoist