In this post, I speak mostly of fate, of the fate of humanity, of the fate of those of us who identify as human on this planet called earth, from a perspective that is breathtakingly cosmic in scope.
We have the technology to end disease and regenerate the body. We have the technology to supply all our energy and transportation needs fuelessly [sic]. We have the ability through organic technologies to feed the world. The resources are there to end poverty, homelessness, all of the ills of humanity. This includes process-oriented therapies to heal the mind of wounds, traumas and wrong conclusions from past experiences. The only thing missing is the leadership and the uprising. Both are in the wind backed by forces beyond imagination.
~ James Gilliland (source link)
If this is true, and my sense is that it is true based on all that I’ve seen and heard and read, what a curious thing it is that we have everything we need to transform this world into a paradise of peace and prosperity, and yet, and yet, … in these turbulent times of transition, where a new breed of human being is serving the planet’s interests by effecting a mighty (and a mighty important) global paradigm shift, whereby the old fear-based drive of “power over” is being gradually displaced by love-based sources of “power to”, “power for”, and “power with”, many of us are being confronted with difficult dilemmas and decisions. In this light, it might seem rather gratuitous, and perhaps more than a little callous, to be thinking and talking and writing about the realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment. As I continue my sojourn towards the ideal of playing and flowing as and from and through this ultimate sphere of influence, which I presently have no intention of forsaking, I am well aware of the pain and the suffering being endured at the present time in and around this cauldron of a world. As I continue to grow in my realization of the importance of fate (of fateful encounters, of fateful experiences, of fateful synchronicities, of fateful opportunities, of fateful consequences), my awareness of the many manifestations in this world of a split that I call “manifest duality” also continues to grow.
In my estimation, any notion of occupying and orchestrating an ultimate sphere of personal influence would need to incorporate the concepts presented in this graphic, which is my interpretation of manifest duality – a much more inclusive notion than manifest destiny, what with its undue emphasis on spirit at the expense of soul (the soul of fate and the fate of soul). Indeed, in this graphic, the two main elements of manifest duality are soul and spirit, whose fields of influence are red (for promise) and blue (for possiblity), respectively. As you might have noticed, the concepts in this graphic are complementary pairs, e.g., soul and spirit, fate and destiny, full and filling (to name a few), and I invite you to identify the others. Many other related pairs are possible that I didn’t have room to artfully include in this graphic, e.g., encounter and experience, unity and harmony, promise and possibility, etc., etc., etc. I intend to create a much more spacious and representative graphic that will include every conceivable pair associated with the soul of fate and the spirit of destiny, not only as a tool of occupation and orchestration for my dealings in and with the so-called real world, but as a tool of integration and contemplation with respect to fostering and maintaining the health and fitness of my own soul and spirit.
Needless to say, unlike many of you, I do not view the inherent duality of this dense manifest realm as a problem, but as a potential – a potential for learning and growth, for learning about fate and for realizing fate more deeply, for growing destiny and for evolving into destiny more fully. In support of this realization of potential, I created a potentially controversial resource page, which I offer here for your consideration. As I’ve come to realize, the many influences of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, of Sophos, Thymos, and Bathos in our lives can only take us so far in any approach to the ultimate in personal fulfillment. Ultimacy must include everything, including Mythos, even if this means reworking and rewriting old mythic tales for the benefit of the contemporary cosmic ear.
In keeping with my intentions of my most recent post, let us now return to the soulful task of realizing the depths of fate before turning our attention to realizing the heights of destiny with a view towards cultivating an exquisite, lightly held, lightly orchestrated balance of cosmic proportions between the sacred requirements of fate and the divine aspirations of destiny (okay, I’m stretching things here a bit).
Because fate and destiny are so intimately entwined, it’s a simple matter of going to extremes with destiny to begin the task of realizing just how fated we are, first as individuals, and then as collectives. I’ve identified three approaches to realizing fate truly and deeply; here are the first two: (1) be, just be, with the soul of fate, from a position of extreme abandonment on the cosmic field of play: awaken yourself through a conscious process of wholesale abstinence (not just sexual); or (2) do, just do, with spirit, from a position of extreme entitlement on the cosmic field of play: enlighten yourself through a conscious imaginal process of indulgence. The third approach is an amalgam of the first two (that is, meaningful and lasting experience is required with the first two), which seeks exquisite balance in the extreme on the cosmic field of play. Please remember, because these fixed positions on the field are fully immersed in the light, abandonment to fate is fully awakened; entitlement to destiny is fully enlightened; and an earthly and cosmic balance is both fully awakened and enlightened. None of these positions are to be construed as better than the others; they each have their merits, just as they each have their limitations from a cosmic perspective (certainly not from the perspectives of those who assume these positions). Taking the first fixed position is ideal for healing and recovery; the second fixed position is ideal for exploration to experience and enjoy the ultimate in personal freedom (which is not the ultimate in personal fulfillment from a cosmic viewpoint); and the third fixed position is ideal for maintaining balance between fate and destiny, so as to be energetically available to those mired in fate and to those enamored of destiny.
Before I delve more deeply and fully into the nature, meaning, and purpose of these approaches with a view towards realizing fate more truly and deeply, I’d like to direct your attention to this sector analysis of the cosmic field of play, whereby the essence of manifest duality is aligned with the field. The area bounded by green is the purview of soul on the side of abandonment (in other words, the soul of fate and the fate of soul) and the area bounded by blue is the domain of spirit on the side of entitlement (in other words, the spirit of destiny and the destiny of spirit). In my view, the most important distinction to be made here is the one that distinguishes the (potentially divine and spiritual) energy of “making it so” (insistence) from the (potentially sacred and religious) energy of “letting it be” (allowance). The most crucial takeaway from this analysis is the reality of resistance, which is of two fundamental types: (1) resistance to the requirements of fate through spiritual bypassing on the side of entitlement (in essence, “I don’t have time for this”), and (2) resistance to the aspirations of destiny through religious intransigence on the side of abandonment (in essence, “be careful what you wish for”). As you may have noticed, I represent this resistance graphically with a subtle vertical black line bisecting the field of play.
In fleshing out the aforementioned three approaches to realizing fate, I will be working with the most significant and fundamental distinctions of them all, the Mother of all Distinctions: Self and Other. Self, otherwise known as the True Self, the Self as Art, is a composite of body, mind, heart, soul, spirit, Witness, Will, and ego, each with their own ideal forms of existence and expression. Other, which includes “categories of fulfillment” (e.g., home, work as play, relationship, travel, leisure), implies separation from Self only for the purpose of getting clear about what Other can do through us, with us, and for us. The cosmic ideal is that Self and Other are seamlessly integrated into being fully evolved and realized. In bridging Self and Other, I intend to draw on a fairly common energetic system involving seven primary chakras of the subtle body to foster integration and application.
Again, for ease of reference, the three approaches to realizing fate more truly and deeply are as follows: (1) be, just be, with soul, from a position of extreme abandonment (awakening through abstinence); (2) do, just do, with spirit, from a position of extreme entitlement (enlightenment through indulgence); and (3) be and do, with soul and spirit, from an extreme position of exquisite balance. Contemporary representatives of these approaches include the following: (1) Gangaji, Adyashanti, and Eckhart Tolle (inviting the light extremes of positive abandonment for the sake of peace, love, and contentment); (2) Robert Scheinfeld and Mike Dooley (exploring the light extremes of positive entitlement for the sake of ultimate joy, bliss, and freedom); (3) Dr. Robert Anthony and Robert Fritz (orchestrating the extreme of exquisite balance to experience a taste of most everything good in moderation). I strongly recommend that you explore and compare the energies of these masterful people before following the process of my thinking going forward.
Here’s a small sample of what I’m talking about, and for maximum impact, I wholeheartedly recommend that you follow this order (if time permits, you’ll need about 45 minutes to view these powerful, masterful presentations back to back; otherwise, I suggest accessing all three links – they open in separate pages – to sample each one for about a minute or two to get a feel for the energies conveyed):
- Robert Fritz on the Path of Least Resistance (link)
- Mike Dooley on Thoughts Become Things! (link)
- Eckhart Tolle on Acceptance and Surrender (link)
The substance of my basic approach to realizing the ultimate in personal fulfillment, of which the three approaches named above are but meaningful contributing interweaving strands, consists of the following areas of increasing realization, which have all been identified as key directives in effective leadership:
- originate: assume response ability for being whole and complete
- cultivate: create an experience of reality with what you know and value
- communicate: open your focus to the meaning of what is said and done
- articulate: be creative, not reactive, in response to stress and conflict
- orchestrate: master the play of paradox in the midst of chaos and confusion
- generate: manifest clear and powerful visions through desired outcomes
- motivate: be a model of empathy and discipline in service to others
- liberate: find every opportunity to invest in others with your power
In my view, leadership need not be defined in traditional terms, as a leader with followers, but merely in terms of someone who leads, with or without followers, with one face or many faces. This is a subtle yet important point to keep in mind as you ascend to the realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment. Personally, I have no need of followers. I find the prospect of being scrutinized to gauge my fitness for leadership (and the recognition that goes with it) to be distasteful in the extreme. I am more inclined to say, “here is my contribution to humanity; take it or leave it – if you take it, please assume responsibility for it, and if you decide to leave it, just be sure you understand what you’re leaving”.
Next week, I’ll pick up where I’ve left off, on my way to a meeting with Lady Fate that runs deep and true.
Note: my evolving outline on the ultimate in personal fulfillment can now be found here, accessible from the nav menu under “Be Here Now”. I’ll be sure to inform readers of any updates.
Next: Ultimate Fulfillment 33
Note: this ever growing perspective began here: Ultimate Perspective