With presence, I have peace; at peace, I find my promise; in promise, I feel my power.
The roots of a tree are usually hidden. The main root, the taproot, is the largest, most central, most dominant root from which the other roots sprout laterally. Typically, a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, tapering downward in its shape and growing directly downward into the earth. I liken my presence, my connection to Presence, to the taproot of a tree, whose promise is expressed naturally and responsively through the growth of its lateral roots in constant search of nourishment. In presence, I have access to a separate peace of being, by way of feeling grounded to the earth, at the level of 3D experience, from which I can find my promise as a unique and sovereign being of native power, and it is with the vitality of this inherent, inalienable, inexplicable power that I hold out the promise of finding a purpose in my life that is worthy of my promise in this life.
The roots of a tree are usually hidden, but not always. When I see roots that have been laid bare by erosion, I sense vulnerability. When I see roots that have been eroded, either naturally or through the casual brutality and destructive power of human interference, I sense keenly a loss of protection and a lack of perfection. True, we do not (collectively) live in a perfect world, at least not yet; rather, in spite of ourselves, in spite of our best efforts, we continue to live in a world that is overflowing with imperfections, which paradoxically bodes well for having opportunities to appreciate fleeting moments of perfection by contrast. Indeed, it has been said that we neverthless remain whole in our many imperfections, admitted or not, but unless we live soulfully rather than spiritually, many among us would rather do without the bother of imperfections and live near-perfect lives, with just enough imperfection to keep things interesting, with just enough stimulus to keep the master switch activated.
Aside: the master switch at the core of conscious intent is this: “let it be or make it so?”
Be soulful (heartfelt in all that you are, in all that you have, in all that you do), and you can take any and all imperfections in stride, as nothing personal, as nothing especially troubling or troublesome.
Be spiritual (mindful in all that you are, in all that you have, in all that you do), and you cannot help but treat at least some imperfections as obstacles along the way to having a pitch-perfect life.
Would I rather explore, experience, express, and enjoy an immanent life or a transcendent life?
Would I rather have “let it be” be the underlying theme of my life as an immanent, soulful, heartfelt being, where I aim to be responsive, or would I rather make “make it so” the overarching theme of my life as a transcendent, spiritual, and mindful being, where I aim primarily to be expansive?
Yes, of course, we can be both responsive and expansive, but wherein lies your preference with respect to exploring and expressing your way of being in this imperfectly perfect world?
When I rest my gaze on this wabi-sabi tea bowl, I cannot help but notice its many and various minute imperfections, and yet I also cannot help but appreciate (admire even) just how closely it approaches perfection – it inspires me to fill it with tea and drink the tea with soulful intent, with the heartfelt intention of closing my eyes and allowing the tea to fully inform my sense of taste, my sense of touch, and my sense of smell, all the while allowing a moment to accept that the objects and bodies of this world are transient, no matter how pristine and perfect they might seem.
When I cast my gaze on this perfect tea bowl, with its pleasing symmetry and its many intricate and elegant details, I do not feel moved to drink from it with soul, from the heart of soul, but rather, to drink from it in a spirit of gain, of gaining something or other from the tea that I drink – a quick boost in energy, perhaps, or a rich taste, or a fragrant aroma, or a smooth texture, or some other divine pleasure transporting me onward and upward, all the while taking a moment to remember that everything is perfect just the way it is right now …
Which brings me to that idiomatic expression known as “you can’t have your cake and eat it, too” (or, if you prefer, the ostensibly more correct version, “you can’t eat your cake and have it, too”): I can remain present to the sight and smell of what appears to be a delicious piece of cake to build on the promise of eating it, or … I can forgo the promise and just eat the cake and have a divine albeit fleeting experience of eating it.
I would invite you to ask yourself this potentially life-changing, life-transforming question: wherein lies the emphasis of my life – in containing, consecrating, and cultivating a life because of its many imperfections or in consuming, concentrating, and celebrating a life in spite of its many imperfections?
Soul or spirit? Sacred or divine? Consecrate or concentrate? Cultivate or celebrate?
A life of immanence or a life of transcendence?
True, I have need of promise to feel my power and I have need of power to find my purpose, but … do I feed my purpose with promise (soulfully) or do I feed my purpose with power (spiritually)?
Do I … live life responsively or expansively?
Do I … let it be or make it so?
Let it be? if ya keep doin’ what yer doin’, yer gonna keep gettin’ what yer gettin’
Make it so? focus not on what you do not want; rather, focus on what you do want
From a 3D surface perspective, we can see the folly of living life responsively, exclusively; to any go-getter, this exclusivity is an invitation to having stagnation come and pay a permanent visit.
Or is it?
From a deeper, broader, higher perspective, we can see the wisdom of living life responsively, exclusively, but only if we have consistently cultivated enough patience, persistence, and perseverance to see and feel the results of said patience, persistence, and perseverance transpire over a period of time.
To those who live (or have lived) in the East, this is common wisdom (not so in the West). Could this be because the East appreciates what it means to embrace the notion of progressive incarnations?
On the other hand, if I focus exclusively on what I want, I invariably become compulsive rather than expansive. If my master switch is constantly turned on to “making it so”, on aiming to have the results and outcomes of what it is I value and desire, on aiming to have what it is I do want rather than what I do not want, then living my life expansively all of the time leaves no room whatsoever for the heart of my soul to be responsive here and there, now and then, and so, if I cannot be responsive to the fruits of my own behavior and conduct, and if I cannot be responsive to the apparent failures and seeming imperfections of my own behavior and conduct, how am I ever going to find the time to cultivate and appreciate the meaning and value of what it is I realize in what it is I acquire?
The key takeaway is this: live life responsively, but only if you’re ready and willing to go deep and be true; live life expansively, but only if you’re willing and able to take some time out to smell the roses.
Again, I have need of promise to feel my power and I have need of power to find my purpose, but … do I feed my purpose with promise (soulfully) or do I feed my purpose with power (spiritually)?
Note: my evolving outline on approaching a realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment can be found here, accessible from the nav menu under the page “Be Here Now”.
Next: Ultimate Outline 06
Note: this ever growing perspective began here: Ultimate Perspective