God. Tao. The Great Spirit. The One Infinite Creator. The Sum and Source of All. The Absolute. Many names, including “the One who has no name,” have been referenced to point to Source Consciousness, whose Presence is benign and whose intent for Creation was, is, benevolent.
We do live in a (mostly) benevolent Universe, if as when we ourselves remain (mostly) benevolent, even in the face of adversity and difficulty ~ especially in the face of adversity and difficulty. The Supreme Order, which includes the Implicate Order, ensures this functional relation.
I will be the first to admit, however, that it is not always simple or easy to remain benevolent, where my every thought and feeling, urge and impulse, behavior and action, is loving, trusting, caring, forgiving, or else, I doubt very much I would even bother to be writing these words.
But here I am, and there you are . . . expectant.
Consider: in an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all, I intend, invite, and welcome the required and desired patterns and postures to become and remain wholly benign and benevolent in all that I say and do.
No small feat, that.
This intention might be enough to see me through to absolution, and perhaps ultimate fulfillment. The depth of purity required and desired is astronomical, cosmic in scope; it would require that I remain open to change, that I exercise courage, that I stay true to the commitment.
to be in love, to be in wonder, and to stay in wonder of love and wisdom;
to keep it real, to keep it true, and to feel the feelings all the way through
Lately, my learning and growing have been accelerating, almost to the point of meltdown. I can see and hear and feel so much more than I have, and what I see, hear, and feel could blow your mind wide open, and cause your heart to break into an infinite number of pixelated pieces.
Dare I share?
Or is it enough that I state the intent (as above)?
What are your thoughts?
To give you a taste of what I’m talking about, I’ve refined what I call the Heuristic of Happenings, which I introduced in my most recent post entitled Happening . . . Happening?. This is heady stuff; so much can be said about it; so much can be tapped and tuned and tasted.
In tandem with this refinement, I’ve been cross-correlating the many pieces of this heuristic with some remarkable works on psychitecture, ego development, conscious leadership, and atomic habits. I have no idea where this is taking me, but I do know this: I feel called to do it.
Here, again, is the Heuristic of Happenings, updated for your contemplative pleasure:
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pure harmony
^
7 happening, just happening – no me (pure wisdom) – timelessness and transcendence
^
spontaneity
^
6 happening as me (sovereignty 4) – peace, love, joy, bliss, grace, ease
^
intimacy < > ecstasy
^
5 happening through me (sovereignty 3) – flow, play, and creativity through the genius within
^
serendipity < > synchronicity
^
4 happening for me (sovereignty 2) – intrinsic motives: learning, growing, purpose, autonomy
^
curiosity < > responsibility
^
3 happening by me (sovereignty 1) – extrinsic motives: money, titles, degrees, diplomas, awards, perks
^
adaptability < > accountability
^
2 happening to me (fate) – the wound of separation and toxic fear masked by blame, shame, and guilt
^
susceptibility < > vulnerability
^
1 happening, just happening – no me (pure innocence)
^
pure innocence
–
An exhaustive treatment of this heuristic is beyond the scope of this post, but I can give you some vital hints on how to read it: first, read it from the bottom up; (2) then, read it from the top down; (3) then, read it from any point within the sequence, either up or down (or all around).
Next, invite a sense of what this is about; of where it is taking you; of what it can do for you, and for others. Also, know that this is, in a sense, the ultimate power trip, but beware and take care that you don’t invest your ego too heavily into being a certain way ~ stay open and curious.
Next, open up your sense of possibility, but decline any tendency to attach and get stuck (up). I want you to stay fluid and flexible without letting your brains fall out of your head and, unless you feel so called, without your heart of hearts dissolving completely into the ocean of being.
In your daily life, invite a sense of wonder in response to any tendency to react . . .
I wonder . . . is this habit, conduct, or wisdom made for me? or for someone else?
What I’ve learned is that the ego is a tricky beast, at every level of growth and development (except where the ego is not present, or no longer present). The spiritual ego is necessary for this process, and the more we understand and innerstand its influences, the better off we’ll be.
who do I love to be? what do I love to do? and why is this so important to me?
At every level of the ego, pose these questions and welcome your answers. Know that you have access to every level, if only minimally, and know, too, that your center of gravity resides at only one of these levels at a time, with trails of influence moving upwards, downwards, and sideways.
In moving up and down and all around the spiral, be ever mindful and heartfelt about tapping into the essential skillsets of communication as you seek mastery on all levels ~ to wit: advise, consult, and converse . . . inform, inspire, and persuade . . . collaborate, facilitate, and negotiate.
In moving forward (and upward) with these captivating threads of thought, I identified many fascinating topics for subsequent blog posts, some of which include (1) In Wonder of Wisdom; (2) Personal Sovereignty; (3) Not Enough, Not Good Enough; (4) Power, Control, and Freedom.
And last, but not least, The Ultimate Power Trip.
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Addendum
Ego Development Theory describes the realization of human potential towards deeper understanding and innerstanding. Personal and spiritual growth occurs in a sequence of stages with expanding worldviews from birth to adulthood. This movement is often likened to an upward spiral. Overall, worldviews evolve from simple to complex, from static to dynamic, and from ego-centric to socio-centric to globo-centric to cosmo-centric. Later stages are reached only by moving through earlier stages. Once a stage has been traversed, it remains a part of the individual’s response repertoire, even when more complex stages are adopted as primary lenses through which to view experience. Each later stage includes and transcends the previous ones. That is, the earlier perspectives remain part of current knowledge and experience (just as when a child learns to run, it doesn’t stop to be able to walk). Each later stage in the sequence is more differentiated, integrated, flexible, and capable of functioning at an optimal level in a rapidly changing and ever more complex world. A person’s stage of development influences what they notice and can become aware of, and therefore, what they can describe, articulate, cultivate, influence, and change. As healthy development evolves, autonomy, freedom, and tolerance for difference and ambiguity, as well as flexibility, self-awareness, and skill in interacting with the environment increase while defenses decrease. Derailment in development, pockets of lack of integration, trauma, and psychopathology are seen at all levels. Thus later stages are not more adjusted or “happier.” A person who has reached a later stage can understand earlier worldviews, but a person at an earlier stage cannot understand the later ones. The depth, complexity, and scope of what people notice can expand throughout life, yet no matter how evolved one becomes, knowledge and understanding remain partial and incomplete. Ego development occurs through the interplay of person and environment, not just by one or the other ~ a potential that can be encouraged and facilitated by appropriate support and challenge, but that cannot be guaranteed. While vertical development can be invited and the environment optimally structured towards growth, it cannot be forced. People have the right to be who they are at any station in life. The later the stage, the more variability for unique self-expression exists, and the less readily we can determine where a person’s center of gravity lies. All stage descriptions are idealizations that no human being fits entirely.
~ an excerpt from Nine Levels of Increasing Embrace in Ego Development (available online as a PDF)
note to self: question everything, including the injunction to question everything
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Creativity Challenge
What is my biggest emotional or spiritual challenge at this time? Which interactions or situations amplify and intensify this challenge? If I could instantly remove or reprogram any of these emotional or spiritual tendencies from my response repertoire, what would they be, and why?
Anger or hostility
Anxiety or worry
Boredom
Catastrophizing (making things out to be a bigger deal than they are)
Complacency (taking things for granted)
Cynicism
Depression or despair
Embarrassment or shame
Empathic suffering (getting upset over other people’s struggles, tragedies, politics)
Entitlement
Envy, bitterness, or schadenfreude (feeling pleasure or “joy” at another’s misfortune)
Fear of death
Fear of lack or loss
Feeling like an imposter
Feeling unsafe
Feelings of failure or inadequacy
Frustration or disappointment over obstacles or setbacks
Grief or sadness from loss
Guilt over lack of action in the present
Hate and/or spite
Helplessness
Impatience or irritation
Ingratitude (never being satisfied)
Insecurity
Inferiority
Loneliness or rejection
Neediness for approval or validation
Negative reactions to change
Nihilism (feeling like nothing matters or you have no purpose)
Overdependence or overreliance on others
Personalization (taking things personally)
Pessimism
Procrastination (holding back, letting things slide)
Regret or self-blame over something from the past
Resentment or vengefulness
Resistance to change or growth
Risk aversion or avoidance
Romantic or sexual jealousy
Rumination or self-criticism
Self-pity
Social anxiety
Stress or strain
Victimization, defensiveness, or feeling insulted
Vulnerability (feeling fragile)
Worthlessness
Other: _________
Again, which one of these egoic patterns or postures is most problematic for me at this time, and why? What do I think is the biggest difference between my ego and the ego of my ideal, or higher, self? If I were to bridge this difference and manifest just one outcome, what would it be?
I invite myself to view the reshaping or replacing of this pattern or posture as a creativity challenge, where I dedicate and devote 7, 14, or 30+ days for 3 or more minutes daily to processing 3 or more daily interactions or situations that trigger me to react with this pattern or posture.
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where you are is not who you are; stay curious!
~ yours