My Philosophy
As a species we are predominantly in a stage of collective adolescence, where too many of us ‘adults’ haven’t figured out who we are and why we are here.
If we are to begin to reverse the ecological destruction we are wreaking on this planet we need to switch our focus to serving life, not capital; and being ecocentric and soulcentric, rather than egocentric.
How can we BE more, not have more; how can we enhance life, rather than take from it?
In a world of mass culture, where ‘fitting in’ is held in such high regard, to be our own wild, soulful selves is a radical and important act. The world has diverse and complex problems, it needs diverse solutions.
This means following our own unique path and giving our unique gifts, our ‘medicine’, into the waters of life, or else they will be lost forever.
But how? Well, I believe we need to walk all five of these pathways…
Awakening — Our relationship with presence (spirit).
Cultivating present moment awareness, attuning to the mystery and aliveness that flows through everything.
Belonging — Our relationship with the living world (earth community).
Deepening intimacy with nature, sensing ourselves as part of a wider family of life.Relating — Our relationship with other people (human community).
Finding community, and connecting to our nearest and dearest with sovereignty, authenticity, and love.Adulting — Our relationship with our inner world (ego).
Meeting our wounds and subpersonalities with responsibility and compassion, so we can grow into emotional maturity.Meaning — Our relationship with Purpose (soul).
Listening for what life is asking of us, our personal myth and offering our unique gifts in return.
Adventure — The spirit with which we walk every path: a willingness to risk, to explore, and to be transformed.
We are all hardwired for purpose.
Jonathan Gustin has a useful frame for understanding purpose: there are three types - ‘default’, ‘created’ and ‘Soul purpose’.
Most of us live our lives in and from default purpose, which is inherited from our culture, school or family and conditioned by our childhood defence mechanisms. In lieu of anything more substantial being available, this is what we default to.
At some point we recognise the cost of following someone else’s script is too painful for us. So we create or construct our own purpose.
Although I hugely important step, this still comes from our ego personality and cannot lead us to our highest evolution.
Soul purpose, however, is a surrender to what is calling us. It is revealed to us from the depths of who we are; an image we were born with.
It is also known as ‘the pathless path’, because we don’t know where it might lead us. But we can be sure it will be a way bigger life than our ego can possibly imagine.
“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s”
Here is a metaphor I think can bring this all to life.
Many people I work with find themselves in the harbour. It's familiar and secure, but soul crushing.
The motor and cruise ships promise a safe and predictable passage through the shipping lanes to a known destination. They serve a purpose, for a while, but soon become too small for us.
We only find our authentic way when we answer the call of our lighthouse, leave the harbour, hoist the sail and allow ourselves to be guided to the open sea by the winds and currents of our own Soul.
We encounter waves, storms and doldrums, the challenge of which reveals what we are truly made of. We have the adventure of our life, that is to say, we recognise that which we seek lies within us. Old identities dissolve. We are changed forever and come back to the harbour to integrate and share the gifts and wisdom we now know are ours to give.
When the time is right, we do it all again and again, until we are saturated with Soul and meaning.
If we stay in the harbour and shipping lanes, despite the promise of security and comfort - we stay frightened, lost and comfortably numb.
I am in the process of writing a ‘starter kit’, which will dive into all of this more deeply, as well as introducing the compass, or wayfinders, that help us navigate the five pathways and the open sea.
The video of my latest workshop - From the harbour to the Sea - can be found here.
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