iii. The Arc of a Life
The archetypal experience(s) of being human or - why the mid-life crisis is such a universal cliche…
iii. The Arc of a Life
Thomas Cole’s 4 Seasons Voyage of Life
You might be wondering at this point what comes after Finding. The answer is exploring and simply being. In a very real sense, people go from seekers to Finders and then on to explorers. Simply being in existence is amazing, and there’s no shortage of it to explore
Daily Review | Readwise
On a spiritual path working with different modalities that move forward in simplicity (though it may appear to be complexity - like mahamudra) the next question or feeling is often “ok I’ve done this, so now what?”
The question, as you move forward, morphs into “ok, so now how?”
The question ‘what am I doing’ loses its pull and interest. “How am I being” becomes much more alive, and focuses on the individual as a vessel connected to the whole, and therefore allowing that whole to come through based on how the individual shows up.
Sometimes our journey takes place in the context of a vital, mythologically grounded culture, whereby one feels open to and supported by the mysteries. Then one experiences purpose in being, a sense of harmony with the world and with one’s self—both the world and the individual journey are clothed in meaning. For so many more of us, our journey tak... See more
Daily Review | Readwise
What does a modern cultural grounding look like? Is modern culture even sufficient to ground a soul? (I don’t think so - the over emphasis on the individual has led to a severing of the connection to place, community, culture, lineage, religion, or any other larger narrative.)
We must use that hyper individuality to our advantage - dive deeply into the individual - who am I, what am I, what are the big questions that I’ve been taught to avoid about my place in existence, where and to what do I feel connected or disconnected in a self, other, system framework. Take what would feel selfish - a deep excavation of the self - and the way through the self will illumninate the connection to something bigger than the self.
Healing trauma involves recognizing, accepting, and moving through pain—clean pain. It often means facing what you don’t want to face—what you have been reflexively avoiding or fleeing. By walking into that pain, experiencing it fully, and moving through it, you metabolize it and put an end to it. In the process, you also grow, create more room in ... See more
Choosing to Face Our Pain
confront a kind of resilience that isn’t really about returning back to the way you were before, but is much more about reclaiming whatever new shape your form has taken. A resilience that doesn’t really ask us to forget, but that carries the memory of whatever harm or whatever fire we’ve been through. A resilience that carries that memory and stil... See more
Resilience Requires Flexibility
Resilience = emergence of something new, not a maintaining of the same
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