Life is… a Bowl of Cherries!

Live Your Dream, Now! is the throughline to Life Paths, a handbook for life mapping which should be forthcoming within the next year. This credo of “Live your dream, now!” highlights how important it is not to put off your Life Dream or future aspirations into a nebulous future but, rather, to live NOW according to the values and intent of your Life Dream, Here and Now. You can live INTO your future as a dream fulfilled by focussing on developing your current Strengths and being mindful “every day in every way” about who you are choosing to be, expressing from your core identity and nature.

Along with the metaphor of Life is a Bowl of Cherries, this month we will pair the archetypal Ally persona of the Golden Child, which is the universal archetype class associated with the sign of Leo and the month of July.  What an aprt conjunction this one is! The GOLDEN CHILD is a part of Self who knows whom s/he IS and may express itself forcefully or in a charismatic manner based on a positive self-knowledge amd capability, with great competence. Who better to assert Life to be a Bowl of Cherries than this, yourself as a Leonine Golden Child?

Life is a Bowl of Cherries as a life metaphor reminds us to embrace and to enjoy who we ARE and what we HAVE, right here and now. Yet I expect some readers–including myself in some respects this week as I am involved in a struggle currently to help my ailing elderly mother to cope with painful, life threatening effects from late stage Parkinsons–might appropriately question the sheer optimisim of such a credo. Is it then a mere platitude to declare life to be cheery, always positive, like “a bowl of cherries” even while facing the most dire of circumstances? What of all those well meaning people and animals for whom, indeed, life appears to be anything but happy, abundant or carefree? Is holding to such an optimistic mantra no more than a Polyannish attitude requiring one to “bury their head in the sand” or, worse, to DENY the more bitter realities of life in the “Real World”?

That is a vital question, and one I have similarly heard from people who question Joseph Campbell’s parallel credo of “Follow Your Bliss!” Again, what of those for whom the chance of “attaining Bliss” of any sort seems remote?

I must answer for myself that while the world as a whole will always remain a harsh training ground at every stage of life, even for those with the highest achievements or wearing the most rose colored glasses; nevertheless it can be helpful to focus on the positive. Life metaphors can serve as positive affirmations that orient our outlook to look for the GOOD in life–to see the BEST in ourselves and in others–and when necessary, to see the silver lining beyond the clouds.

I believe that human beings–perhaps all Beings–are wired to pursue and when possible to manifest “self-transcendence,” even in the most dire conditions. I recall a TV drama with Dick Van Dyke (check out his recent https://www.youtube.com/embed/hoPugqYMISM“>dance videos at 89!) portraying a homeless man in a big city. This character was a man of the deepest character: kind, gentle, self-sacrificing and ultimately happy in his life. He embraced a life of service and gratitude and he focussed on the positive potentials of every state of being, every condition, every relationship in his life.

So, life CAN be a bowl of cherries, if you CHOOSE for it to be so. And you can discover your Bliss anywhere, as everywhere you stand is Holy Ground as long as you stand mindfully and take in the bounty of the moment.

I welcome your insights and stories!

 

Open Mike

So are you clear about what I mean when referring to your own Archetype Allies? These are your at least partly submerged or unconscious “parts of Self” that compose aspects or facets (like alternative “faces”) of your personality. As a cultural anthropologist I would say that you develop some archetypal potentials rather than others as you acquire ROLE IDENTITIES.  For example, in romantic relationships you may develop your LOVER archetypal potentials; as a doctor you may draw upon the HEALER archetype; or as a writer you are likely to express the universal archetypal potentials of a COMMUNICATOR.

Still in all, while everyone has the potential for expression of all twelve of the universal or primordial classes of Archetypal Persona forms (see the wheel below, based on Dr. Charles and Nin Bebeau of the Avalon Archetype Institute), most of us will express some of these as dominant modes versus others, and the form of expression will vary based on your situational experience and other personality factors.

An approach I work with a lot myself and encourage through coaching via the Life Maps Process that I will be presenting in the upcoming book, Life Paths, is a technique I call Archetype Dialogue practice. One stage of this process I call “Open Mike.” To get to know some of your archetypal dispositions or members of your “ensemble cast of Archetypal characters,” you can simply contemplate upon a topic that is meaningful to you, perhaps a question involving an upcoming decision or a possible transition in your life, or a goal.  “Sink into a reverie” sort of state; that is, allow yourself to “descend” to a subconscious awareness level, and invite your archetypal subselves to speak out in their distinctive voices or from various of your own dynamically complex points of view or attitudes.

You can also invite any one of your archetypal allies to step up to the “open mike” about a topic of relevance to its specific outlook. Since we are closing this month’s focus on the COMMUNICATOR archetype in association with the metaphor of Life is Heeding the Call to Realize Your Dream, I invite you to call upon your unconscious COMMUNICATOR persona one more time. Invite the COMMUNICATOR aspect of your Self to speak up about a topic relating to your own Life Dream or a significant GOAL. You can engage your COMMUNICATOR inwardly via active imagination and then record your experience in your journal or as a story, or you can directly transcribe a dialogue with your COMMUNICATOR in a dialogic writing mode.

Allow me to briefly exemplify from the perspective of calling forth my own COMMUNICATOR persona:

LW:  So are you there, Communicator? What shall I call you?

C: Call me what you wish, I do suppose. I am quite adaptible, after all. How do you wish for me to express myself Now?

LW: In your Writer mode, I guess, for Open Mike.

C: About what topic, then?

LW: The upcoming meeting with our Agent.

C: But of course.  I would emphasize how important it is for us to be clear with her and to LISTEN VERY WELL. Communication is a two-way street, and this is a rare, golden opportunity for you and for all of us, to Listen and to Learn.

LW: I hope this meeting can result in the project going forward, the proposal being sent out soon.

C: Yes, but please do let the Moment reveal its own potentials. Trust in Spirit; have faith in your inner as well as your outer guidance to reveal what is needed of us next as stewards of the book’s most effective emergence into publication.

LW: The faith of the mustard seed, do you mean?

C: Or of the Acorn, as we have talked about previously with our MYSTIC Ally.

LW: So, why the Acorn?

C: Acorn has within its seed nature the capacity to grow into a mighty Oak, its roots descending deeply into the nurturant Mother Earth while its branches reach far upwards toward the Heavens.

LW: You took that metaphor from Stranger by the River by Paul Twitchell.

C: Indeed, yes I did! But I added the Seed metaphor, as you have been thinking about how the life mapping Tools are also seeds.

LW: Beautiful! Okay then, together here we go…

C: We are Multiple, yet together we are One!

******   ******

I welcome YOUR insights and stories!

(As I am traveling, my next post for this site will be on Tuesday to begin our new monthly cycle.

P.S.: The meeting went well !!!)

Establish Your Goal Totem

One valuable tool–or, Seed–that can support your commitment to realize your purposefully meaningful life Goals is finding or creating a Totem and keeping that symbol with you or in a special place you visit often. A TOTEM is a symbolic token that represents some value you associate with your Goal or it may represent a personal Strength you draw upon in the process of manifesting your Goal.

A carefully selected or creatively composed Totem stands for something meaningful to you. It focusses your love and your dedication and intention to accomplish your worthwhile  mission, purpose, or goal. It may focus your commitment to be of service to others in realizing your Life Dream.

Your Goal Totem might be a spiritual or religious emblem or it could be an animal figure representing those personal qualities by which you aim to realize your Goal. You might fashion your totem as a piece of jewlery or clothing that you can wear and hence keep close to your person daily. Or it could be a collage you create or pictures you assemble and place in a personally meaningful place as a reminder of your intentions and Goal.

I welcome your insights or stories!

Spelunking Your Cave

Consider how you are looking for a sign–aren’t you, anyway?–about a significant change or a transition you are approaching in your life. [Name it! You can use or start your “manifestation journal”.]

Now then, imagine you can simply “sink down” within your well of unconscious awareness, into a safe, cozy, half-lit CAVE. Perhaps you have a campfire in your cave or you are holding a torch that illuminates the chamber.

On the walls of the cave there are pictures and/or words put there by your own Communicator archetype Ally.  S/he has left a message on the wall of the cave for you. This is an important message which will help you to make a key decision about your future.

What message do you see on the cave wall? EXPLORE!!! Later, you can contemplate and journal about what you find.

I invite your Comments and your stories!

The Blog

Blogging has become–for now, for me–a primary mode of communicating. Whereas I used to journal profusely, apart from dream journaling, book editing and working on scholarly article projects, I find that when I sit down to “just write,” almost invariably since I started this blog, it is a “post” that emerges.

Blogging is a vital genre for sharing and for self-exploration. Any writer desires to connect with readers, and blogging is a ready form for reaching a general public. I find that when I sit down to write a post, my inner Communicator archetype persona is an Ally, a part of Self that knows what to write about next as an unconscious wellspring. I love to observe this process, to allow the blog-author within myself to gradually unfold and unwind the archetypal and self-discovery/ personal development topical themes around which this blog site is focussed.

 

After 370 posts since November 2014, I am somewhat bemused to see how the blog ‘voice’ has taken on somewhat a life of its own. Hopefully some of you have tried out some of the life mapping tools being presented. I want to thank every and any reader for helping to facilitate this particular Muse!

 

Your Communicator as Writer

A writer is first and foremost a Communicator, so being an author is an archetypal profession. What archetypal forms of the Writer/Communicator do you draw upon in composing your manner of writing?

Some authors might emulate the communicative style of a well known writer whose works they admire. This can help initially to establish a narrative “voice”; however, ultimately your own unconscious Communicator, as your archetype Ally, can more genuinely articulate your unique point of view.

What are you passionate about? Draw from that. Allow your inner Communicator persona to express through your writing your most authentic Self.

 

Consider then how you can tune into your Communicator part of Self. Archetypal Dialogue is a simple way to connect. Simply imagine your Communicator archetype ally as an individual point of view within your unconscious makeup. Establish a conversation, either by active imagination or via direct journaling, alternating between your conscious and this usually subconscious perspective.

I welcome your insights and stories!

A Message for You

There has never been and there will never be again, ever in the entire course of human history and spiritual existence, another YOU! Your Beauty and the sum of your individual experiences have created a unique blend of perspectives and qualities that define you as the expression of a gifted Soul.

There is a reason, a purpose for your unique Self being in this world at this time. Your Mission is to realize your special gifts for the highest betterment of All.

Message in a Bottle, Part Two

Did you open and read your “message in a bottle” from Tuesday’s self-development tool at this blog (see A Message in a Bottle for You)? When I used this tool myself this week I found it to be surprising and extremely helpful. The message-in-a-bottle came to me via an active imagination or contemplation mode as a non-verbal but clear awareness. It helped me see something about my own recent behavior that I had not recognized before. I realized how I had invited myself to a situation with someone else (my agent!) in a way that revealed me as trying to control or manipulate a process that is really up to someone else to advance.

So, my message-in-a-bottle exposed me to a “secret” that my unconscious COMMUNICATOR was able to deliver; a secret which otherwise I would have remained in DENIAL about.

There is more to my story, too. A few weeks ago a trusted friend jokingly called me a “control freak”. This was in relation to my writing advertisements for some spiritual events which I coordinate here in my local community. I didn’t understand why she would say that; no one has ever described me that way before and I definitely have never thought of myself that way. Now in retrospect, her statement was a waking call in itself, something that might be called “golden tongued wisdom” or a waking dream that presaged the message in a bottle insight.

Maybe my inner COMMUNICATOR has been trying to get my attention for a while now!

As I like to practice taking an active role in responding to my own dream images, unconscious promptings and inner spiritual guidance, I responded this week by honestly contacting—by email—the person I had been overly ‘controlling’ toward. Whatever follows, so it goes.

It is often helpful to respond actively to inner promptings. It can help you to make progress in your life as well as to remain open to further promptings and dream insights. Acting in tandem with your inner Archetype Allies or inner guidance that you trust in any form and paying attention to dream and waking dream messages can provide the inner steering you may seek, even when it leads you to insights and awareness that challenges your complacency or your own longstanding ideas about yourself.

I welcome your insights and stories!

A Message in a Bottle for You

“The world is full of people

who have stopped listening

to themselves.”

-Joseph Campbell

Imagine you are alone on a desert island and a bottle with a message rolled up inside it drifts up onto the beach. You pick up the bottle and to your great surprise, it has YOUR NAME written on the label!

Uncork the bottle and pull out the message. Have a seat on the beach and READ YOUR MESSAGE.

It is from your very own, unconscious, COMMUNICATOR Archetype Ally.

What does the message say?

I welcome your insights and stories.

Your Communicator Ally

Consider there is a part of yourself we can call your COMMUNICATOR, an archetypal aspect of your total Self identity. That means you have developed an “archetypal” mode of expression that you can draw upon unconsciously when you aim to communicate well. Of course, if your COMMUNICATOR part of self has been inhibited or is conflicted then this may actually interfere with your communicative style until or unless you recognize these issues and work through them to a condition of greater awareness or balance.

Are there some situations in your life in which you rely on your inner COMMUNICATOR and in which you feel more—or, less—confident communicating? When does your COMMUNICATOR feel most competent? Least? What issues may be coming up for you with the latter?

To model addressing such questions, let me share here just a bit. I feel most comfortable “as” a communicator in a classroom or lecture type setting (pairing Communicator skills there with my dominant Teacher persona), or in the process of writing, or else in conversation with a close and trusted friend.  One of my best friends, Jan, really taught me HOW to communicate as a friend; she encourages me to be open about feelings and from her I have become a better listener, so this pairs COMMUNICATOR with my NOURISHER persona. When writing, I tap into  my spiritual or MYSTIC outlook.

In all then, I find COMMUNICATOR is a versatile archetypal aspect that pairs well with several other facets of Self.

I feel least comfortable communicating when I feel I may be judged or scrutinized. Then my Communicator turns inward, pairing with my reserved, Descender character. I have always felt Silence to be a valuable form of communication especially when used to be introspective or to refrain from talking inappropriately. Silence, in the right form, can be a generous, thoughtful act. Of course, it could also be used to withhold trust or honesty.

It can be helpful to listen to your COMMUNICATOR if you are feeling restraint or fearful about self-expression. You can contemplate or journal to tune into your unconscious archetypal “Assembly” to see what your COMMUNICATOR may need. Sometimes It just needs to be heard!

I welcome your insights and stories!

Have You Had a Wake Up Call?

 

 

Here’s a wise statement posted 6/2/15 on theseeds4life blog:

The distance between Dreams and Reality is called Action – Unknown

I have long been a proponent as an ECKist of taking ACTION on your clear dreams, both your goal “dreams” as well as your nightly dreams or even also your visionary daydreams.  When you work consciously with your dreams over time, you can receive many direct insights.  I’ll share some basic examples here (though do be mindful to hold your most profound dream “gifts” more to yourself; as sharing them can dissipate their strengths).

 

As we are focusing this month on how to “heed the call” of our own higher—or future—Selves in order to know what direction to take toward realizing our own better endings, I’ll share about one of these sorts of inner promptings. Some 3-4 months ago, as I woke I ‘heard’–though nonverbally, just through a direct awareness or impression: “9 Years”. I understood immediately that this meant if I would stop drinking soda I could save nine years of my life. I had been drinking soda at that time rather liberally, so this message struck me very clearly as a “wake up call.” I needed no further prompting; I inwardly agreed and committed to stop the soda habit, “cold turkey.”

NO  MORE 

However, the lesson was not yet finished. That next week I purchased some naturally sweetened fruit juice drinks with light carbonation that seemed to me like a fine alternative to the unhealthier “soda pop” drinks I was giving up. But that night, guess what? As I woke I saw a bottle of this drink in front of my inner vision, with a label pasted across the front of the bottle that simply read: SODA! I returned the carton I had purchased that day, and so far since then, I have been gratefully true to this inner gift of awareness that made personal sense to me. Now I mainly drink water or unsweetened iced tea!

 

So, listen! Have you had a wake-up call? What action is it calling for you to take?

I welcome your insights and stories.

 

 

So, Listen… to Your Self!

So Listen; imagine right Now that your future Self—which is your present Self enhanced by visionary projection—is calling out to You, beckoning for you to realize Its (i.e., your own) potentials! Quantum Physics, after all, reveals that Time is an illusion so that past-present-future coexist in Nowness. Yet the future may appear as an arc of endless possibilities; which one you realize along the trajectory you are tending toward via your present awareness is UP TO YOU!!! Yes there are spiritual Guides and mentors to help you recognize the positive potentials available to you as portals into your most Self-realized future, but you have to be able to ACCEPT the LOVE that can bear you in the “right” (or your most desired) direction.

So, Listen! What is your Soul helping you to realize; what direction does it wish for you to take? Is there a decision you are now facing or a transition you aim to pass through that your future You can help you understand?

What do you feel is essential in order for you to feel your life will have been fulfilled and fulfilling for you and for your loved ones based on decisions and transitions you can be embarking upon Now?  This can include “mundane” aspects of your daily life like diet and exercise or where you choose to live but it can also include deeply profound choices like what spiritual practices to maintain or what habits to break for the sake of your future health and wellbeing.

So, Listen. Listen to your dreams, as they might provide the guidance you seek about steps to take now to ensure a better tomorrow. Listen also to your longings, your yearnings.  Don’t put off til tomorrow what you can begin now to create the future of your desire. The more active you are now in determining positive motion in the direction of realizing your goals, your Life Dream, the more likely you are to achieve and fulfill your purpose, your mission in this life.