Week One: Life Purpose & The Thread of Guidance
FIRST ACTION STEP: BUY A SACRED BUSINESS JOURNAL TO WRITE YOUR RESPONSES TO THE WEEKLY GUIDEBOOK EXERCISES. THE EXPERIENCE OF WRITING WITH PEN AND PAPER CONNECTS YOU TO THE TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESS, IN ADDITION TO WRITING ON THE COMPUTER, IF NEEDED.
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man or woman could have dreamed would have come his or her way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Goethe
Goethe's words above describe the natural principles of life on planet earth.
They are not just inspiring ideas. These are laws of physics-in-action.
As you step more deeply into your vision, you create a wake behind you,
the same way just like a motor boat on a lake creates a wake.
The energy of that wake has a gravitational or magnetic pull;
it pulls from behind whatever is necessary and relevant for the journey.
This program and this community will support you to stay focused
on creating an intentional wake that will pull together the resources you need
for your meaningful work and most inspiring life.
----
What internal changes have you already felt,
since you registered for this program?
And, what changes have started to emerge in your life and work already?
Take a moment to write your answers in your Sacred Business journal.
They are not just inspiring ideas. These are laws of physics-in-action.
As you step more deeply into your vision, you create a wake behind you,
the same way just like a motor boat on a lake creates a wake.
The energy of that wake has a gravitational or magnetic pull;
it pulls from behind whatever is necessary and relevant for the journey.
This program and this community will support you to stay focused
on creating an intentional wake that will pull together the resources you need
for your meaningful work and most inspiring life.
----
What internal changes have you already felt,
since you registered for this program?
And, what changes have started to emerge in your life and work already?
Take a moment to write your answers in your Sacred Business journal.
Now...
Welcome to the first week of our journey together! Smile a big smile in your heart. You've arrived.
My goal, as your guide, is to support you to connect to the deepest, most inspiring, and, therefore, most powerful vision in your life, and then, to begin to live it.
To do this, you need to feel clarity around your sense of purpose and meaning. And, to find clarity in these core areas of life - meaning and purpose - requires a willingness to ask powerful questions, such as:
Welcome to the first week of our journey together! Smile a big smile in your heart. You've arrived.
My goal, as your guide, is to support you to connect to the deepest, most inspiring, and, therefore, most powerful vision in your life, and then, to begin to live it.
To do this, you need to feel clarity around your sense of purpose and meaning. And, to find clarity in these core areas of life - meaning and purpose - requires a willingness to ask powerful questions, such as:
- What brings a sense of purpose into my life?
- What gives me a feeling that my life is meaningful?
- What supports me to feel that I am here - here, in this body, here, on this planet, here, at this time in the evolution of our planet, for a reason?
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS PROGRAM:
#1: Become aware of what you are focusing on
Be very careful and mindful about what you read, what events you go to, what movies you watch, what news you pay attention to. Start to narrow your focus on what is truly important to you, so that your focus becomes more powerful. In short, prioritize.
#2: Be mindful of when you say "YES" & "NO":
You gave a powerful "Yes" by joining this program. And, there will be more forks in the road. Be conscious of how you use "Yes" and "No." Notice what you say "yes" to, and what you say "no" to. When you say "yes" to one thing, it also means you are saying "no" to a number of other things. Just be aware.
#3: Take Yourself Seriously, Show Up For Yourself, and Prepare for More Responsibility, Now!
Believe it or not, the Business skills are actually the simple part. Its the development of your character - your inner resources and belief in yourself - that will actually translate into taking practical action.
The key is to understand the deep truth that your presence in this world is of the utmost importance to the enterprise of life itself. As this belief seeps into your bloodstream, you naturally begin to take yourself, your vision, and your meaningful work, seriously. You begin to "show up" in your own life in the ways that are important to you.
For example, is it hard for you to be on time? Is it hard for you to keep commitments that you say you are going to keep? Commitments to yourself and to other people?
Why is that? Why is it so hard to keep commitments?
It comes back to being honest with yourself. There is a part of yourself that doesn't take you, your vision, or your meaningful work seriously. If you did, you would show up on time. Do you see the connection?
So, I'm not asking you to be on time for me. I'm inviting you to be on time for yourself.
And, as you start to move from that place of self-respect, you build the capacity and confidence to take your gifts, your vision, and your meaningful work seriously.
I invite you to start behaving as if you already have a great deal of responsibility.
Doing meaningful work - whether you have your own business or work in an organization - means having a great deal of responsibility. By focusing on building this capacity of taking yourself seriously and taking responsibility now, you will be able to hold the new responsibilities that come to you with grace and ease.
#4: Take Advantage of the Power of Intentional Community
In nature, roots that are dormant (have fallen asleep, so to speak) are literally awakened by roots that are alive and actively growing. This community will awaken aspects of yourself that may have been dormant. And, there are aspects of yourself that will awaken others in the group. This is the power of intentional community and healthy ecosystems!
A Cultural Context - Why are programs like this even necessary in our culture?
The fact that you are not satisfied, nourished, inspired with your work is both an individual issue and a cultural issue. When 80% of professionals are not happy with their jobs, who is responsible? Well, of course, we each have ultimate responsibility for the choices we make in our life, but the cultural context that we are in is not designed for us to find meaning in our work. It is important to remember that. You are going against the grain of our culture when you say “I want my work to be meaningful.”
This means that its important for you to be very gentle and compassionate with yourself as you move through this process because you are a pioneer of the emerging culture of sacred business.
Quite simply, you wouldn’t need to take a program like this if the larger culture supported you to find meaning in your workplace.
So, what is happening in the world today?
Our culture is collapsing right now.
This has happened before over the last 10,000 years (i.e. Egypt, Greece, Rome). All around the world empires and cultures have concentrated power and then that power became so concentrated and intensified that the institutional structures began to crack, crumble, and fall apart.
So, what is a healthy, intelligent response to this situation? How can we be the shoots of grass that are growing up through the cracks in the pavement? Where do you turn when the culture is falling apart?
First of all, what does it mean that our culture is falling apart? Why does it matter to you, as an individual?
Well, where do you belong if you don’t have a culture?
This disintegration of culture stimulates a deep questioning of our identity - our sense of belonging.
So, where do you turn for that rootedness?
You turn to the deeper regions of the individual SELF, within you, and you look towards the further reaches of the Cosmos, including nature, the stars, and your expansive sense of belonging as part of the Universe, and as part of Creation.
Through this focus, we create an experimental culture, much like a petri dish in a science lab, where we have the ability to introduce the elements of healthy cultures that will support us to grow into healthy individuals.
This has happened before over the last 10,000 years (i.e. Egypt, Greece, Rome). All around the world empires and cultures have concentrated power and then that power became so concentrated and intensified that the institutional structures began to crack, crumble, and fall apart.
So, what is a healthy, intelligent response to this situation? How can we be the shoots of grass that are growing up through the cracks in the pavement? Where do you turn when the culture is falling apart?
First of all, what does it mean that our culture is falling apart? Why does it matter to you, as an individual?
Well, where do you belong if you don’t have a culture?
This disintegration of culture stimulates a deep questioning of our identity - our sense of belonging.
So, where do you turn for that rootedness?
You turn to the deeper regions of the individual SELF, within you, and you look towards the further reaches of the Cosmos, including nature, the stars, and your expansive sense of belonging as part of the Universe, and as part of Creation.
Through this focus, we create an experimental culture, much like a petri dish in a science lab, where we have the ability to introduce the elements of healthy cultures that will support us to grow into healthy individuals.
Now, what is the first step?
First, before looking towards where you are going, it is essential to explore where you have been and where you are now. Why?
The process of finding and connecting with the root of your purpose, requires you to track the path that has led you to this moment - to this place in your life.
Tracking the Thread of Guidance
To move forward, you must track the "thread of guidance" that has woven itself through your entire life - from the moment you were born right to this very moment.
In this first week, I invite you give yourself spaciousness-in-time. This means to give yourself time and space to find the silence inside of you, where you can track this "thread of guidance."
Just like a hunter who tracks the footprints of his or her own sustenance, as you find the tracks - one by one - that weave the threads of your life together - listen to your feelings.
Can you hear the inner voice telling you what life experiences have been most meaningful and purposeful thus far?
In this first week, I invite you give yourself spaciousness-in-time. This means to give yourself time and space to find the silence inside of you, where you can track this "thread of guidance."
Just like a hunter who tracks the footprints of his or her own sustenance, as you find the tracks - one by one - that weave the threads of your life together - listen to your feelings.
Can you hear the inner voice telling you what life experiences have been most meaningful and purposeful thus far?
“When seeking our purpose, we find it is alive - encoded within us. It is one with who we are. It calls to us cellularly, and it nudges us through obvious attractions that draw our attention. Once we have unified with our purpose, we naturally magnetize that which supports its unfoldment. From the vast realms of infinite possibility, all is attainable! As we open to receive from Source - the Source which provides all - resources and synchronistic opportunity are gracefully attracted. We find that others are drawn to the same cause and we are never alone on this journey.
Oneness decrees: there is only one moment - the ever-changing now. As the now shifts, so must purpose transform as the moment directs. No purpose is too small - every act serves the grand weaving of reality. In a continuous stream of energy, not a single movement can be insignificant! Ultimately, when investigating what our purpose is, let us know: true purpose must serve the Oneness. We all serve the Onenes by serving the now, with sincerity and heart.”
-Eden Sky, 13 Moon Natural Time Calendar
THE FOLLOWING STORY WILL HELP YOU FIND THE TRAILHEAD TO YOUR THREAD OF GUIDANCE:
Once upon a time there was a child, still growing in the womb of her mother. In the months before she was born, she was visited in the womb by an angel. There, in the warmth and silence of the mother's body, the angel taught the baby all that it needed to know for its particular life purpose, path, and mission. The angel taught all the great wisdom teachings of the child's culture of origin, including, the rituals, the holidays, and the deepest truths of wisdom. The baby absorbed all of it, just as it took nourishment from its mother. But suddenly, as the baby was about to be thrust into the world to eat and breathe on its own, the angel struck the child on the upper lip, and all the teachings were instantly forgotten. The quest of her life was to remember all that she learned from this angel in the womb of her mother, before being birthed into this world.
What does this story mean?
Ancient wisdom traditions teach us that each of us is a unique and essential human being. We are here for a reason - and not just any old reason - a very specific and particular reason - to express our unique gift and play our role in the community. To help the tribe - Native American teachings tell us - the elders would look at the baby as it came into the world, and based on a number of factors, they knew what role they would play in the community, what need they would fulfill. I heard this story, about the baby learning from the angel, while growing up in the Jewish community, but I know that there are similar stories and teachings in many different cultures from around the world.
This story creates a useful context for me to introduce the first Spiritual Principle that we will be working with:
I AM HERE FOR A REASON
I invite you to say this aloud right now. 3 times. Feel it reverberating in your vocal chords and throughout your body (when I say it 3 times, it makes me smile, and I feel a burst of energy all throughout my body).
Action Step: Be with this principle all week.
1. Write these words down on a flashcard or piece of paper and post the card at your desk or where you work during the day.
2. When your thoughts are not serving you during the week, take a breath and say, "I am here for a reason."
Once upon a time there was a child, still growing in the womb of her mother. In the months before she was born, she was visited in the womb by an angel. There, in the warmth and silence of the mother's body, the angel taught the baby all that it needed to know for its particular life purpose, path, and mission. The angel taught all the great wisdom teachings of the child's culture of origin, including, the rituals, the holidays, and the deepest truths of wisdom. The baby absorbed all of it, just as it took nourishment from its mother. But suddenly, as the baby was about to be thrust into the world to eat and breathe on its own, the angel struck the child on the upper lip, and all the teachings were instantly forgotten. The quest of her life was to remember all that she learned from this angel in the womb of her mother, before being birthed into this world.
What does this story mean?
Ancient wisdom traditions teach us that each of us is a unique and essential human being. We are here for a reason - and not just any old reason - a very specific and particular reason - to express our unique gift and play our role in the community. To help the tribe - Native American teachings tell us - the elders would look at the baby as it came into the world, and based on a number of factors, they knew what role they would play in the community, what need they would fulfill. I heard this story, about the baby learning from the angel, while growing up in the Jewish community, but I know that there are similar stories and teachings in many different cultures from around the world.
This story creates a useful context for me to introduce the first Spiritual Principle that we will be working with:
I AM HERE FOR A REASON
I invite you to say this aloud right now. 3 times. Feel it reverberating in your vocal chords and throughout your body (when I say it 3 times, it makes me smile, and I feel a burst of energy all throughout my body).
Action Step: Be with this principle all week.
1. Write these words down on a flashcard or piece of paper and post the card at your desk or where you work during the day.
2. When your thoughts are not serving you during the week, take a breath and say, "I am here for a reason."
“If you don’t share your gift it will be lost. You are the only one that can do it.” - Michael Maede
You are at the top of your ancestral pyramid. In other words, you are the evolutionary pinnacle of all of the lines or your ancestors. Your ancestors are depending on you to evolve your ancestral lineage. Everyone who has come before you wants you to succeed, not just for your own sense of fulfillment, but also because everything that you achieve and heal in this lifetime also impacts them, back through the generations, and forward into the future.
The only way to heal the past (and the future) is in the present.
Keep a Journal of what new perspectives emerge from engaging with
The "I'm Here For A Reason" Principle over the course of this week.
PRACTICE FOR WEEK ONE: Fire Ceremony
If you are doing this practice by yourself, use the recording from our call. The practice begins at minute 45 on the Week One Medicine Circle Call Recording.
THIS WEEK IS ABOUT LETTING GO, OFFERING UP & BURNING AWAY WHATEVER IS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR THE MORE EXPANDED LIFE THAT YOU ARE STEPPING INTO.
Practice the Exercise that we did during our Medicine Circle Call at least once this week, either by yourself or with a partner. If you are doing it with a partner, have your partner guide you as I guided you during the Circle.
STEP ONE: LIGHT A CANDLE
Using an actual flame will help you to connect with the fire within you and make the transformation process more real.
STEP TWO:
Take a minute to connect with your breath, and your heart. Say "I am here for a reason" silently, 3 times, in your heart, and let yourself feel the feeling in your heart that emerges when you truly do feel that you are here for a reason. Describe this feeling to your partner.
THIS WEEK IS ABOUT LETTING GO, OFFERING UP & BURNING AWAY WHATEVER IS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR THE MORE EXPANDED LIFE THAT YOU ARE STEPPING INTO.
Practice the Exercise that we did during our Medicine Circle Call at least once this week, either by yourself or with a partner. If you are doing it with a partner, have your partner guide you as I guided you during the Circle.
STEP ONE: LIGHT A CANDLE
Using an actual flame will help you to connect with the fire within you and make the transformation process more real.
STEP TWO:
Take a minute to connect with your breath, and your heart. Say "I am here for a reason" silently, 3 times, in your heart, and let yourself feel the feeling in your heart that emerges when you truly do feel that you are here for a reason. Describe this feeling to your partner.
STEP THREE:
Imagine that their is a "heart chord" extending out of your back, and begin to see it as a path for you to walk on.
Walk back through your life, all the way back to your birth. From birth until now. See your entire life. Just witness how each experience led to the next, and how there is a fractal pattern at work in your life.
STEP FOUR:
Now, begin to walk back to the present moment, from the past, and see yourself carrying all of the baggage of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, habit patterns, survival skills - all of what you have learned and put into practice in order to arrive at this point in your life.
As you walk back to the center of your heart, see that there is a bonfire at the center of your heart, and imagine yourself walking towards the fire.
When you arrive at the fire, begin to offer the fire that which you have been carrying and using up until now that no longer serves you.
Offer it all up to the fire with gratitude. Honor these aspects of yourself that have served you in getting to where you are, but which you know will not be useful to you on this next leg of your life journey.
Describe what you are experiencing to your partner.
When you have finished making your offering for now, ask the fire:
"What is a useful action for me to take that is emerging from this practice?"
As you listen to the fire in your heart for guidance, allow yourself to be surprised. Resist the urge of letting your mind give you the answer.
Describe what you are heard to your partner.
As you walk back to the center of your heart, see that there is a bonfire at the center of your heart, and imagine yourself walking towards the fire.
When you arrive at the fire, begin to offer the fire that which you have been carrying and using up until now that no longer serves you.
Offer it all up to the fire with gratitude. Honor these aspects of yourself that have served you in getting to where you are, but which you know will not be useful to you on this next leg of your life journey.
Describe what you are experiencing to your partner.
When you have finished making your offering for now, ask the fire:
"What is a useful action for me to take that is emerging from this practice?"
As you listen to the fire in your heart for guidance, allow yourself to be surprised. Resist the urge of letting your mind give you the answer.
Describe what you are heard to your partner.
STEP FIVE:
When you are complete, say "thank you and goodbye-for-now" to the fire. Then, releasing both the image and the feeling of the fire, come back to your body and breathe. Rub your palms together and wipe your face as if you had a warm wash cloth. Slowly open your eyes.
Share your reflections on the exercise and speak your commitment about taking your next action step.
Practice #2 (Optional): Writing Exercise
Have you ever reflected on how experiences have come into your life?
"I wouldn't have met this person, unless I saw that flyer on the wall, and I wouldn't have seen that flyer on the wall, if I hadn't decided to go to that workshop that particular day, and..."
This is how we can track the thread of guidance back through our entire life, and see, "Yes, I have had a quality of guidance in my life that, up until now, I haven't given much focus to."
In this mentoring program, we are going to bring a great deal of focus to this thread of guidance, and see what happens when we do acknowledge its presence in our lives.
In this writing exercise, count your blessings, appreciate your assets, celebrate all that life has offered and given you thus far; all that you have received and taken. And, give yourself permission to create a new story for your life, one that empowers you to see the thread of guidance, always at play, in your life.
After reflecting on this thread of guidance, write reflections on the following questions:
Write for at least 3 to 5 minutes on this topic, and post a draft "Statement of Life Purpose" on the Facebook Group Page (Click HERE to go to the Facebook Group right now!)
"I wouldn't have met this person, unless I saw that flyer on the wall, and I wouldn't have seen that flyer on the wall, if I hadn't decided to go to that workshop that particular day, and..."
This is how we can track the thread of guidance back through our entire life, and see, "Yes, I have had a quality of guidance in my life that, up until now, I haven't given much focus to."
In this mentoring program, we are going to bring a great deal of focus to this thread of guidance, and see what happens when we do acknowledge its presence in our lives.
In this writing exercise, count your blessings, appreciate your assets, celebrate all that life has offered and given you thus far; all that you have received and taken. And, give yourself permission to create a new story for your life, one that empowers you to see the thread of guidance, always at play, in your life.
After reflecting on this thread of guidance, write reflections on the following questions:
- What is my purpose?
- What is my reason for being here, in a body, on this planet, at this time?
Write for at least 3 to 5 minutes on this topic, and post a draft "Statement of Life Purpose" on the Facebook Group Page (Click HERE to go to the Facebook Group right now!)