“What is really going on out there?”
I have to ask from time to time, because there are thoughts swirling around in my head, apart from my own ongoing thoughts that say that ‘there are no thoughts going on unless I put them there.’ Yet, they are there all the time, and I‘m not putting them there!
Confused? Yeah, me too.
In his book, The Soul’s Code, Dr. James Hillman suggests that we are each born as if an acorn, with our life’s core essence already given to us inside that metaphorical acorn. It’s like everything about us, as for the oak tree, is already inside each acorn, so we are left at the effect of the kinds of nurturing or soil, to which we are subjected.
It doesn’t mean that we are already a doctor, plumber, sailor, or author and so on. It means that we have a tendency that it would be wise to express, in order to live a life we love. That tendency will be a distinction or a ‘being-ness’ that could be ‘harmony’ or ‘freedom’ or ‘adventure,’ or many others.
It means that our acorn seeks the fertile ground for that particular expression to blossom.
We are all capable of providing that nurturing foundation for each other, except that someone has taken our acorn and plowed it into the ground that is owned by society. Something it wanted us to grow into so we would be useful to that society’s culture or commerce. Grease the wheels, so to speak. But more than likely, not what we truly would have cherished doing with life, if it weren’t for those damned monthly bills and expectations of others.
There is a good explanation, and even some exploratory exercises, contained in a book that will soon be on the market, called ‘Authentic to the Core – Remember Who You Are. Discover What You Love. Be True to Yourself.’
Is it important to remember who we are? Well, if we look at the world, the planet and its societies, and use that as a scorecard, then what we have done and are doing with our lives has resulted in the ‘score’ being what it is. Do we like it? Does it serve our essence?
When I was a kid, and someone told me I was ‘smart,’ therefore should ‘go into law, engineering, economics, etc.’ they thought they were doing me a favor. They were concerned about my ability to survive economically, be able to support a family, have a nice home and move in the appropriate circles in society. And? And? (Insert visualization of hamster running on treadmill.)
Okay, I did that stuff. But, what matters most is that I am now expressing my life as an amateur blogger, learning to write, play music and even paint. I need communities that allow me to grow and be nurtured in those things that I love and had set aside so many years ago…..and for me, that is really what matters in my life. What matters in your life, if the money monkey was off your back?
Perhaps by listening closely to some of the voices or thoughts that are running, we might recognize little pleas from the soul for what one author refers to as ‘follow your bliss.’ That would really matter!
Rich