I have been honest about those waves of insecurity that sometimes smack me in my face, shoot up my nose, and make me sputter. I know, though, that resorting to any other course of action than that on which I have embarked is an Ego cop-out.
Oh, Ego cop-outs are easy enough to justify and to very many people make more sense and appear wiser. However, let me share this with those who face rough waves from time to time (and we all do). Try evaluating where the Ego course of action will lead you to. I analyze pretty astutely, and I know for a fact where Ego action of abandonment of Heart-purpose leads: to despair, to regret, to resignation to all those philosophers, counselors, friends, fiends, and family who said it would never work, you could never do it. What I can’t do is to divine how your Heart may work. I believe it would work in things with which you are familiar, in terms you understand, that make sense to you. That’s how it works for me, usually through literature. My mind and soul, under the direction of Heart, which I invoked, took me to literary periods. Weird for most of you, right?! But perfectly natural to me. A reconnection with my lit teaching past. I don’t make up this kind of stuff; it would be a stupid made-up illustration for most of you. I hope that by sharing it, you may have an example of how very practical Heart can be. I thought about literary periods that seem to apply. The Age of Reason and Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Realism are connections, and this morning they framed the way I was thinking. The Age of Reason and Enlightenment, in general, looked at and was guided by logical thought structures. Many brilliant people, thinkers, and leaders emerged from this time. However, the literature and art of the period conformed to strict structure. Of course, a lot of great scientific, sociological, and political thought originated then, but ultimately, it all emanated from and rested on all the logic folks could muster through purely brain reasoning. It made them search for answers, but little to no credence was given to the soul expression, a good Ego power play. How did this work for me this morning? I could rationalize by considering the current challenges I face and justify walking away from this writing endeavor (can’t call it a gig because it pays nothing!). I could present a logical, philosophical, unimpeachable foundation for another course of action — IF I allowed Ego to be my operating system. It would be a solution palatable to anyone — who didn’t care about my soul. The genre and period of Realism, on the other hand, does not seek to find solutions or really even ask questions. It’s more like a journalistic reporting of the sucky, dark side of life. It leads to bleak, depressing, and supposedly realistic outlook of human existence. In a way, it can be cathartic, but the best and very well-crafted works leave the reader feeling that’s the way life, my life is. Realism takes us to the realm of inferiority, and for me, I could look at the work of others and just give up, no struggle, just despairing resignation to my inabilities. This is Ego on the flip side, producing feelings of inferiority and hopelessness in humanity. The Enlightenment literature gives one superiority through the machinations of the mind, supreme confidence in our ability to think through anything and arrive at a solution. Ego plays both ends against the middle. Ah, I’ll take the middle. Give me Romanticism, in which Nature is looked to as a mirror in which we can observe the human condition, our nature, that opens the experience of soul and individuality, of idealism and hope. Romanticism gives us connections to the eternal depths of our soul through connections and reconnections to Nature as we reflect on that and apply that to human nature, including in our closest form to the ideal, that of a child. (Another principle of Romantics is to question authority and see if it isn’t egotistical and therefore not to be obeyed.) These reflections and applications in Romantic literature serve to give understanding and to cause us to seek purpose and lay hold of it — carpe diem! Romanticism lays hold of Heart-truth. Our core essence, Heart, is beauty and perfection. We come into this existence to reconnect with that source of eternal Spirit we are part of and that is part of us. Like I said, I could have invented a more relatable example, I suppose, but this was my experience. Listen to how your Heart would encourage you in times when you may be Ego-tempted to leave that which produces your core, your greatest happiness. (Hint: that will not be in another human but rather that which emanates from within your total being.) Create your Purpose and just do it in terms of happiness. Don’t attach to the outcomes; don’t dictate to the Universe exactly what will happen. We can, however, lay claim to how we want to feel, walk in that direction, and be blessed in the little, everyday acts that give us joy and blesses this Universe. Oh, by the way, I did work on my novel today, as well as further development towards my final version of the ebook. And it made me happy! Blessings!
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Questions to consider:How many times have you asked yourself or simply thought about the following questions?
Who am I, really? What is my truth? How do my actions reveal what I really feel and believe? What would I do with my life if I could do anything? What is my passion? Why am I here? How can I discover answers to any of these questions? If you have considered any of these questions, I hope that my experiences and writing will give you some guidance. Please read my blog and comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Archives
December 2019
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