“…Some Kiss We Want…”
“There is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of spirit on the body…Seawater begs the pearl to break its shell…breathe into me…open the love window.” ~ Rumi
My neighbor teaches environmental studies at the local university. Recently he lent me the book entitled Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. This is a research-based exploration of human actions involving past and contemporary societies that collapsed, and those that live on.
The author suggests that individuals and communities wanting to survive, persist, and at times thrive, are best served by living in accord with the “nature” of their Natural environments. Those living at odds, move through processes of human indecency, ugliness and starvation en route to their collapse, their deaths.
My work orients around the personal and spiritual ecology of individuals, and groups of people. As such, the book prompted a deeper inquiry into the “nature” of my Nature and how confluent my life is with it. I looked, too, into the “nature” of others’ Natures. As with geographical regions, there are patterns and generalizations that can be inferred regarding people too. Yet, like each locale, each person requires her or his own recipe for achieving and maintaining an ecology of one’s own.
Contrary to popular rhetoric, we do not live in a one-size-fits-all world. “Truths,” if there are any, are space/time/context specific. They are not transferrable. What is “real,” if there are “real” things, is not generalizable. The majority of us do not live in confluence with the “nature” of our individual Natures. Our cultures impede such things. Remedying our alignments are worthy and honorable endeavors. I suggest that we recognize that this epoch’s moment is inviting us to direct our intent and attentions to this end, living genuinely.
Diamond’s book also invites us to look at contemporary circumstances through a life and death lens and to do so personally, intimately. Are our actions but repeated patterns of those whose societies collapsed? The author suggests that our contemporary actions are not without precedent. I ask, are we blithely walking in lockstep with an age-old inherited ignorance?
Yet, this is not my point. We know these things. Our unconscious denial keeps this knowing from our conscious awareness. My points are:
1. Individual awareness precedes necessary collective action. With rigor, we can become aware and choose differently.
2. The manner in which we live today arises from an unwitting orientation that Life itself is a problem to be solved. As consequence, we have centered our lives in problems, and identified ourselves as problem solvers. This position and identity is antithetical to life.
A wise mentor of mine informs that opportunities arising from problems are themselves closing structures. In other words, the opportunities themselves collapse before bearing fruit. Pursuing them does not serve! Such pursuit but squanders our attentions and energies. In the context of problem solving, opportunities whose structures open, do not present themselves. These opportunities arise from orienting a life on the frontier of creative self expression.
One of the greatest boons in my life involves the humbling and life changing epiphany of discovering that I had positioned and identified myself as a problem solver – in my existence, not simply in my work. The design of my personality and the models around which I have orbited have had a problem solving bent. I am damn good solving problems. I find stellar and uncommon solutions.
My epiphany also revealed a richness that awaits from another mode of existing and living: that which results from orienting and moving in concert with a universal wisdom and intelligence that I creatively express in my life. This involves embodying the Muse herself. This birthright is inclusive. Everyone can get not only a visa but a residency card for these places.
Collapses in our societal structures are natural outcomes of collapses to our individual internal structures. Neither Life nor people are problems! Life is expressive motion. Our lives are expression. We ourselves render them elegant, gracious, aesthetic, or not.
In my earlier post “Perspective Shift” of 21 May 2012, I wrote about our internal nemeses, those aspects of our personalities rendering ourselves our own worst enemies. This post is an entry into a mini-series of posts in which I offer models and skills for freeing ourselves from the ancestral and cultural constraints, those which our individual nemeses perpetuate within each of us.
Well said Stephen, as ever!
Hi Stuart. With your awareness and keen facility of articulation, this is a high compliment. Thank you! What is it you Brits are fond of saying at junctures such as this…Cheers!
I want to learn more now, thanks for inviting me in…….
Interesting thoughts and observations.. Maybe if man concentrated less on material gain and more on spiritual gain, the world would maybe be a happier place x
Thank you Stephen for the invite to read your blog today. I have had a personal struggle within myself the last couple days. I agree it does not serve the higher self to pursue something once the opportunity has fallen away. It is wasted energy. It may resurface again, but not at this present moment. Again, sometimes, it may be best to take a step back and sit in silence and allow the answers to manifest themselves than to become impatient and force an answer that just may not be there which would in itself cause the wrong outcome. But, then again, is anything EVER wrong. It may not be what you want at that moment, but maybe it will lead to a different turn on your path of of life. Kudos, Stephen. Much love and light, blessings!
All what you have said is true. Our society is living in denial and we all need to Awaken and discover our true selves. This is part of my Path for my awakening happened with my own Death in March so I things the way that you describe them. Also look at our past as a society. As I time travel I am learning for God says, “In order for you to fix the future you must first learn the negatives of the past.” You are on your path to creating awareness, which is deeply needed.
as a spiritual being, whose perspective on human life is learning and karma-based, getting things right or wrong is not what is of importance, what you learn along the way is what counts….a harmonious based society is beautiful, but limiting in what it will teach you…to grow as a soul i believe it is necessary to make mistakes…lots of them….mistakes are out greatest teachers, successes are celebrations,….let us celebrate our failings, and love our imperfections… It surely is a complicated thing balancing the Nature of the Planet and the Nature of Human Beings, as they are two different consciousnesses, so there will always be conflicts between the two. To free oneself of cultural or ancestral constraints and be in the presence of Divine Creative Expression can only be successful when one understands that it much be tempered with the understanding of Limitation of Situation!
Peace and light
Very interesting, thank you for allowing me to read Stephen. I will take a look at your other blogs.
Hi Stephen,
For myself, I have already been watching the “death of certain cultures” I’ve never actually spoken about it out loud, because, well .. I thought everyone could see it. I didn’t know it was only myself and other enlightened beings that could see it. Similar to speaking with spirits, it’s normal for me so I just thought everyone did it. Once again, a resounding .. “nope” I have seen the patterns of destruction that certain nations are following and see them dying in a similar manner as the ancient egytians, the mayans, the atlantians, the romans. It’s such a breath of fresh air knowing, it’s not just me these things really are happening.
Very insightful, Stephen! Your closing statement left me wanting more…I look forward to your thoughts to come; thank you for sharing.
It’s an interesting concept I agree with Stephen. Life itself revolves around cycles which dictate our thought & actions & it’s up to us individualistically &/or holistically how & where the cycle will take us, it’s the way we react to a given cycle that determines its reactions & eventual conclusion.
We think we are serving ourselves in these cycles but we are really holistically enacting with a particular cycle to build up on a new species, in this case called humans. I believe we have all done this before while living in different emotional cycles…Love all Mathew
Hi Stephen thank you for sharing this with me. At the beginning of 2012 I was consciously blocking the nature of my nature if you will. Quite simply it was as simple as taking a job just for the money, supposedly a ‘tentative plan.’ Working there was like being a polar bear in the Bahamas, every day a blistering test of my resolve. Also everything in my life began to spiral out of control once I accepted this role. I went deep inside myself, asking, how can bring peace to this situation? I should tell you at the time my ego was too big to quit. Then I got hit by a car on my lunch break. Let’s say the structure finally collapsed. Now I am at complete peace, never again to position myself as the one to deny the nature of my nature.
I just had to share my little story, your words certainly reminded me of just how much pain living a disingenuous life will bring you.
Mathew, thanks for your comment. I invite you to consider that I never intend (nor do I want) to write about “interesting concepts.” I, instead write to point to empirical experience. Here I do not mean psychological experience, but rather, in part, I direct you to the experience of your five ordinary physical senses – the raw experiences of feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing – the phenomenology (direct experience) of your life! This is the beginning of learning what is the nature of one’s own nature. What does my body love? What does my body want to do? How is it happy?
Yet, too, the physical sense experience is only a part of the primary experience I point myself, my clients and readers to – to learn the nature of their natures. The most important experiences, I believe, are those raw experiences of involving non-ordinary perception – the ones that are entirely intellectually indefensible. The experience of feeling or seeing what decision to take – the feeling or picture that presents itself instantaneously before thought and concept enter. The feeling of knowing what is right for you. The feeling that informs you not to fly on a particular day, then later you learn that that flight crashed.
Your conceptual awareness, although necessary, will be the last to know the nature of your nature. Awareness of this begins with non-ordinary feeling and awareness, knowing things that do not fit what we have been taught are rational and logical ways of knowing. Bodily awareness is next. Then the conceptual. If you want to learn about this wisdom, ask a woman. Those who have been subversive enough to retain this part of their nature are masters at this. Most however have gone underground with their prowess, at least in the workplace.
I wish you well, and take good care.
Thank you Catrina. Give a look at my response to Mathew’s comment. Just a thought.
We Native Americans believe that everything that breathes on the earth has a life, a spirit. and a name. This is what our ceater has given to us.
“As a man thinketh so is he.” ~Abraham On the individual basis they call this the basic Law of Attraction, but on a global or regional level it is a collective whole. Same principal law, but on a grander level. I totally align with this writing and have often felt we are often our own creation or demise. Thank you Stephen for this refreshing look at a societal whole…further allowing me to look within.
Well-articulated Stephen! This blog is very thought provoking and interesting. It prompted me to think that I have lived the majority of my life experiencing similar experiences. I do not view opportunities as opportunities; I view them as another presentation from my past that has come to my future to test my progress of wisdom in this life. Just as I do not believe in coincidence, again I view it as an event planned exactly in time, exactly when I am most receptive to learn or teach from the event, person or experience. I have learnt that due to all my experiences of life being very similar, that my purpose has been shown. This is my lot in life per say! Thank you for inviting me to read this. Aroha
I enjoyed reading your Blog. I love being out in nature. I don’t care for all the materialistic things anymore. When I see a big city it looks ugly to me with all the buildings and pollution. I would rather be out in God’s beautiful nature any day.
My first visit – beautiful site – lovely people! The Rumi quote about the pearl reminded me of some writing – hope it is ok to post as it is YOUR site – and I am not au fait (yet!) with the protocols –
Spiritual Inspiration: The Pearl written 6.5.05 (by Pam UK)
The Source. The Power. The Light. Trust it! Accept it – and go with it.
Sceptics are entitled to remain just that – and I am not making any great claims about ME, for it isn’t about me at all. It is somehow tuning in to a Source that brings the words to help someone, comfort them, uplift with laughter, reinforce a thought they already have… What that Source is can be interpreted in many ways.
We cannot SEE sound waves – but they exist. Some may say we tune in to Earth Energy, or Solar, Stellar, Lunar Power (I hadn’t meant to write past “Earth” but, again, words race!)
Some would say Great White Spirit. Some would say Power of Allah, of Krishna, of Buddha – or of God.
What is prayer but benevolent and loving, fervent, heartfelt thought, in reverence – and a longing, a yearning, for intervention from a greater Source, a greater Power?
It is not the name of the Source, the Power that matters – it is the LOVE in our asking that is important; it is our motive, our intent, our reason.
Just as our medical doctors have an oath that includes “we must do no harm” – so it is with our thoughts, our prayers, even what we term our daydreams.
Think no harm. Pray no harm. Dream no harm…. and naturally…. do no harm.
Irritation is natural, we are all prone to it in different ways – but remember it is the irritation in the shell that creates the pearl! Without the irritants there would be no pearls.
Think of the beautiful colours of the Mother-of-Pearl (nacre) – those silvery greeny-blue colours, that wonderful translucence and light reflection……………….
Be as a pearl! Let your irritation nestle in those beautiful colours reflecting light. Let that light nurture you, as you add the layers to become the pearl that is YOU.
You too will have that translucence; you too will then reflect upon others.
Remember also that pearls come in many hues, many sizes – we are not strung in a strand of same size, same colour pearls. We create something far more vibrant when we mix those different pearls and shine next to each other, reflecting upon the others, as they reflect upon us.
And where did this beautiful necklace come from?
From IRRITANT, from PAIN.
Developing and growing; held fast in the beautiful Mother-of-Pearl – protected – developing, growing to unique wholeness…. until ………. the shell releases the pearl.
And then that pearl has a place to find, or to be placed, to show its lustre, to reflect that light of its Creator – to add to the beauty of the world.
Excellent site for universal cosmic communications
Thank you, Stephen, for another interesting post. I agree with both of your points. Individual awareness is vital. We all have the power to choose differently and to make a huge difference. Life is a miracle. Miracles don’t have problems, so there is nothing to solve. Think miracle and enjoy life. Love and Light!