A Question of Purpose

A practical, conceptual foundation that would have you build a desired, desirable life of substance with style is ultimately a question of purpose. One might begin by asking these standard questions: what would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? If I were financially free, where would my interests lie?

More specifically, in terms of desire, what do I want to do? In terms of ability, what can I do? In terms of purpose, what should I do? In terms of need, what must I do? Obviously, such questions as these are best answered when one feels rested and relaxed, refreshed and restored.

Sentence prompts can also help: e.g., the seven things I most want to do in this life are ... the five things I can do most easily are ... the three things that I feel I should do are ... and the one thing I must do is ... These prompts need not be completed in any particular order - only that they be completed.

Allowances in First Person

In addressing structure and purpose in relation to substance and orientation, I feel compelled to begin with these allowances for myself; perhaps these affirmations resonate with your own sense of what you need or desire as you make a life of satisfaction and fulfillment for yourself:

I allow myself ... to live, love, lead ... my life ... on my own terms ... in every way possible ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely. I allow myself ... to occupy a position ... in a place where ... I can be, have, do, and become ... whatever I will or desire ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely. I allow myself ... to bring the substance of soul and the orientation of spirit ... into harmony ... with the purpose of my life ... knowing that structure determines behavior and purpose unifies destiny. I allow myself ... to establish the structure of my life through the purpose of my life ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely.

Ekos Sacred is the realm of encounter where we cultivate quality of soul. This is where we get our substance and sense of meaning. Eros Divine is the realm of experience where we celebrate vitality of spirit. This is where we get our orientation and sense of direction. When we mindfully balance soul and spirit with heart, keeping in mind that the body is a vessel for soul and a vehicle for spirit, the result is twofold: involvement and engagement.

Whatever we do mindfully, we do purposefully. When we cultivate quality of soul through involvement with the subjects and objects of our interest, we feed soul with sacred encounters, and when we celebrate vitality of spirit through engagement with the subjects and objects of our experience, we feed spirit with divine experiences. Encounters with soul give us encounters with mystery. Experiences of spirit give us experiences of mastery.

As we'll see in subsequent posts, the ultimate mystery and ultimate mastery lie at the heart of who and what we are.

On Being and Becoming

If I forget myself in action, could anything that I say or do matter? If I move ahead without hesitation, could anything that I think or feel matter? If I move forward without any purpose in mind, could anything that I gain or keep matter? If I follow my bliss and go with the flow, could anything that I have matter?

Or must I always be aware of what I'm saying, of what I'm doing, of what I'm thinking or feeling, of gaining or keeping, of having or discarding? If I am always and forever in a process of being and becoming, in a process that satisfies my every need and fulfills my every desire, what could possibly matter?

One response might be that no one need can always and forever be satisfied and that no one desire can always and forever be fulfilled. Also, if I satisfy one need, another looms large; if I fulfill one desire, another rises to takes it place. But if I already know that more needs and desires present themselves even as I satisfy more of my needs and fulfill more of my desires, what is to stop me from wisely crafting my very own process for being and becoming? What would stop me from crafting a process of being and becoming that would satisfy any and all needs and fulfill any and all desires, even as they present themselves?

The key to crafting such a process lies in bringing the substance, structure, and orientation of my life into harmony with the centrality of purpose, keeping in mind (at least at the beginning) that harmony between the substance of soul and the orientation of spirit requires a stable and happy marriage between structure and purpose.

Structure determines behavior. Purpose unifies destiny. The time has come to cultivate Ekos Sacred and celebrate Eros Divine.

Letting Go, Letting Be

Knowing that life is a [....], my purpose in life is to ...

When I did this exercise, I came up with three responses, all of which resonate deeply with three different aspects of me: Life is a beach; Life is a woman; and Life is a process. Knowing that life is a beach, my purpose in life is to ... live my life to the fullest. Knowing that life is a woman, my purpose in life is to ... love her with all my heart. Knowing that life is a process, my purpose in life is to ... go with the flow and be a part of this wondrous process.

In less than two minutes, the heart of my soul, being deeply feminine, knew exactly what she wanted from this exercise.

Just before I did this exercise, I received a heart-warming newsletter from a woman accomplished in the visual and healing arts. She had returned from the Peruvian Amazon, where she had spent a month in the wilds with a group of shamans. She remarked: "feeling the grace of the river, the exquisite green of the forest, the warmth of the air, combined with the simplicity and heartfelt presence of the shamans, I decided to pay more attention to my lifestyle, to relax and enjoy more, each and every moment, letting the flow of the river, the Divine breath, to guide and inspire me in each moment and situation."

She went on to say that healing (physical, emotional, spiritual) occurs with a relaxed attitude from a place of humility, faith, surrender, and playfulness. She added: letting go and letting Divine Grace emerge from within is our only task and destiny. In essence, I would agree with her with all my heart and soul. I would, however, qualify her statement somewhat, phrasing it as follows: "letting go is our most important task; letting be is our ultimate destiny."

All that we encounter, and contrive to encounter, contains relevance for soul; all that we experience, and contrive to experience, carries significance for spirit. Paradoxically, however, letting go requires hanging on; letting be requires clapping hands.

Paradigm and Purpose

Sublime intent, a feature of life lived constructively and creatively, reflects and requires a balance between the sacred and divine dimensions of life, which in turn reflects and requires a constructive and creative paradigm.

A paradigm conditions the course of a life to either reflect or produce a purpose. "Life is a beach" is one such paradigm. If life is a beach, then I would do well to follow my bliss. Consequently, the purpose of such a life is to contain and carry whatever keeps me in a state of bliss.

"Life is a game" is another such paradigm. If life is a game, then I would do well to play it with consummate skill. To play it with such skill might mean to win at all costs, to advance as far as possible, or to come out on top at the end - all of which condition the way I live, love, and learn.

Here's a chicken-and-egg question for you. Which comes first: the purpose or the paradigm? Do I already have a purpose waiting to be found, and so choose a paradigm that serves to realize this purpose? Or do I choose a paradigm and then find a purpose from within the paradigm?

As an exercise, complete this sentence stem: "Life is a ..." Keep going until you feel completely satisfied. For example, life is a beach, life is a game, life is a puzzle, life is a journey, life is a mission, life is a contract, life is a vision, life is a .... Choose one that resonates with the heart of your soul.

And then, complete the following sentence stem, and keep going until you feel completely assured: "Knowing that life is a [ ], my purpose in life is to ...”

Purpose, Practice, Presence

It has been said that the present moment is all that really exists.

But it just isn't so.

Existence encompasses so much more than the present moment.

Think about it.

When I sit, dry and content, and watch rain fall, in front of an open window, I can allow the present moment to saturate my awareness of myriad sights, sounds, and smells occasioned by the rain.

There is no past, present, or future to think about: no encounter with depth, no involvement or engagement with breadth, no experience of height.

Save the depth, breadth, and height of my awareness saturated by the effects of a downpour.

When I am present to the present, the present blesses me with presence. In the presence of Presence, serenity and clarity are most welcome.

But again, existence encompasses so much more than presence in the present.

Practice, especially transformative practice, requires moving out of, and away from, the present moment, into involvement with the past and engagement with the future. With practice, I am called to involve (at the very least) my awareness with my memories and to engage (at the very least) my awareness with my intentions.

Perceptually, I can only be aware of my memories and my intentions in the present moment, but conceptually, these memories acquire a past and these intentions create a future when I move my awareness out of, and away from, the present moment for the sake of practice with a purpose in pursuit of knowledge, skill, and experience.

Perceptually, I make contact with the present moment through the sensations of my body. Perceptually and conceptually, I make contact with the past through my memories and the future through my intentions. Perceptually or conceptually, my sensations are no more real than my memories and intentions.

Which means that the past, present, and future exist in equal measure when I give equal attention to my sensations, memories, and intentions.

To say that the present moment is all that exists is false; to say that the past and future exist only in the present moment is false.