A CREATIVE WAY OF LIFE
“Whatever is for the highest good, I am open to the experience.” Aborigine Proverb
The cosmos charmed and enchanted humanity with a rare cosmic extravaganza and lights show during May 2024. An invitation to disconnect from all the drama, appreciate the beauty in life, and renew a sense of awe and wonder, it feels like a reminder to take a pause to break free from outdated outlooks and to explore other possibilities.
Geopolitical dilemmas continue to dominate the headlines, social media, and in person conversations. In so many ways not heart-based, it creates so much fear, anxiety, uncertainty, hopelessness, polarization, division, dissonance, misunderstanding, fragmentation, and hatred. False news, misinformation, and the misuse of AI and social media amplify volatility, confusion, and unnecessary uncertainty.
2024 is not only a leap year, it is also considered the election year, as globally, at least 64 countries (plus the European Union) — representing about 49% of the world population — will go to the ballots to determine and influence the direction humanity takes from here.
Something wonderful is Emerging
What can that possibly be? Is it even a possibility when we look at current world events? The magic that the recent cosmic events immersed us in is inviting us to look beyond surface events and open ourselves to a world of awe and wonder…
Civilizations came and went. New ways of being (human sensibilities and abilities), thinking, doing, living, and organizing ourselves were emerging during each rising civilization. Life is creative and continues in new patterns and constellations. Humanity is currently undergoing such a shift.
We do not have to go into fear, rather be curious about what constellations we would like to collectively bring into being, and which ones are outdated and had served its purpose. Also relating to public life.
Being alive in the 21st century, we have been blessed with amazing receptive and cognitive abilities to sense into this emerging civilization and can begin to explore how to reorganize our public life. What would be possible if we allow ourselves to unplug from mass consciousness and to get lost in a world of possibility beyond our wildest dreams?
Who and what would we like to be during this shift?
Imagine a world where the following is a reality…
Humanity is no longer expecting a few people to take the lead, create change, and make decisions on behalf of the whole that impact our future and well-being, and that of our beautiful planet and all living organisms and creatures. As that sadly creates impotent, indifferent, and fragmented societies and nations.
Likewise, not expecting activists and change agents to instill and lead change and transformation, stand up for justice, and fight for freedom against oppression, coercion, injustices, inequality, greed, abuse of power, corruption, self-serving leaders, panic-, fear-, and lack-based inhumane decisions, etc. The invaluable contributions, vision, passion, devotion, effort, sacrifice, and endurance of these amazing people, are deeply appreciated, honored, and respected, and the role they played to initiate this shift.
Now ALL are able to step fully into life and to go into creation mode, as in the emergence of self-leadership, and self-responsibility. Consciously and curiously exploring what reality we would like to co-create with our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, intentions, choices, contributions, actions, and interactions every day.
As a wise one, Rumi invited us, we let go of our cleverness (old ways of thinking, judgments, blaming, shaming, and opinions) and embrace bewilderment (intuitive knowledge and integrity, something that has heart and that we can live with).
Who and what is on our Personal Ballots?
The gentle invitation is to reflect on the following and to imagine the ripple effect it can have:
A Creative Way of Life
A way of life rather than a political system, mandate, constitution, and manifesto instructing us how to live. An election not only about voting, rather an opportunity for essential inquiry and reflection on how we would like to live and spend our days. Being before doing, thus an inner r/evolution before an outer r/evolution. Focusing on the ‘who’ we are invited to be now. That will inform and shape the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘how’, as in the system. Collectively, we are the system.
Each citizen embracing, creating, and embodying the life they would like to live and the ways they would like to actively contribute to the well-being of the greater whole, thus self-responsibility, expanded self=awareness, and active citizenship. An inner r/evolution before an outer r/evolution.
Mana
It is believed that ancient societies had two words for power, namely mana and taboo, thus the power which creates and the power which destroys, the power that is benign and the power which is malign. Odd that we retained in our vocabulary the word for dangerous power, taboo, and have lost mana. (Madeline L’Engle)
Are we embodying and voting for mana or taboo?
Giving up Victim Consciousness
An election is an opportunity to challenge our mindsets, behavior, and what we identify as. When we act like victims of a system, we are treated like victims and are oppressed. That means the need for a conscious quantum leap in awareness, thinking, and being. It is time to let go of the struggle and embrace life, lest we get stuck in feedback loops of suffering, stagnate in a certitude of absolutes, seize to grow, and are unable to transcend limitations.
Regression or Moving Forward?
Fear-mongering and deeply rooted in the past, politics can prevent us from moving forward and keep us captive in a state of infantile regression. A blaming, shaming, and guilt-tripping game, focusing on what is wrong and no longer working, we are not able to engage our incredible human genius and abilities, leverage what is thriving, working, and strong, explore other possibilities, and harness the opportunities in the present moment to co-create a better world for all. Our attention is either on wrongs of the past or fear of the future.
The past is no longer and the future is not yet. What will be possible if we bring our awareness and attention back into the present moment and all the opportunities it graciously offers us? Our feet are facing forward, not backwards.
Vote or Co-Create?
With broken, outdated, and misrepresented global political systems, we are invited to think outside the ballot box. The buck does not stop here. If it does, it means we transfer all our power, rights, and responsibility to 3rd parties, such as politicians and lobbyists.
Our votes surely count, yet how we show up in the world and what happens after our votes counts more. Our individual, community, and professional lives are countries in its own right, for which we are personally and collectively responsible. We are not mere tourists of planet Earth, nor bystanders, commentators, and spectators.
Does it have Heart?
Without a heart we are not alive. The heart serves our entire body-mind-heart system, and does not only serve certain aspects, or organs. Inclusive, harmonious, relational, and symbiotic in nature, there is a sense of connection, wholeness, and a love relationship going on between our hearts, minds, and bodies.
Is our choice life-generating, life-revering, all-encompassing, and something that will bear abundant ‘fruit’ for all, not only a certain part of society? Is it co-creative, reciprocal, and humane, or mere self-serving, coercive, and self-enriching? Does it promote relatedness, or is it transactional?
We bring about what we speak about
What is out of balance and not in harmony will not endure. Quantum Physics has taught us that we feed whatever we put our attention on. Energy flows where attention goes. We can unconsciously and unknowingly contribute to power struggles and imbalances in the world. Imagine what would be possible if we are more mindful where we put our attention, what we speak about, and what we contribute to as a result. What would the effect be if we return to a state of integrity and consciously participate in balancing energies and co-creating equilibrium wherever we are.
Begin as you mean to go!
We do not live in a bubble, or on an island. These global elections are way too significant to approach it with indifference, ignorance, and apathy, or to make tick in a box based on fear, past opinions, views, conditioning, and habits. What will be possible if we, globally, whether we vote or not, spend time to reflect upon some important questions, as the energy released through these events will determine the route humanity takes from here, thus affecting us all?
What would a world look like where our way of life, and as a result the ‘political’ process and system:
Reminds all of the wonder and beauty of life?
Stimulates optimistic impulses and is welcoming?
Elevates, uplifts, unites, brings together, and empowers?
Invites curiosity and fearlessness?
Celebrates and reveres all life?
Inspires trust and greatness?
Enables dominion over situations instead of domination over others?
What is our role and contribution in co-creating such a world? Which of these aspects do we embody, presence, and instill?
From Activist and Analyzer to Catalyst and Creator
We share more about this in chapter 7 of Sharing Corn — Leadership and Self-Leadership Journal — Vol 2 — Constructing and Embodying new Models of Understanding, published in 2021.
Email us here to receive a copy of this chapter, or click here to get access to the entire journal.
Aware, Empowering, Alive, Embodied, and Wise Decisions
How can we make such decisions? Our social bubbles and echo chambers can prevent us from seeing the forest for the trees. How can we challenge our perspectives and expand our perceptions? How can we transcend the doubt and fear that arise in such situations?
We do not have to go at it alone. An Embodied Applied Sensemaking Discovery Session, engaging our higher sensibilities and cognitive, somatic, and visceral abilities, can assist us to reconnect to the wonder of life, and to reflect upon these matters, gain perspective, consider the big unfolding picture, organize our thoughts, get clarity, discern, and make conscious, aware, embodied, empowering, alive, integrative, connected, and wise whole person, whole brain, and whole system decisions about the future of humanity and the greater good, and our contribution to that. Click here to schedule yours.
2024 is a Leap Year
May we positively and consciously contribute to the leap humanity is able to take in terms of a way of life where all can flourish and thrive, the birthright of every human being and our magnificent planet.
Let’s bring joy into all lives! It is possible!