The Humbling of Purpose, the Insight of Visioning

After the last blog about my story of getting clear on my purpose I was struck by a number of conversations with some readers.  During the ensuing conversation one comment really jumped out at me and reminded me of something I'd forgotten about in my own journey; how overwhelming it can be to start the journey of working out what one's purpose should be.  I was reminded that when we start delving past the ego into the Truth of who we are, to that part of us that is Source, we may begin to experience all sorts of resistances, subtle or gross. 

Doing work on purpose is not an exercise that should be taken lightly.  On one hand, we may find ourselves experiencing the flow of inspiration as we effortlessly pen our purpose.  On the other hand, we may sit down only to stumble upon a pile of blank rocks blocking the way.  Now that I think about it I believe I had quite a lot of rocks to move before my purpose revealed itself.  And as I indicated in the blog on purpose when you find your soul's purpose you'll know.  It'll move you in a beautiful way.

When looking to clarify my purpose I uncovered resistance that was about worthiness.  Some lofty ideas had started to reveal themselves through the process and it wasn't long before feelings around self-worth started to emerge.  This is not to say that everyone will face this same challenge, just that my journey has involved significant doses of low self-esteem.  A number of people in my younger years got me to agree that life is hard, that I wasn't worth much and that I would always struggle.  But then I am far from being alone in having heard such beliefs and, in the innocence of youth, making an agreement with them.

And so when the conversation turned to a sharing about reading the blog on purpose and feeling overwhelmed I was reminded of more details in my own experience.  I remembered that before I had come to a realization of purpose I had tried visioning. 

Visioning is a process that was refined by Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith.  Simply put it's about the coming together of meditation and questions asked of that part of us that is Spirit to reveal more about purpose.  The questions below were significantly inspired by him, with only minor modifications on my part. 

Rather than delve into the thinking or history around the process of visioning I now offer it for your consideration.  Don't take my word for it.  Try it out for yourself.  If it works, and you get clarity around your purpose, then let us know.  And if it doesn't work for you, then set it aside.  Please leave comments regardless of the outcome.  There can be much we can learn from the shared success or differences of others.

Meditation and Visioning
You will need to get your journal (or some paper) and a pen for this.  Writing is an important part of visioning. 

Begin by making sure you are physically comfortable.  Now focus on your breathing through the nose.  Maintain this focus on your breathing.  Observe the breath as it enters your nostrils, as it pauses at the peak of full lungs, and then continue observing the breath as it departs your body.  You may notice that your breathing softens and becomes lighter.  However, do not try to control your breathing.  Just observe your breath exactly as it is.

Do not be concerned with thoughts that enter your mind.  If you should realize you've forgotten to focus on your breathing smile to yourself; for in this realization you have now gifted yourself the opportunity to return your awareness to your breath.

This focus of the breath can be a great way to soothe an agitated mind.  Do you feel relaxed yet?  Excellent, then continue.  When doing work on visioning it is important that we have a relaxed state of mind.  When you feel at peace, with a calm and relaxed mind then continue.  Spend as much time as you need to reach this state.  There is no time limit to meditation and if you need to come back to this another time that is perfect as well.

Now shift your focus to your heart.  Instead of focusing on the physical sensation of the breath focus instead upon the physical sensations around the heart area, at the centre of your chest.  As you proceed through the following questions be aware of any sensations, emotions, feelings, images, sounds, memories, ideas, visions or even smells that arise.  Open your eyes and write down whatever comes to your awareness. 

1. What is the highest vision or Divine idea for the expression of my Soul purpose?
2. What must I become to be an avenue through  which this vision manifests?
3. What must I release?
4. What must I embrace?
5. What must I commit to, in order to live this vision?
6. Is there any other information that wants to be revealed in this moment?

After asking each question return your awareness to your breathing for a few minutes (I liken this to the equivalent of tasting the ginger in between sampling a sushi cucumber or tofu roll - this brief focus on breath will be like cleansing your mental palette and clearing the path for the next question). Once your mind is still once more, return your focus to your heart area before asking the next question. Repeat this process for each question.

Like any practice it is pointless to predict if this will work for you.  My only advice is to try this visioning exercise.  If it works for you, if it conjures inspiration and ideas then that is wonderful.  If you try this exercise and have questions then please feel to comment below or email me at carmien_owen@shaw.ca.  And if nothing seems to happen then do not be concerned.  In fact, during my first attempt at visioning nothing much came up at all.  I seem to recall feeling a discomfort in my body and nothing of note.  If you really feel this doesn't work for you then set it down.  However, if you can I suggest that you keep trying and regardless of the apparent success or failure.  And if you do find something in this tool that works for you then know that visioning is more than a one-off exercise.  It can be something you do several times a year.

Know the Flow and be happy.

What's My Purpose? A Way to get Clear on Why

If you've ever asked yourself, why am I here, did you fail to come up with a meaningful answer?  Are you currently struggling to manifest an experience that lines up with what you know you really want?  If the answer is yes to both questions you may want to read on.

Have you ever read a vision statement and been confused by it.  A high level and long-term vision that's hard to understand doesn't strike me as a good foundation for inspiring myself each day.  But I think a vision is more than simply a pie-in-the-sky paragraph.  For me a vision should clarify why I'm here, how I'm going to go about living my purpose and how I will think, speak and act as I go through life.  In this blog I am going to focus on the first step of building a personal vision by answering the first question, what's my purpose?

In my experience, one of the great challenges to creating a life that really excites us, a life that pulls us out of bed and turns work into pleasure, is knowing what we want. Even if we do get clear on what we want, what happens if our desire turns out to not be quite as satisfying as we originally thought it would be when we get it?  Personally, I want to be inspired about the life I live and the work I do. I want to be clear about what I do and why. I want to have a vision for myself that clarifies all this.

Perhaps the challenge is that on a personal level we need to get clearer about why we are doing things rather than where we are going?  Perhaps this is why visions so often end up clouded and unclear?  A couple of years ago I went through the process I'm about to share with you.  The result was my purpose statement:

My purpose is to inspire and serve the transformation of knowing Love.

How did I get to that?  Well, I started by thinking about what I really wanted to do in life, my self-determined reason for being in the world.  In my case I had begun training to become a Licensed Practitioner (RScP) with the Centres for Spiritual Living and was very clear that I wanted to do two things.  Firstly, I wanted to get my own life in spiritual order.  And secondly, I felt a deep yearning to serve others in doing the same.  I realized that I needed to get clear on an overarching reason for being.  It wouldn't do to have someone else tell me this, or to read about it.  I would have to delve into my experience to get to the heart of it.

The first realization was that with spending so much time focusing on spirituality I needed to define what spirituality meant to me.  After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that spirituality for me is about the transformation of knowing Love (and note the capital L - this refers to unconditional love, the Love of the Divine).  In that moment it became clear; all my work, all the classes on the path to becoming a spiritual coach, were all about transforming my knowing Love in my life. 

As I dug deeper into my own purpose I realized I came back to the yearning I had to serve others.  As you have no doubt already experienced as we deepen in our spiritual awareness we begin to realize that we're all connected.  In turn, this connection reveals compassion and a deep-rooted desire to help others.  For a long time I have been driven by a feeling of compassion as I see the suffering of others and have committed to a lifetime of service in a spiritual capacity.  I arrived at the realization that I would love to help others realize what I've discovered for myself.  And so the idea of inspiring and serving came to mind.  It was a simple step to bring these two ideas together and in turn my purpose statement was born. 

It's been some two years since I developed my purpose statement.  I did make one minor change recently, tweaking the word support to serve. Your purpose may evolve over the years, but if it changes quickly or radically then maybe you've got work to do. 

In closing, get clear on what you really want to do with your life.  Is this something you yearn for?  When you think of this it should make you smile, make your heart leap, or both. Once you're clear then finish the sentence, 'My purpose is to...'  When you're done and you read it you should feel your heart move or a smile appear on your face.  Reading your purpose statement should leave you with a feeling of excitement, of certainty, and a knowing that you are clear on why you are here.  And you'll know you've got it right when you look at it a year or two later and it still moves you. 

The Quality of Compassion

I was on a meditation retreat when Osama Bin Laden was killed. As a consequence I got to read and hear about his assassination when I returned from days away focusing on awareness and equanimity. What I also recall hearing whilst away was that the harm we do to others we do to ourselves. For you see, we are all connected. We are all a part of an Infinite Spirit that gives us all life.

Imagine then for a moment the state of my mind upon being hit with newspaper photos and television images of people rejoicing in joy and screaming in delight at the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. And it has not ended there. In the press a debate is waging about the relevance of patriotism and the appropriateness of vengeance. There is a school of thought that because Osama killed so many that he deserved to be shot in the face, and that the release of his 'death face' photo is appropriate because it will bring a sense of closure.

I do not share these views. I will honour them as the choices of individuals but this tide of celebration at the death of anyone is not, and will never be, my choice regardless of the extent of their unwholesome actions. Why would I say this? In short, because I believe that compassion for all life is a paramount value and I am willing to go on the record to state this. I have compassion for those who were killed as a result of Osama's orders. I have compassion and love for those close to his victims that suffer.

However, when I think about the the harm Bin Laden did I know that in harming so many he harmed himself. There is another school of thought, one that I did not invent but I feel compelled to raise. This school of thought was taught by the Buddha and by many other masters. Simply put, one should have compassion for any agressor of any unwholesome action.

My mind boggles at the numbers surrounding Bin Laden's unwholesome choices during his life. I cannot begin to comprehend what it means to be responsible for the death of thousands. I cannot begin to comprehend the pain that many tens of thousands more have suffered as well. But I do believe that Bin Laden deserves my compassion. When I heard the news I cried. Why did I cry? Well, after a period of contemplation I have come to realize that I cried for two reasons. Firstly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of the victims. And secondly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of Bin Laden.

This may be a response that shocks you. Whether you agree or disagree with me you are invited to comment on this blog and share your opinions. However, before you post bear in mind that I am being guided by the idea that in believing in God I seek to emulate the qualities of God. I cannot believe that Spirit 'rejoiced' at Bin Laden's death and I do believe that compassion is a quality of God worth living in all moments, regardless of conditions. Just because Osama Bin Laden chose as he did does not invalidate that he was a living being, and as such an individualized expression of God. To celebrate his death is to set aside compassion and a knowing that everyone is God in action.

I choose compassion and loving-kindness regardless of conditions or opinions. Know the Flow as you go and be happy.