Finding and manifesting our highest vision in the World; a walk through the AQAL map.

My dearly loved teacher Ana Mari has never gotten tired of speaking about (and showing me with her life) the principle of: “Unidad de Vida, Sencilla y Fuerte”. “Sencilla” is not quite simple, but the “simpleness” that arises out of conquering complexity. The best way I can translate this is: “simple -harmonious- and strong unity of life”.

 Although I understood the truth to which it pointed, a “coherence between your inner truth and its outer expression”, it is only through the passing years that I have been able to live it, and realize that it feels as unobstructed self-expression by which we become a channel to our truest essence (which ever this is at any point and time).  

I will speak to this dynamic principle using the AQAL map to show the sequence by which the un-manifested becomes manifested, how does we-together add our own ingredients and shape the World we live in and how we can chose to offer the World the best we have (which changes as we develop). I will also explain how does the interaction with the World, points right back at us, so that we can make sense of our experiences, provide them with meaning and shape the way walk our inner path to self-discover, self-conquering, self-liberation.

It all starts at the UL, our interior dimension:

Our inner perspective is the cornerstone of the creative process and defines the taste our creations will have. Inside ourselves we find our beliefs, desires, values callings, meanings and motives. Many parts of ourselves will try to move us in a particular way and –indeed- our actions emerge out of a mixture of intentions. Yet, if we dare to be honest (and off course honesty is something that grows as we do), we will know our true intentions or at least have a pretty clear perspective of the most representative ones.

Before we go out there and change the World (and hopefully make it a better place) it’s indeed useful to have clarity about what moves us. Definitively: our consciousness altitude, our developmental lines and –very importantly- our shadow, will constantly seek to influence our behavior (UR), but through our increasingly clear perception, we can realize what are we really after. This is no small thing, on the contrary, it is everything: It is not what we do, but why / for whom we do it, that matters.  In our inner world we select (consciously or unconsciously) the quality of the energy we use to fuel our behavior (UR). So as our desires come to life, these will seek to accomplish the goal for which they were created. In other words, if what we seek through a specific action is egocentric gratification, security, external reassurance, money, fame, service, multilateral wellbeing, truthful expression of ourselves… etc. this is what our actions will look for and reinforce, regardless of the appearance or disguise.

For example, we may feel a strong urge to act out on something that, from the outside, may look heroic or praiseworthy, but if what we are seeking is to get accepted or recognized… so that we can feel worthy of life… we will be missing the point, time and time again, as we would need to face this need directly in order to go beyond it; bypassing it will not do it. While it is true that we all start by seeking outwardly the satisfaction of our needs, it comes a time that a profound focus switch must take place to keep evolving. At a certain point we realize that the profound recognition of ourselves as worthy of this beautiful life (which we try to achieve via external references) cannot and will not be achieved in this way. “Transcending and including” the mental references to the outside may really hurt, we may feel disoriented, yet it is an unavoidable leap. Keep seeking on the outside is like the kitten that wants to get the ball of wool reflected on the mirror.

While there are many layers of our awareness one can have the inclination and guts to dig into, and while there may be very subtle unconscious motives, some questions I find useful to uncover intention are:

 

·      Why would I want to do this?  Do I seek security? Comfort? Acceptance? Recognition? Personal fulfillment?

·      Am I being faithful and true to myself?

·      Bottom-line: whom am I doing this for?

 

It is just not possible to answer this questionnaire all the time, but we can run a quick scan just to have a subtle sense of where we are... And so I will cite here my good friend Jackie Bergman (www.fearorlove.se) who clearly states: “when you act, simply chose between fear and love. Ask yourself: will my decision bring unity or separation… creativity or narrow-mindedness?”

 

We all make hundreds of decisions every day. We have the liberty to decide. Decisions come with responsibility. Are we aware of the kind of consequences each of our decisions will have? Are we willing to accept these responsibilities? Bringing in a meta-perspective (past-present-and-future) of reality on big decisions will also helps.

 

It’s true that sometimes we don’t even know why we are moved to do something but we feel it so strongly that not doing it would be a disservice to our own life. I follow my intuition. This strengthens the link between knowing what is right for me and acting on it with-out-thinking.

 

UR: External expression, a reality check.

 

From our inner desires we spring into action (UR)! Our personal manifestation in the World expresses our right to be, our unique perspective, our opportunity to offer our gifts and co-create the World we live in. We all share a common direction; yet we must walk our own road. Actually, make our own road where there is non. Trust in ourselves comes form having a personal sense of purpose… and moving forward; learning as we walk. This way we strengthen our conviction and commitment with ourselves.

 

It is also in the UR quadrant where our interior motives come to life and meet the World, so our self-manifestation immediately become LL and LR quadrant interactions. It is here on the exterior World we also face the nature of our creations and their consequence. It’s here where we actually realize if we are living up to our potential: is what we feel and think resembling how we behave? Is there coherence between my inner truth and my outer expression? What are the reactions of others to my behavior?  How do I feel about it? What does this “success” or “failure” means to me? Developing a “real time” capacity to be simultaneously aware of what is happening inside of me (what I feel, what sensations I have, what I am thinking…?) in relation to what occurs outside of me (circumstances, what people say and do…) is key to growing in our capacity to take responsibility and awareness.

 

Besides the “real time” feedback we can also take the time to ponder within ourselves (UL) and make sense of what our actions and interactions brought upon the World and on us. At the end of the day, what ever happens outside has no meaning by itself… “reality is unqualified” the meaning is created when the outside hits our inner frame of reference. It is here where our honesty makes the world of difference in terms of evolving. Can we be finer and finer with our objective interpretation of reality? Can we bear to see our truth and stay present with our feelings? Can we take responsibility of ourselves inside and out? By giving meaning to the hard/easy, beautiful/ugly, happy/sad experiences we endure, we grow in honesty, in courage, in humbleness, in clarity… in consciousness… in Love. We escalate the ladder vertically, we mature… we open our hearts; we connect deeper and deeper with our vision and mission and with its expression. We become freer. Freer from the jail of our own unobserved ideas through which we interpret reality and find a fake-sense of security.

 

LL: The reality we create together: the We-Space

 

By being ourselves in the World we inspire others. We may not even know it, since meaning and moments are personal (UL) but we help and get help by each others to complete our inner-puzzles. We may say or hear the right word at the right time. We may feel so moved by someone so unexpectedly. We mirror each other; both in our shadow aspects as well and our golden shadow elements (those qualities that we dread and/or admire that not yet integrated in our conscious awareness). We inspire each other to be truer to ourselves.

 

In a natural fashion –by being ourselves in the World- we come across and gather around like-minded people and create inter-subjective realities (LL) of shared passions, values, intentions and ideas. We –together- change paradigms and give rise to new collective definitions of life. Amongst other things, it’s in this space that groups can impact the World by redefining the criteria for success, development, cooperation and well-being, as well as determining the vision, mission and values of organizations that offer their products and services to society.

 

We form alliances that are bigger and stronger than the sum of the parts. We not only add but also multiply our talents. Lets just do the math: if we calculate the range of our influence as the area of a circle using the formula Pr2 where each one represents a r (radius) of 1 and P equals 3.1416 we would yield a score of 3.1416 square units. When two people act together (following the same calculations), we add the radiuses 1 + 1 = 2 squared = 4 P = 12.56. If we compare it to 6.2832 (3.1416 plus 3.1416 of just adding the area of influence of two individuals) we can see the big difference that increases exponentially.

 

LR: Our impact on the Physical World

 

As these collectively-shared-ideas turn into actions, organizations are born (LR). We have inherited organizations that -in many occasions- operate out of unexamined fear-based outdated principles and intentions. Endeavors where profits (money) have been the key objective and the most important metric of success. We can, however, via expressing a deeper wider perspective about the inter-connectedness, well-being and development, create organizations that hold deeper and more holistic purposes: to produce goods and services that are conceived to better serve society, to add value to individuals, to aid development, to respect the World and all forms of life.

 

At the organization level, profits, or better yet, financial sustainability is necessary for a project subsist over time. Yet, if a company does not seek a higher purpose (and understands the interdependencies of the whole system), the money part loses value because it is in fact subtracting it form society. Economic resources are only as good as the opportunities for growth and development they create. These new organizations can conceive money as a “means to an end” and not as an “end in itself. They seek to serve others and the World’s best interests (they derive pleasure out of it), and do not operate under the “status quo”, as if amassing enormous amounts of money was in fact the goal and if it could create the inner personal freedom we all seek.

 

It’s convenient to make sure we are not playing the self-deceit game of using what money can buy to satisfy our need to find true liberation. If we say to ourselves that once we change our car, house, TV...we will be truly happy, we are probably missing the point, because even though we may get it (as well as the emotional rush) we will be playings  and endless no-solution circle (realizing this and taking a different action comes from an UL honest pondering). While money provides security and quality of life and for the most part, these are requirements for people to be able to focus in finding and expressing their higher purposes (Maslow Hierarchy of Needs) money itself can do nothing to help us acquire that which are all seeking: utter and uncompromised liberation by surrendering to (and becoming) our true infinite essence.

 

On the other hand, offering services that add value to society which allow for more people to fulfill their basic needs for food, shelter and belonging, will also provide opportunities for individuals to evolve past the egocentric and ethnocentric frame of reference. Consequently more humans will be at a higher consciousness altitude and we will be closer to crossing the “tipping point” to a new way of life in the planet: one in which actions will spring out love, respect, awareness of inner and outer connectedness, abundance, co-creation and co-responsibility. The Integral Era.

 

 In summary:

 

The World (LR) is in many ways shaped by the impact of the organizations we have created. Today, most of these are not aware of the many-layered consequences their activity has in the World, and operate under specific (outdated) assumptions, believes and intentions. Like-minded people can create (and reshape) organizations to hold a deeper sense of purposes (LL). These new paradigm can come to life through the actions (UR) of people who are committed to offer the World their highest gift. Individuals who are following the call to seek deep within themselves (UL) and to connect with their own life-purpose and manifest it firmly, respectfully and joyfully. Individuals who dare to take the risks to consciously manifest their vision guided by a “simple -harmonious- and strong Unity of life” principle.