We are all born searching for something.
We search everywhere to find the elusive "it". We observe, we inquire, we experiment, we study and we experience to try to piece "it" together.
This searching is hard business, it forces us to think and act in ways that make us feel small, weak, unintelligent and naive.
To escape these feelings, we make quick work of constructing our view of the "it" we know. We grip tightly to our perspective, as it allows us to feel important, strong, intelligent and wise.
But our perspective also makes us afraid, so very afraid. For we intuitively know that the "it" we've constructed isn't the "it" we're searching for.
Life wants us to find "it" and will continue to give us lessons that inch us ever closer to discovering what we're looking for. These lessons force us to confront the fallacies of our understanding and the cracks in our beliefs and values that separate us from "it".
The tighter the grip on the "it" we have constructed, the more jolting life must become to force it free.
The relentlessness of life's lessons is often too much to handle, causing us to not only release the grip on the "it" we know, but to also abandon the search altogether, surrendering to the whims of life. After all, why struggle against a life that's just going to take everything away anyway?
However, it is here that life pushes us back into action by making inaction too painful to bear. Life forces us to appreciate what makes us uniquely lucky. We feel compelled to actualize our special talents and to create something meaningful out of our experiences.
We operate passively at the mercy of life's whims until we actively harness the power of our minds. For it is our minds that drive our feelings, thoughts, actions and the perceptions of our experiences.
We discover that our minds have known all along that the "it" we were searching for is a life worth living, one filled with love, safety, prosperity, purpose and meaning.
Fulfillment of our five primary desires is entrusted to the Illumed Five, the powers of our mind. The Compassionate Guardian expresses for love, the Resilient Hero fights for freedom, the Resourceful Developer drives for prosperity, the Bold Creator expands for destiny and the Joyful Luminary intuits for meaning.
Each power has its own unique feelings, thoughts and personality. When they are over-activated, the attention goes to their heads and they selfishly pursue their interests at the expense of others. When they under-activated, their feelings of worthlessness compel them to wreak havoc behind the scenes and undermine the entire system.
Until we give attention to the inner workings of our minds, the distribution of power will be out of balance. It is here that we will naturally identify with our most powerful force(s) who will convince us that this is who we are and that we can't (or don't want to) change.
However, with attention, we can cultivate a life worth living by balancing the attention between each of the five powers. They will naturally stop battling and start cooperating once their desires have been satisfied. It is here that we begin to approach an Illumed state of being.
Of course, this work is never done. We never "get there". Life will continue to happen and confront us with lessons designed to teach us that the "it" we've created requires further enhancement. Only now, we're better positioned to interpret them and put them into action.
By following this path, our growth and development will mirror that of a beautiful tree where we will grow day by day, reaching our pinnacle at our very last breath.
The Compassionate Guardian
The Compassionate Guardian (love) knows that the deep belly of who we are is what makes us special. The Guardian's support never wavers, striking a balance between unconditional love and pushing us to be our best.
The Resilient Hero
The Resilient Hero (freedom) is equal to any challenge, channeling clarity and resolve during times of conflict and suffering. The Hero understands that victory is achieved through courage and strategy rather than through brute force alone.
The Resourceful Developer
The Resourceful Developer (prosperity) focuses on delivering the maximum return for the resources of our lives, most notably, our time and attention. The Developer allocates our resources wisely across our portfolio of needs and priorities to achieve the highest possible return.
The Bold Creator
The Bold Creator (purpose) is a passionate risk taker who pushes the boundaries of beauty and brilliance. The Creator breathes life into the story of our lives and pulls us to places we never knew where possible.
The Joyful Luminary
The Joyful Luminary (meaning) searches for the pure and untainted truth. The Luminary sheds the grip of all of the stories that cloud our perception, knowing that the truth only can be found by letting go of any expectation of what we'll find.