Navigating Your Lifepath: Reclaiming Your Self, Recapturing Your Vision
Section VIII: Bringing It All Home
In Section VIII, the material and assignments are focused on the areas below to support your process.
Task:
— Attraction
— Synchronicity
— Recognition
Metaquestion:
— What are my gifts?
— How do I return?
Presuppositions:
— We exist in systems that affect each other.
— You are a gift.
— There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
The Outcome of Intent
In Section One, you set an intent for this particular journey of learning over the past several months. If you set true intent, you then released expectancy for what you would attract to you to naturally fit that intent. If you instead set an intention with a narrow expectation of what would come of your coursework, you likely missed a lot of opportunities for experience that was possible. This is the nature of intent and intention.
With intent things often come in a way that is unexpected and usually far more fitting for what you as an individual need, thereby allowing a much deeper level of learning, if you are able to discern it. The learning then more aptly shapes your future to create an expanded existence in the perpetual school of your life.
— Review the trail of your journey from the time of your entry into the forest until the point where you are now, poised at the clearing and ready for the return home.
— Record the intent that you set at the beginning of this coursework.
— Holding a broad perspective, record in what ways the intent you set was returned to you through your own attraction.
— What heroic qualities did you call upon during this journey? List them and acknowledge yourself.
I am . . .
Point of Re-Entry
In the Re-Membering Process, this is the time of Re-entry — having been on the journey to come home to your core element. Here you will decide the important elements you will share with the wider world and how you will choose to implement them. It’s useful to maintain an open posture to what else you attract that will enhance your gifts and service while, at the same time, remaining central to your highest priorities and values. Remember to use your lifestyle component criteria from the first part of this coursework as guidelines. Coming back to those basics will always serve you well.
The task of Re-entry is immersion.
Re-entry is a fine-tuning process during which the learning continues. You will want to acknowledge all aspects of yourself and use them to best advantage. Also recognize that you’ll be given opportunities to adjust and re-align. If one thing isn’t working in quite the way you’d like, experiment. Do something different. Keep in mind the presupposition: There’s no failure. There’s only feedback.
Above all, have patience with yourself and the process. You’ve embarked on a path that calls in all your creative juices. Part of creativity means things sometimes go underground for a while, to germinate and grow ripe, before fully emerging. Then elements slide into place when intent is strong and preparation has been mindfully undertaken. In this last section you’ll find some additional tools, reminders and a blessing ritual to accompany you on your lifepath.
THE DISNEY CREATIVITY STRATEGY
If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney
The Disney Creativity Strategy is the result of the modeling study of Walt Disney undertaken by NLP developer Robert Dilts. Disney was a genius who was able to translate innovative, ground-breaking ideas into entertainment products. He married that talent with highly successful business strategies, and built an empire that continues to survive long after his passing.
Dilts isolated three parts to Disney’s strategy: The Dreamer, The Realist and The Critic. Whether pertaining to the personal or organizational levels, all three aspects are needed in order to turn dreams into a well-grounded, successful reality that lasts over time.
Typical “Team” Dynamics
— The Dreamer is the impetus that grows the system ¾ the architect.
— The Realist is the glue of the system ¾ the builder.
— The Critic ensures long-term stability of the system — by troubleshooting.
— The Dreamer acting alone will be full of wonderful ideas. But the thoughts are unlikely to come to fruition and the person will remain ungrounded.
— Without input from the Dreamer, the Realist would have no role.
— Without the Dreamer and Realist, the Critic would be inert.
— The “why” questions and avoidance responses of the Critic will quickly shut down, or at least intensely irritate, the Dreamer and, sometimes, the Realist.
— The other “team” members in a dysfunctional system normally isolate the Critic as “the problem.”
— The Critic often feels like a scapegoat when the true intent of this role is to ensure viability in the system.
— The Realist is usually the mediator between the Dreamer and the Critic in an unbalanced system.
— The Realist will increasingly feel the stress of being in the middle, pulled in different directions, if unable to maintain a balance.
— If there is a problem in the system, the Critic will “act out” (in the eyes of the other team members) to bring it to a head.
— In a problematic system, the Dreamer usually continues to move toward the vision, but feels unappreciated by others, exasperated and somewhat alone.
— Successful systems will have all three “team members” active. All will understand the roles of the others and be given equal time to contribute.
— In either the microcosmic or macrocosmic system, there will be an inability to maintain long-term success if any member is underutilized.
The Disney Process
This is the process you can use to build clarity and form a focused plan that builds upon itself to take you to your stated destination.
- First, allow the Dreamer to dream without interference and record the ideas;
- Next, have the Realist take the ideas and see which can be put into actual form and sequence;
- Finally, invite the Critic in to evaluate, to ask questions that will bring clarification from the Dreamer and further analysis from the Realist.
Effective Communication Strategies
- Change “you” statements into questions.
- Change “why” questions into “who”, “how”, “when”, “what” and “what if” questions.
- Some examples:
To whom is your question directed ? (Dreamer, Realist or Critic)
What is your objection?
What is the positive purpose behind your statement?
Given that’s the purpose, what is the question you have about the goal or plan?
How will we handle ?
What if… ?
What is the outcome you are wanting to achieve?
What will that do for you?
When would it be appropriate to… ?”
What is important about… ?
Is that answer in a language that the (Dreamer, Realist or Critic) understands?
How are you receiving the (questions or response)?
Sorting and Behavioral Styles
People take in and store information about their world through sensory modes. You have learned how we all filter information and choose to notice and respond to what fits within our “maps of the world.”
There are other, even more subconscious processes called metaprograms, which we use to shape our experiences in daily life. When we are presented with situations, we each have our own unique sorting program we run internally that, in turn, influences our behaviors.
Please note that there are no right of wrong metaprograms. Each weighting is valuable in some context. The metaprograms we hold internally may also vary depending on the context. For instance, someone may go toward goals regarding work, but move away from potential or imagined problems in another setting.
It’s very useful to determine your own metaprograms, particularly when making important life decisions. As an example, imagine that one of your metaprograms included a strong pull to explore the possibilities life has to offer and to move quickly. Yet, you find yourself in a job where you are required to adhere strictly to guidelines and have to go through a number of approval levels before trying out something new. Consequently, you likely feel a certain level of stress and may want to re-evaluate your suitability for that particular line of work or environment.
This short primer is offered here to help you discover the tendencies within your own current sorting style. This understanding will allow you to determine how useful they are, depending on situation, and create flexibility should you decide it’s in your best interest to adapt to new ways of sorting. You may also use this information to learn about tendencies of the people in your life.
The method of determining sorting and behavioral styles involves being interviewed by someone who is trained to recognize them. However, in just learning about metaprograms, you will likely be able to recognize a number of aspects of yourself and others.
Below are some of the most significant metaprograms. Initially researched and identified by early NLP developers Richard Bandler, Leslie Cameron-Bandler, David Gordon, Robert Dilts and Maribeth Meyers-Anderson, further distinctions have later been made others. This is not merely interesting information but also used in transformational processes.
Note: The following explanations generally identify polar opposite styles. This has been done in the interest of simplicity. A range including greater or lesser aspects of both is most common.
Action Sort:
This information will tell you how much time someone will need to act on an issue. You will also be able to tell how quickly the person expects you to act.
Related Behavior
Active: This person is an initiator and will act quickly. This individual often feels a compulsion to act. They don’t necessarily always understand all the ramifications of an action. You can depend on this person to get things done. At the same time, this may be someone who is known to “shoot from the hip.” Others may have to follow behind and perform clean-up actions.
Reflective: This person is more concerned with having a full understanding than acting on any given issue. The individual engages in extensive analyzing and “what if” exercises. You can depend on this person to know all sides of an issue. Action toward completing a task may not take place at all unless another person initiates it.
Direction Sort
This information will tell you someone’s primary motivation factors: whether they are more interested in setting and reaching goals or avoiding problems.
Related Behavior:
Toward: This person is compelled to move toward goals — motivation to achieve and attain. The general movement is toward pleasure. The past has very little meaning. Therefore, someone with this thought pattern may not take previous feedback from a similar situation into account when making decisions about actions.
Away from: This person is interested in moving away from problems and avoiding pain. Someone of this orientation is skilled in noticing the down side of issues and what should be dispensed with or avoided. A person with an “away from” thought direction remembers past feedback and avoids repeating negative patterns or consequences. Since they are caught up with noticing problems, it’s difficult to achieve goals.
Motivation Sort
This information will tell you the source of your own motivation, and how much weight your input will carry with someone when they are making judgments about situations or issues.
Related Behavior:
Internal: This person has an internal “knowing” or signal they use to make decisions. Evaluation is done on the inside. Someone of this orientation rarely consults others when making judgments. If feedback is given, it will be taken as information only and carry little weight.
External: This person actively seeks others’ opinions and makes judgments based upon those opinions. Their own opinion or belief is not considered important enough to include in making a decision. This person may not even be aware of any internal signals.
Reason Sort
This information will tell you if someone is open to exploring options and possibilities, is more interested in doing things “by the book” or wants a bit of both.
Related Behavior:
Options: This person constantly explores options and opportunities. Someone of this orientation believes there is a better way to do things and strives to find them — continually. They like to discover and develop new processes and procedures AND are uncomfortable in adhering to them.
Procedures: This person is interested in doing things in ways that are already known — by strict rules. They are unlikely to seek other ways of doing things or performing tasks outside the boundaries that are already set. Someone of this orientation is zealous in carrying out procedures and adhering to any guidelines that are in place.
Motivation Decision Sort
This information will tell you how you or someone else experiences change and how readily there’s acceptance of something new in their environment.
Related Behavior:
Sameness: This person wants things in life to remain the same. When entering a new situation, they will seek what is the same in the new situation relative to the old one. In other words, this individual looks for things to match. They are unable to adapt to change easily.
Difference: This person must have change frequently. If change doesn’t happen on its own, they will be compelled to create it. This individual can remain in the same situation or job for longer periods of time as long as challenge and new opportunities to learn are present. They notice what is different about any given situation. In other words, they mismatch.
The Importance of Acknowledgment
Gregory Bateson played many roles. Mostly people remember him as an anthropologist, philosopher and general Renaissance man. One of his great interests was how creatures learn. He spent hours at Sea World watching trainers teach dolphins show tricks.
The dolphins would swim and frolic in the pool. Whenever the dolphins did something that the trainers wanted them to do, the trainers would reach into a deep bucket on the patio of the pool, bring out a fish and toss it to the performing dolphin. Quickly realizing that fish was the reward, the dolphin would repeat the action and, in turn, receive another fish. The other dolphins would notice the reward and repeat the prized action, thereby teaching each other. After a while, the trainers withheld the fish until the dolphins again did something the trainers wanted them to do. Then there was a period of time when no matter how the trainers enticed them, the dolphins refused to learn anything new.
One day Gregory was wandering around the pool after hours while the area was being cleaned. There was a maintenance person who was apparently new to the job hosing everything down. Every now and then he would reach down into the ever-present bucket of fish and toss a few to the dolphins in the water.
Being concerned that the maintenance man was destroying the teaching strategy, Gregory yelled over, “Hey! You know they train the dolphins with those fish!”
The man called back, “Yeah. I know. That’s for training. This is for the relationship.”
It was shortly after that incident that a particular dolphin did a whole series of brand new tricks the trainers hadn’t even thought to teach the dolphins, and an innovation was born.
The man that Gregory Bateson encountered truly knew about maintenance in a way that he probably wasn’t even aware. He wisely knew about maintaining relationship. In our day-to-day dealings with each other we often forget to acknowledge each other. We take each other for granted, thinking that we’ll always be there with each other. Or, we acknowledge each other in ways that aren’t necessarily useful. We only notice what is ‘wrong’ and forget about what is ‘right.’
The Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Kahn talked about the exchange that takes place between people. There is the seer, the act of seeing and the seen. Whatever an evolved seer holds inside about the other person is sent out in an energy form called the glance. Through the glance the seer is able to penetrate the body, mind and spirit of the other. As well, the glance has the aspect of seeking and finding. But the most powerful aspect of the glance is that the eye of the seer sees in the other person what she chooses to experience. By doing so, she is thereby giving rise to that quality that may be slumbering within the other person. The recipient of the glance may not even be aware of the quality contained within them until they are awakened to it.
This is another form of ayni as practiced in the Andean culture. We teach each other who we are by the reflections we receive in return. In this way, we can nurture each other. What we each hold as true about the other will manifest prophetically.
Giving Encouragement
People generally take positive feedback at the behavior level rather than at the belief and identity level which would more empower them. Just so, people usually receive negative feedback at the identity level rather than at a behavioral level. When they take in something negative about their identity, they create a barrier to growth. So, it becomes important to phrase ‘positive’ feedback so that it will be taken at the higher identity level and ‘negative’ feedback so that it will be received at the behavioral level. But most important, if you are giving encouragement to someone else and can come from the level of Spirit in the state of being that you hold, then your words will automatically flow with intent.
Guidelines:
1. If the feedback you are giving is related to a task, be as specific as possible. That way the person can repeat it and do more, or change it to learn further.
2. If the feedback is for maintaining the relationship, it can be more non-specific.
Samples:
For empowerment, state the behavior and then how you experience the person related to the internal quality they possess. In other words, the person has the best opportunity to receive the feedback at the identity or belief level.
“When you (behavior), I experience you as a person of (resource).
“When you self-disclose as you did in our group last week, I experience you as a courageous person.”
Received: I am courageous.
“When you sat quietly and listened to me when I told you my story, I experienced you as a compassionate person.”
Received: I am compassionate.
For learning, start at the identity and spirit levels and then ask if they would like feedback to further serve them. If possible, state the additional feedback in a question format at the behavioral level.
“I experience you as a person who is dedicated to her students and impacts their growth. I’m wondering if you would be interested in some information that may serve you to impact them even more? How would it be for you to sit down with them when you speak so that you are on the same level they are?”
Received: I am dedicated and can further positively impact my students.
“I experience you as a compassionate person whose connection with others is important. I’m wondering if you would be interested in a way that you could possibly connect even more than you already do? How would it be for you to look beyond their behavior to their positive intention and talk to them from that source?”
Received: I am compassionate, and I can connect even deeper.
By bringing out the best in others, you bring out the best in yourself. As you serve others, you also serve yourself. In this way, you can realize the universal truth that says, “All are One.” The seer and the seen are one in the same.
The Nature of True Community
Earlier I wrote about ayni, which can be loosely translated from the Quechua as “sacred reciprocity.” In my estimation, it bears exploring over and over again, as we dip more deeply into the meanings that rest beneath the surface. Ayni is not merely a concept, something nice to talk about, to the people of the Andes. It is an actual day-to-day practice so embedded that they don’t even question it.
In our culture, we think more in terms of giving and receiving. I give you something. You owe me something in return. In the Andean tradition there’s a much different flavor toward giving and receiving. It has to do with the support of the entire community, not just one person.
If one person knows how to do something very well and the other person doesn’t, the one who has the skill automatically shares the teaching. The reciprocity comes to the first person in two ways. First, the teacher is validated for her knowledge base and may also learn more through the teaching. Maybe even more importantly, the entire community benefits because there are now two people with added value instead of just one.
A while back I heard a program on global cultural change called Worlds of Difference on National Public Radio that lent a further distinction to ayni and its influence. The interview took place in one of the mountain villages in Peru and had to do with the potato crop, of which there are a several hundred varieties. The challenge had to do with the farmers growing more of the different kinds of potatoes and getting them to market. To do so would give the opportunity to increase their livelihood. As a part of this undertaking, they were being advised by outside sources.
But the farmers rejected most of the sources’ advice. In the interview one of the elders said, “We will do nothing that would put one of us in competition with the other.” He went on to explain that introducing competitiveness would negatively impact the overall health of the community. What he said gave me pause and a great deal of consideration by contrasting it with our culture.
In Western culture, competition is considered healthy, naturally a part of our capitalistic society. Sports teams compete. Sportsmanship behavior is encouraged. But there are a few other strange, although familiar twists, which get in the way and preclude the practice of true ayni as yet.
The programming of our society says that success means we have to “be somebody.” That translates to doctor, lawyer, etc. Not “merely” a mother or father. If we define our worth and identity through career choice, or lack of thereof, it introduces a huge convolution to the psyche, sending the ego scrambling. The natural follow-on is one of competition, individual gratification, the need to “win” in order to be validated. The behaviors that come of this particular mindset produce not community, but a fractured society generating discordant energy.
Competition introduced into locales such as those in the Andes would create confusion, disrupting their underlying spiritual tradition. People there are known not so much by what they do, but by who they are. Many of the shamans and mystics that I have come across in Peru can determine who we are by seeing our energy field. That tells everything, just as observing words and behavior also does for those who are more discerning. Lightness of the energy field and the intent to evolve are what garners respect, not a livelihood.
Witnessing our own thoughts and actions is a slippery slope at best. The ego has all kinds of rationale to convince us that what we do is for our own good and that of those around us. Coming from the culture we do, unconsciously ingesting what we have, we perform a service to ourselves, and ultimately our communities, by being alert and wiser than the ego mind. The Core Self insists on it.
Stages of Learning
— STAGE I: Unconscious Incompetence: This was the time when you were asleep to the opportunity. You didn’t know and you didn’t care. Here you were like a baby in a crib.
— STAGE II: Conscious Incompetence: In this phase, you awoke. You looked around and decided you wanted a life outside your small crib, or things weren’t working the way you liked. At this point though, you still didn’t know how to make the shift to knowledge. So, you actively began to seek out lessons for yourself, consciously and unconsciously. You were just like a baby learning to walk for the first time. You saw others do it and thought you could do it as well. But you couldn’t quite pull yourself up or you stumbled. You became frustrated and angry with yourself or blamed others for your own problems. You cried. Maybe you stopped trying to learn and backslid for a while and went to sleep in your crib again. But eventually, the pull to a larger life was too strong to resist and you persisted. You pulled yourself up and found that you could stand.
— STAGE III: Conscious Competence: In the previous phase, you had desire, but didn’t really know how. So, you watched others and experimented. In this step to learning, you know how and you still have to be alert. Since what you are learning is so new, it’s not yet familiar. Your mind and your body are still uncomfortable with the movement. You find that you must carefully watch as you put one foot in front of the other. If not, there’s the potential to fall, get frustrated and go back to sleep for a while. Here you give yourself a chance to make the learning second nature.
— STAGE IV: Unconscious Competence: In this final stage, the shift from knowledge to experience is complete. The teaching is integrated within your internal system of mind, body and spirit. You no longer have to even think about your process. You just are. Your learning has merged at an unconscious level and automatically informs your thoughts, feelings, actions and language. You then find your eyes gazing at the birds in the sky and wondering. . .
Sometimes as we near the end of the Lifepath coursework, people begin to ask, “What’s next?” My answer is, “The same.” By virtue of Western culture, you are conditioned to seek the magic bullet, the quick fix. You’re likely looking over the next rise to see what’s over the hill long before any real experience or learning can happen right where you are. Hence, what you derive instead is a surface level existence and little real wisdom. But you do get more of the same you’ve had all along. You just find a different venue for it.
You have got to be able to dedicate yourself to the mastery of your path. That means going beneath the surface structure of existence. It means being willing to live with the discomfort of learning. It means being open to experiencing the same lesson, yet receiving it differently because you are now different as a result of your previous instruction. In that way you may then integrate more fully the subtleties you would have otherwise missed. In that integration, you can then allow yourself the relaxation of the plateau knowing full well that the next major leap will come naturally. You don’t even have to think about it. You just set intent … and look to the sky.
Walking the Edge
I came across a website showcasing a short documentary on Linda Schele. She was a dedicated researcher who also co-wrote such books as Maya Cosmos and A Forest of Kings. In an audio clip of the documentary, she referred to herself as an Edgewalker, also the name of the film. She was not an archeologist or anthropologist at all, but an artist. Yet because she was ignited by her passion for the Ancient Maya, she was committed to trespassing into areas normally restricted to those two aforementioned professions. Expressly due to her dedication and willingness to get her hands dirty by bumping up against the sanctioned in-group; as well as many sweaty back-breaking months spent at Maya sites, she was a major contributor to our current understanding of this ancient culture. In the process, she made a place for herself within the established and credentialed group.
I have a friend who is a horticulturist. He is quite sought after by moneyed clients, as well as by the local government in the large Western city in which he dwells, for his cutting edge design work. He calls himself an idiot savant where plants are concerned and the horticultural academic circle in his area disdains him. He has no formal schooling but what his heart and mind tell him about the land and ecological needs.
You see, news of difference rarely comes from within the recognized circle where the group-mind has generally lulled those within it to sleep or caused conditioned knee-jerk responses. It comes more often from those outside the recognized bounds, or those who are willing to walk the razor’s edge risking disapproval and ostracism by their colleagues, neighbors and families. It comes from those who are willing to inject so-called radical ideas and discoveries into mainstream thinking. The ways that we have evolved are expressly through modulation of, or distinct departures from, existing techniques, ideologies and ways of being.
There is a new movement afoot today whose tender seedlings sprouted all the way back in the mid-nineteenth century. Factories were born then, and the Industrial Age was ushered into existence. Sweat shops, child labor, long hours and low wages in sometime desperate conditions found its way into American culture. Perhaps as a balance to what they saw around them, Transcendentalists such as Julia Ward Howe, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and others emerged and wrote of their ethereal explorations and subsequent ecstatic states.
In The Transcendentalist published in 1842, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy. He wishes that the spiritual principle should be suffered to demonstrate itself to the end, in all possible applications to the state of man, without the admission of any unspiritual; that is, anything positive, dogmatic, personal. Thus, the spiritual measure of inspiration is the depth of the thought, and never, who said it? And so he resists all attempts to palm other rules and measures on the spirit than its own…”
The Transcendentalist philosophy tilled the soil and grew quietly to branch into inquiries such as Spiritualism, Theosophy, the Work and the Golden Dawn. Madame Blavatsky, William Butler Yeats, G. I. Gurdjieff, P.D. Ouspensky and those like them drew teachings and rituals from ancient Egypt, the Sufi tradition and elsewhere to create experiences glimpsing the ultimate reality.
While these organizations and their members remained on the fringes of polite society, they were well known in artistic circles. Indeed, it has always been that the seeds of change can first be seen with artists of various sorts, avant-garde thinkers and scientists just outside the mainstream. These are the people who dared to ask the questions that moved us all along, albeit sometimes kicking and screaming. These are the ones who nurtured the young seedlings of “out of the box” thinking so that today we have wider choices in spirituality, technology, healing, schooling, and so on.
Sidestepping pat dictates and asking the unpopular questions opens the doorway for attainment to dwell. Particularly in these times, it’s upon each of us to recognize and remove our fears in order to ask, “What else?” and “How else?” Pebbles skipped upon the pond ripple outward to create movement in the entire body of water.
Your Legacy
Many spiritual traditions believe in reincarnation. There is even a Sanskrit mantra that signifies this cycle: Sa Ta Na Ma or Infinity, Life, Death, Rebirth. If reincarnation indeed does exist as an overwhelming majority of cultures purport, then we bring the karma of the previous life with us. Karma can be thought of as light or heavy energy through which we filter our subsequent lives.
The truth is that we go through many passings or phases within a lifetime. You can even think of reincarnation as happening continually. Each day you can make the choice of learning from the day before to provide for enhancing what furthers you and releasing what does not. You now stand at a particularly auspicious time based upon the coursework you have undertaken. You stand at a precipice. Determine mindfully now how you wish to continue your path.
What is the legacy you wish to leave for your next life?
What have you learned?
What aspects of karma do you wish to continue to release and transform? In what small or large ways will you continue this process?
What resources within you do you want to enhance to further enrich your life? In what ways will you continue to step into your full potential?
The Despacho Ceremony
Most spiritual traditions have a blessing or prayer ritual. In the Andes, the Indigenous people perform the despacho ceremony. It’s often done in community, but sometimes undertaken individually. Intent toward healing, a fruitful venture, a safe journey, or gratitude and connection are some of the purposes for which a despacho, or medicine bundle, is made.
A mesa, or weaving used for sacred purposes, is the foundation and serves as an altar for the despacho. A white square of paper, typically measuring about 14” by 14”, becomes the container for the despacho and is laid upon the mesa. Various ritual items, imbued with prayers, are placed in a specific manner on the paper, becoming a three-dimensional work of art. When complete, the paper is folded, and then tied with yarn or string, in such a way that it becomes a packet containing the prayers inside. The mesa is closed around it becoming the outside covering.
This bundle is passed over the subtle energy field of the people involved in the ceremony, absorbing any hucha, or heavy energy. They may be asked to blow their final prayers into the despacho as well before it is taken to be offered. The mesa is finally removed just prior to offering . A despacho made for Pachamama, or Mother Earth, is typically buried, but may be burned. One made for the Apus, the masculine spirit of sacred mountains, or the Ñust’as, the feminine spirit of the mountains, are burned to release the prayers to the upper world. Traditional ritual items may include the following objects that have certain meaning.
– White flowers for the Apus and red for the Pachamama.
– Kintus, a fan of three coca leaves, into which prayers or intent have been gently blown. (Bay leaves may be used as a substitute.)
– A cross to symbolize the four cardinal directions.
– Small offerings of food such as candies, especially for the Pachamama, or rice and crackers.
– A shell or other bowl-like object representing the whole, circle or womb.
– Plant items or grains considered sacred like corn, sage, cedar, tobacco or other herbs.
– Small stones or crystals.
– Thread or yarn representing a rainbow and natural cotton for clouds.
– Bird and animal parts such as a piece of fur, claw, feather or tooth.
– Paper shapes or any other object representing the intent of the bundle.
– Pisco, a strong Peruvian liquor, or wine is used to “feed” the despacho by drizzling some of the liquid over the open bundle.
While the traditional making of a despacho is quite specific depending on its purpose, most important is the intent and care given to this sacred process. You are now invited to create your own despacho. Gather ceremonial items significant to you, putting them in a form you find meaningful. Infuse your despacho with robust energy, full potential — and offer it up.
The lightning strike oftentimes comes suddenly, a bolt unexpected. But there may well be a stirring before the charge and those who have grown the tallest stand most ready to receive. In order to be ready, we do for ourselves what we know to do as best we can. Yet, there must be no striving. The striving of the material world has no place in this transmission. We need only send our willingness up as a prayer and merely stand waiting.
This is for those souls who hold themselves available — to be struck.
– Excerpted from Standing Stark
Mama Luna spent as much of her free time at her loom as she did in her garden. She occasionally gave a woven belt to Preston or a colorful shawl to his mother, but usually she wove lengths of cloth and put them away somewhere in her room.
Once when she was busy at her handiwork, Preston asked her, “Why do you weave so much, Mama? You don’t do anything with the things you make.”
“Oh Solocito!” she laughed. Taking a hand from her work, she stroked his head. Holding one end of the threads dangling from her loom yet to be entwined, she fingered them thoughtfully. “These threads are like things we do. I weave the threads and I see how a life is made. I see my own life. Everyone has these threads. Mostly they don’t think about it!”
She motioned him to stand closer. “Look how if I would bring this color in here and wrap it around there, it changes the cloth. It’s not the same anymore. It could be good or bad. The cloth shows me how things will be.”
— Excerpted from Portals to the Vision Serpent by Carla Woody, a novel about the path of initiation.
Section VIII Assignment
A reporter once asked jazz great Charlie Parker what recommendations he had to give young jazz musicians. Charlie replied, “Learn your instrument and learn it well. Then forget all that stuff and go out and wail!”
YOU HAVE YOUR ASSIGNMENT.
If you need assistance with the material or outcome you seek, please refer to consultations.
Bio
Carla Woody is a spiritual mentor, writer, and visual artist. She is the founder of Kenosis, an organization based in Prescott, Arizona, supporting human potential since 1999 through life enhancement coaching, retreats and spiritual travel programs working with Indigenous leaders and healers in the US, Mexico, Central, and South America. In 2007 she founded Kenosis Spirit Keepers, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to help preserve Indigenous traditions threatened with decimation.
Table of Contents
Section I: Preparing for the Journey
Jack London Quote
Questions We Live By
The Re-Membering Process Model
Presuppositions to Support Your Journey
Our Work
Tenets of Intent
Setting Intent
Readiness
The Cycle of Fulfillment
The Threshold
Understanding Your Values
Commitment
Journaling as an Ally
Section I Assignments
Section II: Setting the Direction
Life Energy
Whole Life Balance
The Bright Hope
Setting The Direction
Setting Outcomes Worksheet
Systems
Voice and Expression
The Juxtaposition
Building a Foundation
Section II Assignments
Section III: Entering the Forest
Success
Mining Resources
Panning for Gold
Learning Discernment
Section III Assignments
Section IV: Transforming the Dragon
How You Fulfill Your Destiny
Emotional Freedom Technique
Uncovering Limiting Beliefs
Clearing Limiting Beliefs
Understanding Homeostasis
Elements of Reformation
Evolutionary Dimensions of Archetypes
Section IV Assignments
Section V: Uncovering the Jewels
Doing and Being
Striving to Surrender
Activating the Witness
Telltale Signs
Creating Space
Starting Within
Paving the Pathway of Your Future
Spiritual Travel: Destination or Process?
Section V Assignments
Section VI: Engaging Your Allies
Hafiz Poem
Embracing All Parts
Relating to Relationship
Section VI Assignments
Section VII: Negotiating the Landscape
The Art of Reciprocity
The Principle of Seed Money
Giving and Receiving in Relationship
The Energy of Money
Section VII Assignments
Section VIII: Bringing It All Home
The Outcome of Intent
The Point of Re-Entry
The Disney Creativity Strategy
Sorting and Behavioral Styles
The Importance of Acknowledgement
The Nature of True Community
The Stages of Learning
An Autobiography in Five Chapters
Walking the Edge
Your Legacy
The Despacho Ceremony
Excerpt: Portals to the Vision Serpent
Section VIII Assignment
Copyright 1999–2021 by Carla Woody. All rights reserved. No portion of this manual, except for brief review, may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be directed to: Kenosis Press, P.O. Box 10441, Prescott, AZ 86304, info@kenosis.net.
Also by Carla Woody:
Standing Stark: The Willingness to Engage. Read in Illumination Book Chapters.
Calling Our Spirits Home: Gateways to Full Consciousness. Read in Illumination Book Chapters.
Portals to the Vision Serpent. Coming soon to Illumination Book Chapters.
