There’s a whole pile of pressure and non-sense that gets caught up with and carried by the notion of purpose. The idea that we need to ‘find’ our purpose or that we have only one purpose. The idea that our purpose is somehow connected to the amount we do, achieve or earn or to the amount of significance we hold in mainstream society. For me there is a great deal of value, ease and potential to be found in forgetting about purpose and focussing on process. When I say process I mean, aliveness, life, being, exploring, growth and experiencing.
When we get connected to our process we start to notice: what makes me feel fulfilled? when do I trust myself most? What lights me up? What brings me joy and peace? When do I feel most loving, most centred, most alive? Where is my energy going? How does this feel?
For some people vocation and purpose are intricately connected. There is can be a mythic and profound sense of purpose in what appears to be a fairly mundane job because of the depth of connection and quality this being is bringing to their work. It is the quality of our being and our presence that makes life feel purposeful not the goals we achieve or the status we hold. For some people the world of work takes them away from soul journey and is simply an attempt to survive in a world where your net worth and your worthiness have become entangled.
Trees fulfil their purpose simply by existing they grow and contribute. When we release from fear of failure and exclusion from society, from a sense of scarcity and lack of worth and allow our wholeness we can begin to trust that we have already arrived.
From this place we move naturally towards co-operation and curiosity and we can respond to the impulses that are calling to us from the world from the centre of our being. We are first social and relational creatures co-creating with all life around us, if we are caught up in ideas of self, including self criticism we are locked away in a separation from friendly life forces and unavailable to the quiet potency of the quantum field and moment by moment direction that is available to us at all times.
So I feel fulfilled in my purpose when I blow the seeds off the dandelion head. An impulse that has resounding harmony, is deeply sensual and co-operative with another life system, a call from the seed head to my senses. I feel purposeful when I make a meal for people I love or a share an idea or a dreaming that has brought me more into life or offered me solace. I am on purpose because I am alive. I feel on purpose when I sit and stay with my disorientation, my despair and my confusion until another impulse calls me back to life in the present, back to connection and to truth.
I’ve been working with the seed energy a lot lately. I liken it to the energy of the fool in the tarot. The sense of taking a leap and risking failure and yet also alive and bursting with inspiration and potential utterly in trust of the universe around them to come to meet them as they plunge into the unknown. If you are struggling with orienting as you move out of separation I invite you to lean into the seed energy. Consider that the seed must come apart and reform completely to become the sprouting seedling. This breakdown is a chaordial process and for the mind which enjoys the familiar it can be very frightening and bring a great deal of resistance. Remember that seed is surrounded by soil, support, structure, holding and connection. Seek out what helps you feel rooted and grounded, what soothes and allows you to feel safe as you unfold. Remember that the seed is called by the sunlight where is the warmth, what calls to you from outside, what are you drawn to without effort? Remember that a seed contains within it all the nourishment it needs to make the first part of its journey, you may not feel ready but you can trust this calling into new life. Remember that the seed needs the right amount of water, what helps you to flow with feelings and cleanse and release what is ready to be composted/transformed? What nourishes you, what softens you and supports you to receive what is needed and go where you can grow and thrive? Being aware of and consciously working in balance with the elements around you and within you will help you as move deeper and expand and rest into your enoughness and arrival.
Love Alex
p.s if you feel stuck or want some 1:1 support with this have a look at my 1:1 work