(Barry Gillespie)
It is privilege to stay in a profession, not to mention a company, for decades. When I entered my forth seven-year cycle watching the same movie, I had a realization. They say that ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’, and that might be true for some, but for me personally, the equally well-known proverb, ‘history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes’, hit the nail on the head. I saw in all my interactions a spiral at work, that tended to unfold over a 7-9 year period. New people came into my life, and many went as well, and I started recognizing a pattern. There were the many friends, the agents of change, and the people who had a lesson in store for me. One day it occurred to me that everyone somehow just mirrored my inner ambitions, drives, as well as struggles. It is true what the sages knew since the beginning of time, ‘as within, so without’. I lived that insight at work. With learning and inner transformation, the outer picture would change accordingly. Yet, the reason why we experience the our movie plot as a spiral, we are only human; change is hard and it requires time. I observed that my spiritual evolution would happen in 7-9 year cycles.
For some, the observation “the more things change, the more they stay the same” merely reflects the fact that they do not open themselves to the potential of inner spiritual transformation. Without learning and transcendence, the world will appear like an ever-repeating cycle. The ego will run into the same wall again and again, thinking that the world needs adjusting and not the ego itself. It doesn’t have to be that way at all! A spiritual path guides us actively towards leaving behind these self-imposed blinders that keep us stuck in these eternal ups and downs. We are steadily catapulted along an outward bound spiral that brings more wisdom and wholeness, more love and meaning, and certainly more fun along the Way.
Everyone who comes our way is attracted like a magnet in response to the inner quest that seeks healing, wholeness and self expression. Just imagine, one day can learn to make better choices. We are less affected by the theater outside as we realize that we are in charge to bring about the change we seek. We are more relaxed, have peace of mind, and a lot more fun. As we figure this self-imposed movie plot out, we simply can't be sent on wild goose chases by anyone any longer. With the realization, ‘as within, so without, learning can take place in days and weeks, not months and years as it happened in the prior episodes. The Course in Miracles famously states, ‘Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.’ How true!
We all are sent on different healing missions, and we all have to figure out individually what our quest is all about. After trying to succeed in the stressful financial industry for a while on my own and not doing so well, I discovered that connectivity and cooperation was the answer for me personally. In ‘The Magnificent Experiment’, I coined the phrase, ‘The Power of the 4Cs’: creativity, communication, connectivity and taking care of each other, that summed up my recipe for success at that time. I can't promise you that the approach of co-operation and taking care of each other, works like charm for everyone and every situation, but it was the outward-bound spiral that kept me going for a couple of cycles. I have moved on to my spiritual calling of being a writer, educator and spiritual coach in the meantime, and can’t wait to experience what spiral the Way holds in store for me these days.
Stand ready to be spiritually transformed by life’s journey, and you will enjoy the progress in form of an outward-bound spiral as well. It is simply the Way!
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