In this life cycle of seasons and snowy months, winter is the time for hibernation (rest and reflection), and January is the month for stocktaking. Each year, I spend the month of January reflecting on my past year, pondering my current experiences, and listening for clues as to what the unfolding year will present. This year has been no exception to that ritual.
To step back for a moment, over the past four years, I have sensed an ever-growing change within and around me. Not the small continuous change cycles that we experience day-to-day, month-to-month, or even year-to-year, but rather a much larger cycle encompassing at least a decade of growth. When I look around me to assure myself that I am not alone, I see close intimate friends, strangers, and even nations facing significant ‘identity’ changes. For instance, on the global stage and south of the Canadian border, our American friends and families are experiencing the “implosion of an empire” as witnessed in the past by Britain’s separation from the European Community, France’s decline vis-à-vis Napoleon, and Germany’s fascist autocracy with Hitler, to name only a few.
It is clear to me that evolution and even revolution, in the form of dramatic change, are here and necessary. What comes to mind is the Cherokee Tale of Two Wolves, a popular parable, in which a grandfather explains to his grandson that two wolves (representing good and evil, or compassion and negativity) are always fighting inside everyone. When the young boy asks, “Which wolf wins?” Grandfather replies, “The wolf you feed” through your choices, actions, and focus. The tale emphasizes each individual’s personal responsibility for her/his inner state.
So, I ask you, “Will you feed love, peace, kindness, empathy, hope, and truth?” into the world, or “Will you feed anger, envy, regret, greed, arrogance, and lies?” IMHO, when we choose the latter path of fear, as our American neighbours appear to be doing, we implode individually and collectively. Fear is about contraction and withdrawal. It does not provide the space needed for expansive growth. If you don’t believe me, close your eyes for a moment and bring a personal situation to mind that triggered fear within you. How does your body and mind respond? Now, bring a personal situation to mind that triggered love and peace within you. Now, how is your body and mind responding? The proof is in the pudding. Love and peace trigger expansion, openness, and positive thinking or joy. If our daily decisions, thoughts, and focus determine which inner qualities we strengthen, why not feed positive into the world rather than negative?
So what does any of this have to do with living your genius? Let me tell another story.
My dear neighours have two beautiful boys aged seven and nine. I’m a 71-year-old ‘spiritual being on a human journey’ as I tell my friends. So, I am always curious whether children more than 60 years my junior understand existential concepts such as purpose, intuition, spirit, etc. Over the past month, the 9-year-old, his Mom, and I have been on a spiritual research quest. It all started when one of the 9-year-old’s school companions asked her group of friends, “What is your purpose?” One of the boys immediately leaped onto my 9-year-old and answered, “I know what your purpose is, it’s to be my couch”, as he then demonstrated by taking the pose. Naturally, everyone laughed, but the bigger joy is what yogis call the “teaching moment.” That boy understood, at a superficial physical level, what purpose means. WOW! He’s not living his genius yet, but he’s only a few steps away, given that he already has awareness.
One week later, my 9-year-old asks his Mom, “What do you think makes me special?” Apparently, he has been thinking about this question of purpose in terms of what his own might be. A few days pass and we ask another question of him, “What does intuition mean to you?” His answer — “the things I really like.” When Mom asked him how he knew what he really likes, his answer was, “I just know.” WOW, again!
So, a few more days pass and of course, we are onto a third question — “What four words best describe who you are right here, right now?” As an example, my four words are curious, compassionate, creative, and collaborative. What are your four best qualities? I’d love to hear your answers, so please email them to me at [email protected].
When we live our best lives, we are feeding the “good wolf” and projecting peace, love, and joy into this world that needs it desperately. Our work isn’t to destroy “the negative wolf” but instead to acknowledge it, not believe its ego-fed lies, and gently, lovingly let it go, while actively nurturing the positive one. I know it is difficult to love American arrogance and ego, but I also know that you know the only way to win over evil is to love it into its grave. This is living our genius — power over our emotional lives, while knowing we aren’t victims of our feelings and can choose what to cultivate.
More to report next week.
For more yoga actions and teachings, click here. Namaste.
