Enlightenment and Maturity

I came across an essay by Kant, "What is Enlightenment?", while doing some research online. This piece first crossed my path the senior year of my undergraduate studies, and revisiting it proved interesting and fruitful.

While I'm no longer as skilled as I was in reading such dense prose, the gist of the essay comes across to me that Kant equates enlightenment with maturity, and defines this as the individual's choice to step out from under the authority of others. Kant's attitude is one of supporting social structures and maintaining this freedom as an academic pursuit of the mind.

One can trace the same sort of arc in personal development, and as Kant points out, those who choose to remain immature are many. To genuinely become an adult means to accept yourself as the authority of your life - and thus to also accept responsibility for the conditions of your life. If you are not willing to accept that responsibility, can you really be considered an adult, no matter your biological age? How many people are still operating under the authority of their parents, years after moving out or even the death of their parents? And what then of those parents and their parents?

In a shamanic context, concrete steps in enlightenment or maturity are marked with initiations, in which an individual accepts both the power and responsibility that comes with being granted (a degree of) personal authority. Initiations are usually highly ritualized, and they often include a very real threat of literal death with the idea of provoking a metaphorical death. In a runic context, initiation is represented by Peorth.

Back

After a couple unforeseen delays, I've finally made my way to Portland, OR and have made a home.  Rune readings will resume on Monday, November 3.

Another take on 9/23 Reading

If you can turn the obstacles ahead of you into the succor behind you, you understand usefulness.

A busy September...

Summer is winding down and autumn is picking up in a big way.  In addition to helping with the transformation of Last Mask Center and the Cycle of Transformation Community, I am also planning my relocation to Portland, OR.

So, while I'll be keeping up with the daily readings, I don't know how much time there will be to continue the development of the site.  Though I am getting awfully tired of seeing the lorem ipsum text for the articles...

Another interpretation...

Having gone through the day, today's reading has another meaning to me:

The successes we acknowledge define our egos. If we recognize this and learn to apply the lesson, we have a powerful tool for molding the future.

Development Hiatus

In case you hadn't already noticed, the development of this site hasn't been moving forward very quickly.  I've been engaged in a number of other projects for personal and professional development that have been drawing my attention and energy.

I am still committed to this site and to getting more information posted.  It is just taking longer than I had hoped.  That said, the person that I am becoming will build a much better site than the person I've been.

Sideways

Everyone has experiences that go sideways.  You think one thing is going to occur, but what actually happens is nowhere near what you expect.

"Going sideways" isn't the same as "going wrong."  What happens is too unusual to you to fit within your framework of good and bad.

Most people get very uncomfortable when things get sideways.  You are challenged to react in a completely new way, because whatever happens is far outside your patterns.  Reacting in new ways changes who you are.

If you can seize a sideways moment and exploit its opportunity, you have the potential to win even when you lose.

Mindfulness

As the cliche goes, into everyone's life a little rain must fall. Trite as it may be, we repeat the saying for its truth.

The question, however, is what we choose to do when the rain starts to fall. In my estimation, attempting to control your reaction is exceptionally difficult. However, recognizing your reaction for what it is - an emotional response to your situation - gives you the opportunity to take a step back and breathe.

Once you've taken that step back, you have the opportunity to accept your reaction with compassion for yourself while also recognizing that you are not your reaction. You do not have to be limited by your first emotional response to a situation.

I'm not advocating that you abandon emotion. What I am advocating is that you don't allow a knee-jerk reaction to make your decisions for you. With mindfulness comes power.

Masks of Illusion in WI - July 2008

The first workshop in the Cycle of Transformation is being offered in Willard, Wisconsin this July. You can find out about the workshop at the Last Mask Center's website.

Where's Willard, Wisconsin? According to the Christine Center, it's "between Eau Claire and Marshfield (about 2 1/2 hours from Minneapolis, 2 1/2 from Madison, 5 from Chicago, and 4 from Milwaukee)."

If you are serious about transforming your life, I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough. This is probably the last time Masks of Illusion will be offered near the Twin Cities. Take an opportunity.

A thought on power

We draw power to ourselves by working our way into situations where we need it to move forward. I don't mean this in the sense of getting yourself trapped and being blessed with a path out. The idea is more that we work our way toward challenges that are just outside our current grasp, and we are given the opportunity to transform to accommodate greater power. We earn more power by proving we are using the power already in our possession to its fullest extent.

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