Have you ever thought the key to moving forward in your life was this special thing – and now that you’ve finally got it figured out, you can do this special thing you can get on with things and make your life exactly the way you want it?

It’s magic pill spirituality. Take this pill, and everything will be better.

Is that real?

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Two people offer two different paths for you to experience enlightenment.

One suggests a specific diet.

The other suggests 4 months of silence in the woods.

Is full integration a function of what you eat, or where you sit or how much noise you make?

If so, then the fully integrated state is highly conditional. Is this the nature of our relationship with the One?

Is experiencing our natural state conditional on meeting certain conditions or passing certain tests?

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Removing/eliminating energetic blocks is touted as the solution to breaking free of limitations.

Is this true?

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Limiting beliefs are a popular place to focus attention when working on tuning up life.

As powerful as beliefs are (limiting or otherwise) is your true nature predicated on your beliefs?

If this were true, it would mean that our experiences flow from the mind – and no experience is possible without a prior thought.

Is this true?

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Your true nature … what is it?

It is even possible to put into words?

Language itself imposes its own limitations (for language is borne of separation).

Is language the thing that must be fixed?

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Herein lies a dilemma for one who wishes to share spiritual insights:

How to communicate without creating a red herring (reinforcing separation)?

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If I teach you a process or practice that helps you remember and experience your true nature, is there a way for me to share it while making it clear that you already have what it takes within you? That the thing I’m teaching you is there to help you remember something you already know. That ultimately it is not only unnecessary – it will take you further from the truth if you become attached.

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We all want to believe that we have an important contribution to make to our community – and this is surely true.

How do we balance this desire, without creating one or more new red herrings along the way?

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BTW: I define red herring as a distraction from the truth. It appears to be the reason/explanation/etc. – but it’s not.

The OED says “a red herring may be intentional, or unintentional – it does not necessarily mean a conscious intent to mislead…”

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I’ve been hunting red herrings for the last six months.

I’ve had a web project that I wanted to launch, but I just haven’t been able to get it going.

I’ve looked high and low for an explanation so I can move forward and make it happen.

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To be clear, it may simply have been a lack of motivation on my part – though I have lots of stories about why that’s not true.

“I haven’t had the time because I was too busy with client sessions.”

While this has been true, it doesn’t really address what’s going on with me. Truth is, I can always make time to get a project taken care of – so that’s not it.

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“I’m worried that should this project take off, I won’t have as much control over how my life unfolds.”

Also true to some degree – but here’s the truth: This is a clever story I’ve been telling myself to make it OK to avoid moving forward. Plus, if the project takes off I’ll ultimately have more time to goof off and fly my remote control planes and helicopters and meditate and work with amazing clients and take vacations with my family, and whatever else feels like resonance.

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Am I afraid of failing?

I don’t think so – I’ve failed my way to this point in my life and career – and I’m doing really well because of the mistakes I’ve made. If this project “fails” I’m confident I’ll learn something important that will serve me and my clients at some point down the line.

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Am I afraid of success – of my greatness?

Perhaps – I mentioned my fear of losing control – and there’s something humbling about the possibility of supporting thousands of new clients a month in remembering and experiencing their true nature.

There’s no way to play small anymore or pretend (is there anyway – as things are for me now?).

But that’s not really it either.

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Last week I started thinking about how the year is drawing to a close – and I have a list of things that I felt called to implement this year. I’m looking at my calendar through the end of the year and it’s time to prioritize now.

I started really being honest with myself about my motivations for the various projects I’m working on … and you know what?

My primary motivation for this project had shifted from being in alignment with my purpose and serving others – to being focused on how this successful project would serve me.

DING DING DING!!!

Now we have a winner – the fallacies evaporated and I was left with an opportunity to tune into my purpose once again.

Moments later I could feel the flow around this project for the first time in a long time.

The answer was so simple – and it came in the form of a question ultimately:

Is my motivation (perspective) congruent with my purpose and my true nature?

Until that’s a yes, my intuitive guidance system (aka my body, mind, and soul) shut this project down.

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What a powerful opportunity to be real with myself and get clean with my motivation and my actions.

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Have you been hunting red herring lately?

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That’s it for this week … From My Heart.

Peace,

Ken

PS – Did you catch how my “final” explanation was still a red herring? Notice how I think that there’s some explanation to uncover (when this isn’t true). These stories are nothing more than fancy ways of describing my state: I’m either caught in separation – or I’ve pierced it. When I’ve pierced it I’m in alignment (by definition) and in flow. When I haven’t I’m out of alignment (by definition) and “blocked.” Interesting isn’t it?
Ken Stone
The Soul Archaeologist
Experience the Divine Within
www.KenWStone.com