One thing I love about being a soulfully embodied man is having the power to walk in alignment with my values.
We can’t do anything immediately observable about “the way things are” regarding our unsustainable, unconscious way of life. The drudge of the cubicle. The oceans of plastic. The Machiavellian machine of modern government. We can now quantify that everything is energy. If that is true, and if everything from nations to forests to families and all the individuals within them have an energetic imprint, it’s evident that we are collectively suffering to an immense degree.
Certainly, the collective energy of humanity to this point has hurt us all. It continues to do so.
But when we walk with more refined values, those that leave a different energetic imprint than that of suffering and incarceration, we’re floated on new and sustainable energy that’s lighter, more conscious and more connected than that which the world projects. We are in control of this. We have the power to engage the world and can decide how we will do so and to what extent. Or we can choose to not engage.
By walking our own values, if they are indeed of a finer ethic than that of the thrum, we lift the world’s energy just that much. Why? Because we are all connected.
The way to change the world – the ONLY way to change the world at this point in human history – is to consistently choose values with a more enlightened energetic imprint than those that got humanity here in the first place. And then act upon them.
Here are four steps we can take every day to increase our power to walk in accordance with higher values.
1. Set those Values.
We’ve all heard the adage, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” This is the problem underneath inconsistent, competing values that manifest in corporate greed, rampant sexual misconduct and toxic humanity in general. I’ve been blessed enough to have had the chance to participate in Native American “vision quest” rituals where I sat for four days and nights, alone, fasting from both food and water with no distractions. This helped me tremendously to get in touch with who I am and what my values are. (Water became a big one.) If we don’t have that chance, the next best thing is to find alone time; a solitary road or camping trip, for instance. Dedicate that time and space to an honest assessment of not only who you are, but who you want to be.
2. Meditate
It’s been said that it’s the utmost in vanity to think that we can skip our meditation practice and remain sane. This world thrives on distraction. The human science that runs Madison Avenue is so elaborate, so mature, that without a practice to counter it, our minds have very little chance of existing in any one place for long. And, as we all know, the only way to light a fire is to keep heat on a combustible surface long enough for it to take flame. The same can be said of changing the world for better; it takes higher vibrational energy, applied consistently. Meditation is the daily practice that trains our minds to hold the flame.
3. Return to the Breath
It makes no sense to sit for 15 minutes in the morning and then expect our work to be done for the day. I’ve found it to be critical that I take time during the work day to do something that brings me back to the only thing we have every moment of our lives, the breath. Short of a full-meditation in the middle of the work day (Marley! Are you sleeping again?), a few conscious breaths are good medicine for a monkey mind like mine. Another one is walking slightly slower than I have to. I find that “conscious slowing” also slows my mind. I notice my body more. I can appreciate more around me that I might otherwise miss.
4. Stop Talking
Ever hear of “the strong, silent type?” Where’d he go? We need to get back there. We say too much and we promise too much. Our words, once our bonds, have become far too undervalued by modern men. When we want to respond or speak our opinion, pausing is good practice. I often find that what I was going to say was coming from some egoic want, rather than a soulful truth. Choosing our words in a more conscious manner can also be a key to greater integrity.
Walking according to deeper energetic values is the work of reversing the karma of those who went before. This is the work of creating a world we can be proud to leave to our children.
This is the work of the soulfully embodied man.
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Photo: IStock