Tag: destiny

The time is now

I’ve been reading a lot of inspiring books lately. The Creative License by Danny Gregory and Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert among others. But a true revelation was Jacob Needleman’s Time and The Soul. The book is about how we waste the time that is given to us. It describes how we keep getting caught up in the drama of our life: we end up in the same kind of situations, with the same kind of people – just circling the same point. When we could be on our way, discovering the path that lies before us. Reading these passages, it hit me hard. I could suddenly see all the themes that dominate my life: wanting to be loved, obeying my teachers, getting stressful jobs, ignoring my own needs in the process. You know, the usual stuff. I spend all my energy on cleaning up the same mess, over and over again. Every time I say yes to something that doesn’t fit my wants or needs, I give away my precious time. So, what’s the answer? Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, said Henry Thoreau. In my experience it is not that easy. But I do believe it’s the only way. For else, we shall have wasted our lives.

When destiny calls

Kung Fu Panda is one of my favourite films. There is so much wisdom in it, most of all about destiny. Watching it over and over again, destiny and kung fu became one and the same for me. So I joined a kung fu school and believed it to be my destiny. I devoted myself to it and even trained six times a week for a while, giving up other things in the process. It was only when things went pear-shaped (there are no accidents!) and I stumbled into a capoeira class that I realised that I’m in fact not a panda and that kung fu is not my destiny. With the clarity of hindsight, it’s obvious that it’s not the right art for a raccoon like me. Even though I loved kung fu, it always remained separate from my oak tree. Training didn’t make me a better artist. Capoeira, that’s a different story. Now I’m learning how to fight but also to play, dance, sing, make music and flow so freely that it inspires my creative work in ways I’ve never experienced before. It runs through the fibers of my being and connects everything in my life: photography, stories, drawings, dance, music, meditation and martial art. When passion and purpose align like that, it’s your calling.

The acorn theory

A year later I found myself at another crossroads. Before I could decide to go to left or right, I had an accident. Somebody BOUNCED me off my feet! I found myself beneath the leaves again. With all this time on my hands, I read The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling. The book is about the question “What is it, in my squirrel heart, that I must do, be, and have? And why?” To answer this, the acorn theory is presented. It’s the idea that each life is formed by a particular image. Just like the oak’s destiny is written in the acorn, your destiny is written too. Besides genetics and the environment, everyone is also given a character upon birth. The theory refers to Plato’s idea of a ‘daimon’ (a nature spirit who cares about you). You might call it your guardian angel. Even what seems like an accident belongs to the pattern of the image and helps fulfill it. It reflects the blueprint that gives direction to your life. You may postpone your calling, but eventually the daimon will make its claim.