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.

the way of play

Kung Fu Panda is one of my favourite films. I’ve watched it more times than I can count — enchanted by its humour, its wisdom, and the idea that what’s meant for you will find you. So when I joined a kung fu school, everything seemed to fall into place. I loved the training. I worked hard. I gave things up for it. I told myself: this is the way. But the path isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes it curves like a river. Sometimes it carries you somewhere you never meant to go. When things eventually fell apart (there are no accidents!), I followed a wild instinct and stepped into a capoeira class. I moved. I sang. I played. And something shifted. I realised I am not a panda. Kung fu is a beautiful art, but it never quite reached all the branches of my oak tree. Capoeira did. Now I’m learning to fight and to dance, to sing and to fall, to move in rhythm with others and with myself. It’s not about mastery, but about resonance. What feeds my practice, feeds my art. What lights me up, lights the path.

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.