Author: Tom King

Death of a Client

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It was Friday morning at 10 and he didn’t show up for our appointment.  This is not unusual in general, but it was unusual for him.  I worked with this man, I will call him John, which is not his real name, for 15 years and he was very diligent about letting me know if he wasn’t able to make it in.  I tried to call him after about 10 minutes and left him a voicemail.  I didn’t hear from him so later that day I sent a follow-up email.  I still hadn’t heard anything when I came in on Monday, so I tried to call him again and left another message.  Later that evening I received an email from his brother informing me that John had died a few days ago but offered no details on the cause of death.

This was the first time I experienced the death of a client in my 21 years in private practice.  It seems inevitable in a way, but it still felt like a shock.  John was 69 and had chronic depression and he seemed to need and enjoy our times together over the years.  He had a variety of complaints about the aches and pains of growing older, but he stayed physically active and had no serious health problems that I was aware of.  A reminder that death comes in its own time and in the end, we are not in control.

As I took it all in, I felt surprised and sad.  We were not friends, and our relationship was confined to one hour, once or twice a month.  Nonetheless, we had a warm and friendly relationship that developed over the years as I sat with him and processed a range of issues and emotions.  As a therapist, I never really know what the relationship means to my clients, but it seems it was significant to him too.  As I met with other clients throughout that week, some of whom were also long-term clients, John was in the back of my mind.  I found myself being more intentional than ever to be present, value each person, and try to make each session meaningful and impactful. 

Death is something most of us don’t like to think about or talk about until it touches us in some way.  In those moments we remember that it is something we all have in common, no matter our lot in life.  In the past year I noticed that John had been paying more attention to his spirituality and talked more about religion and faith.  This is something I have observed in other people too as they have gotten closer to the end of life.  Death humbles all of us and can be a great reminder of what really matters and sharpen our focus on how we want to live and who we want to be.  From time to time over the years John and I joked about the movie Grumpy Old Men, and the scene where Jack Lemmon is telling Walter Matthau about a friend who died suddenly from a heart attack and Walter responded, “lucky bastard”!  It is my hope that in the end, John felt he was one of the lucky ones.  I miss you John and I am grateful for our time together.

The Trauma of 1/6/21

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This has been a painful week for our country and many of us as citizens.  I have struggled to understand what is happening, why it is happening, to feel my feelings, and process it all.  There has been a range of emotions and thoughts, but what has been stirring most strongly in me is a deep sadness.  Sadness for the country I love and witnessing the desecration of what most of us thought was sacred.  Sadness for the hatred and insurrection on display by a mob of mostly white Americans.  Sadness for our black and brown brothers and sisters who had to see obvious symbols of hatred, and the double standards of those who are supposed to serve and protect all of us.  I feel sad and bewildered that there are so many hurting and angry people in this country who have turned to a man who is so badly flawed to lead them to some imagined promised land for there own kind.  I feel sad that so many of us still use and abuse religion to justify acts of discrimination, exclusion, and violence. 

There is also a pervasive feeling of fatigue in the air and in my soul.  This crisis in Washington is only the latest in a series of events that portrayed hatred, divisiveness, and violence this year.  And it is all happening within the context of a pandemic that has taken a huge toll on individuals, families, our economy, and the world.  At least with the pandemic there is a virus we can identify as our common and external enemy, and yet we have managed to politicize this too and point fingers at one another.  It has been a hard year, but the problems run much deeper than 2020 or any politic party or individual.  Perhaps in this outrageous moment in our history we can stop and look in the mirror. 

Like most of us, I have been reading, reflecting, praying, meditating, talking with people, listening, thinking, and searching for ways to make sense of it all and to respond somehow.  One perspective that has been helpful is the insights of those who study historical and collective trauma.   Consider the words of Thomas Hubl, who is an author, an international spiritual teacher, and a contemporary mystic: “From a mystical perspective, every systemic and seemingly intractable social problem, regardless where it plays out in the world, springs from the same source:  humanity’s deep social, historical, cultural, and multigenerational trauma – our unhealed and unresolved past.”  Trauma is a word that refers to wounds or injuries, whether individual or collective, from a particular event or from the cumulative effect of ongoing smaller assaults to one’s well-being.  The manual for Transforming Historical Harms, which details a restorative justice approach, refers to trauma as “the set of reactions and responses to an event or circumstance that was experienced as overwhelming.” “This sense of being overwhelmed has biological, emotional, behavioral, spiritual and even societal consequences, which can remain if not healed.”

When we see confederate flags being raised at the capital, see the symbols of extremist white supremacy groups, and listen to the words of hostility and arrogance spoken during this insurrection, it is clear we are witnessing the symptoms of unresolved historical trauma going all the way back at least as far as the civil war in this country.  We do not usually think about the trauma for those who fought and lost the civil war and how their social and economic status dramatically changed, but it is evident that many have deep, unresolved, multi-generational wounds, whether they are aware of them or not.  So, in addition to holding people accountable for what transpired, it is critical to find our way forward and bring healing to our nation.  Think about these words from the Gospel of Thomas: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.  If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”  This points to what is required for the healing of trauma, whether current or historical, individual, or collective.  The Transforming Historical Harms framework outlines a process for healing:

  • Facing the historical facts and circumstances that initiated the historical trauma.
  • Making connections by reaching out, listening, and developing relationships across groups divided by historical trauma and harms.
  • Healing wounds through acknowledging, discussing, letting go, and making right the harms to mind, body, and spirit.
  • Taking action to change the beliefs, systems, and structures that perpetuate trauma.

Healing and resolving trauma can be a complex process that is a journey over time, and only works when people are ready and willing to engage in the process.  In my experience as a therapist, resolving past harms involves a similar process of confronting our wounds, being present to our feelings, responding to our internal pain with love, and finding compassion and forgiveness towards those who have harmed us.  It is my hope that the shocking tragedy of this day in our history will spur a shift in consciousness and open a window of opportunity to do the work of healing.  In the end it may not really be so complicated.  As it says in Romans 12:10: “Love one another with brotherly love.  Outdo one another in showing honor.”  We can hope.

Colorful Conversations

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I recently went to visit the site of the George Floyd tragedy and memorial.  I have had mixed feelings about going because I have been struggling to understand what I feel, how to respond, what should I do.  I was moved as I walked around looking at the artwork, flowers, signs, and the names written on the blacktop of Black Americans who have died in clashes with the police over recent years.  One piece of art struck me hardest.  It is a picture of raised fists of all colors and the words “Unity in Community” at the bottom.  My heart said “yes”, then my mind reflected on how far we are from that reality in this country.

How do we get to unity?  How do we even move in that direction in a sustainable way?  I lack the experience and expertise to map out a strategy or a path that can point the way.  I get overwhelmed by the complexity of racism that is woven into our history, consciousness, policies, and systems.  And yet, I also realize that becomes an easy excuse, a justification for doing nothing.  Isn’t doing something better than throwing up my hands in despair?   Should I not at least try, rather than allow time to let the issues recede once again into dimness in my personal and collective awareness?

What I do know is that unity may happen spontaneously for brief moments, but it will not be sustained without intention and work.  Community comes from the experience of knowing people as real human beings.  This requires opportunities to interact, spend time together, and have meaningful conversations and connections.  This can only happen at the local level; in our schools, churches, workplaces, neighborhoods, and other places people gather.   For most of us, this is not the norm and is outside of our comfort zone.  But how else will we know one another?  Of course, it is more difficult to congregate during this time of COVID-19, yet we can find creative ways if we try.

Perhaps one way to think of this is having “colorful conversations”.  Yes, the pun is intended, not for humor, but to emphasize that we cannot know another person’s experience and perspective without listening to understand and being honest about our own point of view.  Perhaps there is a way for a white person to gain some understanding of a person of color.  It may be a way for a person of color to understand the thoughts and feelings of a white person.  And what about those in blue?  It may be very eye-opening to listen to the experiences of the officers who are out on the streets everyday doing their jobs.  What if those officers really listened to the perspectives of the people of color who fear them?

I recognize that just getting to know people of different colors, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences does not address the complex, systemic issues woven into our society.  However, it is somethings each one of us can participate in if we are willing.  Colorful conversations will not build community if we approach them out of guilt, pity, or a desire to punish anyone, including ourselves.  These may be very valid feelings and they need to be heard, but the intention must be to learn from each other and find new ways of being with one another.  This may disrupt our worldview and may ask us to change.  Maybe the time for more unity and community has arrived.  At least it may be a place to begin.

Broken Open, Not Broken Down

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Driving around the city is very strange these days.  Restaurants open for take out only, mall parking lots empty, and freeway traffic moving more freely than normal.  People out walking around seem more friendly, nodding to our shared experience and hungry for additional human interaction.  Behind these scenes are human stories.  Some of those stories are a mixture of upside-down feelings, while at the same time noticing it is kind of nice to slow down or work from home.   Some are stories of deeper pain, fear, and despair for many reasons.  Tuning into the news reveals the grim statistics of loss and struggle and chaos on a level most of us have not witnessed before.  We feel the sadness in the air and know some things are lost and some broken beyond repair.   We hope for positive changes and regeneration to also be a part of this COVID-19 story.

Poets, prophets, priests, and various wise women and men over time have observed that being heartbroken is not only human but necessary for our growth and evolution.  In Savage Grace: Living Resiliently in the Dark Night of the Globe, authors  Andrew Harvey and Carolyn Baker declare that we must go through a period of being in the dark hole of chaos, followed by a rebirth, in order to truly grow up.  Poet Gregory Orr put it this way:

Some say you’re lucky
If nothing shatters it.
But then you wouldn’t
Understand poems or songs.
You’d never know
Beauty comes from loss….

Yes, life breaks our hearts at times, and some of those times seem too much to bear.  But the hope is that our hearts can be broken open, not broken down and shattered.  When our hearts are broken open, truth can enter in.  Truth we need to hear, to see, to know.  It may be truth about our hectic and self-absorbed lives, and awareness that we cannot go on in the same way.  We may connect with sadness or with new hope for future generations.  When we are broken down, we cannot hear truth because we fall into despair or bitterness or hopelessness.  When we are broken open, we can humbly admit our need for help, for other people, for spiritual guidance and soul searching.  When we are broken down, we experience humiliation and shame.  Being broken open leads us to healing and greater empathy and compassion for ourselves and for others.  Being broken down leads us to emotional isolation and indifference towards others.  Being broken open does not mean we have all the answers, but we are open to learning, to growth, and to life. 

A woman I met with recently had been sad, lonely, and unhappy in her marriage for many years.  Despite past efforts, she carried this burden silently in her heart until she began to break.  She came to the point where she decided she needed to leave and search for a sense of home again.  She poured out the truth about her broken heart to her husband, fully prepared to act on what she needed to do to save herself.  This level of truth and openness shook him, and they started to talk openly, honestly, and with no agenda.  To her surprise they started to experience new stirrings of life and connection between them, and they agreed to keep talking and see what happens.  When I saw her again, she had a lightness and hope she had not felt in a long while.  This was a marriage broken open.

Within each story of tragedy, pain, and struggle there lies the possibility of being broken open.  We may not comprehend how it is possible or be able see beyond the moment.  There are times we have no answers and we are painfully aware we cannot control life.  But we do have choices in how we respond.  We can allow ourselves to fully feel whatever it is we are feeling, which healing requires.  We can reach out and ask for help and allow others to be present with us. We can begin to speak the truth to ourselves and others with no conditions or demands.  We can humbly ask for Divine grace to hold us and open us up.  I leave you with the words of poet Rainer Maria Rilke:

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue.  Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them.  And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.  Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

Manifestations of Anxiety

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Today I am writing from a more personal perspective because the COVID-19 season is not academic, and no one is immune from human emotions.  For many this is a time of anxiety, at least in some moments.  Anxiety effects both mind and body and manifests in a variety of ways, maybe subtle and maybe overwhelming.  It may show up as fear, worry, restlessness, agitation, anger, or even panic.  It may disrupt your appetite, concentration, or sleep and may speak in the language of dreams.

One of those anxiety laden dreams showed up for me last night.  I was trying to lead a small group of people out of some city and was unable to find the way out.  It was not clear where we wanted to go or what we were trying to flee but we experienced one frustration after another.  The city was unfamiliar, and the streets kept changing.  I could not remember the street signs that may lead us out.  We walked up a steep hill only to discover it was the wrong way, and when we tried to turn back the path was covered with rising water.  I awoke, as is typical, before finding a resolution to the dilemma we faced.   It doesn’t take a psychologist to see the themes of helplessness and anxiety in that one.

 As stated before, anxiety strikes both mind and body and you must pay attention to both to manage it well.  I knew I needed some movement today so I took a walk and headed for a nearby woods.  I was hoping to feel peace there and sure enough the birds were singing, and the trees stood strong and silent, simply bearing witness to the season.  I also decided to walk through a nearby cemetery on my way home and noticed several people doing the same thing.  I realized as I walked that every single person buried in that cemetery had known fear and experienced the ups and downs of life, and yet again they stood bearing silent witness, reminding me that indeed everything will pass.  I noticed a particular headstone that stated, “Only three things last; faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love”.

Pauline Boss is a retired University of Minnesota professor and author of the book Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief.  She recently gave the sage advice to avoid extremes of “either/or” thinking during times like these and embrace “both/and” thinking.  For example, this is a scary and difficult time and I have the support and resources to get through it.  It is easy to think either in terms of denial or despair.  Denial helps us function in some ways so that we don’t walk around thinking about our mortality all of the time.  But denial is not helpful when you pretend there is not a real crisis just because it hasn’t hit you personally and you then behave in ways that endanger yourself and others.  Despair of course can be equally destructive and will generate fear and hopelessness in yourself and others alike.  Finding a rational perspective will empower you to cope in more constructive ways.

During moments of heightened anxiety, getting to your rational mind is easier said than done.  It requires slowing things down, calming the body and quieting the mind.  One approach many people find helpful comes from Emotional Freedom Therapy.  A particular exercise I like is one I have come to refer to as the “heart hug”.  Hold both hands across your chest as if giving yourself a hug, think of a both/and affirmation to say to yourself as you breathe.  Here are some examples: “Even though this is a scary time and I feel anxious, I know right now I am okay”.   “Even though I am upset, I can choose to take good care of myself and those around me”.  “Even though I feel out of control, I deeply and completely love myself”.  Hold your hands in place as you say the affirmation, then take three deep breathes.  Repeat this process three times and pay attention to how you feel when you finish.  Let me know how it works for you.  Wishing you peace.

The Time is Now

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In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 we read these well-known words: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  Here are a few that seem especially relevant for this COVID -19 season:

  • A time to weep and a time to laugh
  • A time to mourn and a time to dance
  • A time to embrace and a time to refrain
  • A time to be silent and a time to speak

There is a time to learn from history and a time to listen to the future.   Many people have noted that this pandemic feels similar to 9/11, when our world changed overnight, and fear took root.   Because of the global scale and the dramatic ripple effects of this crisis, some point to World War II as the last time the world experienced change on the scale we are living through now.   Whether these turn out to be fair comparisons or not remains to be seen.  Looking forward there will be important choices to be made which could lead us deeper into fear, lead us back to business as usual while ignoring the bigger underlying problems being exposed by this crisis, or lead us to transformational changes.

There is a wonderful book called Presence by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers.  Presence is a concept borrowed from the natural world, in which the whole is entirely present in any of its parts, and the parts exist as embodiments of the whole.  They outline a process for learning when what we know from the past leaves us blind to profound shifts when whole new forces shaping the future arise.  They outline a process for taking time to suspend our habitual ways of thinking and examining our mental models and assumptions, redirecting our attention to the source rather than the immediate things in front of us, letting go and surrendering our need to control, and then opening ourselves to the future that is trying to emerge.  This internal development is an ongoing journey and their version includes what they call seven spaces:  awareness, stopping, calmness, stillness, peace, true thinking, and attainment.  When you reach true calmness of mind, then you’ll be able to reach true quietness or stillness. When you have stillness, you’ll be in a state of peacefulness in which you can truly think. When you can truly think, then you can attain the goals that you’re supposed to achieve. 

It is time for stillness, deep learning, and change.   The coronavirus crisis has presented us with an opportunity for a reset and what we do with it is critical.  As a society we have drifted in the direction of trading freedoms for a sense of security.  Anyone over a certain age can see dramatic differences in the freedom we had as children to roam and create our own adventures compared to the children of today.  We remember the time when we could meet loved ones at the airport gates. Consider the movement towards fear and hostility regarding immigrants.  This crisis has amplified things and it feels like a pandemic of fear; of getting sick, of strangers getting too close, of loss of loved ones, jobs, and financial security.   In recent decades we have also been driven culturally by values of greed and self-centered priorities which have created extreme wealth and power disparities and put us on a path of destroying the planet and threatening the extinction of all species.  This is all like chasing after the wind. 

Social distancing is necessary right now and we need to protect our public health, but as the threat of this virus subsides, will we slide deeper into fear and permanently accept giving up more freedom to create the illusion of safety?  Or will we remember how precious it is to live in community, have contact with one another, and have the freedom to assemble?  Can we acknowledge that risk is inherent in living and choose to be fully alive?  Will we continue to allow the values of selfishness to set the course of our society?  Or will we embrace the values that affirm life such as compassion, fairness, kindness, passion, adventure, respect for one another and the earth?  We have seen these values coming forward in good people everywhere during this crisis, as they always have in crises past.  Individually, we can choose to live these higher values, see the world more holistically, invite spiritual renewal, and help turn our societies to affirm life.  Collectively, we can demand that our leaders stand up and develop policies, programs, and structures based in humanistic principles. There is a future waiting to emerge that depends on us to co-create.  It will emerge only to the extent we are willing and able to commit to operating from our deepest values, focus our attention on what really matters and the problems we need to solve, and take actions based in the future rather than patterns of the past.  There is a time and it is now.

Be Still

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Sadness, grief, fear, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, agitation, confusion and worry, mixed with hope, faith, gratitude, determination, courage, compassion and love.  This is a strange, overwhelming, and unbelievable time that is infecting all of us in one way or another.  It is hard to know exactly what is happening, why it is happening and what will happen next.  Most of us do not enjoy this level of uncertainty and for some it is terrifying.

One thing that is becoming clear is that life will not simply return to normal when this virus is under control.  A pandemic of this magnitude shakes our very foundations, shatters some of our assumptions, and reveals our vulnerabilities.  Some things we have taken for granted are gone forever.  Sadly, it appears things are going to get worse before they get better.

We don’t know what the future holds but a new future will emerge.  What kind of future will emerge depends, at least in part, on us.  Will we learn the lessons that are inherent in this crisis?  Will we remember the value of slowing down, not over-scheduling our lives, not always running after material pleasures and entertainment, and taking time to be with those we love?  Will we notice that our planet can heal herself if we allow it?  Will we take seriously the warnings of scientists, researchers, teachers, and other experts who are trying to tell us what we need to do to allow our planet to recover and once again become our healthy, beautiful, life-sustaining home?

Life is governed by systems and runs in cycles.  There are big systems and small.  Healthy systems and dysfunctional ones.  Long cycles and short cycles.  For example, there are systems of government and economies.  There are family systems and systems of religion and cultures.  In the natural world there are systems of ecology.  If you stop and observe you can see cycles within all systems.  Some like in nature are regular and predictable.  Others go through stages and begin to break down when there is too much inequity, abuse, concentration of power and resources, too much enmeshment on the one hand or too many defensive barriers on the other.  When these things happen systems become stagnant, lose resilience and can no longer adapt in healthy ways.  When the overall system resilience is lowest, the potential for change is highest. Change is necessary but it is often chaotic, frightening, and painful. 

So now we must stop, be still, observe, and listen.  We need to turn inward and remember what it is that grounds us.  We must reconnect with our highest selves, with one another, with the earth, and with our Divine source.   Psalm 46 tells us that God is always present and is in control during times of crisis and chaos.  Verse 10 gives us the admonition to “Be still and know that I am God.”  Regardless of our religion or form of spirituality practice, we know deep down it is time to be still.  Being still takes practice and not all of us have the time, inclination, or capacity for the kind of inner work it takes to attain true stillness.   But we can sit Quietly and take long, slow breathes.  We can pay attention to what we are feeling and how we need to be with ourselves.  We can pray, meditate, reflect, and listen.  These practices can help bring us the peace, confidence, and personal resilience we need to learn and then take courageous and wise action.


There is a Time

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There is a time and place for all that you need.  Do not worry if that time is not now for you can create with your mind what you will later experience when all is ready.  For now you may need to live in the unanswered questions and the visions of your deepest desires.  Enjoy the pleasure of your dreams as you wait.  Waiting is not passive, it is preparation.  Prepare your mind by learning what you need to learn.  Prepare your heart by walking through your fears into the realization that all is well.  Prepare by acting on your guidance, internal and external, to arrive where you are ready to receive.  Allow yourself to recognize, walk into, and embrace what has been waiting there to delight you.  Soak in the gift of being showered with the love that has manifest in a surprising and perfect way.


Have You Buried Your Dead?

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The losses overwhelm me.  I grieve and yet find no release.  I feel myself walking up a hill, my boots heavy on the concrete path beneath me.  The string of coffins drags behind me, tied in a row by chains around my waist.  My days are long, the nights are longer.

Desperately I search for peace, to know once again the quiet of my mind and lightness of heart.  Have you buried your dead, the Desert Fathers said? The question stings like an arrow, piercing the veil of my blindness.  Suddenly I see what must be done.

I set my mind to the tasks undone.  The headstone must be set in place.  The memories left behind must be sorted and decisions made.  What will I take?  What will I leave?  What now belongs to whom?  I reach out to those who also know the loss and discover I can lift their spirit as they lift mine.

The dead are still dead and buried in the ground.  Yet they are also alive as I know them in new ways within me.  Sometimes I still cry, but a smile too finds my face as I think of them now.  My step is quicker, my heart is free to love them in new relationship.  Gratitude shares space with sorrow, as the sun shares space with the moon.


The Path of Mastery – Article 5

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In the book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink describes research that indicates the primary intrinsic motivations for work in the 21st century are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  He outlines five steps to mastery:  1) Practice, 2) Repetition, 3) Pursuit of constant, critical feedback, 4) Focusing ruthlessly on what you need to improve, and 5) Preparing for the process to be mentally and physically exhausting.  Yes, it can be a long and difficult path to mastery, but following the path allows you to define, experience, and express purpose in your work and to attain higher levels of autonomy.  Excellence always comes with a price, but it is its own reward.  Each person must decide if it is worth the investment.

Robert Greene, in his book Mastery, defines mastery as a form of power and intelligence that represents the high point of human potential.  It is the feeling of having greater command of reality, other people, and ourselves.  For masters in their field, this becomes their way of life, their way of seeing the world.  He agrees that achieving mastery in anything worthwhile takes dedication, persistence, and investment over time.  Through the study of masters throughout history, he discovered and outlined three distinct phases leading to this high form of intrinsic power:  Apprenticeship, Creative-Active, and Mastery.

Apprenticeship:  We all start at the beginning and during this phase we stand on the outside of our field and our task is to learn as much as we can of the basic elements and rules.  This phase includes our education, internships, and early career jobs.  This phase may last several years and those pursuing mastery need to stay focused on learning, growing, networking, and defining the direction of their career.  They need to stay flexible, be open to opportunities, seek feedback and improvement, and be intentional about achieving goals.  For example, Robert Greene tells a story of a man who intended to make his mark as a master architect.  After working in the field a few years, he decided he needed to understand the engineering behind his designs so he went back to school and got an engineering degree.  This enabled him to stretch the creativity of his designs and know what was possible from an engineering perspective as well.

Creative-Active:  Through much practice and immersion, we begin to see inside of the machinery, how things connect with one another, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of our field of practice.  With this comes new power; the ability to experiment and creatively play with the elements involved.  At this phase, the architect who fully understands how to develop good designs and understands the engineering behind them, can create designs that express his unique talents.  He is still very deliberate, works hard to improve, and is intent on perfecting his skills.

Mastery:  Our degree of knowledge, experience, and focus is so deep that we can now see the whole picture with complete clarity.  We have internalized the knowledge and expertise and can work creatively and intuitively.  Intuitive powers at the mastery level combine the conscious and unconscious, making powerful connections and the ability to feel and think inside things.  When we reach mastery, this intuition is a power at our command, the fruit of working through the lengthier process.   The architect has made his mark on the world and at this phase he is in big demand and can consistently perform at the top of his field.  He is fulfilling his potential and his purpose.

Achieving mastery may seem like an arduous process, but those who find their vocation and stay focused on getting better and better find the journey to be exhilarating and captivating.  What can be more rewarding in work than feeling the authentic power of fulfilling one’s potential?  Being a master in anything worthwhile is how we can best be of service to the world.  John Eldredge says it well in his book, The Journey of Desire:  Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive.  Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.  We all must start where we are and take the journey.  There are no short-cuts but there is guidance, through career success coaching for example.  The articles to follow will focus on coaching tools to assist you on your own personal path.


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