On the day I wrote the previous post, I began writing a new daily journal. The time had come. The catalyst for it was the discovery of the work of Charles Eisenstein. Listening to an interview he gave, led me to search for more of what he had to say. Since that day, two weeks ago, I have listened to numerous talks, conversations and interviews; read essays of his; and started reading his book, The Ascent of Humanity.
Eisenstein’s influence begins at the most fundamental level of my work. (I’m tempted to refer to him as Charles because his work feels so personal and familiar. As he says himself, it is really something which all of us feel.) He uses stories to frame his arguments for a better world. With a disarming, intellectual clarity, he explains that we currently live in an old story, which spreads back over millennia. That story is one of separation, brought about by various means, all of which are about understanding and controlling our world. The old story has its obvious and inevitable place in our development. But it is no longer valid. It’s coming to an end.
In its place is the new story: a story of community, in which we (can) depend on each other, and where each of us offers our unique gift for the good of all. Beautifully, this new story is also our ancient story. We were once like that but we took a different pathway. It led us further and further away from nature, from ourselves, and from each other. Eisenstein advocates a return to all those things. A return to seeing the Earth and everything (everything!) on it as alive, conscious, and interconnected. Every time you do that – actually experience what it means and not just understand it – you turn a little further away from the old story and toward the new one.
My work has always been about supporting people in seeing their own existing story as clearly as possible and helping to facilitate their move into a new one. Fortunately, what works for the individual, works for the whole of mankind. And it begins with seeing our current, collective conditioning. Seeing clearly how we have been formed by our world. Seeing clearly how we behave, what our habits are, our patterns, and how we got here. Because when we see things clearly, as Karaj showed me, change is already happening. It’s in the seeing.
It’s obvious, therefore, how Eisenstein’s presence has ushered me back to a writing practice which has always served me well. It is the mainstay of my work with others, and I regularly see the magic it brings to anyone open or courageous enough to try it.
But it is more than just a return to my daily journal. It is about creating a new story for myself too. I have looked closely at my own personal story and moved into a new one. But I remain a product of humanity’s old story. As I see that one more clearly (Thank you, Charles), it’s evident what I need to do: Foster community; give without expectation of receiving; and experience more deeply my connection with Earth, Nature, Humanity, and the consciousness of the entire Universe.
Related posts: Our Connection With Nature | Tell Yourself A Story