Ulises

The archetype of the New Age

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Looking back, I wish I'd been a cowboy. To live with those smells, the beasts, the hay, the dust, the manure smells - all of it. It's only now in my mid-60's that I realize what I 'should have done'. Most of my life I have sang the song of others, as you say. Hey, maybe there's still time....

 

This is something that crops up occasionally, regardless of our age. It happens when we act in a way untrue to ourselves, whether for a single moment or for an entire life. Regret is the outcome, and far reaching effects distract us from our now, and from important, if a bit nonlinear truths: We live, die, exist, or don't right now so being upset and wishing for a different past denies our present, despite any positives it may hold at the moment or within the futures it carries. Abandonment of those potential successes dooms us to a downward spiraling languish very difficult to escape.

 

Instead, recall the story of the man who found a wild tempered horse that broke his son's leg and saved his life. We never know what will happen next, so we must learn to treasure every experience for what it can teach us, though at the time it may be impossible to see the lessons and possibilities it contains for us until much time has passed.

 

In my case, I am learning to relinquish my attachment to the naive ideas of what perfect and real love would be like, generated through a lifetime of hopeless romanticism. My love is a mandala all her own, the dimensions of her being that have taken me beyond the ordinary (and already blessed) life I'd lived before her presence blur the line between reality and unbelievable fiction of questionable caliber, and synchronicities abound. The person closest to you is the one who can affect you the most, and in my case, the way she feels and acts often play upon my insecurities unintentionally as she is simply being true to herself. Tricky is finding a balance between accepting her for who she is (because that person has helped me blossom more than any before) and knowing when to ask her to alter her behaviors for my sake. I struggle with regret over a plethora of things because the words or interactions didn't conform to the plans and notions I'd had from earlier in our journey together. In the end, none of them matter because I could not be who I am or where I'm going any other way than this.

 

At least the fact is familiar, I've lived it before her, and I know I can again. More intense emotions and energies, higher difficulties, greater challenges...Harder, yes, but the rewards are equally outrageous. Why not be a cowboy now?

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A wonderful archetype.

 

The deepest meaning of the inner world can only

unfold into our life when we are true to ourself, when we

live our own life, singing our own song. We each have our

own destiny, our own unique way of living what is most

precious. For some it can be baking bread with love, for

others, painting a picture. Jung says, “Find the meaning

and make the meaning your goal.”

 

The thing I love about this is that it has nothing to do with making money. When I think of all the years I had pounded into my head that I had to pick something where I could actually make a living at it: as opposed to 'being a cowboy', which was all I ever wanted to do. My folks of course told me this was ridiculous.

 

Looking back, I wish I'd been a cowboy. To live with those smells, the beasts, the hay, the dust, the manure smells - all of it. It's only now in my mid-60's that I realize what I 'should have done'. Most of my life I have sang the song of others, as you say. Hey, maybe there's still time....

 

Beautiful quote ^_^ . Hey my motto is until were on our death bed its never too late! There is always time for a change of paths; just look at my uncle, he went to school to become an engineer, then in his mid forties he decided hey this isn't worth it so he actually went to a medical school in Mexico without knowing a single bit of spanish and came out with a medicine degree and a fluency for a new language, he passed the medical exam in America and has happily been a doctor ever since. I can't even imagine taking anatomy and learning to become a doctor in a foreign language :wacko: , but he did it! So theres always time to follow your true heart. I'm right with you in being a cowboy, Yippee :lol: ! I've actually come to realize that my goal would be to live off the land on my own ranch and give qigong healings on a donation basis, some dream :wub: . Shoot for the stars :D

Edited by surfingbudda
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Beautiful quote ^_^ . Hey my motto is until were on our death bed its never too late! There is always time for a change of paths; just look at my uncle, he went to school to become an engineer, then in his mid forties he decided hey this isn't worth it so he actually went to a medical school in Mexico without knowing a single bit of spanish and came out with a medicine degree and a fluency for a new language, he passed the medical exam in America and has happily been a doctor ever since. I can't even imagine taking anatomy and learning to become a doctor in a foreign language :wacko: , but he did it! So theres always time to follow your true heart. I'm right with you in being a cowboy, Yippee :lol: ! I've actually come to realize that my goal would be to live off the land on my own ranch and give qigong healings on a donation basis, some dream :wub: . Shoot for the stars :D

 

 

great sharing, very inspiring! yeah, it's never too late...

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ulises, have you read the red book?

 

I've read some extracts...Jung was a courageous pioneer. I hope to read it soon (a copy in the public library...)

 

I'm in love with the books by post-Jungian Stephen Gallegos. I had the oportunity to meet him and the man is for real. Reading his archetypal experiences is a living lesson about respect and relationship with the deep imagery...resulting in a vibrant, spontaneous alchemical process. (I attended one of his workshops: amazing healing results, a cascade of sinchronicities related to the content of my healing, strongly recommended)

I like especially his latest book

http://www.moonbearpress.com/books/intow/index.html

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I've read some extracts...Jung was a courageous pioneer. I hope to read it soon (a copy in the public library...)

 

I'm in love with the books by post-Jungian Stephen Gallegos. I had the oportunity to meet him and the man is for real. Reading his archetypal experiences is a living lesson about respect and relationship with the deep imagery...resulting in a vibrant, spontaneous alchemical process. (I attended one of his workshops: amazing healing results, a cascade of sinchronicities related to the content of my healing, strongly recommended)

I like especially his latest book

http://www.moonbearpress.com/books/intow/index.html

yeah. i may have to add him on facebook. :D Thanks again.

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Another book about archetypal experiences is "Subtle Worlds: An Explorer's Field Notes" by David Spangler.

Full of common sense, humour, and valuable insights (the synthesis of sixty plus years of a modern mystic's experience of the subtle worlds of spirit...)

A gem,IMO

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0936878266/newheavenneweart

 

here, in this splendid interview, you can get a taste of Spangler's "vibe":

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC34/Spangler.htm

Edited by Ulises
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Looking back, I wish I'd been a cowboy. To live with those smells, the beasts, the hay, the dust, the manure smells - all of it. It's only now in my mid-60's that I realize what I 'should have done'. Most of my life I have sang the song of others, as you say. Hey, maybe there's still time....

 

 

This is something that crops up occasionally, regardless of our age. It happens when we act in a way untrue to ourselves, whether for a single moment or for an entire life. Regret is the outcome, and far reaching effects distract us from our now, and from important, if a bit nonlinear truths: We live, die, exist, or don't right now so being upset and wishing for a different past denies our present, despite any positives it may hold at the moment or within the futures it carries. Abandonment of those potential successes dooms us to a downward spiraling languish very difficult to escape.

 

 

 

I'm a little younger than mid-60's but old enough now to look back at the unfolding of my life's choices and feel the prang of regret... but I didn't sing someone else's song. I did follow my heart.

 

When I wanted to travel I would. When I had a passion that inspired me to follow it - I did. I've drunk opiate tea and road a speed boat from Vein Veigh to Lounprabang. I've been robbed and left penniless with no flight home in Cambodia. I've blown out a hip and spent 10 days alone in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. I lived for three months in a primitive hut lighting my fires with bow and hand drills bathing in ponds....(and the list does go on.) Most would say I have lived.

 

But I do look back and regret. I regret not being more disciplined. Not considering my choices more thoroughly. Regret not having built a better foundation for myself when I was younger so that the family which came later had more security. I find myself coaching my daughter out of the types of choices that I have made myself....

 

But it has dawned on me that the feelings I am having aren't really about regretting to choices I have made as much as a feeling of loss due to a particular shift in my relationship with life. Back then, through all those bad decisions I was a young man who was out creating the life I was about to live - becoming the man I would be, and now I am an older man living the life which I have created - become the man of those decisions.

 

The prangs of regret we feel may not be regrets of our decisions as much as it is the feeling that life's path is now set in stone....

 

I'd say becoming the cowboy might be just the thing needed to shift back to creating the life you are bound to live. In fact I might even say it is necessary.

Edited by -O-
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In my case, I am learning to relinquish my attachment to the naive ideas of what perfect and real love would be like, generated through a lifetime of hopeless romanticism. My love is a mandala all her own, the dimensions of her being that have taken me beyond the ordinary (and already blessed) life I'd lived before her presence blur the line between reality and unbelievable fiction of questionable caliber, and synchronicities abound. The person closest to you is the one who can affect you the most, and in my case, the way she feels and acts often play upon my insecurities unintentionally as she is simply being true to herself. Tricky is finding a balance between accepting her for who she is (because that person has helped me blossom more than any before) and knowing when to ask her to alter her behaviors for my sake. I struggle with regret over a plethora of things because the words or interactions didn't conform to the plans and notions I'd had from earlier in our journey together. In the end, none of them matter because I could not be who I am or where I'm going any other way than this.

 

 

This is an incredible bit of wisdom, to my way of thinking. Learning to relinquish our naive ideas of what love 'should' be like.

 

I've been with my other half for 28 years. We've been married to each other twice, been divorced from each other twice, and we're still together. There was just something there we couldn't quite walk away from. As I see it now, the thing that held us together was often a negative dynamic, a fear of being alone, a fear of nobody ever finding me attractive again. At the time I would have called it 'love', but I see better now.

 

At some point in this 28 year relationship we finally grew up. And it wasn't all that long ago. I've come to the awareness that love is a Decision - it's not something that comes and goes at will. Sure, there are times when I like him better than other times - depending on what my mood is or what his mood is.

 

But one day I realized that I was always looking at the grass on the other side of the fence; all my life I've done this. Always having one foot ready to run if either something better came along, or if things didn't work out.

 

About a year ago (27 years into this grand experiment) I finally decided to Want What I Have. Not to wait until I felt the feelings first, just to make the decision to choose this path. He sort of did the same thing, we've subsequently talked about it. I've made a conscious decision to keep both feet here where I am, in this relationship with him, love him to the best of my ability; also, to love my house more, love my yard more. And it wasn't because I felt the feelings first. It was just a decision on my part, perhaps more mature than my previous way of thinking. and has it made a difference!

 

No doubt this sounds ridiculous to most old married folks because they would have made this decision ages ago, perhaps the day of their wedding. But in our case, both being recovering alkies, neither one of us are wrapped very tightly, and my whole life has been a series of impulses with very little discipline. Our previous marriages to each other were impulses with very little discipline.

 

The way I see it now, it has something to do with a greater capacity for gratitude; that's the only thing I can see that's changed within me. The further I travel the path into self, the clearer things get.

 

As for being a cowboy? (Sigh) It's a bit of a compromise at this time. We live out in the farm country of Ohio - plenty of horses here, although I don't own any at this time. It's not the cool little ranch I'd love to have down in New Mexico or Arizona (except for that damn Arizona governor); but it's okay. There will be a ranch in the future. There will. and perhaps a bit of a horse rescue or something. That's a bit down the road financially, but it's coming.

 

And I do still have my hat, my saddle, my bridle.

Edited by manitou

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