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Schiermonikoog, NL
“A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use.”
Carlos Castaneda
4 comments:
Lovely quote, sounds good ... but in practice, dropping some paths can cause affront - or harm - to oneself and others, if they are embarked on as a sacred and deliberately shared journey. Such as ... marriage. Trying that path many times and just dropping it is not enlightened, authentic, or loving.
Marriage is and should be a sacred, shared and deliberate journey. The sad part is when the journey is no longer "shared" and goals and expectations have shifted and altered. Nobody can avoid self evolution and discovery...each of us is responsible for our OWN path and where that may lead. Enlightenment can only occur when we each own our truth.
“When two people decide to get a divorce, it isn't a sign that they "don't understand" one another, but a sign that they have, at last, begun to.”
Helen Rowland
This is the difficulty I have with Casteneda - as SWs, we see only too often how much those we would help (and we ourselves) are so effective at avoiding self-evolution, even if it is their heart's desire. Thus, consulting only one's heart allows for the self-deception that causes painful patterns to repeat. IMHO, the emphasis on family and community is more in the Jane Addams spirit.
I believe it is about constantly checking in with oneself...recognizing what is an old tape replaying itself and what is a new voice emerging, as a result of lessons learned, practiced, and brought to a new level of insight. Owning our truths and allowing openings for what is unknown and unfamiliar...Jane Addams is the ultimate example of this. She was steadfast and true to her beliefs, despite the obstacles. The path of devoted bravery without 'self' getting in the way.
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