What an excellent, aspirational article! It’s funny to think this way given the thesis of this piece about nonlinear goal setting, but I feel I’m a couple stages back on the path from where you’re at.
I can do a lot of the Trust/Guidance stuff (and even wrote an article breaking down my method for it while walking my dog! https://open.substack.com/pub/creekmasons/p/dog-walkin-shamanism) but maintaining that mindset consistently seems to require a little something more from me, energy-wise. Perhaps it is gatekept by a stint of skillful, effortful meditation and alchemy?
I sense that with intentional practice, I will develop the mindfulness, equanimity and concentration muscles necessary to maintain this orientation toward awakened service to the divine that you are promoting.
As you say in the article, there’s darkness to clear out to make way for the light. Im still in my shadow work phase, I think, having just spent some serious time with Pranayama—which is often said to effectively burn off karma—and more recently Pragmatic Dharma, the latter also promised by Culadasa to transmute maladaptive patterns into alchemical gold.
I vibe most with Daniel Ingram’s take on the matter: there is a TON of effortful striving we have to do before we can take the final step of letting go, finally “yoked to god’s will” as the yogis say.
Thanks man! I'd say that a lot of what I talk about here is an emergence after lots of shadow work. For example, you don't try to be trusting...it just comes once you handle lots of the doubts and insecurities. Does that make sense?
It seems like you can focus on intention and shadow work in paralell, but that was not what I did. I went hard on the shadow before this other stuff kind of emerged
Have you been on substack throughout the whole process? I’m very new here. Is there a way to scroll through your greatest hits on this journey? Maybe I’m asking you to write a book, lol.
But there **is** a degree of linearity, it seems, that unlocks an “individual’s” nonlinear potential. An initiatory path, maybe.
I’d be very curious to hear your latest thinking on what the “stages” of that awakening are!
I have only been on substack for the last year. It's been a 4.5 year heavy process for me, with about 6 years of meditation before that. A lot of the unfolding over the last year can be found here: https://scottbritton.substack.com/archive
Right down the fairway of what I’ve been wrestling with for some time. The path from accomplishment => consciousness feels like a one way road, but it turns out it’s closer to a pendulum, where the goal is to hold all of it at once.
Yes! Balancing the two can be super confusing and still something I need to practice all the time. I feel like maybe the pendulum maybe isn't as extreme for less extreme people than your average entrepreneur. Can't say for sure though...
Really appreciate your support brotha and all the great stuff you are creating in the world!
Aug 7, 2023·edited Aug 7, 2023Liked by Scott Britton
Hey Scott, I resonate deeply with being on the self-reflection/improvement hamster wheel and ultimately realising it wasn't working. For me it looked like saying goodbye to the video marketing company I'd started (heart wrenching though it was) and pursuing writing and art instead. It was a HUGE step but I'm happier and healthier now than I've ever been. At that time I also found Chris Duncan's work deeply resonated—particularly the idea that I didn't need to be 'fixed' and the past self isn't going to create your desired reality.
I've also been deeply internal the last few years and now feel ready to 'step back into my “person in the world suit”' as you put it. I love this! Your approach to reflection feels a lot more freeing and wholesome. For now, I'll focusing on the 'context' and 'openness and flexibility' component. Picture it, look downstream, and it will come! Cheers to the big experiment! Thanks for another wonderful piece.
Thanks Renee! I appreciate your sharing your experience. You are 100% right that saying goodbye to the old you can be sooo damn hard. The other side is always worth it though. I was not familiar with Chris Duncan. I will def check out.
Irrespective of what we call it, the divine, greater self-awareness, it doesn’t matter but your comments how our consciousness determines our perception and thus understanding, that is something I describe as solving problems with the right problem definition. And once I looked at the world from this perspective I found solutions to unsolvable issues. I read so many books about philosophy and art. These issues are described but I don’t think one can adopt the thinking by reading about it. But at least it gets you prepared. Good stuff
Thanks for your perspective! I agree, that this is more an experiential shift vs. an intellectual one. The books are good for motivation and some sensemaking along the way, but mostly a supplement, not the main course : )
Thank you – this really resonated with me. I understand completely what you're getting at, and have been trying to formulate this exact line of thinking without really being able to, until just now. It was exactly what I was looking for in this very moment.
Thanks Lohi! Pretty amazing how the universe delivers like that when we choose to open to it and start seeing it. Happy this found you when you needed it : )
What an excellent, aspirational article! It’s funny to think this way given the thesis of this piece about nonlinear goal setting, but I feel I’m a couple stages back on the path from where you’re at.
I can do a lot of the Trust/Guidance stuff (and even wrote an article breaking down my method for it while walking my dog! https://open.substack.com/pub/creekmasons/p/dog-walkin-shamanism) but maintaining that mindset consistently seems to require a little something more from me, energy-wise. Perhaps it is gatekept by a stint of skillful, effortful meditation and alchemy?
I sense that with intentional practice, I will develop the mindfulness, equanimity and concentration muscles necessary to maintain this orientation toward awakened service to the divine that you are promoting.
As you say in the article, there’s darkness to clear out to make way for the light. Im still in my shadow work phase, I think, having just spent some serious time with Pranayama—which is often said to effectively burn off karma—and more recently Pragmatic Dharma, the latter also promised by Culadasa to transmute maladaptive patterns into alchemical gold.
I vibe most with Daniel Ingram’s take on the matter: there is a TON of effortful striving we have to do before we can take the final step of letting go, finally “yoked to god’s will” as the yogis say.
Curious to hear your thoughts though!
Thanks man! I'd say that a lot of what I talk about here is an emergence after lots of shadow work. For example, you don't try to be trusting...it just comes once you handle lots of the doubts and insecurities. Does that make sense?
It seems like you can focus on intention and shadow work in paralell, but that was not what I did. I went hard on the shadow before this other stuff kind of emerged
Have you been on substack throughout the whole process? I’m very new here. Is there a way to scroll through your greatest hits on this journey? Maybe I’m asking you to write a book, lol.
But there **is** a degree of linearity, it seems, that unlocks an “individual’s” nonlinear potential. An initiatory path, maybe.
I’d be very curious to hear your latest thinking on what the “stages” of that awakening are!
I have only been on substack for the last year. It's been a 4.5 year heavy process for me, with about 6 years of meditation before that. A lot of the unfolding over the last year can be found here: https://scottbritton.substack.com/archive
I am grateful for your interest and support.
Re: stages, I cobbled together a little model I reference here called the Human Consciousness Continuum. It's mostly a derivative of David Hawkins and Ken Wilber, with what I think is easier to grasp https://scottbritton.substack.com/i/88488069/the-human-consciousness-continuum
Right down the fairway of what I’ve been wrestling with for some time. The path from accomplishment => consciousness feels like a one way road, but it turns out it’s closer to a pendulum, where the goal is to hold all of it at once.
Thanks for the lovely thoughts Scott. I see you.
Yes! Balancing the two can be super confusing and still something I need to practice all the time. I feel like maybe the pendulum maybe isn't as extreme for less extreme people than your average entrepreneur. Can't say for sure though...
Really appreciate your support brotha and all the great stuff you are creating in the world!
Hey Scott, I resonate deeply with being on the self-reflection/improvement hamster wheel and ultimately realising it wasn't working. For me it looked like saying goodbye to the video marketing company I'd started (heart wrenching though it was) and pursuing writing and art instead. It was a HUGE step but I'm happier and healthier now than I've ever been. At that time I also found Chris Duncan's work deeply resonated—particularly the idea that I didn't need to be 'fixed' and the past self isn't going to create your desired reality.
I've also been deeply internal the last few years and now feel ready to 'step back into my “person in the world suit”' as you put it. I love this! Your approach to reflection feels a lot more freeing and wholesome. For now, I'll focusing on the 'context' and 'openness and flexibility' component. Picture it, look downstream, and it will come! Cheers to the big experiment! Thanks for another wonderful piece.
Thanks Renee! I appreciate your sharing your experience. You are 100% right that saying goodbye to the old you can be sooo damn hard. The other side is always worth it though. I was not familiar with Chris Duncan. I will def check out.
Def keep me posted on the context first approach. I just had a really cool conversation on this with Victoria Song. She wrote a cool book about this balance https://www.amazon.com/Bending-Reality-Make-Impossible-Probable/dp/B09BDFZTYL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JFJ21DU3K36S&keywords=bending+reality&qid=1691526550&s=books&sprefix=bending+reality%2Cstripbooks%2C206&sr=1-1
Thanks Scott, I'll check out the book and keep you posted. Looking forward to the next piece!
Irrespective of what we call it, the divine, greater self-awareness, it doesn’t matter but your comments how our consciousness determines our perception and thus understanding, that is something I describe as solving problems with the right problem definition. And once I looked at the world from this perspective I found solutions to unsolvable issues. I read so many books about philosophy and art. These issues are described but I don’t think one can adopt the thinking by reading about it. But at least it gets you prepared. Good stuff
Thanks for your perspective! I agree, that this is more an experiential shift vs. an intellectual one. The books are good for motivation and some sensemaking along the way, but mostly a supplement, not the main course : )
This was good ! A very good explanation of “stepping into your power” without to much visualizing very profound !
Thank you Charlie! Stepping into your power can be something many spiritualists have reservations about. I know I did. I'm glad it resonated.
ah the synchronicity of me also writing about stepping away from goals and plans today: https://gameofone.substack.com/p/40-chainsmoking-good-days
Gotta love those winks from the universe : )
Thank you – this really resonated with me. I understand completely what you're getting at, and have been trying to formulate this exact line of thinking without really being able to, until just now. It was exactly what I was looking for in this very moment.
Thanks Lohi! Pretty amazing how the universe delivers like that when we choose to open to it and start seeing it. Happy this found you when you needed it : )
Thats an awesome metaphor! I think we are always dealing our hands, we just are kind of unconscious of it...until we are!