The Three Ways of Be-ing

What makes us human? ͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­ Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [The Three Ways of Be-ing]( What makes us human? [Ronan Loughney](ronanthomasloughney) Sep 26 ronanthomasloughney   [READ IN APP](   You are a human being. And your first, perhaps your only, task is to be.  And yet! Some force drags you forward, some spiritual gravity lifts your soul up and out of the present and on towards the visions of everything that could be! Because you are also a human be-coming. You are a work of art, ever unfolding, towards a perfection unimaginable from the place you now stand. Our lives can feel like a constant negotiation between these two poles: to slow down and celebrate the naked fact of being, already inherently complete, and the urge to strive towards our highest dreams, always on the horizon. The Ancients understood this, the divine interplay between Atman and Maya, between Agape and Eros, between stillness and change, each informing the other, as yin to yang. In the pressures of modern life, it’s so easy to become stuck between these points, as the specter of one haunts the reality of the other, our moments of rest pestered by the nagging need to achieve; our daily efforts exerted in opposition to that which seeks only stillness and acceptance. Perhaps it is because there is a missing piece in all of this. A missing way of be-ing. For in order to truly let go into this moment, and in order to march bravely towards the horizon of possibility, you must also be a human belonging. Because until you feel that you are welcome here, that life and your presence here are your birthright, that you are not separable from the trees and the stars but are just an extension of the whole looking on itself… how can you truly rest and play? The sadness that sits at the heart of modern society, as we each disappear ever more deeply into our separating screens, is alienation. From one another. From nature. From ourselves. We tell ourselves we should do more. We must be better. ‘It is my fault my fault my fault!’ you cry. ‘That I am not whole. That I feel this hole inside my chest that cannot be filled.’ But perhaps the reason that you suffer is not because you need to try harder. Not because you are deficient. Not because you somehow broke yourself. Perhaps it is that you have been fighting an impossible battle. Trying to solve something which never was a thing which could be solved.  Not by you alone, anyway. Because the truth is you were never separate, never on the outside looking in. You have been fed a story of separation. Yourself against the world. Dog eat dog. But it is just a story, and it is our challenge and our responsibility to see through this illusion to the wholeness beneath. How do we find our way home then? How do we remember? This is one of the central questions of all spiritual quests. And in the spiritual bypass of much modern truth-seeking, the answer has often been forgotten.  Service.  I cannot feel I completely belong until I understand that I am no other than the world around me.  And I cannot feel I am no other than the world around me until I serve those around me, and realize with time that this very act is also in service to myself. That by taking responsibility and acting for the whole I uncover a larger self of which I am an indissoluble part.  The spiritual path is not only about peak experiences. Not only about crystallizing a vision of who you want to be and working towards it. It is about serving our communities and the wider planet.  Because this is true adulthood. Not the inflated superiority of modern status games. But the ability to lift something upon your shoulders and know this as your own sacred work. At Apotheosis, we understand the role of service in becoming who you are. In uncovering your deepest joy. In defining the meaning of your life. We explore how you can take on this sacred responsibility and feel the deep sense of belonging that comes from knowing I am contributing to the betterment of this world. Are you ready to step up? Yes? No? Perfect. You are exactly where you need to be. [Book a Call here to take the next step]( P.S. If you can’t make the retreat this time around, our friend Jonny Miller is running his awesome [Nervous System Mastery]( program. Learn tools to come back to calm and stillness from states of panic, stress, anxiety or overwhelm and generally how to shape your state (read: your reality!) whatever way you want. There are 24 hours left to apply. [Sign up here]( using the code ‘HEX’ and you’ll get a $250 discount! Apotheosis by HighExistence is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Apotheosis by HighExistence that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. 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