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Just in case you’ve been wondering what happened to us since our last blog post on January 1, we’ve been in a period of deep hibernation over this past long winter and late-to-arrive Spring.
And now we’re coming out of our cave, blinking at the bright light prying open our still sleepy eyelids.
Actually, our life for the last six months or so has been a “dissipative structure”. Dissipative structure is a term coined by physicist Ilya Prigogine to describe what happens (in the simplest of terms) to a structure or organism when it is receiving more energy than it can process.
The structure or organism begins to vibrate and becomes destabilized, essentially falling apart. In many cases it subsequently reorganizes itself to accommodate the increased energy input and re-stabilizes to function at a higher level.
This could be the source of the notion that breakdown is breakthrough. In our case, it is breakthrough. And we’ve been through this process many times in the past, so we are familiar with it. And that doesn’t necessarily make it feel any better or easier when you’re going through it!
We will be having lots to share in the weeks and months to come. Right now we have a delightful fable to share with you. We hope you enjoy it.
Wealth, Success or Love? What Will It Be?
Author Unknown
A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.
She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.”
“Is the man of the house home?”, they asked.
“No”, she said. “He’s out.”
“Then we cannot come in”, they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. “Go tell them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited the men in.
“We do not go into a House together,” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!!”, he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!” His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!” “Let us agree to our daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”
The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, “Which one of you is Love Please come in and be our guest.” Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.
Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?” The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success. The other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love. Wherever He goes, we go with him.
April 30th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
“dissapative structure” i had not heard that term but I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!! In fact I feel that way right now and no it is NOT comfortable. I loved the “love” story also……it is the man i would have chosen also:) life is happening on many levels…..had my first 2 tele seminar classes! much love and thanks for the beauty and the update……melanie
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Paul Reply:
May 1st, 2010 at 11:03 am
Congratulations on your first two teleseminars, Melanie! I think the notion of “dissipative structures” is a particularly useful frame for the challenging parts of the transformational process for humans. In scientific circles it is still not completely accepted by everyone, but it makes to me and most people involved in personal transformation and consciousness work.
Paul
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colleen Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I also picked love. thanks.
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April 30th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Great story! I love that!
And the info about the dissipative structure is perf – how’d you know that was happening to me, too!?! LOL –
love you guys –
aloha –
Angela
[Reply]
Paul Reply:
May 1st, 2010 at 11:04 am
Hey Angela – glad you liked the story. And it seems lots of people I talk with these days are experiencing the “dissipative structure” phenomenon in one way or another!
Love you, too — Paul
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May 1st, 2010 at 1:50 am
I know what you are talking about as it happened to me too. I actually `saw` my process working which I would call the unconscious organizing principle, which runs our lives and creates a structure which we live within. I saw I had created a thought form which kind of held me captive within its seeming walls, but I also saw the limitations as having acted like a protective function because I hadn`t grown enough to withstand the shattering of the protective shell which |I was encased in. This was a profound breakthrough for me although I agree that some people might experience it as a breakdown.
I saw that my ego was a construct I had made up and I was tied to always `becoming`. As soon as I `saw` this I also `saw` I had never BEEN, and in that moment of revelation I came into Being.
I was being shown something about my character which had been creating my experience up until then. This profound experience and the events which followed revealed certain character traits I had disowned because I had been avoiding any situation or condition which might have revealed them to me.
What was revealed to me through this major traumatic disturbance was how deeply embedded I had been in a kind of `victim/persecutor/rescuer` mindset which seemed at the time as quite noble kind of traits which was actually like living with some kind of illusion which hid me from myself. I would not have thought of myself as a victim etc with all the attendant hidden rage and feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness. I had safely kept this locked into my unconscious. It was a truth I needed to `see` and it felt like I`d had an experience of the Divine even though it could be experienced as painful.
There has been an ongoing and unfolding over a long period of time now as we don`t suddenly become enlightened, enlightenment is ongoing although many people would prefer to see themselves as `enlightened` even though they are living in their own darkness.
I am think of doing an MA in consciousness studies even though I`m getting on a bit, or putting what I have learn`t `out there` in some form.
It does seem many people have experienced variations of divine revelations in some form or another from my prolific studying.
I would like to say that I am not sure that when you say `reorganizes itself to function at a higher level` is an actual truth as that implies more of the same kind of structuring. I am now beginning to realize that structuring comes from the needs of our false ego which needs it to feel `secure and therefore safe` and guide me through difficult times.
I am now beginning to see myself as a new order of myself that knows who I am and does not have to be armed with a to do list (not what I need to do in order to function). This I think may take quite a long time, but I see it as an unfolding and not time bound.
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