This is part 3 of Rick’s 4-part series, The Gate of Power and the Flame of Life.
The Individual
Freedom of conscience is a form of liberty that moves beyond a distorted sense of individualism. And this liberty does not have to cut back against the grain of the world, for desire is itself the source of virtue, which has the strength to take one to the heart of the wheel. The heart of the wheel is not so much a place of magic, as it is a place of virtue, virtue in the sense of its etymological derivation from the Sanskrit root √vira or heroism, virtue that need walk hand in hand with pleasure and happiness to reveal the good life. The hero is born through her struggle for liberty, and without the challenge of genuine struggle there is no initiation, no rebirth into another way of living.
One important challenge for the emerging individual is the demand driven desire of the collective economy. The structures of power, be they religious, political, economic, media driven cultural, or what have you, work by siphoning of desire. This is initially accomplished by not allowing one the self esteem to desire anything that does not fit into a greater social agenda. Then, as economies develop and more people have “discretionary income,” people are encouraged to be impulsive consumers, or to go into greater and greater debt, rather than taking stock of values and ideals – of what is actually worth living for. The heroism of the individual is to develop an agenda that is more than a survival strategy: this means not just envisioning having enough money for retirement, but rather having enough money for enlightenment. This is more than being cute; in a capitalist matrix, enlightenment takes money, money to secure a foundation that will allow one time to meditate, to work with teachers, to follow one’s own genius. And there is so much fear around this, not only from the religions and governments, but also from a society that confuses the empowerment of the individual with a “debased sense of self expression” that acts only out of impulse. But impulse must be present to develop into virtue that can overturn the commodification of every desire, the idea that the “perfection of desire” is to turn it into a product.
When I speak of “the individual” here, I am not merely referring to the singular person apart, but rather to the fully developed, differentiated person who still lives in light of others, but who does not amputate him or herself in order to fit the expectations of others. Such a challenge is encoded the very mission statement of free societies, “the pursuit of happiness” for example, which, as Barbara McGraw has discussed, had a much greater resonance than the individual pursuit of pleasure.
More often than not in recent Western history, rebellion has characterized the individual, not because it must be so, but because the social order remained organized under roles and specialization that have not taken into account the realization of self, which is the greater pursuit of happiness. The apex of the individual is the heritage of the West, versus collectivist notions in “communist” countries for example. And although there is always a play between individual and community, the way this is played out becomes crucial.
Through the emergence of individual you come to intention. I prefer intention to mission or mission statement because of its more generalized applicability. One can have an intention, but may still go on detours, and the detours are crucial. Intention is all too often exterior, or too conscious or too easy. The detours, on the other hand, reveal the secondary process, the unexpected meetings and revelations that can deepen and enrich intention, and that can forge it into the burning direction of Spirit.
A detour is different than an escape route. A detour is part of the ingenious practice of building; it might help one find a new way. There are some whose flame gets snuffed out very easily if there is no clear sense of direction, but we have already stated that to lose the way is to find it. So what we want from intention is the stimulation for vitality as opposed to the control of details. Moreover, an individual cannot flower alone; just like a flower needs sunlight, water, bees, etc., other flowers to reveal it beauty and glory. Likewise the individual is fulfilled through relationship and through commitment to something greater. This was the understanding of the pursuit of happiness, that is was found in the greater whole, not through self denial and groveling, but through full development of whatever one has to offer.
Coming next, part 4: Where Do I Belong?
