Juiced on Emergence

I was really touched by a reader’s email and almost can’t help commenting on it.

We were discussing what gives us the “juice,” the “electricity,” the “gasoline” to go forward in the face of such a long wait for things, disappointment, frustration, etc. The reader was wondering if it was connection with higher spirits, etc.

No, I’m not aware that it’s that. At least with me. We’re all of us connected to higher spirits at this time. I don’t doubt that. But I’m not aware of what our connections to spirits may or may not contribute. I’m sure they do, but just can’t speak to it.

Certainly the rising energies give us all a boost. I am very much aware of that. But it isn’t THE thing.

I can speak of the one factor I’m aware of.

I always feel so exposed discussing these matters. Who am I to be saying this? But I think we all need to put aside those considerations now and do what we can to inspire each other and carry the ball forward. The factor I want to speak about is about exactly that – putting our fears behind us and carrying the ball forward.

That factor is what I call “emergence.” (1) Even the sound of that word gets me going. I love it. I see people working out in a karate dojo. I see Kurosawa films. I think I see a lifetime I must have had as a Japanese. Must have.

I see all the noblest moments in so many workshops and trainings. I see all the finest moments of my life.

What is emergence? Emergence is a willingness to stand forth as the Self. It’s a willingness to call one’s Self forth. We all do it at a time when superhuman strength is needed such as when a car falls on our child or someone we love is about to be attacked, etc. We emerge. But very few of us do it on a more regular basis.

As with so much that’s learned, I didn’t come up with this. Many circuit riders of the old growth movement, Werner Erhard in the est Training, my wonderful karate sensei Hidehiko Ochiai – all of them knew it.

We have the ability to call ourselves forth. We just don’t do it often. We have the ability to come out of fear, to emerge from our records, vasanas and upsets. We have the ability to consciously put our lives at risk, to walk into the face of death, or even to drink a cup of hemlock. We have the ability to give our lives for another. All of these sound impossible to do. But they’re not.

We have the ability to say to the CIA, the New World Order, the men in black: “I accuse….” We have the ability to look our tormentor in the eye and express our lack of fear.

We here are writers, are we not? We write emails, posts, tweets, letters, articles, essays. We write. It isn’t easy to pursue an enlightenment discipline as a writer. But it’s easy to emerge.

The clearest case of emergence for me occurred when I wrote an article on 9/11 in 2008 and sent it to every Member of Parliament and every Senator in my country. I remember clearly pausing before hitting the “send” button and knowing full well that I was saying goodbye to my career, inviting a life of potential threat, stepping outside the bounds of everything good that my society bestows on those who tow the line. And then, having emerged from my fear, I hit “send.”

Emergence is a well-kept secret. I’m not sure why we haven’t seen any channeled messages on it. But if you were to ask me the source of my juice, electricity or gasoline, I’d have to say, with thanks to Werner Enright, John Enright and Hidehiko Ochiai – emergence.

Footnotes

(1) On “emergence,” see http://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/emergence-2/