8 hrs ago·edited 4 hrs agoLiked by Camilla Sanderson
Thank you for an interesting post. I like reading well-written accounts of people's journeys in their search for meaning and purpose in life, for growth in consciousness. I also quit my job (engineer turned academic) at the age of 44, though that was back in 2000. I wanted to do somethig more interesting with my life - and also wanted to discover if their was anything truly original in me. I was driven by Logon:70 in the Gospel of Thomas "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you". A stark choice.
I'm a bit equivocal about finding an "it" in life, a "thing-in-life", because 'vocation' is easily squashed into 'career'; these are two very different animals. Those who manage to bring the two together are greatly blessed. Some 'vocations' are perhaps to become truly satisfied with the daily journey, and let go of goal-achievement. Hmmm, not easy.
Anyway I wish you all the best with you book-writing project. I'm sure it needs to be 'brought forth' to the world like I feel deep need to bring forth creative/artistic projects - and then one has to "let the right thing do itself".
Hi Joshua, thank you for reading, for your complement, and for your thoughtful response.
Yes, I've also read what you quote above, "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you." And yes, it feels a bit stark to me too. If you may be interested in reading another sacred text about this subject - if you're a long-time reader of this Substack, you may have read a post where I reference the ancient Hindu sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita. I took a deep dive with the Gita during the 2-year program of studying world religions, and I found the Gita to be deeply enlightening. I wrote a bit about it here: https://camillasanderson.substack.com/p/chapter-15-the-bhagavad-gita-new
And yes, I agree - I don't feel that there is so much of an "it" but a continual fine-tuning of what your soul may want to express through you. And what I've come to with writing is that the most important aspect for me, is to enjoy the process - even to enjoy whatever challenging aspects may arise, as the challenges represent opportunities for the evolution of my consciousness. This way, I remain detached from outcomes, and for me this is "living my dharma" which I write about in Chapter 15, (link above.) I share this not to be a know-it-all, or to take an egoic position of feeling superior, but because all of this inner work I have done has significantly lessened my own suffering, and I feel passionate about sharing anything to do with the evolution of human consciousness♥️🙏🕊️
Thank you for the reply. I'm not a long-term reader on Substack; I joined in December last year and post one poem per fortnight, with the odd extra poem on a significant date. I've never read The Bhagavad Gita, or any commentary on it, so I am interested to check out your link; thank you.
(My own journey includes being a boarding-school and evangelical christianity survivor, and being brought up in the deep shadow of two world wars - bit heavy that, sorry). I feel even at my age, I am only just getting to the starting-grid of life, which means, I guess, that even after working at it for 30+ years I feel I am only just getting to heal both intergenerational and childhood trauma. I'm still optimistic about having a blesséd future free of stuckness and fear :)
I so strongly relate to this, Camilla. I’ve only recently — at (already) 60 — come to embrace my purpose of being a conduit for people and experiences. A sacred bridge, if you will. Signed, Bridge
And I applaud you as a sacred bridge🙌 I was delighted to read that you and Megan have connected through writing and she’s in Costa Rica now thanks to you - Megan and my paths crossed at VCFA and I’ve always loved her writing❤️🙏🏼🕊
Three cheers to NOT normal!! Xo
😁❤️🙏🕊️
The HSP book changed my life too, Camilla. I’ve been thinking about ‘not clinging’ this week and your post felt synchronistic. Thank you!
I'm always happy to hear of synchronicity Priya🥰 Thanks for reading and responding❤️🙏🕊️
Thank you for an interesting post. I like reading well-written accounts of people's journeys in their search for meaning and purpose in life, for growth in consciousness. I also quit my job (engineer turned academic) at the age of 44, though that was back in 2000. I wanted to do somethig more interesting with my life - and also wanted to discover if their was anything truly original in me. I was driven by Logon:70 in the Gospel of Thomas "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you". A stark choice.
I'm a bit equivocal about finding an "it" in life, a "thing-in-life", because 'vocation' is easily squashed into 'career'; these are two very different animals. Those who manage to bring the two together are greatly blessed. Some 'vocations' are perhaps to become truly satisfied with the daily journey, and let go of goal-achievement. Hmmm, not easy.
Anyway I wish you all the best with you book-writing project. I'm sure it needs to be 'brought forth' to the world like I feel deep need to bring forth creative/artistic projects - and then one has to "let the right thing do itself".
Hi Joshua, thank you for reading, for your complement, and for your thoughtful response.
Yes, I've also read what you quote above, "If you bring forth that which is within you, it will give you life. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, it will kill you." And yes, it feels a bit stark to me too. If you may be interested in reading another sacred text about this subject - if you're a long-time reader of this Substack, you may have read a post where I reference the ancient Hindu sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita. I took a deep dive with the Gita during the 2-year program of studying world religions, and I found the Gita to be deeply enlightening. I wrote a bit about it here: https://camillasanderson.substack.com/p/chapter-15-the-bhagavad-gita-new
And yes, I agree - I don't feel that there is so much of an "it" but a continual fine-tuning of what your soul may want to express through you. And what I've come to with writing is that the most important aspect for me, is to enjoy the process - even to enjoy whatever challenging aspects may arise, as the challenges represent opportunities for the evolution of my consciousness. This way, I remain detached from outcomes, and for me this is "living my dharma" which I write about in Chapter 15, (link above.) I share this not to be a know-it-all, or to take an egoic position of feeling superior, but because all of this inner work I have done has significantly lessened my own suffering, and I feel passionate about sharing anything to do with the evolution of human consciousness♥️🙏🕊️
Thank you for the reply. I'm not a long-term reader on Substack; I joined in December last year and post one poem per fortnight, with the odd extra poem on a significant date. I've never read The Bhagavad Gita, or any commentary on it, so I am interested to check out your link; thank you.
(My own journey includes being a boarding-school and evangelical christianity survivor, and being brought up in the deep shadow of two world wars - bit heavy that, sorry). I feel even at my age, I am only just getting to the starting-grid of life, which means, I guess, that even after working at it for 30+ years I feel I am only just getting to heal both intergenerational and childhood trauma. I'm still optimistic about having a blesséd future free of stuckness and fear :)
My otherwise take on 'The Journey' you can find on a Substack Interview with Unbekoming here: https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/the-journey (please no pressure to read).
... and now to your link ... 🙏
I so strongly relate to this, Camilla. I’ve only recently — at (already) 60 — come to embrace my purpose of being a conduit for people and experiences. A sacred bridge, if you will. Signed, Bridge
And I applaud you as a sacred bridge🙌 I was delighted to read that you and Megan have connected through writing and she’s in Costa Rica now thanks to you - Megan and my paths crossed at VCFA and I’ve always loved her writing❤️🙏🏼🕊