…the dynamics of desire…

“Desire and hope will push us on toward the future” – Michel de Montaigne

Getting in touch with ourselves (and our future) means getting in touch with how we engage ourselves with desire.  If desire is “color,” it would be “all” color.  An absolute rainbow. And the joy (or maybe the problem) of desire is that it shifts and changes on us.  Captivating at one moment, dull the next.  So it really is difficult to know how best to engage ourselves with desire.

The root images described yesterday can be thought of as different color pallets and each pallet works with one variation of trust and engagement.  I mean, it’s difficult to acknowledge a want if you cannot trust how you connect with that want, and …  if, by engaging with that want, it threatens something, well … then you are even less inclined to trust the part of you that reaches out.

So the dynamics of desire involve our changing intuitions which inform our sense of trust and engagement.  We always want to know: “What impact will I have?” “Will this work out?” We are constantly trying to intuit the future, make as discrete a judgment as we can, so we can formulate some plan of action. 

What makes the root images resonate is how effectively they evoke an attitude of introspection.  They point to issues which clarify judgment, making it easier for us to decide what to do next.

So here is a short list of triggers that “raise the stakes” for our shifting intuitions.  These triggers clarify how the unknown appears to us.  Does it expand and open out, or does it contract and close in?  We gain more awareness about how trust works by narrowing our focus.

Health and Development via the Uroborus

• Environmental growth and change – Is there danger here? Is something being taken away?
• Mental growth and change – If I learn this, will it help or hurt me? Do I want to grow in this way?
• Physical growth and change –  What’s happening here?  What will I gain or lose? 

The dynamics here are around protection, growth, and bodily integrity.

Integrity and Decision-making via the Self-Stone

• Action clarity and change –  What is required?  Is there another way forward?
• Consequence and impact – What will happen if I do this?  Who will hold me accountable? 
• Authenticity and identity – Can I be authentic?  Do I know “who I am” if I do this?

The dynamics here are around action, contribution, and position.

 Faithfulness and Doubt via the Containing Well

• Vision and clarity – What is my aspiration or goal?  Am I connected and aligned with that?
• Belief and values – What convinces or persuades me?  Can my values or beliefs be altered?
• Renewal and transformation – What does it take to start again?  Will I be the same person if I do?

The dynamics here are acceptance, forgiveness, and renewal.

Constancy and Change via the Mirror

• Meaning and self-reflection – What does my experience mean?  How convinced am I of that meaning?
• Experience and ownership – Can I own my experience?  How does it change me?
• Freedom and flexibility – Can I give this a new meaning?  Where does that leave me in the end?

The dynamics here are self-reflection, ownership, and interpretive meaning.

Desire is a full-color pallet.  Getting in touch with ourselves means getting in touch how we engage ourselves with our wants and desires, no matter where they originate.

Thanks for listening!