Navigation

Metis (Greek) - a definition.
Navigating, sure-footed, in this energetic whirl of a world where everything exists and everything is possible.

In the days of ancient Greece, there was a group called the Phoenicians. Most Greeks feared the unknown and dangerous waters beyond their immediate coasts, apart from established trade channels. This group though were fearless adventurers. They would sail without knowing their destination and document what they came across. One such entry in a captain’s log book ran something like ‘today we reached a place where the sea became solid’ They had quite literally sailed to one of the poles and met the ice cap! They were extraordinary navigators without ever knowing where they were going. Reading about them inspired me. I realized again that our choice is not between drifting directionless or striding forth with false hopes. We can learn this metis, this form of navigation and take the helm of our lives.

When things get problematic, the need crops up to look at our lives. At first we are shocked by our apparent vulnerability. We daren’t look inward or outward. Inward we think we will find something too painful to tolerate, a traumatic loss perhaps or a flaw too deep. We fear that if we look outward and expand our understanding and sight to see many dimensions beyond the immediate optical illusion, we will sooner or later meet something too big, something that’ll kill us stone dead or slowly incapacitate us - maybe a poltergeist or a cancer from some unnoticed granite bed rock respectively. Is it wise to go on? We question ourselves. We are triggered into fear time and again, inadvertently embedding a routine selection of crises and inevitability, everywhere we go. I’m referring to life’s problems or dulled feelings or creeping dread. At first we skirt around in valiant avoidance. But that’s not the way forward because only what we fear is dangerous to us.

So its not about having a healthy fear of the supernatural, a disdain of religion, a vigilant handle on right and wrong or the truth. Unexpectedly, its more like being an intrepid explorer keeping a log book on board of observations - we ourselves are the vessel and everything we experience or notice, we must accept on trust. Whatever shows up! Even if its unlikely or unexpectedly brilliant or completely scary, we must keep looking but be skillful and be determined to trust what we come to know. We are coming to know ourselves. The tools for this sort of navigation are stillness and clearing, we know what to do.

In addition to courses and events mentioned before, there will be two more workshops on this topic
Fearless Living - Kerry, Easter time (3 days)
- Barcelona , Early Summer (3 Days)
Please let me know if you’re interested and I’ll finalize details. The workshops will be with Freya Lawton of Stillflow and I.