life purpose Archives - Nirvana Diet

Did you know that desire is what activates your imagination?

Your imagination is how your bring it into the world… make it come true. But how do we get guidance to follow the right desire? It is interesting to take a look at the word desire which means “a specific kind of longing. It is our ‘ultimate concern’ and contains insight into what we are most passionate about (remembering that the Latin root of passion [passio] = to suffer.”) But this makes sense if we view our challenges as the place from which we grow.

Examining the root of word desire is: “wish, desire, long for,” which is from L. desiderare “long for, wish for; demand, expect.” What this means in terms of the original sense of the meaning was to “await what the stars will bring,” from the phrase de sidere “from the stars,” from sidus (gen. sideris) “heavenly body, star, constellation” (Harper, 2001-2012, para. 1). The heavenly stars were viewed as oracles to provide guidance on how one might align with those desires. This implies a meaning of desire as means to provide insight into one’s destiny which is a very special type of wish fulfillment. Yet, identifying and going about fulfilling this desire is a creative process in and of itself.

One way that helped me to do this was my research and study of the astrological horoscope. Depth psychology, just as astrology, is the study of that which is hidden from view and its effects and there has been an ambivalent relationship between the two fields. It is no secret that C. G. Jung was fascinated with the occult and astrology. In fact when I met his grandson Ulrich, he told me that his grandfather always consulted the chart of a patient before seeing them. Jung wrote to Freud before there break: “My evenings are taken up very largely with astrology. I make horoscopic calculations in order to find a clue to the core of psychological truth. Some remarkable things have turned up which will certainly appear incredible to you.”

I also came to the understanding based on my study of astrology that the horoscope can be viewed as a symbolic representation of the plot lines of our personal drama or story. It is symbolic and therefore requires some intuitive interpretation to understand what that story really is about but it helps you to make sense of your life.

In that sense, I also found it helpful to look at my calling—which can be found in the concept known in Western astrology as the North Node. I believe this astrological point can shed light on and be most useful for ascertaining the appropriateness of my research topic. This is because out of all the parts of a horoscope, the North Node is regarded as an indicator of one’s driving purpose. Laurence Hillman an archetypal astrologist once explained to me that the South Node is the place where one climbs aboard life—just as if one were getting on a train—and that it correlates to the ego’s orientation. He says the North Node is synonymous with where one should be headed. The North Node is the destination that Mark Twain talks about in the quote: “The most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”
My North Node is in my fifth house in the sign of Aquarius, so my calling relates to what is called fifth-house matters. This is the house that most has to do with creativity. This can also be expressed as having fun, pleasure, reverie, working with children, playing, and, most importantly for my research, creativity through writing. Storytelling, play-acting, and reading fiction have been my passions from a very young age and also the direction I am moving in terms of my calling. My story included how to become creative again.

When we identify this, we have a compass or a lodestar to help guide us, and I also believe following the calling is one important way that we receive a sense of deeper fulfillment and meaning in life.
Reference:
Harper, D. (2001-2012). Online etymology dictionary. Retrieved from http://www .etymonline.com/index.php?term=desire

One of the questions I believe we are all longing to know and understand is what is my calling? Some people misunderstand this to be their vocation or work. I prefer to call it your life work… the work you need to do to evolve as a person.

I found valuable answers to this question by my study of Western astrology. To get insight into one’s calling; you take a look at the placement of what is called the North Node.[1] Opposite to that is the South Node which identifies the life area’s with which you feel most comfortable, the experiences and qualities that come naturally to us, that are over-developed, and that we tend to fall back on.

For balanced self-development, to feel fulfilled and happy we need to focus on and develop aspects of ourselves represented by the North Node. Consciously working on these “life lessons” can bring us to increased happiness and fulfillment. Not moving beyond the qualities of our South Node, especially at the expense of developing our North Node, could be a source of unhappiness.

I was surprised to learn that my North Node is in my fifth house in the sign of Aquarius, The fifth house is the signifcator for children, having fun, pleasure, and, most importantly, creativity through writing. This threw me for a loop, as it was the polar opposite to how I had lived my life.

Yes, I have always liked my share of pleasure and fun, but the pursuit of creativity seemed like something I had left behind years ago and came second to work. In fact the dream of a more creative-based career was snuffed out long ago when I was 18 and told by my practical and truly remarkable mother that I had better like waiting tables if I planned to continue wanting to be an actress. Yes being an actress and reading books were my first love. Although I was an English literature major undergraduate, and have always wanted to write, I felt I had developed a kind of mental block about my capacity to be creative, or to write. This is all changing now.

Accessing this knowledge has helped me to make sense of decisions I made in the past and guide me towards decisions I might make in the future. If you would like to learn about the placement and meaning of your North Node, contact me directly for a life coaching session atto help you shed light on your calling skyler@skylermadison.com.

[1]. All astrology is based on the exact geometry between the placements of the planets, starting at the moment of one’s birth. The nodes are calculated by where the ellipses of the orbits of the Sun and Moon cross one another. In the horoscope, the North and South Nodes are exactly opposite each other.

Following your true heart’s desire

What is your calling?