You know that feeling when you do something and every cell inside you hums and vibrates in harmony? It’s not necessarily a lasting feeling -- odds are it was fleeting and momentary, although no less meaningful or impactful. Maybe it was in helping someone in need. Maybe it was when someone got an “ah ha” moment from something you shared. Or when you absolutely kicked ass at work. Or maybe it was when time melted away as you created something truly special -- be it a sculpture, schematic, or spreadsheet. Those were times when you were in authentic alignment with your deepest Self. That feeling of YES, when every cell of your body is cheering for you, that is what it’s like to be in alignment with the Visionary archetype.
The gift of the Visionary is a connection to what’s most true within yourself.
It is a shedding of the stories you’ve taken on and the roles you play in exchange for the expression of your soul’s purpose.
Examine the roles you play & find where your heart sings
What roles do you play in your life? A frequent example is that of being a parent. While that is an honorable and important role, being a parent is simply the vehicle through which you express a part of your purpose. Your soul’s purpose of being a teacher, nurturer, guide, etcetera would have existed even if you had never been a parent, it would have been expressed in a different way. If you are lucky enough to get to choose your career, there is likely some of your soul’s expression through that vehicle as well. You’re not going to always like every aspect of all of the roles you play, which makes it that much more important to tap into where you are most fulfilled in that role to carry you through the times you consider abandoning it all together (don’t worry homeschooling-parents, I’m not looking at you. I know you’d never consider leaving a trail of cookies out the backdoor for a moment of peace and solitude.)
Practice internal honesty
Be honest with yourself. You cannot walk around in denial and hope to speak with authenticity. When you are in tune with your Self and express yourself with grounded authenticity, you speak with clarity and without blame or judgment (toward yourself or others).
Get clear on your vision
Without changing any external element of your life, you can make some big changes by reorganizing your relationship with yourself. When you allow yourself to feel more moments of joy, you give yourself the opportunity to look into what caused them. You also get to look at what’s not working for you and decide if you want to change it, or maybe just change the way you approach it. You may not be in a position to quit a job you hate, but you can shift to appreciating what the job gives you in supporting your larger dream -- maybe it’s just money and the ability to feed, house, and clothe yourself, or maybe there’s more (experience, networking connections, a reason to get out of bed).
Don’t be too attached to your vision
Get that full body yes when your heart, mind, and every part of you is screaming YES to an idea and go for it. But don’t be so attached to the idea that you don’t allow space for the vision to grow even bigger. The beauty of moving toward a goal is the journey toward it. In the process of doing we grow, and as we grow we become capable of more and our dreams and goals also grow.
Shadows of the Visionary
Doubting yourself
Simply, when you second guess your inner truth, act against your deepest known truths, and deny your own internal wisdom. If you live in a habit of self-doubt, you can reorganize your relationship with yourself to reshape that habit.
Abandoning yourself
When you pretend to be someone other than yourself to gain someone’s love, approval and acceptance, to keep the peace, to maintain balance, or to stay in a state of harmony. You may do these things by avoiding difficult issues or not speaking up for yourself and what is true for you. Sometimes this is done as a measure to stay safe, children do this in volatile households; if this is you, please seek help.
Projecting parts of yourself on to others
Projection is a psychological term that speaks to when there is an aspect of yourself you have not owned and which you don’t recognize as a part of yourself. Instead of owning it, you project it onto people around you because you find it more comfortable to keep certain aspects outside of yourself, disowned, rather than embracing them as a part of yourself. This is a core aspect of shadow work and it deserves its own post, so I’ll keep it short for now.
You project both negative and positive aspects of yourself. Negative aspects could be being messy, inconsiderate, or unethical. These are aspects that we each have, not necessarily who we are in the moment. To own negative aspects of yourself you can look to when you exhibited that trait in the past, or when you could imagine being that way. If you’ve been inconsiderate in the past, maybe that prompted you to be more considerate now. To love the light (considerate) side is to appreciate the shadow (inconsiderate) side. Hero worship is an example of projecting positive aspects of yourself you’re not ready to own. You can only see in others that which you have in yourself, so if you see a trait in another person, you recognize it because it lives in you too, however deeply you’ve tried to bury it.
Alignment with the Visionary brings a knowing that energizes your mind and heart, and inspires you.
But how can you really know? Begin by being present with your emotions. How can you expect to identify your deepest truth if you struggle with your emotions? Begin the work there. When a feeling comes up, you can ask yourself how old that feeling is -- has it been hanging on since you were eight years old? If so, it needs to be lovingly cleared (maybe with professional help) so you can begin to feel the adult emotions and move toward your deepest truth, which will allow you to step into your biggest dreams and greatest visions.