We've made it to day four of our collective Lionsberg Quest, and I want to thank you all for your courage, dedication, and willingness to forthrightly face, apprehend, and transform yourselves and your world. We are all pioneers on this journey, breaking free from the chains of Old limiting narratives and daring to envision a brighter future together. We deeply appreciate your continued commitment and contribution to this transformative adventure.
In the last few days, we've delved into the power of Story, the collective narrative of Lionsberg, and the unique and valuable individual narratives that make up our collective Story. Today, we're going to begin to explore a darker side of Story: how the powerful, unexamined, and untransformed patterns and narratives, or spirits, that rule over the Old World can enslave us and trap us in the caves of illusion, exploitation, and suffering.
Drawing from the ancient wisdom of the Exodus and the metaphor of the cave, today we explore what it means to be alive without truly living, painting a clearer picture of the starting point of our individual and collective Quest towards The Goal– the Darkness and Exploitation of The Caves.
In the Story and metaphor of Lionsberg, The Caves represent the unconscious depths of the Old World, a place of illusion, suffering, bondage and exploitation. Chained to the walls in darkness in a state of half-slumber, humanity mindlessly repeats the deceitful ideologies and patterns of their keepers, without even realizing they are enslaved.
In this setting, people may appear alive and they may experience the sensations of life, but they are not truly living. They are unconsciously trapped in patterns of thought, behavior, and individual and systemic structure that are not aligned with Truth, Love, Wisdom, Justice, or the flourishing and abundance of Life. They may be repeating the patterns of failure and suffering inherent to the old world, shackled by unexamined and untransformed personal and collective narratives. Like fish born into water, they are unaware of their surroundings and ignorant that Beyond the Darkness that envelops them, an infinitely greater Light exists and beckons them to awaken and transform.
The Caves are also a place of exploitation. Many systems and narratives of the Old World are designed, both intentionally and unintentionally, to exploit and usurp rather than to serve the Greatest Good. These systems, born out of fear, greed, craving, or ignorance, create a toxic narrative of division, scarcity, and competition. They lead us to believe that the purpose of life is to compete, dominate and consume One Another and the Earth, rather than to Co-Create and Co-Steward in partnership with the Creator and One Another, and flourish in Co-Operative Harmony with each other and the world.
Once we are trapped within them, The Caves and their Keepers harness our Time, Energy, and Attention for their own purposes, position, and power, while dividing us against One Another and those enslaved in competing Caves. They feed, water, and clothe us just enough to ensure our survival, while ensuring we remain unconscious, deceived, and asleep in our chains.
These narratives and structures not only harm us individually but also collectively and environmentally. They rob us of our creative consciousness, our humanity, our diverse unity, and our Divine birthright, leading to ignorance, Endarkenment, poverty, disease, socioeconomic injustice, environmental destruction, relational conflict, wars, and other local and global crises. They disconnect us from each other, from nature, from the true richness and purpose of life, and ultimately from our Journey towards ever-more-profound Union and Alignment with the Source and Sustainer of Life.
As we read in chapter 1.5 The Caves in The Book of Lionsberg, the Keepers of the Caves are not a single entity, but a metaphorical representation of the total set of forces and structures that prey upon and exploit our ignorance, fear, and desire. This exploitation takes on many forms: economic, political, social, physiological, psychological, and spiritual. The Keepers do not all necessarily have ill intentions, for they are Endarkened as well, but by their very nature and structure benefit from our bondage, our ignorance, and our unconscious and unexamined existence.
But there is a way out of The Caves.
Liberation from this bondage and Endarkenment is not only possible, it is the purpose and Goal of our existence. It starts with the subtle and gradual awakening to the realization that we are enslaved in a Cave in the first place. It is the Spirit of Truth that reveals, liberates and sets us free.
It can be deeply painful to admit it at first, for our entire Identity is wrapped up in the divisive and irreconcilable narratives we have been repeating in the midst of the cacophony of discordant Stories. The Deeper these narratives are, particularly when they approach religious and political Identity, the more that questioning them feels like it is shaking and threatening the very essence of Who We Are. And the higher up we are in the Pyramid of Hierarchy in our Cave, the more we fear that our lives, livelihoods, comfort, provision, privilege, and reputation depends upon the existence and maintenance of the Cave we are imprisoned in. Therefore many, having briefly awakened to their Reality, voluntarily choose to close their eyes to the Truth, and go back to sleep in the "safety" and "comfort" of slavery. This, of course, is the betrayal of the Spirit of Truth.
By grabbing hold of the brief flickers of Vision and Consciousness, by attending to the Whispers, by doubting the shadows, and by questioning our Reality, we can begin to awaken, arise, and embark on a journey towards Truth, Enlightenment, and Liberation. We can break free from the chains that bind and separate us, and ultimately venture out into the brilliant Light of the New World that emerging and beckoning us to become free and Enlightened Co-Creators of Reality on behalf of all past, present, and Future Generations of Life.
Coming Soon.
The Caves: The metaphorical representation of the unconscious depths of the Old World, with its deceitful ideologies, false narratives, and limiting beliefs.
The Keepers of The Caves: A symbolic representation of the forces and structures that exploit our ignorance, fear, and desire to keep us imprisoned in the Old World.
Our activities for today build on yesterday's tasks, but focus on how our personal stories relate to the broader narrative of the Caves and our collective journey Beyond them.
Take your time with these exercises. They require deep introspection and honesty with ones Self. They also require partnership with the Source of your Life and Consciousness. Subject this process to deep Prayer. Prayer is the process through which we realign our individuated being, will, and intention with the Being, Will, and Intention of That Which is Creating and Sustaining Us. If you are not comfortable with or practiced in Prayer, you can Practice by stilling your mind through meditation and appealing to the Highest and Deepest aspect of Reality or Ultimate Reality you can access, relate to, and dialogue with. Any conscious effort to commune with That Which Is Beyond You, no matter how small or tentative of a step, will not go unrewarded.
As always, Lionsberg is about taking collective action and making concrete progress towards The Goal. As you identify and transform your personal and systemic chains, think about how this work contributes to our collective journey, and share your stories of transformation with those around you. Remember, every effort we make individually also strengthens our collective progress.
If you haven't already, Forge or Join a Group with other members of the Pioneer Cohort around a topic or area of passion, and begin Co-Creating!
Remember, all activity in Lionsberg must be self-organizing from the bottom up, so don't wait for permission. The Spirit is within you, you know what what needs to be done, so get to it. If you need help or support, ask Jordan for now.
There are many members of the Pioneer cohort interested in starting up businesses within the federation. Again, forge a group of 3, 4, or 5 around your idea, remember that Everything Is A Project, write up a proposal / plan, and start self-governing and moving. Remember, we agreed to pursue all ideas through entities that are structurally federated with Lionsberg. This is crucial to the Design Intent for us to become one diverse body, advancing towards One Goal. If you'd like a review of the proposal before it is activated, schedule a 1 hr meeting with the group and Jordan when you are ready.
Please remember to adhere to the Lionsberg Participation Agreement (v0.1) and the Lionsberg Code of Conduct in all your actions and interactions within the community. If you haven't already, please review and digitally sign it using the Lionsberg Participation Agreement Signature Form.
The Gate will close behind the Pioneer Cohort after Day 7. Only those who have signed the Participation Agreement will be able to advance Beyond.
Anyone who is not willing or able to sign the Participation Agreement and commit to doing the hard work of progressing with the Pioneer Cohort will be celebrated, honored, and invited to step back until they are ready to join The Queue for Future Cohorts.
As we bring day four to a close, remember, the Quest from the darkness of The Caves into to the blinding Light of Truth, Wisdom and Consciousness is not an easy one. It requires courage, resilience, and a commitment to individual and collective transformation towards the Highest Intention and Greatest Good. This journey can be challenging and even painful at times. Sometimes it even feels like death as we Hospice the Old and allow it to pass away so that the New can emerge. It is a eternal journey without end. Yet, it's also the most meaningful and rewarding journey one can undertake – the journey towards a truly free, conscious, and fulfilled life that simultaneously liberates us from the fear of suffering and death.
As we forthrightly confront the darkness of The Caves and understand the exploitative nature of their Keepers, we gradually rediscover and rebuild the Ancient and Eternal Foundation for a New Story and a New World. And even as we explore these challenging and sometimes disorienting or frightening topics, remember: we are all on this Quest together. We are all pioneers and Co-Creators of this New World, and each one of us has the power to contribute to its emergence.
So, here's to our collective courage and commitment as we delve deeper into our transformative journey.
Tomorrow, we'll explore The Phenomenal Calling that awakens us and illuminates our Reality, as we work towards discovering The Bridge that enables us transition across The Chasm that separates the Old from the New. We'll soon discuss the Challenges and Rewards that come with this journey, and how we can learn to Perceive, Orient and Navigate this process together.
Until then, be brave, be honest, be good, and most importantly, be Loving and compassionate with your Self and those around you. As we said from the beginning, our individual and collective transformation is not a sprint but an epic and lifelong Quest, and each step, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction.
Upcoming Action: Now that we are a few days into our Quest, it is time to begin to think about inviting and paving the Way for the next cohort. Remember, none of us can reach The Goal unless and until we All reach The Goal, so we must continually be building and enabling The Movement. As you pray and mediate, if anyone comes to mind that you think is ready to join the next cohort, make a note, and mention to them that you are participating in an transformational endeavor that they might be interested in.
To remain on schedule with the System Wide Master Plan, the second cohort should embark no later than when the Pioneer Cohorts reach Day 21, with new cohorts embarking each 14 to 21 days thereafter.
Good day and Good night, Pioneers!
With Love, In Community,
~ J