In this week’s Mythic by Design, Randal and Elsa share manifestos, inspired by the class they’ve been teaching, Cultivating a Regenerative Brand Practice, and some inspiring links they found.
R: How did you wake up this morning Elsa?
E: I woke early, with a sense of brightness moving through me even before I opened my eyes. I had some coffee and sat down to write.
R: Amazing. I woke up a little tired and feeling a little less than excited to start the week. It’s was grey and wet outside and hearing the sounds of construction going on across the street just made the day feel especially Monday-ish. But that only lasted for a minute because I could sense your bright energy and I got excited for an idea you had the night before. Tell everyone what we did!
E: We had some coffee, sat down to write manifestos.
R: And so Manifesto Monday is born! I love manifestos and I think that starting any week off writing one is a great idea. I wasn’t sure what I’d end up writing about but we found a flow and just went with it.
E: I think for me it's helpful to not think too much about it. This morning I really tried to sense into the space of my myth and write from the arch and unfolding of it. I connected with it both as the earliest dream I remember and as the myth that has unfolded throughout my life.
I tried to get the words down before I could overthink it, and really let my myth write the manifesto through me. I typed out each word that came to mind in short lines, to keep up with the way they were arising in my head.
R: I was really inspired when you share with me your approach to writing your manifesto. Watching your write, at the table, put me at ease.
For my “manifesto”, I decided to take a numbered approach. I found that numbering the ideas in my manifesto really helped me find a rhythm to the writing. I’m not sure if I love how my manifesto turned out, but as I reflected on how it reflected my Life Myth, definitely set a tone for the rest of the day. I love this idea of starting the week off writing Manifestos and can’t wait until next Monday!
//
Below are the manifestos, Randal as Quantum Sherpa, followed by Elsa as Catalyst.
TEN THINGS ABOUT THE DARK FROM A QUANTUM SHERPA
1
It’s only natural to feel lost in the dark.
This is helpful to remember the next time the lights go out.
But it’s okay if you forget.
2
Good things emerge from the dark.
If you could see these things coming, they wouldn’t surprise you.
Let the dark take you by surprise.
It’s better this way.
3
The darkness can open you up to new ways of being.
Who are you when you can’t see yourself, in the dark?
What will we see when the lights are on?
4
Dark spaces can make room for the little things to shine.
When the lights are on you may miss all those little things that would shine out in the dark.
Notice the little things that shine in the dark.
5
Things are unfinished in the dark.
And that's okay, too.
The dark will hold them in waiting for you.
6
In the dark, it’s hard to judge what’s “really” there.
A dark space is a friend to the other ways of perceiving reality.
Rest your eyes and listen up, or feel it out.
7
The darkness can provoke the parts of our mind that tend to sleep, to wake up.
Those who wake up to the dark may find themselves still in a dream.
And again, that is also okay.
8
In the dark, the imagination is thoroughly exercised, like a racehorse. (Or a race-unicorn.)
What is that sound when you put your ear to the ground and listen?
Is that a Zebra, or a horse?
9
To be in the dark isn’t to be blind.
To be in the dark is to learn how to see more so than if everything was illuminated.
A blind person is not necessarily one who can’t see.
10
When wandering around in the dark it’s a million tiny points of light that will show you the way home.
After a long stretch of light-years, through the long dark time, you’ll arrive home as a point of light.
It’s deep in the dark where we all make our home.
//
Catalyst
There’s a spark in you
that persists
Against all odds
Sometimes you wrestle,
you grapple
to find meaning
Sometimes you turn away from what you’re told you must do
You leave what's expected
And choose another route,
One that is less traveled,
One that is unknown.
There, you find a sense of belonging
in the soft darkness of the unknown
that envelopes you
and holds you in a velvet blanket for a while.
Then one day,
amidst the mundane of the everyday
you wake up
and you see what was always there
in you,
around you,
a spark fierce and bright.
You begin to follow this spark
and as you do,
things light up
You wake up to more of what is
Others wake up to more of what is
Together it all unfolds
Within you,
around you
You each realize that you contain something
Boundless.
Together you leave the confines of the system,
you liberate the structures,
you find a way forward
direct and vast
holding and spacious.
You follow the impulse
the spark,
Tiny yet infinite
you realize
you are boundless
held by a sweet darkness-a knowing,
That moves at the speed of light.
LINKS OF MYTHIC INTEREST
R: This first link blew my mind when I watched it. It is mythic at the cellular level.
https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_berry_animations_of_unseeable_biology?language=en
E: This next link inspired by a similar concept is a collection of paintings that represent what happens at a cellular scale.
https://pdb101.rcsb.org/sci-art/goodsell-gallery
R: And here is a Mythic Playlist for the rest of your week. Enjoy!
ALSO…
We went for a walk and opened our eyes to the mythic things that were right in front of us waiting to be seen. Here are a few pictures of what we discovered:
The Dark Rainbow Around a Moon
Water Drops and Whale Lights
Have a great week everyone!
R & E