"Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you're put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling." ~Vincent van Gogh
aradoxical as it may seem, nevertheless the above quote is universally true, especially when we discover the word "Vocation" as it is used today has become associated with the qualities of work as opposed to spiritual living. In modern times, we are lucky if the two coincide in our lives and become one and the same event. After all, it is an added bonus to get paid for something we find naturally fulfilling as opposed to something we are skilled at doing. Getting paid for either one of course is nice as food on the table, paying bills etc... is one of the more odious tasks we have to put up with. It stands to reason if those tasks can be made less odious and tied to a higher meaning they would be more acceptable and more beloved. However, honestly we many enjoy the work we are getting paid for but upon closer examination may not find it our calling, that profession with ties to a deeply spiritual calling (deep life meaning). It can be quite the dilemma, doing something we find enjoyment in doing but not having that deep , soul connection to meaning and being physically rewarded for it( Food, Shelter, Clothing, Security, etc...)via means to make a living. Stereotypical as it may seem, the starving artist is a good archetype to look at. When the spiritual converges with the mundane, often clashes with it, spiritual achievement or well being takes precedent over matters of survival, well being etc... and we began to enter into the life of artists, monastic living, mystics/saints, shamans and the like. In ancient time, while Vocational call was considered more of a spiritual purpose, there are clear practices where spiritual ideals were not followed but rather by bloodlines/birth order. Depending where one fell in the sibling birth order, they were allowed to own land, or enter the priesthood, become a soldier or enter a trade regardless if there was any spiritual value to it or not. If they happened to be skilled at it and enjoyed it enough to stay with it, that was the best outcome(which for most I suspect was rare as often there way no choice involved). In that regard, not much has changed today even though over the decades there has been growing research showing connections between meaning and career satisfaction. Even the most high paying jobs show dismal failure rate in meaningfulness and mortality rates if a deeper meaning to work is not present.
s mentioned above, should the two worlds converge we have an ideal formula for life happiness. Let me be clear this does NOT mean a life without hardship. On the contrary, such satisfaction and conviction lends itself to increased hardship in ways we many have never imagined because it moves us on to a perception and experience and depth many are not willing to venture and place themselves at risk of encountering even remotely. Often it will place one on the fringes of society, while at the same time opening up new horizons and giving a deeper nuanced living. Viktor Frankl represent an extreme occurence of this process. Stripped of all he held dear he managed to still enact his capacity as healer and find meaning to it. It was not without the dark nights of the soul, but the nuanced spiritual connections of his profession were nurtured by the extremes and pushed to the limits. The intensity and passion never waivered, but at times were hindered by external forces from full expression and most likely from physical limitations (such as exhaustion and fatigue). Without the spiritual component, chances are we would not have seen Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning", ever written. The convergence of the spiritual and mundane worlds, the conscious and the unconscious, the sea/sky and the land, fire and water (which forms islands and coastlines), professional and spiritual, like the concepts of convergences these meeting places are the sacred and many times paradoxical. The successful convergence of the two realms is often a inner experience and not so much an outer one, expressible in the metaphorical and symbolic language of artistic expression as opposed to the concrete expressions of what typically society calls signs of measurable success (material ownership and accumulation of wealth). Financial institutions never ask about if we feel fulfilled with life, are spiritual happy, satisfied with our jobs. The main things they want to know are income and debt ratios and at times how much we spend on utilities and groceries and meeting the down payment, closing costs etc... Credit scores reflect financial information/status (which isn't accurate by any stretch of the means). But they do not reflect life happiness, other than no one joyfully puts themselves 15-30 years in debt for something as basic to human survival as breathing.
eaning has become a fashion word/concept for at least one generation. The shallower meaning of Vocation being either the accumulation of wealth, or a total rejection of it with the expectation of meaning to just happen without the energy invested into growing it which creates a sense of entitlement (they are owed something) and yet talk of sustainability with the expectation of not putting the work into creating sustainable living. Make love not war is a laudable concept but there is no one willing to make it into a workable concept, the polarities themselves are far apart and attempt to bring the two into convergence are met with open hostility or competing ideologies on superiority for who is best or who is right and wrong. This conditions allows for resistance to change, to awareness and the admission the human species is not the apex species. This is not an existential crisis, but rather an evolutionary one where one will either have to work with the birth pangs or face the consequences of the birth coming on it's own terms because it will not be halted regardless, not without the destruction of the human species. Artistically we are in a position to sculpt and compose a improved humanity using an age old tool (Art) that has never been allowed to fully work. We have implemented all the political ideologies at one point or another, with little to no success, but we have never give the arts full unfettered reign or access to our communities. How can we when even the suggestions of free meals for those in needs creates a major outcry from those who don't know hunger? Or Free medical care is met with hostility and the attitude of "let them die and decrease the surplus population." or, "No one ever helped me, why should I help them if I had to struggle? Why should I pay to alleviate their suffering?" The humanity is overwhelming in these comments, especially if it were their own families/friends in need they would light fires, burn buildings and exhaust every single illegal and legal option to get services. "It's a Christian nation! Death to the infidel it's Gods will, it's God's will". "Allah, Jehovah, Odin, Flying Spaghetti Monster be praised." Glean your political leaders from convicted criminals. Maybe there is book in it for you. Heaven forbid the voice of the Artist be heard and heeded. One might have a viable civilization on their hands.
lders both mundane and of the forest were always sought after by human and fey alike. Both were recognized as sources of great wisdom/lore and as being reliable guides assuming one could find them unoccupied and willing to break their hard earned solitude. There was never a question of disregarding the accumulated knowledge which was always useful. The university itself maintained volumes of Oral tradition and kept track of when that information changed in content or even interpretation-which was not often. In this way, the elders were involved and their importance maintained in the preservation of the community in both individual and communal history, making it a living and tangible presence as opposed to being locked away somewhere. Should the unthinkable happen and those sources come under threat or attack, the preservation of that knowledge was secured and remained untouchable from enemy. While such a threat had never happened, no one believed it safe to leave things to chance and planned ahead accordingly. Seeds were just as important as the plant or tree and often after disasters the seeds replaced what was lost and were often stronger and more resistant for the experience. Midsummer was approaching and as was the custom, there would be a festival filled with merchants and booths of food, sweets and libations. There would be music, drawing, poetry and other crafts to try and trade for as well as an influx of joy and laughter for several days. Booths were already being assembled and ready for use, with some early merchants preparing and enjoying the calm before the excitement. The town too benefited from the village festival and secretly they always prepared for the event without openly acknowledging it officially. Festivities were often infectious enough to carry into the village in some form or other and considering they were harmless, the town indulged them in inconspicuous ways. After all, a fresh encounter with merriment never hurt anyone, and it was only once a year.
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