Wow, I love that distinction between Guide and Teacher. Really hit home. And I’ve never considered before how it is the chariot, not the charioteer - something I’m going to keep in mind in my own practice!
Your words make me think of the times that I’ve allowed myself to be led by creative ego or anxiety rather than listening to my whole self. I’m on many journeys right now, but this post makes me think of my substack journal as the container for creative expression, and to check in on how I’m guiding myself there.
This is so good Jenna, many things to reflect on for me. Mainly that when I cannot see what direction I’m going in, I’ll try and take back control of the reins of the chariot, which restricts the possibilities ahead. I’m so grateful for this awareness this week. Thank you! 💫🙏
Wonderful insight, Louise, thank you! 💖💖And synchronicity again! I was just reading on another post from Camilla Sanderson about the dance between will and surrender. That is the cycle of things, isn't it? And I'm just now having the thought that somewhere in this is maybe developing the capacity to embody Divine Will. I'm not sure I'll ever get there. I definitely like to control those reins and have to continually be reminded to loosen my grip.
Just now reading all these replies, not sure where to step in... Oh the surrender! Not easy at times! I too like Louise hold tight to control because I want to know how things are going to unfold, for then I will feel safe enough to let go. I remember way back when I was in the beginnings of my journey, a group of us were asked what our spiritual theme was for this life. "SURRENDER" came on as a full force. As I look back through the years, this has been my major exploration & practice. My biggest stumbling block was/is WHAT am I surrendering to? Coming into deeper relationship with the feminine, my body as heart and belly, nature and life, showed me what I was releasing into. That She holds me, that my safety lies in HER, not my control. And I still control, it is a process, not sure if I'll "get there" either. But those moments when I do...so sweet.
Yes, this! When I remember that I'm not being called to surrender to some transcendent force outside of me, but rather to what IS me, then I relax into the safety of it. I think that's why I was so comforted when my guides told me that if I suffer, they suffer. I'm not being asked to simply trust in some external thing that merely watches or observes what happens to me, but to allow myself to be held and guided by the collective of which I am a part. Like you said, it's a process, though, and I still can't help taking back the reins.
This is so interesting Jenna as I think some people have more difficulty surrendering than others (me included!). I believe it's because I feel I have to know what's going to happen next in order to feel safe. I'm working on that one! ❤❤
Oh gosh. Yes to all above. This is so comforting to read, to know other healers experience this too. My guides are showing me today how fragmented me is feeling very unsafe with this wholeness business and is seeking solace in the usual places (eg, on the astral, hiding in others’ energy). Getting a lot of guide-advice to ground, so a hike (in the pouring rain for me) seems to be what’s called for! Thanks for this convo -- really is helping all parts of me calm the f down. 🥰
A hike sounds wonderful. I might take a dose of that medicine myself as I'm feeling quite scattered this afternoon. If you do find a surefire way to get all your parts to calm the f down, please let me know! 😂
Oh gosh, me too! This year of invoking comfort is all about me trying to figure out and get really clear on my sense of safety. One thing I've noticed is that it changes all the time, depending on many circumstances including how I'm feeling physically. I'm not always willing to relinquish a sense of safety if that's what surrender means (I'm stubborn that way 😁). Thank you for bringing this up! It's a core line of questioning for me lately. I am off to listen to your newest podcast and I'm sure some answers will come through that. They always do! ♥️♥️♥️
Yes, I think we're onto something! Thank you for bringing this to the surface, I am always learning too, which makes it such a wonderful connection to have with my guides and fellow travelers. ❤❤
I really appreciate the reflection of whether we are leading with the whole self or the fragmented self.
I also am appreciating this phrasing as an alternative to “higher self v. egoic / lower self”, as you’re right, from the fragmented self’s perspective, this can seem hierarchical! I have noticed that my soul fragments feel a fair amount of resentment about the idea that my higher self is running the show (in their way of thinking, it means a loss of control), but when phrased as “whole” and “fragments”, they don’t seem as threatened by it.
And it’s more reflective of what we are! We are both our highest wisdom and our deepest wounding, as well as everything in between. Thank you so much for the reframe!
Hi Carrie! 👋♥️🥰 Yes, this is it exactly! One day, my ego was like, "You keep trying to 'transcend' me, but you wouldn't even be able to perceive your life without me, so maybe you could stop being such an asshole about it." 😂 We've been friends ever since. Lol. Seriously, though, I like the idea of trying to relate without supremacy, including (maybe especially) with ourselves. I'm not that good at it, but I gotta have goals, right?
I used this wholeness framework in my winding-down meditation last night and noticed a real shift of my own psyche. I’ve definitely been seeing “wholeness” as something to aspire to, rather than what I currently am. The reframe is helping with that shift, so again, thank you!
.....aaaaaaannnnnndddd because whenever we make a consciousness shift, our dear soul fragments have a reaction. So today I am feeling their resistance big time, as well as my own frustration towards them. Feeling a lot of inner conflict at the moment!
So yes, it’s a process, and having goals while also accepting where we are is the name of the game.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go forgive myself for being angry at the parts of myself I’m supposed to have infinite patience with! 😂(Just to be clear, that emoji is me crying in frustration while laughing at the absurdity of it, rather than its usual use to connote cry-laughing.)
I look forward to these weekly readings every Sunday. Thank you 🙏
What a lovely way to begin the week in contemplation and reflection.
Some of what came to me:
I appreciate that you steer clear of hierarchical language, which is its own fragmentation. And I recognize that I did so last week when I mentioned you and Louise in a note, re: higher self.
Gurdjieff’s “horse, chariot, and driver” came to mind reading this week’s combination and your lovely interpretation.
Horse--feeling (not limited to emotion, but the whole of perceptual feeling)
Chariot--body
Driver--mind (not rational but the intellectual--whole guiding “mind”)
So, chariot and guide made me wonder about feeling and appreciate how you brought in the piece about fragments. The three together >>> wholeness. Where am I going with this? Nowhere in particular but perhaps to praise and offer thanks for your interpretation !!!
I suspect I’ll be reflecting in the distinction between guide and teacher for a while.
I’ll stop for now. Please feel no obligation to respond to my ramble!
PS: I’m terribly disappointed that I will not be able to make Wednesday. I’m delivering a paper at a conference on Thursday, which starts Wednesday. I’ll look forward to the recording.
This is amazing, Renee, thank you! You are ALWAYS welcome to ramble! ♥️ At the risk of making this about me, I can't help but feel that part of the purpose of this post was so that you could teach me about Gurdjieff's horse, chariot, and driver. This is truly wonderful! And yes, so much about wholeness! Not only are there the parts (horse, chariot, driver), but also that they are interconnected. I am going to sit with this image for quite some time. Just perfect!
And no worries at all about missing Wednesday! I'm keeping it quite informal. Our togetherness transcends time and space. 🤗🤗
I appreciate you doing this reading/writing/discernment (clearly not sure what to call it) Jenna.
Here's what came to mind for me: our Chariot is our physical body, our physiology. It is the transport device we are currently utilizing to walk the earth at this time. If we are having trouble accessing our Guide and need a little extra help we can use our Chariot to help us find her by tapping into our physiology to elevate our energy. There are many ways to do this, eating well, plant based nutrients, movement, mindfulness practice to name but a few. In shifting our physical being, elevating the energy there, we can more easily access our inner guide.
I understand there are many routes to interpreting these cards so I simply went with what came to mind as I was reading.
I was keen to read your discernment between Guide and Teacher. Many years ago I spent months in contemplation specific to accessing info about my Archetype. I read, learned, and meditated on it. After a very long time what came to me is my main archetype is a Guide. I landed at home once I could see that. What is interesting is that it has never wavered one tiny bit. Not once have I thought...'oh maybe there is something else'. I wonder if others feel this solid or if it shifts around somewhat depending on life experience.
Oh my gosh, thank you for these amazing insights, Donna! The body as the chariot...of course, how perfect! That makes the marriage of The Guide and The Chariot wonderfully holistic. More and more I am turning back to the body, to the "physical", and reveling in the wisdom there. Thanks again for pointing out the body as the chariot, I'm really loving that. And thank you for sharing about your main archetype being The Guide. I absolutely see that in you! I learned about archetypes from Caroline Myss and, in her teachings, she says that we each have twelve "main" archetypes, each "in charge" of a different area of life. BUT, my personal experience over these last twenty years is that, at least for me, it's more fluid than that. I've seen times when I am firmly living through one archetypal pattern, then it melts away and another comes forward. And so I have become utterly fascinated with watching/observing how I relate with them all. AND, that being said, I think maybe there is ONE pattern that is intrinsic to our heart or soul, one pattern that best reflects our wholeness. I completely agree that yours is The Guide! I feel less certain about mine. The two that have generally been most prominent are The Hermit and The Healer.
I learned about archetypes from Caroline Myss too, as well as Jean Houston. I think we are all of them, of course! I agree that it seems more fluid and we go through patterns, I've certainly seen that in my own life but it was interesting to note the difference in how I felt when Guide presented herself. It took a significant amount of effort to arrive there though, she didn't just show up for me like some of the others who seemed so obvious.
Also, I love that you talked about being led by our fragments or our whole self. As you said there is a sense of constriction when a fragmented part of us takes the lead and when we can learn to recognize this the quicker we adapt and call in our whole self. It's a practiced skill and hopefully the whole self ends up guiding us more frequently the better we get at it.
Wow, I love that distinction between Guide and Teacher. Really hit home. And I’ve never considered before how it is the chariot, not the charioteer - something I’m going to keep in mind in my own practice!
Your words make me think of the times that I’ve allowed myself to be led by creative ego or anxiety rather than listening to my whole self. I’m on many journeys right now, but this post makes me think of my substack journal as the container for creative expression, and to check in on how I’m guiding myself there.
This is so good Jenna, many things to reflect on for me. Mainly that when I cannot see what direction I’m going in, I’ll try and take back control of the reins of the chariot, which restricts the possibilities ahead. I’m so grateful for this awareness this week. Thank you! 💫🙏
(swiftly drops chariot reigns and twiddles hands innocently)
RELATING!! 😄
😂 (this is a laughing hard emoji, not the tears of frustration one referred to earlier)
Wonderful insight, Louise, thank you! 💖💖And synchronicity again! I was just reading on another post from Camilla Sanderson about the dance between will and surrender. That is the cycle of things, isn't it? And I'm just now having the thought that somewhere in this is maybe developing the capacity to embody Divine Will. I'm not sure I'll ever get there. I definitely like to control those reins and have to continually be reminded to loosen my grip.
Just now reading all these replies, not sure where to step in... Oh the surrender! Not easy at times! I too like Louise hold tight to control because I want to know how things are going to unfold, for then I will feel safe enough to let go. I remember way back when I was in the beginnings of my journey, a group of us were asked what our spiritual theme was for this life. "SURRENDER" came on as a full force. As I look back through the years, this has been my major exploration & practice. My biggest stumbling block was/is WHAT am I surrendering to? Coming into deeper relationship with the feminine, my body as heart and belly, nature and life, showed me what I was releasing into. That She holds me, that my safety lies in HER, not my control. And I still control, it is a process, not sure if I'll "get there" either. But those moments when I do...so sweet.
Yes, this! When I remember that I'm not being called to surrender to some transcendent force outside of me, but rather to what IS me, then I relax into the safety of it. I think that's why I was so comforted when my guides told me that if I suffer, they suffer. I'm not being asked to simply trust in some external thing that merely watches or observes what happens to me, but to allow myself to be held and guided by the collective of which I am a part. Like you said, it's a process, though, and I still can't help taking back the reins.
This is so interesting Jenna as I think some people have more difficulty surrendering than others (me included!). I believe it's because I feel I have to know what's going to happen next in order to feel safe. I'm working on that one! ❤❤
Oh gosh. Yes to all above. This is so comforting to read, to know other healers experience this too. My guides are showing me today how fragmented me is feeling very unsafe with this wholeness business and is seeking solace in the usual places (eg, on the astral, hiding in others’ energy). Getting a lot of guide-advice to ground, so a hike (in the pouring rain for me) seems to be what’s called for! Thanks for this convo -- really is helping all parts of me calm the f down. 🥰
A hike sounds wonderful. I might take a dose of that medicine myself as I'm feeling quite scattered this afternoon. If you do find a surefire way to get all your parts to calm the f down, please let me know! 😂
Oh gosh, me too! This year of invoking comfort is all about me trying to figure out and get really clear on my sense of safety. One thing I've noticed is that it changes all the time, depending on many circumstances including how I'm feeling physically. I'm not always willing to relinquish a sense of safety if that's what surrender means (I'm stubborn that way 😁). Thank you for bringing this up! It's a core line of questioning for me lately. I am off to listen to your newest podcast and I'm sure some answers will come through that. They always do! ♥️♥️♥️
Yes, I think we're onto something! Thank you for bringing this to the surface, I am always learning too, which makes it such a wonderful connection to have with my guides and fellow travelers. ❤❤
Oh so many juicy nuggets!
I really appreciate the reflection of whether we are leading with the whole self or the fragmented self.
I also am appreciating this phrasing as an alternative to “higher self v. egoic / lower self”, as you’re right, from the fragmented self’s perspective, this can seem hierarchical! I have noticed that my soul fragments feel a fair amount of resentment about the idea that my higher self is running the show (in their way of thinking, it means a loss of control), but when phrased as “whole” and “fragments”, they don’t seem as threatened by it.
And it’s more reflective of what we are! We are both our highest wisdom and our deepest wounding, as well as everything in between. Thank you so much for the reframe!
Hi Carrie! 👋♥️🥰 Yes, this is it exactly! One day, my ego was like, "You keep trying to 'transcend' me, but you wouldn't even be able to perceive your life without me, so maybe you could stop being such an asshole about it." 😂 We've been friends ever since. Lol. Seriously, though, I like the idea of trying to relate without supremacy, including (maybe especially) with ourselves. I'm not that good at it, but I gotta have goals, right?
I used this wholeness framework in my winding-down meditation last night and noticed a real shift of my own psyche. I’ve definitely been seeing “wholeness” as something to aspire to, rather than what I currently am. The reframe is helping with that shift, so again, thank you!
.....aaaaaaannnnnndddd because whenever we make a consciousness shift, our dear soul fragments have a reaction. So today I am feeling their resistance big time, as well as my own frustration towards them. Feeling a lot of inner conflict at the moment!
So yes, it’s a process, and having goals while also accepting where we are is the name of the game.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go forgive myself for being angry at the parts of myself I’m supposed to have infinite patience with! 😂(Just to be clear, that emoji is me crying in frustration while laughing at the absurdity of it, rather than its usual use to connote cry-laughing.)
Jenna,
I look forward to these weekly readings every Sunday. Thank you 🙏
What a lovely way to begin the week in contemplation and reflection.
Some of what came to me:
I appreciate that you steer clear of hierarchical language, which is its own fragmentation. And I recognize that I did so last week when I mentioned you and Louise in a note, re: higher self.
Gurdjieff’s “horse, chariot, and driver” came to mind reading this week’s combination and your lovely interpretation.
Horse--feeling (not limited to emotion, but the whole of perceptual feeling)
Chariot--body
Driver--mind (not rational but the intellectual--whole guiding “mind”)
So, chariot and guide made me wonder about feeling and appreciate how you brought in the piece about fragments. The three together >>> wholeness. Where am I going with this? Nowhere in particular but perhaps to praise and offer thanks for your interpretation !!!
I suspect I’ll be reflecting in the distinction between guide and teacher for a while.
I’ll stop for now. Please feel no obligation to respond to my ramble!
PS: I’m terribly disappointed that I will not be able to make Wednesday. I’m delivering a paper at a conference on Thursday, which starts Wednesday. I’ll look forward to the recording.
❤️
This is amazing, Renee, thank you! You are ALWAYS welcome to ramble! ♥️ At the risk of making this about me, I can't help but feel that part of the purpose of this post was so that you could teach me about Gurdjieff's horse, chariot, and driver. This is truly wonderful! And yes, so much about wholeness! Not only are there the parts (horse, chariot, driver), but also that they are interconnected. I am going to sit with this image for quite some time. Just perfect!
And no worries at all about missing Wednesday! I'm keeping it quite informal. Our togetherness transcends time and space. 🤗🤗
I appreciate you doing this reading/writing/discernment (clearly not sure what to call it) Jenna.
Here's what came to mind for me: our Chariot is our physical body, our physiology. It is the transport device we are currently utilizing to walk the earth at this time. If we are having trouble accessing our Guide and need a little extra help we can use our Chariot to help us find her by tapping into our physiology to elevate our energy. There are many ways to do this, eating well, plant based nutrients, movement, mindfulness practice to name but a few. In shifting our physical being, elevating the energy there, we can more easily access our inner guide.
I understand there are many routes to interpreting these cards so I simply went with what came to mind as I was reading.
I was keen to read your discernment between Guide and Teacher. Many years ago I spent months in contemplation specific to accessing info about my Archetype. I read, learned, and meditated on it. After a very long time what came to me is my main archetype is a Guide. I landed at home once I could see that. What is interesting is that it has never wavered one tiny bit. Not once have I thought...'oh maybe there is something else'. I wonder if others feel this solid or if it shifts around somewhat depending on life experience.
Oh my gosh, thank you for these amazing insights, Donna! The body as the chariot...of course, how perfect! That makes the marriage of The Guide and The Chariot wonderfully holistic. More and more I am turning back to the body, to the "physical", and reveling in the wisdom there. Thanks again for pointing out the body as the chariot, I'm really loving that. And thank you for sharing about your main archetype being The Guide. I absolutely see that in you! I learned about archetypes from Caroline Myss and, in her teachings, she says that we each have twelve "main" archetypes, each "in charge" of a different area of life. BUT, my personal experience over these last twenty years is that, at least for me, it's more fluid than that. I've seen times when I am firmly living through one archetypal pattern, then it melts away and another comes forward. And so I have become utterly fascinated with watching/observing how I relate with them all. AND, that being said, I think maybe there is ONE pattern that is intrinsic to our heart or soul, one pattern that best reflects our wholeness. I completely agree that yours is The Guide! I feel less certain about mine. The two that have generally been most prominent are The Hermit and The Healer.
I learned about archetypes from Caroline Myss too, as well as Jean Houston. I think we are all of them, of course! I agree that it seems more fluid and we go through patterns, I've certainly seen that in my own life but it was interesting to note the difference in how I felt when Guide presented herself. It took a significant amount of effort to arrive there though, she didn't just show up for me like some of the others who seemed so obvious.
Also, I love that you talked about being led by our fragments or our whole self. As you said there is a sense of constriction when a fragmented part of us takes the lead and when we can learn to recognize this the quicker we adapt and call in our whole self. It's a practiced skill and hopefully the whole self ends up guiding us more frequently the better we get at it.