“So we’re dealing with a double-edged sword,” I surmised. “On the one hand, we’ve got to have desire to do what we have to do, and on the other, desire can distract us from doing it.”
“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Iman said.
“But aren’t we supposed to have desire? Aren’t we supposed to want more from our lives? How are we going to progress if we don’t want more?”
“Why do you need more?” he answered. “What’s wrong with wanting what you have?”
“Nothing, I suppose. I just don’t think I have all that much.”
“Well, now you’ve got purpose. What else do you need?”
“Money would be nice,” I answered.
“What would you do with it?”
“Buy stuff.”
“But then you wouldn’t have money anymore.”
“No, but I’d have stuff.”
“What would you do with that?”
“Use it.”
“For what?”
“Whatever it’s intended for.”
“So you’re back to finding purpose. Why don’t you just cut out the middle man and focus on achieving your purpose?”
“But I still need money,” I argued.
“What for?”
“To make a living.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know. To get by in this world. To pay for a place to live and be able to afford the means to live the life I want.”
“Do you not think that fulfilling your purpose will provide that?” he asked. “Here you are concerned about making a living while I’m telling you how to create a life.”
“And how do I do that if I don’t make money.”
“I never told you that you wouldn’t make money. I’m telling you that it is only a byproduct of achieving your purpose, but not the purpose in itself. This is where you humans keep getting lost and breaking the spiral.”
“What spiral?”
“The Golden Spiral.”
“Is that like the Golden Rule?”
“Sort of. It’s a step beyond though. Have you ever heard of the Fibonacci Sequence?” he asked.
“Isn’t that where you have a list of numbers where each number is the sum of the two that preceded it?”
“Yes, but it’s not just confined to numbers. It’s a natural occurrence that can be found even in the layers of a common conch shell or the rotation of leaves on a plant stem.”
“So how does that apply to living your purpose?” I asked.
“Like follows like and multiplies. There is a natural pattern to living your purpose. As you consistently achieve it, the Universe answers by offering you the next greater chance to achieve the next thing. This culminates in the Golden Spiral of a life well lived.”
I scratched my head trying to imagine it. “What happens when we don’t achieve our purpose?”
“Life gets imbalanced,” Iman said. “Look at the world as it is now. Currently, the ratio of wealthy to poor is entirely imbalanced, more so than it has ever been on your planet.”
“Why is that?”
“For the same reason that so few can afford a place to live in your community. Your desire has been misdirected. Instead of desiring to fulfill your purpose, you have desired the by-product of achieving it.”
“So how do we rectify it?” I asked.
“Desire what you have and not what you don’t have. What you have is purpose. The rest will come accordingly.”
This is an excerpt from How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. Come back weekly for the next part or order your copy in ebook or paperback today!
