Finding and Following Your 'North Star'

🌩️ Join me @ My Substack: https://theancestralnow.substack.com/

Transcript

Finding and Following One's North Star

The whole concept of a north star is one that I have spoken about a lot and that I mention frequently whenever I am discussing anything related to weaving gold and especially how weaving gold intersects with the concepts of fate and destiny. To be clear, finding and following one's north star is a central aspect of weaving gold and in some ways I consider it to be an essential core aspect of being able to navigate fate and destiny. And I haven't yet defined it in a palpable way on this podcast.

Today we're going to do that and we're going to explore what I mean by it because the use of the term implies multiple layers of applicability. A north star is fundamentally an internal representation of a guiding light that allows us to establish direction, thus allowing us to navigate. It is, by its very definition, a star that points us in a particular direction. And this star remains stable above the north pole and because of that we can see it in the night sky, point at it, know that we are looking at the northern direction and from there establish the rest of the compass directions around us. So, the north star in physical space is also very useful for navigation.

Now, this whole concept of a north star, the way that I describe it, has a metaphorical aspect to it that is allowing us to establish an internal sense of a guiding light which lets us know which direction we are moving in. There's also a hermetical aspect to it from the notion of as above so below. That is, the human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm and that if there is a north star in the sky, that means that there is an inner sky within us with a north star as well. And so, it should come as no surprise that in a variety of internal alchemy, shamanic, and meditative traditions that the north star is one that we can attune to for a variety of different purposes.

Thus, when I talk about the north star, there is this layer of both the metaphor of a guiding light and the energetic resonance between the north star in the outer sky and the north star in the inner sky. In Taoist traditions, the north star is also considered a spiritual gate connecting us to certain types of high-frequency energies that resonate with the most divine aspects of us and that hold the mystery of our own personal destiny. So, this concept of a north star has multiple layers and multiple ways to work with it.

But let's talk today about the metaphorical aspect that allows us to establish a guiding light in life because that's more accessible at this moment for everybody. A north star by its very nature is something that you do not reach because we do not go to the north star. The north star just lets us know what direction we are heading in at any given point in time. Now, in order to make this useful, there is another metaphor that I want to discuss which has its roots in Hellenistic astrology, that is, people in the past who were studying the dynamics of fate and destiny, which is to speak about the journey through life from the aspect of the soul to the personality and everything in between as a ship in sail.

So, we are a ship and we are moving through the currents of reality and there is weather and there is the changing sky from night to day and there are unexpected events and there is a crew and there is energy and there is food and there are stocks and there is the ability to get everyone working together moving in one direction in particular or not. Thus, to be able to establish a north star allows for everyone to have a single vision, a single direction. It brings everything together as one unified whole. This is the function of the guiding light from the perspective of which I speak today.

It allows us to unify all the disparate aspects of our totality so that they are synchronized and rowing together so that everyone knows what is required in order to move in a chosen direction. For without direction, without having this ability to know where we are going, everything will desynchronize and fall apart and there will be less cohesion. For cohesion requires direction. It requires this unification of purpose. Thus, for us to be able to bring all of our resources together and direct them in a particular direction, thus creating the least amount of drag and creating the way forward, we have to have a guiding light to help us know how to navigate through life.

Here's a little bit of a secret for you and that is everyone already has a north star. Everybody is already moving in a particular direction. They have established something that is a guiding light for them. But what ends up happening in general is that this is a choice that we do not make consciously. That we are not in direct relationship with. The other-than-conscious mind will often choose this direction for us based on a lot of different layers of fate and by that I mean trauma, wounding, conditioning, expectations, cultural patterns, astrological patterns, and whatever the case may be.

All of these different layers that are already setting a groove into reality for us that then we step into and follow. It's as if it's a channel already established in the ocean on a map that tells us this is the only way to go and then we just follow it. Thus, a part of the work of transmuting fate into destiny is to find that innately and spontaneously arising north star within you and reorienting the ship in that direction. Making sure that everything that you have at your disposal including the fated circumstances that you have already experienced and all of the ancestral karma behind you and directing that towards the new guiding light which is the one that is emerging from your soul. Which you can feel through that which you love.

That which lights you up. That which moves you to action spontaneously without you having to force it and even at times that which breaks your heart and connects you to this greater sense of service. All of this is pointing you towards an innate north star and this north star is your highest value. It is that which you most deeply value because our values are what end up directing the direction of our life. That is what you consider to be important enough to act upon on a consistent basis. Now most people are following this faded set of values.

That is, they have been told that certain things are important and then that's what they act upon. But most people will find room for their innate north star somewhere in their life. It's what you want to learn about. It's what you want to explore. It's what you want to direct your energy towards enthusiastically without having to be told to do it. It doesn't necessarily have this extrinsic reward tied to it though it can. But it's often very intrinsically motivated. It has to do with your innate gifts and talents and it's something that lights you up whenever you engage with it.

And when I say lights you up I don't necessarily mean in a passionate way though passion can be a part of it. But passion on its own is not enough. Passion is often a fleeting emotion. What I'm talking about here is that you are turned on. Is that your faculties come online. It's almost like you're awake and truly present. Like all the different aspects of you can truly work the way that they want to work. In that, you are present, enthusiastic, and devoted to the work. That you're willing to take the aspects of it which are difficult and challenging as well as the aspects that are juicy and rewarding. Because you embrace the whole for what it is.

This is the direction of love. Now as I mentioned earlier we do not get to the North Star. Polaris in the sky is not a place that we will reach. More so the North Star allows us to establish a direction which at a functional practical everyday level means to walk a path. It is an actual step-by-step path that we engage in day in and day out. It is the routines of life. It is the principles which guide day-to-day action that we are able to get from this North Star at a practical level.

And thus if you are on your path then you have established the true gift of the North Star. And the degree to which your daily actions align with the North Star with this guiding light with this chosen direction is to the degree that you are truly steering the ship. Are your resources coming together? Is everyone rowing in the same direction? Is everyone carrying their weight? Can the helmsman see the helm? Is the captain present and attuned to the crew? These are all the types of questions to ask.

Now I want to give you a little bit of a practical example. But in order to do that I have to help you establish an understanding of how all of this fractalizes out into every aspect of your life. I have been talking about the North Star as one big chosen direction that we are moving in. Yes? Now consider that that aspect of North Star fractalizes out into every piece of your practice. Like Indra's net. There is a node inside every aspect of your life. And to which scale this goes is a bit of a mystery. One might say that every single cell inside of you has a destiny.

But let's step aside from going that deep and just look at it from the big aspects of life. So one might say their health and physical cultivation practices as one area. Another would be your craft and vocation. Another would be your relationships and connections both on a physical level with physical beings and with non-physical beings. The spirit world. Another could be one's deeper spiritual calling and the way that they are cultivating the essence of their soul. These could be a few different ways to categorize life.

Well, each one of these aspects has a North Star that is something that is cohering them and establishing their overall direction. An example is a swordsman. Someone who is devoted to the practice of the sword. And through life, they are dedicated to being the best swordsman that they can be. Thus they might study different disciplines. They might explore different martial arts. They might move into ballet and even into boxing. They might explore hypnosis in order to help them be a better swordsman.

And then everything that they do from a strength and conditioning perspective is to make them better at dealing with the sword. And the stretching that they do is to release the stress of working with the sword on a consistent basis. So being a swordsman is a North Star in the context of their physical practices. Now here is another aspect though. Is being a swordsman aligned with the greater North Star of the person's life. And when we can do this for all aspects of life and we can establish these big fractal directions inside the different categorizations of the different aspects of the day-to-day experience that are all aligned with the large North Star.

Then we are really cooking with fire. Then we are actually moving in the direction of the North Star and steering the ship. As some would say that dog can hunt. And this is what you find in a lot of the traditions of the ancient world that have made it into modern times. You have a cosmology. You have a set of physical disciplines. You have philosophical teachings. You have ways to be in relationship with others through the teaching of morals and ethics. You have a spiritual ecosystem and ecology through the form of gods and spirits.

You have ancestors of the tradition. You have all of these different layers of life coming together into an ecology which is fundamentally already resonant and moving everyone more or less in a particular direction. Even though each person will express that tradition differently through their own heart and mind and body. But what I find with many modern people who are not connected into a tradition or at the very least learning principles from traditions that they can then apply to their own practice is a lot of desynchronization.

There are many different people on the ship that are not moving in the same direction. People who are not rowing. People who are not rowing in rhythm. The helmsman cannot see the helm. The captain is nowhere to be found. The sails are falling apart. Or maybe one piece of that is working well or maybe two pieces but the ship is not cohered into one unified whole. Because they have not been able to find that true innate North Star and then do whatever is required on any and every level to get all aspects of your life aligned with it.

And this is not going to happen overnight. It is a continuous process just like sailing a ship through the ocean. What I want to leave you with here again is a reminder that this is about the path that we walk on a consistent day-to-day basis. It is the real actions that we take and where that will eventually guide us to. Thus for me, my North Star is my destiny. There have been times where it has been other things but now that's what it is. For if the point of the guiding light is to establish direction and thus establish pathway then for me to have my North Star be my destiny.

This big cohering force in life that directs all my actions that means that if I am walking the path on a day-to-day level that is aligned with that guiding light I am engaging and walking the path of destiny every single day. And when we do that that means that we are already at our destination.