What makes your heart sing? Passion and presence are the keys to being engaged in your work, and making a meaningful contribution with your gifts and talents. In his book ‘Callings’, Gregg Levoy says, "Passion is a state of love and hunger. It is also a state of enthusiasm, which means to be possessed by a god or goddess, by a Wild Thing. One could be possessed by the god of poetry or the goddess of animals, the god of commerce or the goddess of home and hearth. If we imagine that calls issue from the gods, then we are as close as we ever get to them -the calls and the gods- when we are enthusiastic. We move toward a kind of divine presence because, through our passions, we are utterly present."
I love this quote, because it speaks to our need to be more than ‘worker bees’, to toil for more than the paycheck at the end of the week, to forsake our stepping stone mentality and truly enJOY the job we are doing NOW! Passion and purpose belong in the present tense; they are the twin engines of inspiration and meaning that we yearn for as human beings. When we are fueled by passion, we feel that we are ‘on purpose’, that we are doing what we came here to do in this life. The nature and character of this work/job/career will shape shift throughout our lives. When we are ‘utterly present’, it matters not what task we have before us. When we love what we do, and feel we are making a difference, we feel true worth, and that is our true power. When we listen to our heart, to the ‘still small voice’ of intuition, we can sing the song of our soul and receive an exchange of energy (we call money!) in return for our service.
Sometimes, we have been engaged for so long in a job that has numbed our soul’s whispers, the melody of joy eludes us. When you reach that state of burn-out, or when the job you loved is down-sized and you find yourself in the desert of unemployment, seek out the silence of a quiet place in nature. Sitting on the earth, feel the strength of mother earth beneath you. Notice how the fine balance of nature plays out like a symphony all around you. The birds find what they need to eat, the fish swim in the water contentedly, the trees and flowers blossom in resplendent glory in the sunshine. There is an exquisite give and take, an exchange of energy that is effortless and abundant. We were created to be in harmony with this exchange of energy.
For centuries now, the exchange of our talents and time, our goods and services, has been governed by the exchange of money. As the ‘money game’ evolved, more and more focus was placed on the accumulation of wealth and material goods – the keywords became consume, compete, conquer, and get more cash!! The exchange of energy for service provided became tainted by an imbalance of power, a corruption of the delicate balance that nature so beautifully demonstrates. So, we find ourselves at the beginning of the 21st century steeped in the toxic waste of our greed and insatiable need to ‘have more’…more money, more ‘stuff’, more than the ‘other guy’. What we have come to know is that there is no ‘other guy’…what we do to another, we do to ourselves, what we do to our earth, we do to ourselves. The separation of the ‘every man for himself’ has given way to the Unity consciousness that says, ‘we are ONE…and the time is now to work together as ONE’. The new keywords are consciousness, collaboration, cooperation, compassion and creativity.
Whatever our career is, whether we define it as a job or an occupation, it is a calling. That very word embodies the notion that within each of us, there is a prompting, a personal passion that draws us out of ourselves, and helps us live the bigger story in our lives filled with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose. For years I worked in theatre, and enjoyed a lovely career as an actor and singer. Over a decade ago, as I stood draped in the finest costumes on the most respected stage in my country, I began to hear the call. Quietly at first, then louder and more insistent as I ignored the whispers that said, ‘you have your own songs to sing, your own story to tell’. With two small children, it seemed illogical to leave a steady paycheck doing what I loved. Then came the gift. For the first time in six years, I didn’t get a return contract. I went through a transition period that was a crucible of releasing my fear of the ‘unknown’. Eight years ago, I started my own independent music label, and released my first CD of original music. Little by little, I embraced the ‘unknown’ as an opportunity to write my own ticket, to listen to my heart, and sing the song of my soul.
In my innocence, I heard the call, and leapt with all my heart. The music guided me and fed me, healed me and enlarged me. I became an entrepreneur; I might not have called it that to begin with, but before I knew it, I was managing my website, producing concerts, booking venues, writing songs, and seed by seed, growing my own business. I give thanks for this innocence-with trust and faith, it is the domain of the heart, and the compass for my calling and my business. My logical mind would have scared me off such a project-the key word being FEAR. The voice is fear of sneaky and subtle, and amazingly tenacious. It is also the voice that resembles your parents or your best friend that says ‘What?! You’re going to start your own music business?You don’t have enough (fill in the blank) capital, connections, courage, talent, time…to do that!!" Beware the naysayers who send wet blankets to your fiery passion party that says ‘I am filled with enthusiasm and nothing can stop me!" Again, discernment is key. Listen to your heart. Consult the whispers of your own wise council.
In the past five years, my music has taken me on an extraordinary journey, to inner and outer worlds of beauty and transformation. I have shared my music around the world-in concert halls and festivals, at the Chalice Well Gardens in Glastonbury, England under a full moon, in an ancient barn in Sweden at the close of a magical festival with 600 souls gathered to celebrate deep ecology, family and planetary love…from Costa Rica to Chicago…from London, England to London, Ontario…it continues to unfold…
I am so grateful for the deeply meaningful connections I have experienced with so many amazing people on this path of passion and purpose. Gratitude is the gateway, and connection is the key to our collective hearts. Listen, can you heart that? It’s your heart singing…calling you…to the highest expression of your creativity, courage and compassion. One seed at a time…joy will take root…the blossoming is so becoming to you…
This is the beginning of the new earth…a garden of passion, inspiration, shared ideas and vibrant work that we show up to with passion…and presence…this is our purpose.
Pam Gerrand
Singer/Songwriter/Sound Healer/Speaker
www.pamgerrand.com
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