Ignorance Appropriates Our Power
Photo by Enric Cruz López
In 2004, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which later became the Livestrong Foundation, created the yellow bracelet to raise cancer awareness and funds for cancer research (see Texas Monthly, July 2024). The original order was overwhelmed by response, largely due to Armstrong’s celebrity, his connections, and his personal battle with testicular cancer. The yellow bracelet became a cultural phenomenon of mythic proportions. By 2012, 80 million bracelets had been sold for $1 each, raising $100 million for cancer research. Despite the scandal surrounding Armstrong, to date, the foundation he co-founded has contributed $500 million to cancer research.
He won the Tour de France seven times, beginning the year after his cancer survival. Even with the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs, that remains an extraordinary accomplishment. Yet, when his name is mentioned, most of us think, “doper, cheat, fraud, disgrace” — pick your term.
It’s not that performance-enhancing drugs are uncommon among athletes; it’s just that it’s only unacceptable if you get caught.
Where am I going with this? It’s about how much our language creates reality — both for us individually and collectively. In Landmark Education’s material, they talk about reality as a function of agreement. Agreement or non-agreement takes place through what we say.
Our language defines us and, more often than not, keeps us small!
Last week, Caitlyn Rose wrote powerfully about “Redefining Peak Performance: Forget the Rules”. She illuminates how our internal dialogue often revolves around our perceived shortcomings or dysfunctions of ourselves, which we then work tirelessly to mask. Being our best, and being true to ourselves, is shaped by what we think and say about ourselves.
Almost every religion or Spiritual path shares one common message: “God is within.” Every representation of the ancient mysteries references this idea:
"As above, so below; as below, so above."
— The Emerald Tablet of Hermes
Yet, our language often fails to acknowledge this Divinity within. Ignoring this reality, we unwittingly surrender our power. In truth, we all have immediate access to performance-enhancing properties, and it’s called:
“What we think and say!”
According to Wikipedia:
"The main principle of Heka (Egyptian magic) centers on the power of words to bring things into being. Karenga (African) explains the pivotal power of words and their vital ontological role as the primary tool used by the creator to bring the manifest world into existence. Humans were understood to share a divine nature with the gods."
Ancient magic, synonymous with Alchemy, recognized our ability to connect with the natural laws of the universe and apply them to matters of importance to us.
Alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
Another way to interpret this is our ability to transform our thoughts and words into reality.
“Magic in ancient Egypt was not a parlor trick or illusion. It was the harnessing of natural laws, conceived as supernatural entities, to achieve a desired outcome. To the Egyptians, a world without magic was inconceivable. It was through magic that the world was created, magic sustained the world daily, magic healed the sick, provided for those in need, and assured eternal life after death. Egyptologist James Henry Breasted famously remarked that magic infused every aspect of ancient Egyptian life and was "as much a matter of course as sleep or the preparation of food.
Since the earliest times, people have been aware of an innate power within and how to access it. Access to this power often came through language and could include rituals, chants, dancing, and singing — practices we still engage in today. I have my own rituals, for example hygiene and health routines: bathing, brushing my teeth, watching what I eat, exercising, and dancing. Music always lifts my spirit. The danger lies in what we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world. That becomes our reality, and we are not always kind in how we represent ourselves.
These representations live in our perceptions, not in reality.
In spite of cheating, and maybe being a jerk, Lance Armstrong still left a trail of huge accomplishments behind him. Yet, what is he remembered for? He became a legendary hero through people's words, and then he became a villain — again, through their words.
if your reality, your firm belief, was that what came out of your mouth became real in the material world…would you speak differently?
Maybe our only real job here is to access that which is Divine within us, and then give it to the world? Otherwise, just wasted Divinity!
Happy seeking,
~ Craig
Fundamental of the Week #15: SET AND RECEIVE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
Communicate your expectations clearly; make sure people hear what you are asking. Take care to understand what’s expected of you.
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