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You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you  have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

— Max Ehrmann

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Initiating — Choosing the path of belonging and trust, knowing your universe is perfectly unfolding.

Initiating entails a rite of passage — movement through a catalytic space wherein the nature of an entity or form is changed. There are many initiations over the course of a life, but the sense of Initiating used here is of the elemental initiation into a life that is inherently good. Those who undergo this rite of passage are fundamentally changed. David Steindl-Rast and Sharon Lebell affirm, “… see with the eyes of trust that the cosmos is in fact prepared for us, like a nurturing home. We have a right to feel at home here in the universe. It has been marvelously created so as to be hospitable to human life … If we entrust ourselves to that fundamental sense of belonging to the universe, things go well, and we can make some sense even out of the worst that happens to us”
(Music of Silence, p.110).

Initiating affirms the universe as an essentially fertile, nurturing place, a place of infinite goodness. Initiating is fused with knowing this at the deepest level of your being and knowing that your life is unfolding perfectly. This lays the groundwork for Noble Purpose.

What is Noble Purpose?

When you come into relationships with meaning in your life, at the deepest level, you are moved, changed and altered. Something emerges in you, or through you, that is life defining. It could be said that you have found meaning.  To be infused with meaning calls forth purpose. While meaning has you come alive; purpose requires direction of your energy to the realization of some contribution to others.

This is not to say there are not destructive forces operating within the universe or incredibly difficult and challenging matters confronting communities, nations and the planet. According to the United Nations, for every 12 people living today, one is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of five. This is intolerable. The world community carries on unconsciously in the face of this problem. This is not good news, and holding that the universe is perfectly unfolding seems completely naïve.

Yet, I have the opportunity to do something about this urgent problem. I can inform myself about the issue, learn what it takes and how much it costs to shift the circumstances that have allowed chronic hunger to persist and work with others to generate understanding that the world has the wherewithal to end hunger. That is good news.

Pain does exist, at a planetary and a personal level. Engaging the pain and confronting challenges and difficulties is an important implication of being on the path to Noble Purpose.

While fully acknowledging that incredible pain and strife exist in the world, Initiating brings awareness that the universe is essentially welcoming and nurturing. Out of knowing that you belong amidst this benevolence, you experience trust.  You realize that you and others fully desire to make choices to create a better future. Immersion in fear and resignation only inhibits and prevents the bold action that is necessary to change and heal the world.

Initiating as a rite of passage has us literally pass through a threshold. First we pass through a threshold within ourselves, that is, the inner dimension of Initiating that is characterized by a deep, internal trust that everything in the universe is just fine, that we are just fine. Secondly, we pass through the outer dimension, a threshold in our capacity to fuse, blend and merge with others out of our essential trust in others to do the right thing.

Excerpted from Noble Purpose: Igniting Extraordinary Passion for Life and Work, by Barry Heermann, Copyright © 2004 by QSU Publishing Company.

Barry Heermann, Ph.D., is an organizational consultant and the creator of the Team Spirit team development program.  Barry’s Team Spirit programs has been used in hundreds of organizations globally, including NCR, AT&T, General Motors, Volkswagen of America, Lexis/Nexis, and not-for-profits like the Red Cross and the United Way.  He has served as a faculty member, department head, dean, and vice president in public and private institutions, and he is the author of two books and three New Direction’s editions published by Jossey-Bass on adult and experiential learning themes.  Barry’s work with Team Spirit led to the McGraw Hill book, Building Team Spirit.