Authenticity

"What is true is invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that one can see clearly."

-  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The first Landmark of Truth is authenticity. Authenticity means real, genuine and truly from the heart. It is this last quality that catches a Visionmaker's eye.

Authenticity is the capacity to speak and act from the heart. The heart's truth, the internal reality, is a standard by which a Visionmaker conducts his or her affairs.

When our allegiance is to the Full, Open, Clear and Strong Heart, we come into alignment with the core of who we are. It also binds us together with every other person in a fabric of wholeness and community. 

Perennial values, principles and ethics are encoded in the human heart. It is also the home of Destiny's plan for each person, a singular and authentic journey of meaning that each of us was born to make.

For this reason, the training in Visionmaking places a heavy emphasis on the work of the heart. Through this apprenticeship, we learn to be authentic. We also shed the "false-self system," the affectations, character flaws and bad habits that interfere with our ability to see clearly and act impeccably.  

"Do not worry about what others are doing!" instructs Mahatma Gandhi. " Each of us should turn the searchlight inward and purify his or her own heart as much as possible."

Wise words and important work if we are to see what is in alignment with Truth and what remains false to fact. Truth is a beacon that shines on a road of meaning, leading us forward, each step in alignment with the heart. 

When the heart is involved in seeing, we gain an acuity of vision that penetrates the mysteries of living. We gain a rare clarity that reflects the fact that our own energy is no longer entangled in illusions about the self, other people, or the world around us.  

This is an act of wisdom that liberates a Visionmaker to pursue only that which is in accordance with his or her nature, and which furthers the path of the heart.

In my next post, I will cover the second Landmark of Truth-factuality.

© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.