April 2021
Through the ages there have been a multitude of references to how God, or Spirit, or Source, is within each one of us. Some have theorized that we all contain holographs of God. Gandhi is quoted as saying, “I know God is neither in heaven nor down below, but in everyone.”
Some prefer using the term “Source” instead of God because it is less encumbered by religious confusion and folklore. As Joseph Jaworski writes in his book Source: The Inner Path of Knowledge Creation:
There exists an eternally creative Source of infinite potential that lies beyond the orders of time…. giving birth to the universe at every eternal moment. It is the wellspring of the universe itself… Energy is directed to new possibilities. It exerts a subtle influence so that the system weaves and dances around it, relatively free, yet never escaping from its influence.
If I am looking for a visual model that simulates this unique relationship, I prefer a model found in nature – an underground network that links trees and plants which represent us as individuals. It is called a “mycorrhizal network” from the Greek words mykós (fungus) and riza (root), long thin filaments of fungus, termed “hyphae”, intertwine with and penetrate tree roots, creating a functional, extended root system that connects tree to tree and plant to plant.
In modern terms, it’s been coined the “Wood Wide Web,” and it’s lit up with nutrients and information being passed between trees and plants. Here is a National Geographic magazine video explaining this process in greater detail.
I like the graphic* above because it depicts how this invisible nurturing system below ground links the roots of all the visible growths above ground, much like Source’s wisdom is available to us all. Like trees and plants we stand alone as visible individuals yet we share an invisible support system that we can lean on if we are so inclined.
For me, relying on this highly-personal ineffable source of guidance is a key quality of the conscious leader, whether he or she acknowledges it explicitly or not. Reliance on Source (or whatever name you choose) for wisdom allows a power greater than one’s negative ego** to serve as a guide for wiser living and leading.
*graphic from The Wood Wide Web, by Dave Hansford, New Zealand National Geographic
**As many of my regular readers know, I use the term “negative ego” to describe the darker side of one’s ego not to imply that the ego is bad or negative.