Posted on Alchemical Business & Entrepreneurship Blog
Recently, Judith and Jim, over at Bridging Heart & Marketing asked an important question on their blog. “do you like to be called ‘traffic’?” They where referring to… (read more)
Practicing what I Preach
I have devoted a lot of time to getting this blog matrix to the point it has reached, where all the current blogs have been introduced. (it took awhile to get to the last few as I felt I had to introduce some ideas that are used in the introductions and early posts of these later blog. ) To this end I have done less of my daily Personal Alchemy practice then is my preference. As I have repeatedly said and will continue to say through out the posts on this blog matrix, I feel Personal Alchemy to be the foundation for Systems and Global Alchemy and that an on going daily practice of Personal Alchemy is essential and the more the better. So, on this day that celebrates the day the Buddha began to teach the system of Personal Alchemy that came to be called Buddhism, I am putting more fully into practice that which I preach and devoting more time each day to my Personal Alchemy Practice.
Happy Chokhor Duchen
Chokhor is Tibetan for Wheel of Dharma. Teaching Dharma is known as turning the Wheel of Dharma. This day is a celebration of the anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha) beginning to Turn of the Wheel of Dharma. It is on a different day each year on the Gregorian calender that is used in the west and in the business world because it is a solar callender and the Buddhist Holi days are marked by a lunar calender.
Reasons I am Focusing on Internet Marketing
Posted on Alchemical Wealth Building Blog
In my Sources for Cashflow post, I briefly describe why I have decided to focus on utilizing the cashflow quadrants of Self-employment and Business (and what distinguishes these two in Self-Employment vs Business) as my primary FA-O (first attention-outer) aspect of my overall Alchemical Wealth Building Strategy. I am focusing at this time on Internet Marketing as my primary strategy for both of these.
There are several reason I have chosen Internet Marketing as my first venture into the FA-O (first attention-outer) aspects of Alchemical Wealth Building
First many of the common methods of Internet Marketing lean towards Alchemical Business (& Alchemical Marketing) values to begin with. For example…(read more)
Alchemical Marketing & Advertising
Posted on the Alchemical Business&Entrepreneurship Blog
If you pay attention to advertising, you will notice that the vast majority of it attempts to make you feel disempowered in some way and then lead you to believe that their product will remedy this disempowerment. No doubt this is in accord with studies of advertising psychology and been shown to be an effective method. However I have no doubt that if given a product that actually adds value to peoples life or is of genuine benefit then a creative person in touch with their heart can find ways to design highly effective advertising that refrains this kind of tactic and, more then that, actually benefits anyone who comes in contact with it whether or not they buy the product
One of the root goals of an Alchemical Marketer is to develop marketing strategies that … (read more)
Self-Employment vs Business.
Posted on Alchemical Wealth Building Blog
My FA-O (First Attention-Outer) wealth building strategy is currently focused on a blend of the self-employment and business quadrants (see sources of cashflow). While someone is self-employed is usually considered to have a business, the idea suggested in this distinction …(read more)
Sources of Cashflow
Posted on Alchemical Wealth Building Blog
As Global Alchemists, Alchemical Wealth Builders engage all 4 quadrants of Skillful means. In terms of wealth building, in regard to FA-O strategies(first attention-outer: basically actions in the world as most people see it), creating cashflow is foundational. Robert Kiyosaki, in his Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom
The Global Alchemical Template can be applied to each of these to engage them in a way that expresses the alchemical intention. I am initially …(read more)
Alchemical Business Simplified- Business with Heart
This is Posted on the the Alchemical Business&Entrepreneurship Blog
At its most essential Alchemical Business is concerned with identifying what kind of paradigm business must operate from be an entirely positive force in world and expressing this paradigm into the structure and operation of every single aspect of business.
While there are many specifics elements that this paradigm needs to have…(read more)
The Many Systems Within Business
Posted on the Alchemical Business&Entrepreneurship Blog
Business is itself composed many systems such as marketing, human resources, accounting, intra-community (the community of the people in the business), inter-community (relating the ‘external’ community both local and global, including customers, suppliers, “competition”, the communities in which the business operates), to name just a few. Many of these … (read more)
The Four Quadrants of Global Alchemy Skillful Means
The Four Quadrants of Global Alchemy Skillful Means
The range of possible domains a Global Alchemist may engage to create transformation can be divided into four general domains. These are not rigidly distinct domains but are meant to help identify possibilities.
|
|
Outer |
Inner |
First Attention(Exoteric) |
FA-O |
FA-I |
Second Attention (Esoteric) |
SA-O |
SA-I |
When considering the basic definition of Global Alchemy as “The Art and Science of becoming the change we wish to see and expressing this in heart centered visionary life engagement.”, then the inner quadrants are mostly concerned with becoming the change and the outer quadrants are concerned with expressing in activity, however the one of the special qualities of the alchemical approach is the harnessing of outer strategies to support inner transformation as much as using the inner to transform the Outer.
The terms first and second attention are borrowed from the Toltec teachings (at least as put forth by Carlos Casteneda). While there is both art and science to both first and second attention engagement the first attention has more the flavor of science and the second attention has more of the flavor of art. First attention is related to the world as most people know it, the world there is more or less consensual agreement about. This includes not only the world readily measured by science but also our social agreements. The second attention, because it refers to a dimension of life most people are only dimly, if at all, aware of, and because it is by nature not concrete, is difficult to denotatively define it. Ascribing it the flavor of art is connotative. Second attention relates to a whole range of subtle dimension of life that most people are not directly attuned to but are, none the less, actually highly causative to what appears in the word seen by first attention. Two key understanding about the second attention is that it relates to a whole range of subtle dimensions and that these subtle dimensions are formative to the appearances in the world of the first attention,
FA-O strategies are what most people talk about as how to accomplish objectives. They are the concrete actions you take that other people can observe. Most people rely primarily on this domain to achieve their objectives.
FA-I strategies are the strategies of psychology and personal development. This is about creating the right mindset and developing ones character and skills
SA-O this is the use of actions in the domain of the second attention to create specific First Attention Outer world results. It can be a little confusing as second attention itself relates to what can be called an ‘inner world’ however for these quadrants inner is referring to the inner transformation of the individual. The second attention relates to an inner dimension of shared reality, though one more subjectively perceived (when it is perceived at all) and at the second attention the division between in and outer becomes more blurred. SA-O is strategies that word through the agency of the second attention world but are directed towards specific first attention outer world results. Some of these strategies can work, in the same way FA-O strategies, without necessarily requiring the person to become the change. Also like the FA-O when SA-O is used this way the results are usually limited in duration, tend to have a high long term cost and is not in accord with alchemical process.
SA-I This is the hardest arena to describe as both the means and the results are largely outside the domain of the conceptual mind and is the specialty of alchemy. It is primarily the engagement of this domain that cultivated the Philosopher’s Stone of the Visionary Heart. It is in this domain of engagement the one seeks “the kingdom of heaven by which all else is added unto thee” This is connected to what the Toltec called the Third Attention which transcends and includes all 4 of the other quadrants because the duality of inner and outer as will as first and second attention is transcended.
SA-I is the only quadrant directly related to Absolute Truth but is also included both relative methods and can have relative objective similar to the FA-I quadrant. The dividing line between what is FA-I and SA-I can become a little blurry as first and second attention are lies distinct in the inner world and more and more of what used to be considered esoteric is entering the public domain. Both work with consciousness however FA-I is more psychological and oriented more towards how ones mind state effects ones interaction with FA-I, while in SA-I the work consciousness is more spiritually based and focused. Also SA-I works more with the subtle energetic nature of the individual to facilitate changes in the individual
How most people engage the quadrants
As I said most people focus most of their attention in FA-O quadrant in the false hope that they can manipulate phenomena to provide what they believe will bring them happiness. It is a false hope because phenomena are not a true source of happiness. When Outer Phenomena seem to cause happiness it is because it has fulfilled an condition that has been internalized as begin required for happiness. But this is a conditional happiness and conditions always change.
A few put effort primarily in SA-O also with the false hope that they can manipulate phenomena to provide what they believe will bring them happiness. This strategy shares the same flaw as the first one but it adds an additional flaw. While SA-O (as well as FA-I and SA-I) engagements can cause changes in the outer world that seem independent of any causes from FA-O strategies, often called miracles, synchronicities or serendipities, several factors increase the likelihood and frequency of these ‘miracles’ occurring. First action in the FA-O that are congruent with aim of the SA-O increases the likelihood of synchronicities even though synchronicities don’t seem causally relate to the FA-O actions. For example you engage a SA-O strategy to get a better paying job. If while you are engaging in this strategy you also say look at online Job sites that might have job opportunities it will be more likely that you have a friend call you out of the blue with a job offer then if you just do nothing. The avenue that brought the Job was not directly related to the FA-O strategy that you where applying but it is, from an alchemical perspective, less likely that you would have gotten that call if you hadn’t applied the FA-O strategy, This is related to what is called the Principle of Congruence. It is also highleght the need for the joining of the inner and the outer. People often fail to understand the need for this joining when trying to apply the co called “law of attention”. Although many taechres of the law of attraction do warn against this mistake.
Also it is often action that the joins inner with outer (Here inner refers to SA-O, FA-I and SA-O and outer to FA-O) Action is the main mechanism of the outer word. When is using any or all 3 of the ‘inner’ strategies often the most efficient mechanism for expression in the FA-O world is the inspired action of the person seeking the change in the FA-O. In other words you are often the messenger that carries the ‘message’ from the inner dimensions to the outer.
Some People engage FA-I almost exclusively. These people tend towards being mostly happy but may not have much of what the world labels success. Most people whom the world labels successful and seem to be relatively well adjusted (as apposed to say a alcoholic or drug addicted celebrity or a workaholic business man) engage both FA-O and FA-I strategies (often with a dash of SA-I)
Some people engage almost exclusively SA-I if done skillfully this will lead to profound happiness and bliss and is of unimaginable benefit to both themselves and all beings. . If not done skillfully it can lead to all manner of dysfunction even insanity.
The Global Alchemists approach to the 4 domains of Engagement
The Global Alchemist approach is different then all of these. Global Alchemists do not look to results in the FA-O, by whatever means (direct FA-O engagement or indirectly through the other three), as a source of satisfaction and happiness but rather as heart inspired visionary expressions that support their inner transformation and create benefit for beings. The Global Alchemists learn to use each and every domain of engagement as an integral strategy that is expresses the Core Intention through their unique Visionary Heart Path.