The Myth of Form is the energetic distraction to the principle Everything Is Energy. These energies do not engage in conflict. In and of themselves they have no awareness. The great Myth of Form, however, is lively. This is because there are movements, which support this myth expressed over and over again.
The Myth of Form says matter is everything, form is everything. From this very point, attachment begins. I have no resonance with form. Humankind has great resonance with form. Consider several stories.
Once there was a woman, Silvia, named a true heroine by many because of her service to others. At the end of her life, she felt that she was a failure. People said to her, “Look at how many lives you have saved.” She said to them, “Look how many lives are still in the path of harm.” They said, “Look how many are no longer sick and starving.” She immediately responded, “My goal was ten times that much. I have failed.” She died feeling this way. Soon after her death, another woman took up her work with equal passion. She had been saved by the heroine as a young child. In a single lifetime, building on Silvia’s work an entire continent of people were lifted from the path of harm and starvation.
Silvia was attached to a specific form. She wanted a certain number within her physical lifetime. She could not imagine beyond her life, so she judged herself lacking based on form.
Intention and form are often linked together by the Myth of Form. You can recognize this when there is great attachment to a form. The Myth of Form says only intention expressed in a specific form and then achieved is success. The Myth of Form actively encourages you to be attached.
A mother was terribly disappointed that her daughter was not a success in swimming. The mother had labored long and hard to make this happen. Her daughter could win regional titles but not the state finals. When it came time for awards, her daughter was awarded first honors for teamwork and sportsmanship. This award was voted upon by all the coaches and the team members. The daughter always helped the other swimmers on her team to improve. This had greatly annoyed her mother. She would say to her daughter, “Why are you helping them. In the small competitions, they may be teammates; however, in the competitions that matter, they are your competitors. Do not help them to be better so they can beat you.” To this her daughter was always silent for she could think of nothing to say to change her mother’s mind.
She always felt good when she won. She felt even better when she helped someone else to win and feel successful. So she did not listen to her mother’s advice. On the night of the awards her mother dismissed her recognition. “What good is an award for teamwork?” she said. The daughter loved her mother. Rather than feel happy and honored, she felt sad and worried about disappointing her mother.
This mother is attached to form. Her intention is for her daughter to be successful. This success must come in a specific form – winning all the time, and in particular winning the state finals. If the form does not appear, there is no success. Parents, there is nothing wrong in holding the intention for your child to be successful, or that they reach beyond your accomplishments. Do not be attached to form. Do not determine a form without your child’s consent.
The Myth of Form and the stance of in-Wanting are close friends. Energetically they create a powerful movement that can sweep over individuals and communities. This is especially true of communities of children. Often self-worth is determined by the attachment to a specific form or a way of acting.
Truly, form is unimportant. A person wants a beautiful home. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this. However, when “wanting” or “intention” of having a “beautiful” home is attached to a very specific form (for example size, cost, neighborhood, bigger than another’s home), this attachment leads directly to narrowing the person’s experience of the field of possibilities. This is called “loss of appreciation” and is another quality or energy present when the Myth of Form is active. The mother could not appreciate her daughter’s success, or even see her success. The heroine did not appreciate her own accomplishments, even though everyone around her was celebrating her life. The young man wanted a home bigger and better than his friends.
In creating intention, it is helpful to visualize form. In working to your goals, it is not helpful to lose touch with the energy of the intention and have your focus shift completely to form. This is a point of balance that is important to learn, especially for those who lead communities and families and classrooms. The point of balance is learn to create intention with form in mind and not be attached to the form, holding true to the energy of the intention.
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