The philosophy and the practice of honoring Life in everything you do

If there is one important concept at the core of the Deep Clarity Project philosophy, it’s a concept of honoring life. This concept is at the core of the creators consciousness that we talk so much about.

Some other ways to describe it: regenerating, affirming, appreciating, protecting, celebrating life and adding to it. 

As you think about it deeper, it’s a radical transformation of one’s mindset and values. It’s an inner orientation toward love, truth and beauty, instead of fear and victimhood.

But what does it mean practically to honor life? What would it look like on both personal and collective levels? 

We could look at the life honoring orientation as at the ever expanding circle of care.

Caring for life in your body, in your heart, in your mind and in your spirit. And then going outside of yourself and caring for life in your family, in your community and, eventually, on the planet and in the cosmos. 

Ultimately, it's the mindset of consciously caring for the future that your life serves or evokes, and creating a life-affirming future here and now in small, protopian steps. 

The bigger your circle of care, the more life gives back to you. Because the act of honoring life is inherently self-regenerating and autopoetic. Life creates more Life creates more Life. 

Let’s start with the basic physical level.

What would an act of honoring life look like when it comes to your body? 

You might say it means taking care of it as best as possible. Feeding it healthy food, providing a healthy environment to live in, moving it in ways that feel good and generate more vitality. It means consciously doing things that will help your body feel more alive (full of life) in the future. 

The more you do it, the more you are able to do it. The aliveness and well-being in your body will spill into other areas of your life, regenerating and multiplying. Like an oak tree that produces thousands of acorns every year, life replicates in the most generous and awe inspiring manner.

If we look at affirming life through the emotional level lens, we will probably think of taking care of our hearts and emotional needs. Authentic relating. Deep connection with people, animals and nature. 

Through the spiritual lens, the acts of life honoring could be described as striving to understand deep meaning and purpose in everything. Expanding your consciousness to be able to see more goodness, truth and beauty. Feeling connection to your higher self. A sense of oneness.

The above examples give us a good idea of what life honoring orientation would look like from a somewhat ego perspective.

We do have to give to ourselves before we are able to give to others. Paradoxically though, as we learn to start expanding our circle of care for life, we receive even more life back. But only if we do it from a place of true giving. From a mature, adult position of choice, as opposed to a victim position of “I should”. 

Eventually, as we deepen and expand our ability to honor life, we find out that one of the best ways we can do it is by giving our unique creative potential in service to something bigger than we are. In service to life itself. Some call it purpose or higher calling or mission.

There is an interesting state that humans are able to experience called flow.

This is when we feel the most alive. It’s an experience of heightened perception, of loss of time and, simultaneously, of visceral fulfillment. 

The state of flow usually happens when we are engaged in an activity closely related to our natural talents/predispositions, something we love doing and something we practiced to gain a certain degree of mastery in, yet something that continues to challenge us. 

Flow basically happens at the intersection of talent, love, mastery and challenge. 

If you think about it, this intersection is only possible to keep consistently if we are using our gifts in service to a big mission that requires us to constantly expand and grow. 

Metaphorically speaking, the state of flow is a way of Life telling us - This is what you are here for! Keep doing it!

To offer another metaphor, maybe it is the reason why sex feels so good. It was designed by nature to literally create life. This might be how we could identify activities that help us honor life the most. They will feel really good to us. 

Of course, in a society filled with hyper stimulating drugs that elicit a very similar feeling of aliveness through fast dopamine release, it’s hard to distinguish what truly is an act of affirming life and what is actually the opposite. But that’s a whole different conversation for another article. 

Orienting yourself toward honoring life in everything you do, starting with taking care of your body and ending with giving your creative gifts in service to a higher purpose, is a new philosophy that we can build our personal lives and, eventually, culture and social systems around.

Get into the habit of asking yourself - Is this thoughts, habit, activity helping to honor life (adds more life) or is it moving me away from life?

The deeper you engage with this philosophy the more you’ll want to fill yourself with life physically, emotionally and spiritually, so that you can create more life in return through your unique gifts, constantly extending your circle of care - to your family, community, and the world at large, building a thriving future one life affirming act at a time.