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Continuing the Journey … Returning Home
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Saturday, December 08, 2007BEING AUTHENTIC ... INTENTIONALITY ... PERFORMANCE ... and finding the Mythological Path ...
Good morning all,
First I've decided that I've got a typo in my signature from yesterday's posting. I wrote, "Mythogenisist" and I've decided that it should have been, "Mythogenesist" ... now that I've cleared that up ...
I'd like to share and idea I've been working with for years now—the idea of Authenticity. For the sake of clarification I'm going to use the convention Authenticity and authenticity, to denote what I'm referring to as being authentic in the first case and what I sometimes see around me in the second case.
This idea of Authenticity goes along with the idea of Parrhesia (speaking fearlessly) to my mind. To be Authentic allows you to speak fearlessly because you are coming from your center. Authenticity refers to a way of being in the world ... true to ones self. It also forms the basis of intentionality, operating with direction and an awareness of effect and consequence. Power resides in this position. When I am working with a client or a client group to impact their performance I virtually always begin with establishing their intention. Then I work with them to build intentionality.
To operate with power demands that the direction has become obvious. Knowing who you are and where you are aiming allows for the unfettered performance. As I understand it Authenticity resides here in the space held for something specific to happen that represents a direct manifestation of the individual. Authenticity therefore doesn't reside in the doing, but in the being that precedes the doing.
Yet, authenticity as the popular concept of it sometimes gets presented seems to be a way of acting, e.g.: do these three things and you'll be authentic. You could think of this as the Official Recipe for "authenticity" ... or at least the illusion associated with being authentic. However, this position has no depth or form, it remains hollow. The great danger of course follows that this position leads to the same lack of depth and form leaving the individual who practices it hollow as well.
Mythology offers as one of its purposes a view into "in-authenticity" as well as into the realization of a full and whole authenticity. And the great myths also offer the path, the way to arrive at one's own authenticity, to become fully and wholly Authentic. The mythological path inevitably leads to the Authentic position. To finds one's myth is to become Authentic.
We could say that the mythological path contains the collected wisdom of the species about how to become one's self. Even more, the mythological path teaches the misfortunes of those who reject becoming themselves, striving instead to substitute some external reward. Within the collected wisdom of the mythological record there are also the lessons about how to integrate the self with the society. I'd add that the only, or maybe the best, way to arrive at the Authentic position resides on the mythological path.
When I'm working with folks using the structure of the "Hero's Journey" what I'm doing revolves around helping them in discovering their mythological path and becoming Authentic. Another way of saying this would be, helping them to learn what it means to be true to ones self, and in the parlance of the work I do this refers to a way of being ... staying the course of their life despite the temptations of the world order.
Well, that has to be plenty for one day ... and I'm off to my own mythological journey ...
Joseph Riggio, Social Designer and Mythogenesist
Princeton, NJ
PS - Time To ACT! ...
Do you remember that I announced that I'm planning a very special five-day retreat this summer in Denmark? And that I'm tentatively calling it, Intentional Performance: The Hero's Journey & The Graves Model, Warp and Weft of the Tapestry of INTENT? Where we'll be exploring the origins and impact of the personal and social mythologies we are subject to, creating and living inside of on our own and with others ... building to an experience of living parrhesia!??!
I'm still waiting to confirm that I'll be running this program at the Langebaek Retreat Center in Langebaek, Denmark ... the "Blue Butterfly Retreat Center" ... as it's also known. This is the same venue I used for the MythoSelf Facilitator's Intensive Training Program last summer. It is a magical venue just next to the island of Mon, and as soon as I have confirmation I'll give out a bit more information about it, like the dates I'll be running the program for instance.
I also recommended that if you're at all interested please drop me a note with the subject line: 2008 Intentional Performance Retreat and I'll put you on my insider's pre-release mailing list so you'll get the notices of what I'm doing as I make these plans going forward. This particular program may very well sell-out before I even announce it publicly. I said this because I thought the program could fill before I announce it publicly and I've already got enough folks who've responded to fill the program completely already! However, I'm sure that not all of these folks will be able to attend for one reason or another as these things tend to go, but I do recommend that to ensure you even get the chance to attend if you're interested that you let me know your interested now ... all it takes is a note to me with the headline: 2008 Intentional Performance Retreat and I'll do the rest ...
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Hi Joseph,
My name is Per Poulsen I’m 41 years of age.
- International Master at Lunds University, in International Management and Development, therapy, psychology, philosophy, personal tests, etc…
- Career in development of leadership, cultural analysis and human resources.
- Today responsible for Core Values sessions in international organisations with op to 5000 employees and engagement surveys at same level.
- I trained NLP in Denmark and in the US with Richard and John Orlando. Today having my own institute for one year.
Recently I was introduced to some of your work and ideas. In this hearing the critique of the traditional NLP which you put forward. I understand your critique to some extent, but at the same time I find that similar critique seams to be applicable to your approach. Seen in the light of the healthy new preunderstanding that emergence from critic, as of today I like to examine your approach more in deeply.
My aim is, partially inspired by you approach – to get a body of understanding that enables me to be a considerable future force in the realm of developing the understanding of Human interaction.
If you are in Denmark at some time and like to discuss ideas – just say so – I like to meet you.
The best future to you 
Per Poulsen
contact
