Modern Sangha

I have a very important message for you! The World needs you to show up and to share your special skills and talents!

In today’s article, I would like to encourage you to spend some time with yourself and to realize that the World really needs you. When we are caught up in our daily routines we tend to forget how unique we are, and how important it is that we show up every day and work on ourselves to become our „best“ version. The Yogis have a concept that I would like to introduce to you. The concept of „Dharma“. Depending on the context „Dharma“can be translated as „eternal law of the cosmos“. In this universal context, Dharma describes the laws of nature and reassures us that everything is on track. From an individual’s perspective the world seems chaotic and random, sometimes even unjust and cruel but according to the tradition, there is a master plan, a force that orchestrates the entire universe. 

That does not mean that we have no power because everything is happening and we can just lean back and enjoy the show. It’s actually the opposite. Because as Dharma applies on the universal level it also works on an Individual level. In the individual context, it can be described as the „inherent drive to fulfill your soul’s mission“, to become what you are meant to be. Have you ever felt that there is something inside of you, that you would love to share but something is holding you back?

Dharma is the force inside a seed of a plant that makes it grow, the soul of animals and humans and it contains the information of our individual mission. A pumpkin seed’s mission is to break open, take nurturance from the soil, water and sunlight and grow to become a proper pumpkin. Every Pumpkin is unique. Some pumpkins grow in Europe, some grow in the US. Some Pumpkins are big, some are small. Considering the number of Pumpkin seeds in the world, it’s almost like a lottery jackpot to even turn into a grown-up Pumpkin. The environment in which the Pumpkin is growing, the obstacles that it is facing, are shaping the grown-up Pumpkin.

The same logic also applies to humans. We as humans though are a bit more complex than pumpkins which is why our missions are much more complex. We grow up in different countries, cultures, and families and all of our experiences are unique. These experiences are needed to help our soul to become what we are meant to be. Everything is set up in a way to support us, even the challenging and most fucked up situations are for us to help us grow.

But how do we figure out what our mission is?

According to Yogananda (Fun fact: „Autobiography of a Yogi“ was the only book in Steve Job’s iBooks account.) it’s a two-step process: The first step is to find and understand our unique mission and step two is to accept and fall in love with it.

To figure out our soul’s mission we need to turn inwards. No one else will ever be able to tell what you are meant to do. Only you can find this answer. Unfortunately, in modern society we lost the connection to ourselves which is why it can be difficult in the beginning to find our inner voice. It is a process that takes time, patience and effort, but it’s absolutely worth it. Try to have time for yourself on a daily basis and meditate or just sit with yourself and check-in. You can also make a list of activities that bring you into a „flow“ like state: Skateboarding, painting, singing… anything… what is it that helps you to lose track of time? You could also talk to friends and relatives and ask them if you have any special skill or talent. Believe me, you will be surprised what other people admire about you. I remember that a friend once said to me that she liked the way I talk. For me it was natural and I didn’t even see it as a special talent. I could also not imagine how to make a living from talking, but that is pretty much what I am doing today. Remember it’s a process, finding your mission is not a 5 minutes task, it’s more like a detective investigation. You go on a journey and look for clues at some point all the pieces will turn into a beautiful picture. It’s really a cool and interesting journey and the more you can relax, the more you can enjoy it and learn about yourself.

The second step is probably the hardest. When you collected your hints and clues, you can probably already guess what the picture will look like in the end. What if you don’t like what you see? What if you are scared of it? What if you really don’t want this? I can really empathize with you, that’s what happened in my story. I could already see in which direction this is all going and I was not really happy about it. It took me a while, but at some point, I had a huge realization that I would like to share. There is a reason why you are here! You have something that the World desperately needs. Inspiration, Help, Love, care, support. Once you have figured out what it is, the real experiment is just about to get started. Because then you need to figure out how to complete your mission by having the most fun at the same time. Let’s say you come to the conclusion that you are here to save our environment. You can do this by becoming an activist, you can save the environment by inventing a material to replace plastic, you can consult companies to reduce emissions, you can educate people… You see there are so many different ways to achieve the same goal. The important thing is that you share that aspect of yourself, that you offer your help and that you serve our planet and our community with your unique light.

Here is another interesting point that the Yoga tradition teaches about Dharma. To do our individual work is the greatest service that we can give to this world. It’s better to work on your personal mission and to suck, rather than successfully completing someone else’s mission.

I’m really interested in your story and your journey, please feel free to send me an email, comment on this post or to share this article. What experiences do you have? Where are you on your journey? What experiences have helped you the most? And what is helping you to share your uniqueness?

I hope you enjoyed the article!

Love & Namasté 

Marleen