For Better Results, Use Adventure Mind

Looking at how we can turn on all our senses, internal and external, go into active/receptive mode, and start experiencing new input as a way to solve problems rather than go into "make it stop" problem solving mode.

Transcript

For Better Results, Use Adventure Mind

Most of our human lives are concerned with problem solving, which comes in two main parts: figuring it out and getting it done. Often when we say "problem solving" we mean something difficult like figuring out how to live on Mars without getting too much of a suntan (No atmosphere means no radiation protection. You'd need SPF 'What the Heck Are You Doing?'), but most of our days are actually filled with problem solving of a more mundane variety such as "How to get all this stuff done before I need to be in that meeting?" or "Socks before or after pants?" 

Then once we've decided on a solution there's the getting it done part. You know, the part they skip past in movies or tv. The walking from here to there, the time it takes in an Uber, what you do while not watching the pot boil, actually buying the clothes, doing what your boss thinks they 'actually' meant while unwinding what they told you and so on. 

Times when we're not problem solving or getting things done stand out, like when we're in the shower and suddenly we have the best idea ever, which comes out of nowhere. Or when we actually get a minute to ourselves during the commute or doing errands. We can get to this non-problem-solving space while creative writing, making art, or being physically active where it is sometimes called "being in the flow." Or if we're doing meditation/mindfulness/yoga practices where we can bring everything down into the now for a moment or two.

But these are the exceptions to the rule of our figuring out everything from how much coffee to have, whether or not it's worth it to have the treat or wait, to be minimalist or just throw it all up in the air and call it an art installation, to have one more meeting, try one more time, look at the financials to make sure they're right, remember there's only one roll of TP left....

As an aside, this is in part why happiness is considered a summary judgement on a life or activity rather than something we necessarily feel in the moment. Too often we aren't able to feel anything in much depth because our body/mind is engaged in all the problem-solving minutia. Happiness is something we can agree is what we were when we look back at things as a whole. This is also why we get reminded to smell the roses and/or seize the day, because if we don't take a time out, we can spend our entire life in the solving of problems. This is not a bad thing, mind you, but not necessarily good or happy either.

When it comes to Akashic work, problem solving is not always, but usually how people approach it. Most people who discover Akashic records, or journeying more generally, are coming to the practice because they are seeking. There is a problem, a lack, a 'not quite', as it were, for which they want a solution. Akashic work may not have the solution, but it is reported to be a means to get information which points towards, manifests, or leads to one. Reading your Akashic Record can give amazing insights, lessons, answers, and tools to solve things or point to next steps. And for many, it does.

However, an Akashic or journeying practice can often be difficult, frustrating, confusing or even come up with contradictory results, not because of its nature, but because of the problem-solving mindset.

Problem solving entails defining the problem, goal, or source of the situation, then gathering knowledge, skills and resources to focus on these in a way which causes them to transform into the desired result or outcome.  All of which is a form of narrowing. 

Like an artist who works in stone or who carves wood, the point is to apply tools and resources to remove what is not required, in the way, or in a form which doesn't suit, until the perfected object is revealed.  Remove the extraneous, check results, refine, check, then move on to the next section and repeat until agreeable results are achieved.

All of which is great in a semi-controlled environment with no other inputs like an artist's studio.  If the only changes are happening through what the artist does, intentionally or otherwise, then the solution fits the problem and should produce the desired results.  However, humans don't exist in an artist's studio or much of a controlled environment at all, no matter how much we may try to be.  

Beyond ourselves and the things which we wish to manifest there is also the venue, the place or circumstances we're manifesting in.  These include the area where we live, the resources we have access to, the limitations being placed on us through personal and local circumstances as well as other's opinions, preferences, requirements, and abilities.

And then there is the interconnected world which all of these reside in. Think country, state/province, geographically distinct area, continent, and organizations like NATO or the WHO or SEATO.   Weather or catastrophic elemental events (lava eruptions, tsunamis, landslides, sink holes, sunspots) can disrupt not only supply chains, but also human connections. The same can be said for wars, political elections, austerity measures, legal actions, corporate takeovers and much more.  

The problem-solving mindset, by its very nature, narrow focuses on the things which seemingly directly influence the situation, goal, or manifestation project which means a lot of things that are indirectly influencing the process get ignored or never even seen.  It becomes a situation where the person doesn't know what they don't know, and either aren't looking or don't know to look for those things.  So Akashic work becomes a confusing struggle of ever changing or limited results.

The way to fix this, to get better results, is to switch over to what I call Adventure Mind.  This isn't something new, a magic wand or innovative practice, but instead something we've all experienced throughout our lives.  It's what we're looking for when we decide to go on a vacation to a place we've never been. Or to go on a road trip in a new direction. It's trying out a new restaurant, exploring a different style of music for the first time, or trying on a completely outrageous outfit "just to see."

In these situations, we don't just completely stop interacting, get passive and "see what happens", but instead shift into a mode which is less manager/director and more of an active participant. Rarely do we go into a new restaurant and decide to "trust the process" and try to find the lesson in tasting the food, especially if it smells and tastes bad, we're allergic, or we just don't like the vibe. 

Instead, we turn on all our senses, internal and external, go into active/receptive mode, and start experiencing new input.  I liken this to going to going on vacation in Sweden.  (If you're from there or have been there, pick Japan or Rhodesia instead 😊).  

Your first time in Sweden, say for a summer holiday in the south, everything will be new and possibly quite different from where you live. However, you will definitely be able to navigate being there. Roads will look and act like roads, buildings will function as buildings, trees will be tree-like, and the sky is relatively the same, plus/minus your normal level of smog and light pollution. You may need help understanding the language, signage, rules, laws, and customs for things, but most of this is doable with a few supplies and a smart phone.

In traveling to Sweden, we don't assume everything there is a message for us, all of the experience is a lesson, or we're meant to get anything from the trip. On the contrary, we most often recognize we're the one who is going to make meaning out of everything which comes are way and it's on us to navigate ourselves through a place which is fully inhabited, in motion, and has purpose and meaning with or without us.

This is part of what we look for in going to new places or having new experiences. There is something healing and enriching about standing at the edge (not too closely) of the Grand Canyon and be fully immersed in it's amazing beingness. Or traveling on the Orient Express. Or hiking across Tasmania. Or Lichtenstein for that matter (You can do it in a day if you're careful to acclimate yourself to the alpine atmosphere).

Akashic work or journeying can be approached in this same way. While there are some places and processes in the Akashics which are quite specific to you, your Akashic room and your soul book in particular, most spaces are communal, experiences can be shared or witnessed by others, and the situation is rarely existing in a vacuum separate from the entirety of the life you're living and the beings interconnected with you.

So rather than trying to label everything you experience as "this means that" or "this is about the thing I'm dealing with right now" it helps to be in Adventure Mind where you let a thing be what it is. Meaning and message may be available during the session or might become clear later. There may be layers of meaning which will unfold as you interact or something which seems simple might be one piece in a much bigger picture. 

Sometimes what we experience during a journey isn't a message at all but something which exists beyond us and is interconnected to us due to who we are and how we're living. We might come across a section of the landscape which has a wall, barrier, or force field preventing you from going any further. This may be a lesson, message, or task for you and if it is there's usually a guide or helper who indicates this or tries not so subtly to get you to realize it. However, this could just as easily be a boundary which is keeping beings out of a process already in motion, a true dead-end where things cannot continue further in that direction, or a means of keeping a section of the Akashics sequestered from random interactions because the best and most positive way to connect is through the one door/opening/access point allowed. Turning to walk alongside the barrier can lead to this access point and more information about what's on the other side.

People are often taught Adventure Mind is a less adequate way of problem-solving or getting things done as it seems less direct, less purposeful, and so wastes time and resources. But if we are striving to be whole, healthy, authentic beings, living interconnected and holistic lives, then being open to the full scope of a situation seems the most prudent means by which to manifest ourselves and our goals fully and successfully into this ever changing and unfolding world.