Edgewalkers

A RAPTalk by Susan K Furness, Senior Associate, Edgewalkers International

A wave became a swell in 2020.
So strong was its current
the true power of the ripple felt by mankind, left no stone unturned.

During Arab Spring people worldover took their voice the streets;
during CoVid Spring people shared melody from their balconies,
contagious contagion from a virus unknown in competition with the infectious delight of music.
Even the birds joined in, amplifying the break of dawn at a volume not heard for years, many said.

As this inland sonic-ripple ebbed back to sea, the message in the bottle announced the presence of a long-lost reality, of clean waters filling the new-quite in city waterways
and the dolphins swam in to play,
as pots and pans joined forces with wooden spoons and hands of all sizes
to create beauty from the new contact borne from the no contact of distancing,
vibrating appreciation for the individuals hard at work on behalf of the collective,
filling the night air with a rudely rhythmic bang, bang, clang, to launch the new Number 1 as we heeded the certain call
and showed the world we are the world, we are the people
separately together as one; even as we endured pain from the rife of life and loss of life during corona;
nothing sinister we still hope,
rather Nature our mother reminding mankind to be kinder to man.

To stay safe, we stayed home.
To appreciate, we had and have each other.
To work, we have technology.
To touch, we can now zoom around the world online, not in a 747.

As we locked in during CoVid outside buds opened as flowers, in rhythm our love affair with abundance is treated to a new definition,
mooting the surrender of shopping bags and baggage
sparking an appreciation for the light and light luggage.

A gift of time in this time is to pratice letting go by being still as we still balance on the Edge of life AC, after corona. Our chance to talk in, re-imagine and re-purpose our purpose,
sensing a future that has a mind and a heart of its own;
from the future of Now in which we Belong to Become.

By Susan K Furness, Senior Associate, Edgewalkers International

I almost always experience a sense of freedom when I am considering the polarity of a word or a situation. I notice I raise a smile as I look towards the other end of the word spectrum. Most often I experience a felt shift in relationship with whatever it is I am considering. 

For example, way back I realized the positive impact of experiencing the dark to recognize light. Indeed, I notice that an issue or challenge can first appear dark, disturbing and even chaotic before metaphorically turning on the light to reveal its blessing.

Consider the energetic shift on this play on words. The two (business) statements mean the same. Try saying each out loud. Which sounds and feels more appealing, possible, exciting and lighter? 

Our Objective is to ensure an Outcome.

Or, 

Our Intention is to make an Impact? 

The latter floats my boat.

Going back to ‘light’. Light also refers to weight. Do you agree that the word baggage feels heavy, but luggage feels lighter? In reference, you may know the idiom ‘carrying too much baggage’ or even ‘carrying the world on your shoulders’. 

Talking of luggage versus baggage, in this curious, disruptive corona time the opportunity to let go of what does not serve any more has appeared as a blessing; from stuff, to habits, to ways of doing in business and life. 

I notice the ‘tools’ I needed, or thought I needed BC (before corona), are no longer fit-for-purpose. This is especially apparent as I move through DC (during corona) to AC (after corona).

As I practice letting go, a synonym of surrender, I stand consciously in the present to ask, ‘what must I leave behind?.’ I notice I am talking in; I am listening to my heart before asking my head as I muster the courage to say farewell. Interestingly, in French ‘heart’ translates as ‘coeur’. Courage to Coeur Age, or the Heart Age. There’s blessing if ever there was one!

My love of wordsmithing fired up during my professional journey in Public Relations. Many moons ago I named a workshop ‘The Value of Vocabulary’ and another ‘The Gift of Glossary’. They are still in demand. 

In 2008, I started my Edgewalker journey and began integrating Dr. Judi Neal’s modeling into my toolkit.

With practice, I am now able to look in different places for new answers, using word play to amplify the essence of the findings, as well as the build the equity of the message.  

The Edgewalker ability to look in different places and/or walk between worlds is a significant blessing never more poignant than in this digital era. The ability to connect online, day or night is a gift of this time. DC it has given rise to omni-generations embracing omni-devices to zoom around the world on Zoom instead of a 747. It has seeded a whole new field of community.

In early DC 2020, a colleague said to me “we must remain decisively human in this digital era.”  This aroused my ethical commitment (as a marketer) to discourage a cyberworld smacking of content obesity and information starvation. 

It’s a no brainer that (spoken) acts of love and kindness evoke love and kindness in others. In polarity, words can deflate, inflate and crush ego. This is likely to result in all manner of negative outcomes, when we want to ignite expansionary impact, right? On and offline, it is clear words matter.

However, in conversation online and not in-person means we immediately loose the support of three senses – Taste, Touch and Smell. This leaves Listening and Seeing at our service. Camera off or camera on, words really do matter.

Back to idioms or expressions, you may be familiar with the ‘calm before the storm’ referencing an often-noticeable period of inactivity or even tranquility before something quite chaotic sweeps in, with calm and storm in polarity. 

I am sensing a period of storming as Covid-19 guidelines are lifted in many communities’ world over. I notice a pattern, a swell of despair. 

“I am zoomed out….”. 

“I have Covid fatigue….’’.

“I thought I liked working from home, but I don’t; get me back to the office….”. 

Is this a reverse polarity at play? Could this be the storm before the calm? Is this a sign of the new normal, or as Ian Berry, my co-creator in StrategicHeartisry.com said recently: “There will be no new normal. There will only be a series of not normal.”  If Ian is right, is ‘not normal’ a blessing in disguise for a new world order?  

This lands beautifully at the door of the next Edgewalker Café entitled The Role of Community, especially in times of expansionary change.  Do join us on May 6, 2021.

Something Extra

The sub-headline promises six gifts of intention. They are woven throughout the article. They are also listed here in no order of priority. Like the Edgewalker Statements (link below) the order is to your order of the day. 

• Be Present: The first Edgewalker Skill is Sensing the Future. The blessing in disguise of DC into AC is we do not know anymore, so we can live in the moment, from here to here, instead of here to there!
• Travel Light: One of the five Edgewalker Qualities of Being is Playfulness defined as A joyful sense of fun and creativity, an ability to keep everything in perspective. Stepping forth with luggage not baggage shows a determined lightness across a variety of definitions, from humor, to load, to brightness. 
• Words Matter: Integrity is a Edgewalker Quality and Connecting is the fifth Skill. Both remind that what we say and how we say it influences cause and effect. 
• Heart Knows: Some say intuition lives in the gut. I say this is the source of instinct nudged to life by memory recall. Whereas intuition ‘sees’ from the third chakra or eye. Known as the pineal gland it has a direct link to the heart. On the path of transformation, listen to your heart, before you talk to your head.  
• Listen to Hear: It’s not just you, we all need constant practice in the art of Active Listening. I have noticed that Fear can close off the Ear, so we Hear what we want to hear. Listen to the Heart. And notice the letters at work – Fear, Ear, Hear, Heart. 
• You: You are a blessing and the gift to universal intention. Enough said. 

References:

Edgewalker Qualities — Edgewalkers

Edgewalker Skills — Edgewalkers

Edgewalker Statements Are You An Edgewalker? — Edgewalkers