Anchor PEAK States and Cultivate Commitment with Symbols

A symbol is a metaphor—something used for, or regarded as, representing something else. 

It may take the form of a material object or something immaterial—a stone, crystal, flower, or flame; a ring, emblem, token, or sign; a letter, figure, character, or mark; a word, phrase, or image; even a specific touch or smell.

On my left hand, ring finger, I wear a titanium wedding band, inlaid with gemstone, for my wife and marriage. In my left front pocket, I carry a medallion, a heart-shaped stone, and a couple of crystals in a small burlap pouch. The medallion is for my mindset, the heart stone for my children, and the crystals for my mother.

Each has a meaning and purpose anchored to it that keeps me present to what what is most important and to what my life is really for and about.

I’ve faced many challenging ordeals in my life, as I’m sure you have. Divorce, mental and physical abuse, depression and anxiety, prescription drug addiction, jail, business failure, financial stress, bankruptcy, excess weight, family illness, my brother committing suicide, separation from my wife, and the realization that a lack of faith, integrity, responsibility, mental toughness, and discipline on my part is always at the root cause of suffering. 

Each time, no matter how hard I was hit or how far I fell, I always found a way to get back up and make the best of it. Accepting my fate, I found a positive meaning and purpose, or made one up, and then put it to use.

Along the way, I have found symbols to be a beneficial reminder of how to do that when necessary. 

One such symbol is the medallion I carry. On one side, it says Amor Fati and has a flame inspired by the quote from Marcus Aurelius, “a blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.” On the other side, there is an excerpt from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s formula for greatness, “Not merely to bear what is necessary…but love it.” 

Reaching into my pocket and finding it there amid a hardship or challenge, reminds me that I can handle myself and cope with anything that shows up in life. It helps me transform any pain and struggle, from something to merely accept and survive, into something of value that should be sought out as a growth opportunity.   

Amor fati is a mindset for making the best out of anything that happens: Treating each and every moment—no matter how challenging—as something to be embraced, not avoided. To not only be okay with it, but love it and be better for it. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential.

~Ryan Holiday, DailyStoic.com

Years ago, when my son, Bodhi, was about 4 years old, we were visiting Arizona for a conference I was attending. While I was in session, my wife and mother took him up to Sedona to walk around and have lunch. In a shop off the street, he saw a small stone heart, pink in color, that was as big as his tiny little hand at the time. Drawn to it, he asked to buy it for me as a gift. Later that evening, when he presented it, he said, “Dad, this heart has all of my love and magic in it, and I want you to have it and carry it with you everywhere you go.”

He is about to turn 12 now, and I have carried it with me all of these years. Along the way, I often ask him and his little brother to “recharge it with their love and magic.” I delight in watching them take the now timeworn, slightly scarred and discolored, heart-shaped stone, into their palms, pressed together at their heart, eyes closed, in prayer for me. 

It has become such a strong anchor, that every time I see it or touch it, or feel the weight of it in my pocket, it reminds me that their love and magic is with me and have a real experience of that.

The crystals were a gift from my mother, a deeply spiritual woman from whom I inherited a sense of possibility and adventure. One is rose quartz, the stone of unconditional love, said to promote deep inner healing, feelings of peace, and the restoration of trust and harmony in relationships. The other is blue kyanite, the stone of meditation and attunement, said to encourage communication and self-expression by cutting through fears and blockages, helping one to speak their truth. 

They remind me of what matters the most and to live by a simple code. To be present and respectful, peaceful and kind, powerful and truthful, and always operate with integrity and responsibility to the best of my ability—and, of course, to forgive myself when I fail.

Even my wedding ring, made of titanium and inlaid with the gemstone malachite, has significant meaning beyond my vows. Titanium takes its name from the Greek mythology of the Titans, symbolizing strength and power. Malachite, often called “the stone of transformation,” represents intention, manifestation, balance, and abundance. It is said to encourage risk-taking and change, the breaking of unwanted attachments and outworn patterns, and taking responsibility for one’s actions, thoughts, and feelings. 

Wearing it reminds me of who to be as a husband, how strong our marriage is, the power we have together, and that our relationship is for something bigger than us. 

Symbols are powerful because they tend to have layers of meaning associated with them, which can be creative and inspiring. Therefore, symbols can be used as a focal point for causing breakthroughs and transformation in life—to awaken the hero, the lover, and other powerful archetypes inside of yourself and others, to remind you of someone or something meaningful, or to anchor a new and empowered state. 

The symbol for Awaken Hero is a phoenix, like the one tattooed on my back, with an ancient Nordic rune, called a dagaz, inside the heart on its breast.

A phoenix is a sacred, eternal firebird found in the mythologies of ancient civilizations. Near the end of each life cycle, it builds a nest of twigs that ignites, burning both the nest and the bird to ashes. From this firey destruction, the bird is reborn young, to live again—resurrected and transformed.

The lesson of the myth is that, before you can advance in possibility and purpose, or achieve anything new in life, you first must BURN that which is holding you back. Any patterns of thinking, being, and behaving, as well as any people, places, and things that no longer serve your highest good, must be discarded. 

With the wisdom of your heart leading the way, you must be willing to, forcibly, and with fire, if necessary, clear out the old to make space for the new. And, from your own ashes, be resurrected as a being awakened and transformed.

Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away fo untruth. It is seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true. 

~Adyashanti

The “butterfly” at the heart center of the symbol is a rune called dagaz (pronounced “DAY-GAZ”). It comes from The Elder Futhark, or runic alphabet, which is one of the oldest forms of western wisdom and a system of psychology used to lead seekers into understanding and enlightenment.

It represents the divine light, the essence of natural daylight, the new light of dawn, and the strength of the sun—awakening, awareness, clarity, breakthrough, and enlightenment. The darkness behind you and a new day begun. Achievement and prosperity. The successful conclusion of a passage. The power of radical change directed by your own will. Transformation as well as hope, happiness, and the ideal. Security and certainty. Growth and release. 

It corresponds with the elements of fire and air, astrologically with the full moon, and with the polarity of male or masculine energy, but also governs the integration of masculine and feminine energies. It is the point where opposites meet and where that which appears separate becomes ONE, whole and complete. It is the center and balance between extremes—a state of mind that is undisturbed by mental or emotional storms, where all possibility and power is to be found.

An interesting thing to note is that the runic alphabet has no rune for the night. It is considered an absence of light, not a real thing. Darkness is not darkness, but a quality of light. The sun is always there, it is our world that spins around and causes the illusion it is not.

It is by facing, accepting, and integrating your apparent darkness with your light, that you render it empty and meaningless, with all guilt from the past and fear of the future absent. Action and awareness merged. Self vanished. Time flying. Performance through the roof. 

Of course, finding this point of poise requires you to be brought to your edge to realign with your masculine center—that place where you’ve lost the capacity to live, but must live again. 

In short, you must be challenged to stop settling for mediocrity or anything less than your fullest gifts given in this lifetime. 

Thus, I challenge you to adopt a set of DAILY RITUALS FOR DISCIPLINED ACTION, first thing in the morning, for at least 30 days, and a symbol of your choosing to represent and remind you of your commitment.

Don’t know how or where to start? No problem!

I created a Checklist of Daily Rituals you can use to get out of survival mode and start living a POWERFUL LIFE, every morning. If you follow it daily, your life and experience will change rapidly.

GET THE CHECKLIST HERE!

Awaken The Hero–Your Adventure Awaits!