All Damanhurians say it: the foundation of a positive life, based on meditation and the realization of one’s goals, is taking action. Falco Tarassaco taught that to act, without spending too much time reflecting on what is best to do, is the greatest way to be yourself. To make mistakes, he added, is not a big problem because the movement and the momentum created by the action will allow us to remedy our eventual errors. It is better to make mistakes, however, than to not act at all.
The spiritual philosophy of Damanhur is based on the path of the Quests: The first Quest speaks of action and its importance; the second speaks of continuity in action, to finally arrive at the transformation of oneself, which is the theme of the third Quest.
In short, taking action is the key to entering the world of spirituality and the Divine.
Beyond habits
We have written about this topic many times, precisely because the action is one of the principles that most characterize the Damanhurians and the adventure they have created together. We emphasized the importance of choice, personal responsibility, always being active in new projects, involving our friends and wishing to give direction to our lives.
But the action is also important for many other reasons, which makes it a precious element to be able to affirm to be really alive and connected with the planet.
For example, have you ever wondered if action is the opposite of laziness? The answer is no! Action is the opposite of habit.
We all do a lot of things during a day, apart from sometimes being lazy, but in that case, there is no remedy or almost no remedy, but we often repeat the same things every day. Above all, we make the same decisions, we react in the same way, and always carry out the same tasks in the same way. We are, in short, confined within our habits and almost do not notice that we are acting, because they are the automatisms that act within us. Taking action means getting out of these automatisms and doing things consciously and responsibly.
The energy of an action
Action is full of energy if it is consciously thought about, not just automatic. Habits in life help us find shorter ways to do things, simpler, less demanding but often they limit us in consciously living what we do. Naturally, it is not the small daily habits that deprive us of our awareness like getting dressed every day and putting on our clothes in the same order, or having breakfast with the same foods and parking the car always under the same tree. Those kinds of habits do not do great damage to our awareness, even if changing these patterns every so often could also bring new points of view.
The habits that need to be changed are those that ensure that, in the face of things, we always react in the same way like defense and attack mechanisms, boredom or excitement, as if everything were always the same. To act consciously also means changing these habits because in this way we really participate in the things we do with intensity, and not by force of inertia. We behave not like a computer program, which provides the most obvious answers, but as divine creatures, which in front of every step of life are brought into focus and participate with all of themselves. Even in the smallest things.
How long has it been?
Ask yourself how long it has been since you have made an unusual decision or since you’ve surprised your friends, or accepted an invitation you’ve always refused. How long has it been since you gave up on something you’ve always tried to get.
From this point of view, we do not necessarily have to do things other than those to which we are accustomed, however, it is important to do them with a renewed spirit, as if it were the first time each time and there was not a force outside us that drives us to do them. If we are able to do this, that is, to act consciously, we will probably want to do different things, but the important thing is that they are new every time.
