In Part 1 of this series, I introduced you to Phil Stutz and described my first encounters with his work and how valuable I have found his practices. I described the three domains that Dr. Stutz believes are part of the universal human experience: The first domain is pain. The second domain is uncertainty. The third domain is constant work. In Part 2, I described Universe 1 and Universe 2 and how we can get in touch with our Life Force.  In Part 3, we will tie Dr. Stutz’s work with depth psychologist James Hillman.

Finding the Code to Our Soul’s Calling

                According to the philosopher Plato,

“When all the souls had chosen their lives, they went before Lachesis. And she sent with each, as the guardian of his life and the fulfiller of his choice, the daimon that he had chosen.”

                In his book, The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling, psychologist James Hillman offers us guidance to find the calling of our soul.

                When I first heard James Hillman speak, it was at a men’s gathering with Robert Bly and Michael Meade. He described that feeling all have had at certain times of our lives when we first feel there is a larger purpose to our lives, a reason our unique selves are here, and that there are things we must attend to that gives meaning to our lives.  

                Hillman also says that the key to finding our calling is to discover our inner guide that helps us discover and follow our calling. Hillman says that Plato and the Greeks called it our “daimon,” the Romans our “genius,” the Christians our “guardian angel. Today we use terms such as “heart, spirit, or soul.”

                For Hillman it is at the heart of what he calls the “acorn theory,” which proposes that each life is formed by a particular image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny, just as the mighty oak’s destiny is written in the tiny acorn. It is a theory that offers a liberating vision of childhood troubles and traumas.

                I wrote about my own childhood traumas in my book, My Distant Dad: Healing the Family Father Wound. The book begins at age five with me being driven by my uncle to the mental hospital:

                I grew up believing that my father was crazy, that I would become crazy too, and that I had inherited his “disease.” It was only years later that I read Hillman’s work and realized that my father wasn’t crazy, that I wasn’t crazy, but I was answering the call of my own daimon in support of my destiny for helping men like my father and their families.  This is a calling I have been following now for seventy-five years.

“The acorn theory leads to practical moves,” says Hillman. “The most practical is to entertain the ideas implied by the myth in viewing your biography — ideas of calling, of soul, of daimon, of fate, of necessity. Then, the myth implies, we must attend very carefully to childhood to catch early glimpses of the daimon in action to grasp its intentions and block its way.”

                That understanding helped me change my views about my own childhood, how I saw my father and myself. It gave me a more positive and powerful guide to my own past and future. Hillman goes on to say,

“The rest of the practical implications swiftly unfold:

  “Recognize the call as a prime fact of human existence.

1. Align life with it.
2. Find the common sense to realize that accidents, including the heartache and natural shocks the flesh is heir to, belong to the pattern of the image, are necessary to it, and help fulfill it.”

Phil Stutz, The Need For Constant Work and The Stringing of Pearls

                Phil Stutz describes the third domain for accessing the Life Force and Universe Two as “The Need for Constant Work.” He sees the universe being in constant motion and in order to fulfill our soul’s calling, we need to constantly create and engage.

“When you are engaged in infinite creation, you are in Universe Two. When you are convinced that work is finite and you’ve done enough, you are back in Universe One.”

                In order to grasp these concepts in my own life, I had to change my view of work. As I said, I grew up in a family where my father struggled to do the work he loved. My fathers brothers and sisters were all doing work which be seen as successful in Universe One. A few were in the insurance business, one owned a store, and all struggled to make a living. No one, but my father, felt that people should do work they loved or that contributed to improving the world. Work was serious business and making money was the measure of success.

                For Phil Stutz, the purpose of work was not to achieve monetary success or even to achieve a goal, but simple to keep moving ahead and doing what our hearts, our daimon, calls on us to do.

“We need a functional definition of success in our culture particularly because it’s so wrapped up with identity,” says Stutz. “You can’t structure your life around an identity where you win and you’re a big shot, or you lose and you’re nothing.”

                He offers a tool to help us understand, appreciate, and practice as “Stringing the Pearls.” I learned that pearls are formed as a defense mechanism within mollusk shells, typically oysters, in response to an irritant. The mollusk coats the irritant with layers of nacre, a substance made of calcium carbonate and proteins, to reduce irritation and eventually create a pearl. 

                Stutz emphasizes that each action, regardless of size, is equally valuable and contributes to the overall progression of one’s life. The “pearls” represent actions, and the string represents the continuous development of one’s life journey. The concept encourages focusing on taking the next step, even small ones, and acknowledges that no action is perfect, but each one contributes to the string. 

                For me, the idea of stringing the pearls put work in a much larger context. Instead of being so focused on money and success and constant worry about losing my job or missing a deadline or some other external measure of success, I could relax and be constantly guided by my inner knowing. I realized that I could stop always trying to find the secret for success or a magic formula for making millions. Instead, I make to recognize the following truths:

• Each Action is Valuable. Whether I’m working on my next book or preparing breakfast for my wife, each action is a pearl on my string and valuable in and of themselves. It matters less whether I receive some external reward, even praise for “a job well done,” and more on just doing the work and adding another pearl to stand.

• Focus on the Next Step. It doesn’t matter how big or small the action is or even if I succeed or fail. All provide lessons in life and are worth doing. There’s always something we can do to offer a gift of some kind to someone else.

• Acknowledge Imperfection. In drawing his pictures of the “pearl,” Phil would always include a little black dot, a “turd,” to remind us not to get hung up with the result. We must accept the uncertainties of life, and continue to act courageously and decisively.

• Progress over Perfection. Every little step helps. Everything has a lesson. Everything is a gift. Life is dance and we need to have fun and enjoy the music.

                To learn more about Phil Stutz and his work, you can visit him here. If you’d like to read more articles by me and learn more about my work, you can visit me here.