Five Imaginary Lives
Week 1 Exercise: If you had five imaginary lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?
Philosopher / Teacher
I would dedicate my life to the deep study of epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and philosophy of mind. I would teach philosophy and critical thinking in a university, or perhaps even a small community college...or possibly both throughout the different seasons of my life. Maybe for much of my youth, I would work long hours and receive little pay, but witnessing the minds of others as they learn to question [and learn to love BIG questions] would be well worth the monetary sacrifices. In my older years would take sabbaticals to faraway places, and be inspired to add my own philosophical musings to the canon. My work would be a continuation of contemporary philosophers, like Derek Parfit. Throughout it all, I would never stop questioning, and never stop marveling. I would worship both wisdom and wonder until the end of my days.
Clinical Psychologist / Healer / Therapist
I would dedicate my life to the study of self-improvement and psychology, for the sake of healing myself first and later many others. I would learn from previous movements and thinkers in the field. Such as Adler, Jung, Covey, and Hayes. I would be mostly influenced by existential and positive psychology. I would develop my own forms of psychometry: or psychometric tests to help other people understand themselves from different vantage points. I would have a private practice and see many people for one-to-one therapy. I would have the privilege of working with humans in one of the most intimate, life-changing ways. “To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.” My office would be a beautiful, healing space: full of light, color, and connection. I might also work with others via teletherapy or online coaching. I might make a Youtube channel and write content that would help others to know that they are not alone. I would have the gift of gently guiding people as they realize that they are fully capable of transmuting their own pain into power.
Mystic / Free Spirit / World Wanderer
I would come into my full eccentric power. I would cast aside any regard for how I might be perceived by people who don’t yet understand the great need for the divine feminine. I would embrace intuitive practices. I would wander the world and do many different things throughout my life for abundance. Maybe I would read tarot for others. I might live as a hermit, monk or minister. I might write reveries for other free spirits. Maybe I would play the kaIimba. I would do whatever pleases me. I might even sit on park benches for years. I might die unto myself so as to become a great spiritual teacher. I might simply be in love with being.
Artist
I would hone talents and skills to capture true beauty. Visual beauty would be my focus. I would learn to see the world through the lens of an artist. I would spend years learning to photograph, learning to film, learning to draw, learning to paint. Then I would spend more years learning to photograph and film better, learning to draw and paint better. Flow and mastery would be my driving muses. But also play. Play would be very important, too.
Writer / Poet
I would dedicate my life to the written word. Writing would be my spouse. I would like to learn how to write in stream-of-consciousness. I would also like to write magical realism. I would like to learn to carefully craft words, like a gardener pruning a topiary. I would like to take a blank page and unveil something meaningful, something beautiful. I would spend all my free time getting lost in other works of poetry and literature. There would always be more books to read and more literature to love and works to worship.
Closing notes: I had a difficult time with the exercise because I feel like I am already torn between all of these identities in my current life. Maybe I should have taken a more whimsical, playful approach and chosen lives that were drastically different than mine. Alas, this is what spilled out, so this is what we shall honor.