Alchemy of a Journey: “Becoming” Through the Five Dimensions of Being Human

“The purpose of our lives is to help others through theirs.”

~ Peter Matthiessen

“We are all just walking each other home.”

~ Ram Das

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual beings on a human journey.”

~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“Alchemy: A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.”

This was my blog’s initial intention: A chronicle, created out of love, of one man’s Journey Home so that all others interested in Dad’s journey may have a place to remain a compassionate presence in his life—and his life and death in yours. We all need Elders in our lives; and Elders are becoming a rarer breed of human. This journal is aimed at correcting that—with at least the lived example from one humble life. That chronicle, as documented in the Substack newsletter, was titled: “Dad’s Journey Home.”

Now that my Dad has died (March 15, 2023), and is back into the realm of Soul from which he originated, he still remains an Elder in the world—we just relate to him, and he to us, differently now. He still has much to teach through the example he lived by his mere presence on the earth. To that, I’ve repurposed this blog’s intention:

A human life is comprised of five dimensions: mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Through this blog, I intend to explore how the elements within those five dimensions, what I call the ingredients that make up a life of meaning, combine together to help each of us “cook our lives;” to help each of us along our own roads of “Becoming.” This is alchemy. This is soul work. This is the practice of Elderhood and Sagehood. There are still stories to be told about my Dad too, so this newly evolved blog will still weave my recollections of his life as the important source of alchemical heat that it still is that allowed me to cook the life I am living.

Together, let’s explore how our lives and souls are interwoven in this cosmic quilt of recipe. Together, let’s explore how we “hand each other along” through the ingredients of our innate kindness and care for one another. Together, let’s cultivate and cook our lives for the benefit of other beings—then, if done with open hearts and clear eyes, experience how our own lives will be enriched by the engagement.

Thank you for being a vital ingredient in this Journey of Alchemy.

I live on the unceded, Sacred, Native Snohomish, Indigenous and Ancestral Tribal lands of the Salish Peoples in the Sultan Basin watershed and adjacent to the Salish Sea in Washington state. I honor and respect all the great Spirit Elders and Ancestors past, present, and future—and I ask for their guidance, protection, and forgiveness.

"I don't see any other reason to be alive than to be kind. We are in the universe to inhabit the lovely eternity of our souls and grow real.“

Following the example of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, I’ve established for myself the following five principal commitments as my life practice. They will remain in draft form as I continue to explore my own human-hood, and as I learn every day through the countless interactions with other beings.

My Principal Commitments: Toward a Life of Sacred Being
Resonate with the Anima Mundi—the Soul of the World
Let Life Lead: Approach, allow, accept, and surrender to each moment, and each being, with reverence and gratitude. It is my intention to live my highest life by making each moment that passes through me better and more extraordinary for it having done so. The Things of this life don’t happen to me, they happen FOR me. See the life lesson in each moment. And grow.
Promote the human values of kindness, compassion, gratefulness, mindfulness, learning, allowance, and restraint.
Cultivate Tao—The Way. Embody this wisdom and joy; evolve toward Sagehood.
Honor and revive ancestral knowledge and skills in benevolent service to all Beings AND to Sacred Gaia: our Mother Earth.

Today you are as old as you’ve ever been; and as young as you’ll ever be.
Which way will you lean?

🙏🏼

#☮️

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update. Right now, I’m not charging for any paid subscriptions—they remain completely free. As long as my Dad remains a presence, it doesn’t feel right to charge others to be a part of his Journey Home, though I may start to explore what Buddhists call “dana:” a way to express appreciation not bound by convention but only by what YOUR spirit is calling for you to do, for you to offer. This is sacred territory we are exploring—just as was the case when my Dad was exploring and navigating his way through Elderhood and dying, up to his inevitable death, and through the ravages of his dementia. I can’t put a price on it. This substack chronicle is free for you; the Elderings from Dad are priceless. You’ll give according to the intention you offer if/when I finally pull the trigger on what Substack calls “Paid Subscriptions,” through the sincerity of your presence, the generosity of what your heart says to you, and the quality of your approach in the practice of your own life.

May it all be done with reverence.

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Please stay a part of the exploration—your own life enriches and becomes an ingredient in the lives of others. So, YOU are essential in the Alchemy of Life for all other beings.

Be part of a community of people who are yearning for connection to something larger than themselves. This is an on-going narrative of the life and now death of an 84 year old retired hop farmer, from one of his sons. We need Elders in our lives even as we struggle mightily to find them—pushed out of our daily lives as they have been. We need Elders even as we are forgetting that we need them, forgetting how they could help us navigate the crazy of this world. When Dad was with us along active dying journey, I tried to help Dad to be that for the benefit of us all. I intend to continue that exploration now in new and different ways.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.

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Thoughts on “Becoming” through the five dimensions of being human. “We are spiritual beings on human journeys.” This is Soul work! This is how we cook our lives.

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Kert Lenseigne 🌱

@alchemyofajourney

Husband, Father, Brother. Zen Student, Soul Advocate/Activist, Apprentice/Advocate to Grief. Former public school educator. Hospice Volunteer; Guardian of Human Possibility. Vegan… But who am I really? “Only Don’t Know.”