The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition - Softcover

Silverman, Debra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844096890 ISBN 13: 9781844096893

Publisher: Findhorn Press, 2016

Synopsis

In The Missing Element, author Debra Silverman describes human nature in a compassionate and succinct way. Everyone longs to be understood and the author offers ways for us to get to know ourselves in depth with the wisdom of archetypes.

The information in this book stands on the shoulders of our elders, who understood the four directions, the four elements, the four noble truths. Whatever pain you experience is specific to your personality type, based on the four elements. Your issues will repeat themselves again and again until you can see yourself and others from the compassionate vantage point that unites all of us.

You will understand that your life and all its stories were designed by your soul to get your attention right now. It is inviting you to seek the wisdom of the ages to help you grow... that's why you found this book.

About this title

From the Author

Prologue
WE ARE MISSING
THE WISDOM OF THE ELDERS I've got good news and bad news, so let's get the bad news out of the way.We do not have enough oil, clean air, water and gas to support the number of people on our planet. We do not know how to distribute wealth or food to those in need. We do not know how to banish genocide, child slavery, drug cartels, sex trade, war, or evil. Those are big, big problems and they're overwhelming to think about. People ask me all the time, "What can I do to make a difference?"
That's what this book is about. You! Wonderfully flawed, perfectly nutty, beautiful, broken-hearted, powerful you. Would you like to impact the planet and be a part of a positive change? Would you like to feel more at peace withyourself and be a happier human being?
Here's the good news: global change begins at home.
Yes, recycling and saving water is very important, but your big job is to open your eyes to who you truly are - warts and all - and to make peace withthat clunky, wonderful person inside of you. If you can do this, then all the negativity, fear and shame that block your authentic expression will begin to lift and you can become a more powerful, effective human being on thisplanet.
That's how we begin to change the world. We heal one person at a time,and we start with ourselves.
Wisdom of the EldersA body of wisdom exists that is based on many ancient cultures. American Indians prayed to the Four Directions. Kabalistic Jews spoke of the Four Worlds. The Hawaiian Hula culture immersed itself in the Four Elements. Buddhists wrote the Four Noble Truths. And the Egyptians passed onto us their version of the Four Elements, which is steeped in astrology - the oldest science on earth. These people honored the land they lived on - not because it was a good idea, but because they were dependent on it for their survival and they had to pay attention. They operated with rocks in their pockets andwisdom in their hearts.
These cultures cultivated a long view of seeing the world, and used a dis-tant "Observer" position to avoid becoming mired in the myopic vantage point we call ego. The elders of the American Indian and Chinese cultures looked seven generations ahead as they made their decisions. We have neglected such wisdom, living more from what will make us happy today, rather than what will bring peace to our great-great-grandchildren and their grand-children.
As an astrologer, I can tell you that we are living in a time period that the prophets foresaw. The Mayans, the Eastern Indians who wrote about the Kali Yuga, the Hopis, and the Incas - all of these ancient seers knew what was coming and wanted to be here for this transition. It's no wonder that when this book was published, our population had reached a climax of seven billion. Everyone you ever knew is here.
This is a time in history like no other. Never before could we read the news with the touch of a button. In the past, a ship sailed across the ocean with a message that was no longer news. The elders carried rocks in their pockets; we carry lightweight electronic devices.
Yet we are walking toward failure - and this too was predicted.
Egypt, Greece, Rome, Great Britain: the rise and fall of these cultures is well documented; each was left in dust and ruins. We in the United States are experiencing a huge shift, and if we do not respond to the changes at hand, ourstatus as a super-power will be threatened... not that that's a bad thing - I'm just saying change is upon us and we need to pay attention.
One of the biggest problems is that as a modern species we've become accustomed to a much easier life. We are addicted to comfort and convenience. We do not like change. We do not want change and yet we must.
Hard Truths and the Voice of Hope
While we are a highly evolved, technological species, let me speak to the unspeakable: we are primitive and stupid. We are destroying our planet and at the same time inventing countless ways to heal her. We have great difficulty getting out of emotional depression, exercising regularly, or eating nutritiously. Yet we have mountains of research that inform us how to be healthy.We know what we ought to do. We are overwhelmed by the screaming demand for change - and we are terrified of it.
Organizations everywhere are inspiring a different future and doing great work, and just as many governmental agencies are dinosaurs resisting these new ideas.
The world economy is changing. We're depleting our resources. The value of our currency is shifting. Environmental concerns are growing. Yet we want to maintain business as usual. We pretend all is well.
Another Hard Truth: It is scientifically questionable whether we will survive. The glaciers are shrinking at alarming rates. The planet is getting hotter. It doesn't matter what is making this happen, but scientifically it is a fact. We are melting, and there may not be much we can do about it. Scientists say we are about to pass the possibility for reversing the effects of the warming.
Hard question: What are we leaving for our kids? Here we are, waiting, at the edge of our seats, popcorn in hand, curious: Can we shift the old paradigm? Will the human condition reach a threshold of real change?
Time is our best teacher. Sometimes it requires hardship to learn, to change, and grow. However, when mixed with enough insight, even the hard can become soft. Crises such as earthquakes, heartbreaks, health issues, and financial problems present opportunities for us to open up, reach out, and receive help. Pain is a doorway to humility and wisdom, and there is plentyof personal pain and global pain to keep us busy.The doorway is wide open.
"There are two types of people in this world, those who are humbleand those who are about to be."
--ANONYMOUS
In a time when so many new age principles tell us to stay positive at all costs - not to speak about the negative, I am asking you to do just the opposite.
Let's face the truth about the way each one of us lives, acknowledge where we aren't living in integrity, and then step away from any negative judgment so we can change - not through shame, but from love and compassion for ourselves and the human condition. We are who we are. We need to honor our human nature without judgment so that we can live from a more authentic place.

From the Inside Flap

Your Elemental Mission
I want to enroll you as an agent of change - and you'll need two things. One is to become acquainted with the Four Elements as they exist inside you. The other is to cultivate the Observer's position so that you can stand back and make change by altering the way you see and live your own story.The Four Elements

• WATER: For nine months we surrendered to the awesome feminine power of a womb filled with fluid. Herein lies the wisdom of silence and trust.

• AIR: Air is everywhere - the universal source of breath and language. No one can live without breathing or communicating. Herein lies the wisdom of wonder and consciousness.

• EARTH: The patience of a mountain, the generosity of a tree. Earth is the immovable rock, tirelessly waiting for our respect. Will we care for her? If we don't, don't worry: she will survive. We may not. Herein lies the wisdom of respect and balance.

• FIRE: The heat of your heart and the fire of the sun drive your destiny each day. We cannot live without either. Herein lies the wisdom of accepting your mission with full conviction.

Learning to Change
Modern life is stalking us to change. With so many books of this kind being read, spirituality has never been as popular and commonplace. As individuals and as a species we are growing. It's an unfortunate truth that we learn the most through mistakes.
It is easy to judge humanity, our neighbors, our human nature, and our own idiosyncrasies. We have danced with evil, played with guns, tried to control and scare the Feminine into submission, and nearly destroyed the Earth. Evolution occurs by learning through our mistakes, and we have a long history of making mistakes: nuclear bombs, the holocaust, 9/11, countless wars, to mention only a few examples. Can we forgive human nature, the species, and its long path down evolution lane? Would I love to change the way we learn our lessons? You bet I would. Would I love to assist people to learn the easy way? Sure.
As a parent I want to offer a positive future to my kids. I have written this book to share what I have found that holds wisdom and hope.
What I'm calling the Missing Element is twofold: 
1) It is the Observer inside you - the part of you that can stand outside of judgment and see yourself with a more wise and compassionate approach - much like our elders did. 
2) The Missing Element also refers to the Elements that make up your personality and more specifically, the element which is your weakest.
Allow me to help you to see through the eyes of love. All is well, and we are exactly where the prophets of old predicted we would be - that we would reach a time when we had to get on our knees and return to basics.
Water is wet, fire is hot, earth is heavy, and air is everywhere.
Read and participate in this book's exercises and examples to learn how to get back to ground level and rekindle the wisdom of the elements. This is the voice of hope.
The Good News: You have the personal power to make a difference. The power to create change resides inside you. It's so much simpler than you know. And it starts with you. 

Edition details

• Publisher: Findhorn Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1844096890
• ISBN 13: 9781844096893
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 160