Leave a Legacy of Wisdom: A Process to Inspire Sharing Your Stories, Values & Insights

By Iris Barratt

Do the right thing for your family and future generations now! Embrace this opportunity to pass on your values, insights, wisdom and understandings to those you love.
The questions presented in this fun process are designed to lead you into discovering and clarifying the depth of wisdom that your life experiences truly do hold. Look around at the challenges and distractions our children, teenagers and society all face today. We all need real heroes in our lives who model the values that can truly change our futures. Sharing your wisdom will enhance many positive outcomes within the future lives of those you touch. Working your wisdom process becomes empowering for you also, as you focus on what and whom you value and why. Many people have passed away with much of their valuable stories and wisdom not shared, which is truly sad and with possibly tragic consequences. As the questions presented in this process actively engage the reader to participate in the process, it brings forth a sense of equality and shared investigation, thus bridging any generation gaps. You are important and so is your life! Embrace this empowering process now because it is a true gift of caring, sharing, courage and love for yourself and others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Iris Barratt
• Release date: Jul 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310782398

Iris Barratt

Iris is an inspirational catalyst who empowers genuine connection. Her writing passionately strengthens a deeper sense of connection within your self, family, community and humanity in healthy and memorable ways. Her work excels at providing practical public benefit with educationally based programs.Ms. Barratt's Ebooks and programs are now being shared in study groups in several countries around the world. Cards Against Insanity: Enlightening Comedy Game is her super popular clean comedy game for teen and adults. It is currently being translated into several languagesThis groovy grandmother’s greatest passion, is inspiring the joy that comes from honoring people anonymously. Her intriguing Evolving Genius Awards shop on etsy, offers over 30 Honoring Awards you can send anonymously to spread unconditional love, joy, laughter and mysterious fun. Enjoy this award-winning humanitarian and visionary author. Her sassy, clean comedy shows and heartfelt volunteer appreciation events also bring her great joy!

Book preview

Leave a Legacy of Wisdom

A Process to Inspire Sharing Your Stories, Values & Insights

By Iris K Barratt

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 by Iris K Barratt and Awakening Visons Publishing

This EBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and inner exploration only. This EBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

The author may be contacted at: Iris Barratt, Smashwords.com or [e-mail]

Discover other titles by Iris K Barratt at Iris Barratt, Smashwords.com

Childrens Celebrations and Ceremonies Workbook Copyright 2011

The Joy of Synchronicity: Inspiring Short Stories Copyright 2008

Ranting of a Psychic Grandmother Copyright 2011

The Divination Workbook: An Experts Guide to Awakening the Power and Wisdom of Your Soul Copyright 1999 print copy available from author email only [e-mail]

The Oneness Process: Appreciative Inquiry to Awaken Our Universal Wisdom

Copyright 2012

Disclaimer

This writing process is designed to provide information in regards to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering any kind of advice. If expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

It is not the purpose of this manual to present all the information that is otherwise available to the author. The purpose is to compliment, amplify and supplement other texts. You are urged to read all the available material, learn as much as possible about inquiry, spiritual qualities and leaving a historical legacy to alter the information to your individual needs.

For your information, see the many reference links provided in this book. Or course, the purpose of this manual is to educate and entertain. The Author and Awakening Visions shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this EBook. Thank you.

Dedication

This work is dedicated to all who have contributed to my current legacy and greatly enhanced my life. Many of those brilliant beings are within these pages, my family, friends, philosophers, musicians, poets etc. It is also dedicated to my future legacy, to my children, grandchildren and to all who may find it meaningful within the future. It is also dedicated to the great spirit of oneness that inspires my passionate convictions and guidance through positive inner values and spiritual qualities.

In Praise of:

"This investigative process is very inviting and fun. It brought out so many parts of my life's inner wisdom I didn't know I had. My family is very grateful too as we are sharing it together now on special occasions." Terri Adams, Utah

"Your values oriented process gets an A+ for best practices in learning about values and wisdom, Kudos" Diane Lange, Retired Educator

"Your Legacy of Wisdom process clearly defined who I really am, what I truly value and ways I could express it all. It even inspired my husband to create his." LMH, Idaho

"An engaging investigation into what really matters within one's life and the inspiration to want to share it with significant others and future generations." Kari Tornow

"Everything I love and value was evoked with this process; my music, poetry, quotes ,stories and more. Highly recommended for all who wish to be part of the solutions and create a more pro-active future for our children and grandchildren." Lorraine Strailey, TN

"Thank you for inspiring this legacy of wisdom as it is touching the hearts of so many people in my life now and I know it will continue to do so into a brighter future." Sherry McCluskey, Texas

"This inquiry process awakens our awareness that the truth is within each of us. It demonstrates that our inner spiritual truth can teach us all that is important to remember and to share." IKB, Pine, CO

Contents:

Publishers Introduction

Why is this Process so Important?

Being a Wisdom Keeper and Catalyst

Bridging the Generation Gap

The Importance of Inquiry

How This Process Was Born

Appreciative Inquiry

Spheres of Influence

Healthy Expressions of Wounds and Pain

Considering Polarity

Exploring Our Essences or Universal Values

Leaving a Collective Legacy of Wisdom

Critical and Creative Thinking

Choosing a Format and Getting Started

Entering Your Legacy of Wisdom Process

Resources

Resonating Core Groups, Sharing this Legacy of Wisdom Process

Leave a Legacy of Wisdom

A Process to Inspire Sharing Your Stories, Values & Insights

"I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride, to make it easier. Everybody's searching for hero. People need someone to look up to."

from the song The Greatest Love of All, sung by Whitney Houston

The truth is, as parents and grandparents we all leave a legacy of some sort to each younger generation. Our influences of good or ill are reflected within our lives by influences such as our hereditary tendencies, thoughts, words, deeds, attitudes and cultural biases.

Leaving a legacy of wisdom is your opportunity to pass on your values, insights, wisdom and understanding to those you love. This unique investigative process is designed to lead you into discovering and clarifying the depth of wisdom that your life experiences truly hold. Through this process of appreciative inquiry of universal values, you will address questions designed to bring forth what you appreciate and value most and express how it has enhanced your life. It will invoke cherished memories, lessons learned and understanding gained. It also affords you to look at what has been detrimental or has gotten in the way as well. Wisdom gained is wisdom earned, generally through trial and error and the school of hard knocks.

My mission has been to blend my deep appreciation of inquiry (insightful questions), my values, my love of family and friends and my life experiences together, in order to create an investigative process that can be a guiding light of timeless universal wisdom that can easily be embraced and shared by anyone.

When we explore specific values we appreciate (like kindness, compassion, trust etc.), it is easy to bring forth the wisdom of our experiences. Everyone wins when anyone demonstrates and shares these important qualities, as they bring richness and wholeness to our lives. Investigating our values or essential spiritual qualities allows us to deeply experience the insights of others, not just read them. Why? Because these qualities are so universal. The truth is that we all really want, value and appreciate the same things, like acceptance, respect, compassion, gratitude and kindness.

This legacy of wisdom process encourages you to share the stories, quotes, music, poetry, and other bits of wisdom you have gained from the foundational perspective of your values. It allows you to present the things that have molded you into becoming the fascinating individual that you are. I trust we have all been touched by the wisdom found within our inner qualities, stories, music, quotes, movies, poetry and other modes of creative influence that have enriched and molded our lives. Your life is a gift and so are you! Giving is the essence of sharing and sharing is the essence of life.

Why is this process so important?

You are not going to find the meaning of life hidden under a rock, written by someone else. You will only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself.

Dr Robert Firestone

I believe this process is important because, as they say, common sense is not so common. When I look around at the challenges our children and teenagers today face it is my opinion that they need real heroes in their lives who model the values that can truly enhance and transform their lives. They need real heroes that they can relate to, moving beyond sports jocks, movie stars and wealthy icons. I believe that sharing universal values at this very important time in our history is of utmost importance due to societies being inundated by a constant and pervasive materialistic focus in addition to all the distractions that both adults and children are constantly inundated with.

Coping with loss is perhaps the most difficult thing all of us, especially seniors, have to deal with.

We all lose cherished relationships, jobs, health, everything we hold dear, including life at some point. Taking the time to reminisce about the meaningful aspects of your life and preserving them for others to share has unlimited healing power. It honestly gives you a sense of passing on into the future a sense of who you really are, whom and what you cherish, making coping with the many losses inherent in life much more palatable. For me, it felt like honoring and fulfilling a sacred trust, one that I entered into when I became a parent and grandparent. This process ignited a flame of greater personal insight and self-respect that was delightfully obvious to me, even when I was unsure if I would choose to share any of it or not.

It is also true that physical distance is a huge factor these days, as so many families like mine are spread across the globe, making the sharing of wisdom very difficult. I am often saddened by the fact that distance prohibits me from sharing as deeply as I would like with my gorgeous grandchildren and someday perhaps, my great grandchildren.

Providing a legacy of wisdom for your loved ones can build a timeless bridge of wisdom that will demonstrate how you shared your values for future generations to come. It is an opportunity for you to be a guiding light and a valuable resource by giving of your time and experience to current and future generations. It is a true gift of caring, sharing, courage and love. I pray you will embrace it for the highest possible good for everyone.

Being a Wisdom Keeper and Catalyst

Many people may feel that they personally lack wisdom and have nothing that is meaningful to share with others. I assert that this is absolutely not true. We all have our accomplishments, whether that is overcoming a huge obstacle within relationships, overcoming health or financial challenges, or sharing simple acts of accomplishment and kindness, there is great wisdom within all of our experiences, both positive and negative.

The Native American Indians and other tribes throughout time have emphasized, that we must consider seven generations into the future when making important choices. I believe this process is one way to accomplish this goal. We all have so much wisdom reflected in great experiences to share that can truly enhance the lives of others. Sharing your wisdom becomes empowering for you also, as you focus on what and whom you value and why.

After creating and working with this process for providing a legacy of wisdom for my loved ones and others to follow, I can't help but wonder how different my life might have been, if someone had provided me with something so special and valuable. I can imagine what a heartfelt and invaluable resource this might have been during the times I truly struggled as a teenager and as a young, inexperienced wife and mother. If someone older and wiser had taken the time and effort to share their hard-won wisdom and insights and written them down especially for me, I would have felt honored and deeply treasured by this generous gesture. I trust your loved ones will feel treasured too.

Through appreciating our universal values, we can touch a deep place of unity, connection and understanding. Perhaps after completing this process you will feel as I have; as if you have just fulfilled a sacred trust. For it is the responsibility of each generation to reach out and provide a guiding hand for those they bring into the world and others that they may choose to assist as well. When asked what is the most important thing in your life, most people would say it is their family, especially their children and grandchildren. Students, friends and associates also play important roles in sculpting our character. This is an opportunity to claim that you are important, your life is important, and realize that the universal threads of your wisdom can have a very strong impact on those that you choose to share them with. I am humbled as many people are sharing that working with, documenting and sharing as well as receiving this process, has been deeply rewarding and truly life changing.

Many amazing people have passed away with much of their cherished memories, valuable stories and wise understanding unshared, which is truly sad and with possibly tragic future consequences. In most native tribes the elders or wise ones were considered to be the wisdom keepers. I am encouraging you to be a wisdom catalyst and a wisdom keeper. I trust that sharing your wisdom will enhance many positive outcomes within the future lives of those you touch. Be brave, be vulnerable and go for it.

Bridging the Generation Gap

Sharing wisdom for future generations effectively usually demands excellent timing and non-pedantic (non-preachy) delivery. I think every parent recognizes our tendency to preach to our children what we think we know is best. You should do this, you should not do that, well when I was your age things were different, I am telling this to you for your own good. Of course we know what is best as we see ourselves as older, wiser and having learned from our experiences. We recognize of course, that our tendency to preach to our children, students or loved ones, comes from our intentions of deeply caring and not wanting them to make the same mistakes that we have made. Unfortunately the delivery of our wisdom can often be accompanied by a holier than thou or pedantic attitude, often given away by our tone of voice. Of course, we know we have wisdom and feel we have the right to preach it in our own knowing way, because we realistically think we have earned it. Wrong!

From the younger generation's perspective, their job is to resist the authority of their parents most of the time. They feel they must grow up and discover the truth in their own ways and in their own time and through their own mistakes and experiences. Generally no matter how much they can sense that the things their parents/elders share might be in their own best interest, their natural tendency is toward rebellion. Who wants to listen to old-fashioned, antiquated, fuddy-duddy’s views anyway?

How can we solve our challenge of bridging the generation gap as it marches on from generation to generation in this way? How can we best bridge the generation gap and share our wisdom in a non-pedantic or non-preachy way so that they will actually hear us?

I believe the answer lies in extending an invitation, by inspiring active participation in a process of discovery. As the questions presented in this process actively engage the reader to participate in the process, it brings forth a sense of equality and shared investigation. The mind and heart work very well when they are open, receptive and involved in a process of discovery.

As for the importance of optimal timing, it is often true that it is sometimes after the parents or grandparents are dead and gone, that their loved ones who miss them are ready to embrace what they have lost in a deeper way and actually embrace their legacy of wisdom. This may also be true because when most of our elders are gone, we are becoming the elders ourselves and have more time, interest, wisdom and perhaps less distractions than our earlier lives permitted, all of which may hone our willingness and desire to share such meaningful gifts when we are ready. Sometimes the reality of huge losses in later life bring our mortality issues to the forefront and demand an investigation into, and appreciation for, the deeper meanings and experiences of our lives.

The Importance of Inquiry

This unique form of appreciative inquiry facilitates tapping into your own inner wisdom and essential or spiritual qualities in meaningful ways. It allows you to be perceived as a spiritual human being and not just a human doing. It is a simple process to prime your pump and bring forth your fountain of wisdom in a positive and honoring way for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

Exploring this experiential work of art, guides you through creating a timeless resource that explores your inner landscapes of personal and universal wisdom. The many universal essences or values presented here, (like kindness, compassion, humor) are like the harmonies of a universal symphony we all aspire to create together. This unique blend of appreciative inquiry with universal values can inspire participation into the dance of wisdom for all who utilize it.

This investigative process assists one's ability to address problems from a positive, resourceful place. This inquiry process will assist the person mired in the usual rat pack of problems generated by the mind and everyday life as well as assist those who are highly open, gifted and evolved. Strengthening a deeper sense of connection within yourself, family, community and humanity in memorable and healthy ways is my worthy passion for your legacy of wisdom work.

Written in a practical and visionary style, it encourages your uniqueness to be discovered and revealed, such as your humorous, psychic, spiritual or visionary tendencies. You will explore how easily appreciative inquiry with positive values can offer simple yet profound ways to embrace the heart of universal wisdom, unity and understanding. This perceptively personal yet universal process is excellent for both individual and group work, as some families are now writing their legacy together.

"After sharing my legacy of wisdom with my family, everyone had so many insights to share that we are now writing a Wellington Family Legacy for generations to come. Thank you for the inspiration. We were very motivated by your examples and are astounded by the wisdom and understanding within our children ages 7 and 10."

Scott J Wellington III

How This Process Was Born

The importance of sharing our stories as a family legacy began in 2007 when my husband and I were living in Ecuador for 6 months. We realized that many of our stories and their details were beginning to fade and that we wanted to take this important sabbatical to write and share our stories to leave for our children and grandchildren. We wanted to share so much of the wisdom that came out of the mouths of our babes and our elders. So we relaxed on the front porch of our lovely home, nestled among the pine and eucalyptus tree, embraced by the Andes Mountains and shared our hearts out and made notes. We printed and bound our stories and shared them with family and friends. They are entitled: The Joy of Synchronicity: Inspiring Short Stories by Iris K Barratt and Enjoy Life and Be Grateful by Michael L Barratt.

We both felt a huge sense of completion and relief, realizing that if we died tomorrow, we could let go with a sense of completion and grace, knowing that these priceless stories were documented for our loved ones and for future generations.

The Legacy of Wisdom process began as a personal exploration of my values that I published as The Oneness Process: Appreciative Inquiry to Awaken Our Universal Wisdom. In April of 2012 I became laid up with a broken ankle and was doing my best to make the most of a challenging experience. One day I picked up the new kindle fire that my daughter Lissa had given me and decided to search inquiry and see what was new on the inquiry scene on the Internet. I was presented with the process of appreciative inquiry and as I studied it, I saw what a great resource it is for businesses, nonprofits and groups to brainstorm possibilities.

As I had approached inquiry as a spiritual path for several years, my openness usually addressed how my essential or spiritual qualities reflected my values and principles. As I learned about the aspects of appreciative inquiry, the idea of adding positive universal qualities to a course of inquiry seemed to make sense, blending appreciative inquiry into the qualities I experience on a soul level. This gave me an interesting creative focus, so with ankle elevated in boot and pen in hand, I began creating an abundance of questions according to the principles of appreciative inquiry. Questions that inspired investigation into my experiences on an everyday and soul level that might further expand my inner awareness, possibilities and experiences. I also worked simultaneously to formulate a list of keywords that for me represented positive, universal values or essential qualities. I realized of course that the words were merely catalysts to spark an awakening of memories and conscious experiences.

For me, wisdom comes as a result of universal perspectives based on unity or oneness that are backed my meaningful experiences. I seem to rediscover over and over again that all of my personal insanity begs for a more universal perspective. The school of hard knocks has definitely taught me this, as has my universal perspective, once gained. It all comes down to what I trust. I trust my personal perspectives only when I maintain my universal perspective. I have come to see my personal agendas all too well. I also realize my psychic, visionary and spiritual sides all dance within the essences or qualities as an underlying unity that fosters universal perspectives. I trust this process will be an important way of contemplating many sides of yourself within the underlying qualities and values that inspire you.

Our true selves are perhaps best represented by our values. Working on your inner nature through the exploration of your values, can develop powerful inner truth and freedom.

I found this process gracefully integrating my inner and outer territories, clarifying my intentions and honoring my call to be of greater service, as service is the foundation of my spiritual path. Most importantly, it has deepened my sense of humanity and oneness leaving a gentle wake of humility and appreciation that is way beyond words. Thus a similar process was first published as The Oneness Process because I deeply experienced how these underlying qualities reflect the unity found within myself and my world. I greatly enjoyed this insightful exploration into the heart of my inner wisdom, spiritual insights and service. It may be that our unity with all of life merging within the grandeur of our souls, facilitates a direct experience of these uplifting essential qualities.

This Leaving A Legacy of Wisdom EBook evolved when my sister Sherry who wholeheartedly embraced The Oneness Process shared how excited she was to leave her inquiry work about her values as a legacy for her children and grandchildren to learn from and know her better by. As workshops and study groups for the Oneness Process began to sprout, I received this feedback clearly from many others who felt the same way. For more information on how we create and experience oneness, please refer to The Oneness Process.

Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) can be a resourceful way of being and seeing. It is both a worldview and a process for facilitating positive change. Appreciative Inquiry is now being used in more than 100 countries around the world. Its assumption is simple: Every human system has some things that work very well; it has aspects that give it life when it is vital, effective and successful. AI begins by identifying this positive core and connecting to it in ways that heighten energy, sharpen vision, and inspire action for change.

The principles behind Appreciative Inquiry are based in the science of Positive Psychology which builds on genuine strengths. Rather than just focusing on faults, weakness and problematic areas, it is being used in many positive and resourceful ways to initiate both vision and change.

I experience it as a powerful lifelong learning skill that invites participation into any areas of focus or learning because after we ask the questions, we remain in an open state of inquiry and wonder that stays with us. Everyone has experienced seeking the answer to something and finding that when we are washing the dishes or doing something random in an open way, the answer presents itself or comes to us from out of the blue. Inquiry allows a sense of wonder about what is true to draw us into the present moment, especially when our inner qualities are investigated. Combining this inquiry skill with our positive inner qualities or values forges a deepening sense of how our essential being, mind and heart can blend harmoniously and insightfully.

Once we ask with the intention of receiving information, we point our minds and hearts in the direction of discovery and the soul begins to awaken and blossom. Much like our intention of seeking spiritual awareness through prayer targets our guidance systems to experience the Divine directly. Direct experiences of the Divine, are often best described as an all-encompassing, all pervasive oneness and are generally the experience of claiming and realizing our divine nature, our oneness with creation and our spiritual source or Creator. Ask and ye shall receive.

Spheres of Influence

The following is a list of different aspects within our life which exert a strong influence. It is a great list to read over and keep in mind as you work your legacy of wisdom process.

People and relationships, places, work, hobbies/sports, stories, music, poetry, quotes, spiritual masters and philosophers, political, social, spiritual and the gift of all of your senses.

Time Lines:

Past, childhood, teenager, adult, future, best and worst experiences, favorites, first and last experiences, your greatest experiences, meaningful transitions and lessons.

Healthy Expressions of Wounds and Pain

While this process is essentially designed to be positive and uplifting, is also important to recognize how much can be learned through the wounds, pain, challenges and the traumas of ourselves and others. It is also important to think about how you present family members or other people in your life and choosing to do so in the light that is most appropriate.

I feel one of the best ways to express the deep heart wrenching challenges that we often experience is through poetry. Poetry allows intense personal expression without harming others and focuses on the lesson or shall we say focuses on the deed and not the doer. One of my examples that you will find is about verbal abuse and how strongly I feel about its ability to rob us of our innocence. Rather than pointing the finger at anyone specifically, you'll notice that under the section on innocence, I have addressed this issue with the poem entitled Shame on You. It is important that you consider respecting the privacy of others and still getting your passionate views and wisdom across to your readers. Poetry is truly considered to be a language of the heart and can be an excellent way to express your truth in the best possible way. On a positive note, poetry also allows wide open, heartfelt positive expression too. See one example under Honoring and the poem Honoring Is A Sacred Circle.

Considering Polarity

Considering polarities can integrate seeming opposites in a way that can awaken our sense of unity, as everything is connected. Opposites are often two sides of the same coin, like night and day. This process assisted me to integrate my personal and universal perspectives and experiences in an ever-deepening or more connected way. In my experience, most people know what the right thing is to do. We know the difference between right and wrong. I think the challenge is that most of us lack the discipline required to move beyond the filters, assumptions, obsessions and judgments of the past.

For me, the secret lies in trusting that as we focus upon and give the love and other essential qualities we seek, (like freedom), we will generally receive them in return. Wisdom then offers us the opportunity to experience profound acceptance, beyond right and wrong, where experiences are, just what they are. An excellent way to grow into wisdom, is to value the qualities that you naturally recognize and embrace them. Eventually, you can consciously enhance and blend them. You find freedom within generosity and kindness, you notice how compassion leads to service etc. This sets the stage for encouraging your inherent resourcefulness to grow into its fullness, manifest optimally and thrive.

It is true that our values like equality may bring out and fuel our convictions and actions as we become passionate about the lack of equality within our lives and our world. This is as it should be. This process is a way to share your passions and convictions in your own unique way, both positive and negative insights can lead to pro-active change for yourself and those who receive your wisdom.

I experience this process as a positive and non-dogmatic form of spiritual discipline that brings openness and clarity to my thoughts and openness to unconditional love within my heart. This process also shows me my attachments, judgments and assumptions against the backdrop of my direct spiritual experiences. This clears the way for me to deeply embrace my sense of unity and wholeness. I can see that when I embrace these qualities, I am embracing my experiences directly within the heart of love and acceptance. As Carl Jung so eloquently said, Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakes.

I feel deeply humble and grateful to share my process with you. There is magic in inviting and embracing awareness of our spiritual qualities and natures to blossom into direct experiences of unity and wisdom and also great magic and purposeful power in sharing them with loved ones.

Exploring Our Essences or Universal Values

"Our values represent the highest potential expression of our true nature's influence. They sing the glory of our inherent spiritual natures in essence and in action."

I began to notice that other spiritual or mystical experiences I read about, also expressed direct experience of the same essential qualities I experience as flowing through my being and awakening wisdom. Over time, I have seen how honoring the essences within my experiences creates a way that they merge and blossom together, like an intensely beautiful, colorful bouquet of flowers with a sweet, fragrant oneness that brings me joy.

Here are the essences I have utilized with my personal inquiry work presented here. These essential qualities are the most prominent ones chosen by my Legacy of Wisdom workshop participants. Read through them and notice how they reflect our best selves, the positive qualities within our character that can spark memories of interesting stories and insights. I trust you can imagine how they are qualities that most of us want and have access to and how they might connect and unite us all. Can you think of other essences or qualities you would like to add to this list? You will find an additional list of words for your consideration in the resources section, presented after my inquiry examples.

Essential Qualities, Universal Values or Essences List

Abundance, Acceptance, Adventure, Affirmations, Attunement, Balance, Beauty, Being, Blessings, Brilliance, Brother /Sisterhood, Caring, Clarity, Co-Creation, Commitment, Communication, Companionship, Compassion, Concentration, Consistency, Courage, Creativity, Delight, Divination, Divinity, Ecology, Education, Efficiency, Enlightenment, Enthusiasm, Equality, Eternity, Excellence, Expectancy, Flexibility, Forgiveness, Freedom, Friendship, Guidance, Good Wishes, Grace, Gratitude, Harmony, Healing, Honesty, Honoring, Humor, Humility, Illumination, Innocence, Inspiration, Integration, Integrity, Inquiry, Intuition, Justice, Kindness, Laughter, Light, Love, Loyalty, Mastery, Miracles, Nurturing, Openness, Optimism, Passion, Patience, Peace, Perfection, Permission, Play, Power, Purification, Purpose, Respect, Resonance, Responsibility, Service, Simplicity, Solutions, Strength, Surrender, Synchronicity, Synergy, Tenderness, Tolerance, Transformation, Trust, Truth, Understanding, Vision, Willingness, Wisdom

Most people will notice how compassion can lead to service, how equality can blend with freedom, blessings and honoring, how kindness can lead to gratitude etc. All of our universal essences are each entrance points into interconnected awareness and universal wisdom.

As we come into clear attunement with these universal essential qualities, we can feel the vibration resonating through-out our bodies, minds, hearts and nervous systems. We can feel these qualities expand and become enhanced with resonant frequencies as like attracts like, love attracts love, kindness attracts kindness etc. I find that all of these essences have a kinship in resonance with all of the others. Some might say they all resonate with love or gratitude and therefore resonate with the highest good. This is why each universal essence or quality can be seen as a portal or passageway into any other, as they all reflect our essential divinity, true spiritual being or unconditional love.

I trust you will enjoy discovering an awareness of how our essential qualities can blend and merge into each other and bring you deeper experiences of awareness and unity, as you share my inquiry examples and also explore and discover your own through your Legacy of Wisdom process.

Leaving a Collective Legacy of Wisdom

People the world over, are recognizing a collective longing to establish a conscious connection with their own hearts and the universal values that lead them back to wholeness. We long to re-establish our wholeness with all of life and regain our inherent natural sense of wonder. Somewhere deep within our hearts and minds we remember why we value the essential qualities that have inherent universal value and we ache to experience the profound states of realization they can inspire. Through the open states of awareness that inquiry instigates, we may clearly discover that we all seek to experience the same universal qualities that lead us back to the wisdom of the ages.

People rarely look for answers when they don't have any questions. This inquiry process assists your ability to address challenges from an open, positive and resourceful place. Also, after we ask the questions, we remain in an open state of inquiry and wonder that stays with us. Focusing on what we think and perceive will generally strengthen the stances of what our ego believes is absolutely right and eventually make us more