Living In Alignment: A Practical Guide To Personal Transformation

By Darcy S. Clarke

With an evolutionary view of species success in the context of the world’s ‘madness,’ psychotherapist and transformational presence coach Darcy S. Clarke makes a distinct contribution to the process of experiencing personal transformation. To lead the way in our next evolutionary step as a species, we are called to deepen the journey of aligning with our soul and discovering our unique ‘soul mission.’
Without using theological jargon or invoking a religious belief system, Clarke provides a universal human roadmap that will illuminate, support, and facilitate your personal growth. Living in Alignment is both a practical guide for those on their journey of soul realization and soul actualization and a workbook for the Living in Alignment Program for personal transformation. Those who seek to accelerate and deepen their own process of Living in Alignment are invited to participate in the Program.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Darcy S. Clarke
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780991710102

Darcy S. Clarke

Darcy is a licensed psychotherapist, addiction specialist, body-centered therapist and certified life coach with more than thirty years of healing experience. The author of Living in Alignment: A Practical Guide to Personal Transformation, he has integrated holistic perspectives with his own life discoveries to create the theoretical concepts and experiential processes of the Living in Alignment Program.

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With an evolutionary view of species success in the context of the world’s ‘madness,’ psychotherapist and transformational presence coach Darcy S. Clarke makes a distinct contribution to the process of experiencing personal transformation. To lead the way in our next evolutionary step as a species, we are called to deepen the journey of aligning with our soul and discovering our unique ‘soul mission.’

Without using theological jargon or invoking a religious belief system, Clarke provides a universal human roadmap that will illuminate, support, and facilitate your personal growth. Living in Alignment is both a practical guide for those on their journey of soul realization and soul actualization and a workbook for the Living in Alignment Program for personal transformation. Those who seek to accelerate and deepen their own process of Living in Alignment are invited to participate in the Program.

Living In Alignment

Darcy S. Clarke

Copyright © 2012 by Darcy S. Clarke

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I offer gratitude to my soul for teaching my human self how to live in alignment. It has provided me with guidance every step of the way in becoming soul-realized and soul-actualized.

I offer gratitude to my soul group, spirit guides, and ancestors for their ongoing support, encouragement, and nurturance.

I offer gratitude to my mother Jeannine for offering her abiding love, support, and encouragement to live authentically and for fostering my spirituality.

I offer gratitude to Mark Lersch for his commitment and dedicated work, and for his coaching, writing, and technical support, which has been invaluable.

I offer gratitude to Wayne Hatford for his editing work. He is remarkably adept at taking metaphysical subject matter and making it comprehensible.

I offer gratitude to all the people who have served as my teachers over the years, Jacqueline Small, Caroline Myss, Gary Zukav, Pia Melody, Jack Kornfield, Fritz Perls, Ann Wilson Schaef, Alan Seale, Eckhart Tolle, and many others.

I offer gratitude to my friends and family members for their ongoing support and encouragement.

I offer gratitude to my beloved cat Bodhi, who has been the mascot for this project. His love and affection have helped sustain me for the duration of this endeavor.

Last, but certainly not least, I offer gratitude to all the people I have worked with over the years; those who have placed their trust in me to serve as a catalyst for their healing and transformative processes. They have been my teachers, and their lives have been laboratories in assisting me to develop this material into its current manifestation.

To all of you I express my heartfelt appreciation.

Many blessings,

Darcy S. Clarke MA, RCC, LPCC, CADAC-II, CTPC

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In loving memory of Jeannine Pichette Clarke, 1929 − 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FOREWORD

1. LIVING IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR SOUL: AN OVERVIEW

2. OPENING YOUR HEART

3. WHAT IS SOURCE ENERGY?

4. YOUR ESSENTIAL SPIRITUALITY

5. FORMING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

6. EXAMINING YOUR BELIEFS AND COGNITIONS

7. RESOLVING POWER AND AUTHORITY ISSUES

8. DEEPENING YOUR AWARENESS

9. PARTNERING WITH SOURCE ENERGY

10. OPENING TO TRANSFORMATION

11. LEARNING TO TRUST AND SURRENDER

12. THE PROCESS OF LIVING IN ALIGNMENT

13. APPENDICES

Appendix A: Skills for practicing Living in Alignment

Appendix B: What to Keep in Mind when Experiencing Fear

Appendix C: Protocol for Being in a Waiting or Gestation Period

Appendix D: Protocol for Connecting With, Listening To, and Following the Promptings of Your Soul

Appendix E: Protocol for Staying Present

Appendix F: What Are Energy ‘Blocks’ and Energy ‘Leaks’?

Appendix G: Ego-Centered Consciousness vs. Living in Alignment

14. GLOSSARY

15. READING LIST

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD:

YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION

Welcome to the adventure of Living in Alignment with your soul. I am Darcy S. Clarke, the originator of the Living in Alignment Program. The Living in Alignment Model proposes that each of us has a unique life journey; that our lives have meaning and purpose; and that we are intended to have conscious living experiences. Each of us has our own journey of increasing awareness, and can come to know what that journey is. The Living in Alignment Program is designed to facilitate your own personal journey of becoming internally resourced.

Your Transformative Process

As you deepen both your understanding and experience of Living in Alignment, your own transformative process will unfold. You will discover in your own life many of the Benefits of Living in Alignment that are described on page 1:14. As you come to question many of your assumptions and beliefs and begin to open your heart and mind to the guidance of your soul, you will begin to embody many of the Core Concepts of Living in Alignment described on page 1:08 and become increasingly aware of the qualitative difference when your human self is Living in Alignment with your soul, as described in Comparing Two Ways of Living on page 1:12. Is the Living in Alignment Program For You? on pages 1:16-18 will help you chart your quest for spiritual awakening, personal transformation, vocational clarity, holistic healing, social justice, and service.

Experiencing Sustainable Transformation

The information presented in Living in Alignment: a Practical Guide is specifically designed both to ground and to accelerate your transformative process. Although simply reading this book will be helpful, it is advisable that you work initially with a qualified LIA facilitator to derive the most benefit from the Living in Alignment Program material. Experiencing sustainable transformation requires a combination of intellectual understanding, our subjective experiences, and the ability to integrate insights, gifts, and lessons gained in the Living in Alignment process. Working with your LIA facilitator to address your individual needs, concerns, issues, and conditioning will help ensure that you accomplish these objectives successfully. Once you achieve a working knowledge and skill base, you will feel confident in your ability to experience soul realization, soul actualization, and soul fulfillment.

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DISCLAIMER: Careful study of the information contained in this Guide, by itself, may yield a rational grasp of the concepts, offering the reader a limited benefit. The author neither makes nor implies any other claims.

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1. LIVING IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR SOUL: AN OVERVIEW

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We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

—T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) Poet, Dramatist, and Literary Critic

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Personal Introduction

When I was eight years old it was revealed to me that I would be assisting people to find God. Only a week or so earlier, I had been distraught at not knowing the answer to the question of what I wanted to do when I grew up. None of the answers that the other students in my class had were of any interest to me. So, being the good Catholic boy that I was, I asked God what he wanted me to do.

For those of you not familiar with Catholicism, when Catholics pray for assistance, the common phrase used is Your will, not my will be done. In the language I use today, I was intent on knowing my soul mission. Without notice on this midmorning in late spring, while outside the convent where I was attending school, a wave of energy surged throughout my body. Having experienced this same energy at age six, I recognized it as unconditional love. In that moment I knew intuitively that I was in God’s presence. Simultaneously a voice inside my head said that I would assist people to find God within their lives. This message brought instant relief to both my mind and body. I kept this information close to my heart. Given that I was a practicing Catholic at the time, I assumed that I would become a priest.

By the time I was fifteen I concluded that entering the priesthood wasn’t my calling in life after all. And to my surprise and initial disbelief, I was instructed by a higher Power to leave the Catholic Church. Nevertheless I kept in the forefront the revelation that I was destined to assist people in finding God within their lives.

As time passed I sensed that my experiences were preparing me for a particular venue, and choosing a life of service would lead me to it. I received guidance from a higher Power when I needed it. Otherwise I was left to my own ingenuity to go about my life. My capacity to both trust and surrender to mystery deepened as I integrated the insights, gifts, and lessons from my life experiences.

I was in my mid-thirties and at a crossroads in my life when information contained in what I now call the Living in Alignment Model began making an indelible impression upon my mind. On this hot, humid summer day in Boston, I found myself thinking about an acceptance letter I had received from Simmons School of Social Work. I was pleased to be informed that I was accepted into their master’s program. It was being pointed out to me that this was the second time I had applied and been accepted. The admissions director was also informing me that I had to make a decision.

Although I became aware early on that I felt ambivalent about the prospects of entering the master’s program at Simmons, I could not pinpoint the reason(s). This is why I kept avoiding making a decision to enter the program. During the interim period between my first and second admittance letter, I was preoccupied with trying to discern the reason(s) for my ambivalence. The two I came up with were (1) fear of success, and (2) fear of not being able to complete all the paperwork. For the purpose of honoring my integrity, I knew that I had to face both these fears. I also didn’t want to forfeit the opportunity at Simmons. So without further delay and with some reticence, I entered the master’s program. During the first year of classes it became clear to me that the aforementioned fears were unfounded, but my ambivalence remained. I was beside myself.

The ambivalence I felt was unsettling, and I had become frustrated with the process. Prior to the first week of classes in my second year, I remember saying to myself, I give up trying to figure this out. Soon after I began a dialogue with God. I prefaced this talk by stating that I was clear that I wanted to move forward with my life and that a master’s degree in social work was a viable option, considered by many in the field to be the most marketable degree. With determination in my voice I stated to God, If you don’t want me to remain enrolled in this program, you will have to make it perfectly clear, otherwise I shall complete the program.

Within a week’s time, while listening to a lecture, I received a clear image of a tug-of-war being waged within my mind. In that moment I remembered my prayer to God. Intuitively I knew that God was speaking to me. Without hesitation I got up from my seat, hastily mentioning to the baffled classmates seated on either side that I was leaving and would speak to them later about what was happening.

I walked out of school, crossed the street, and sat on a park bench. Okay, God, I said. Here I am. Speak to me. My attention remained fixated on the image of the tug-of-war being waged between my intellect and my soul.

God, I asked. Are you speaking to me?

Energy surged throughout my body.

Okay, God. Does this image of a tug-of-war have to do with things beyond whether or not I complete the master’s program?

Energy surged throughout my body again.

Does this have to do with the rest of my life?

Yet another surge of energy moved through my body.

I pondered this for a little while. Then a question posed itself inside my head: What has sustained you more than anything else in your life?

Without a doubt, I answered. It has been my spirituality.

Within moments, insights began flooding into my mind and I realized: (1) the image was an answer to my prayer; (2) this higher Power is ingenious in how it can capture the attention of the mind; (3) the image of the tug-of-war represented the internal struggle I had been experiencing during most of my life; (4) this struggle was about often allowing societal conditioning to override my intuitive sense of what to do or how to proceed in my life.

On that sunny autumn morning, while sitting on a park bench in Boston, my life’s struggle had become crystal clear. I was in awe of how one image could so accurately and pointedly depict my ambivalence. This event was yet another confirmation of the attributes of a higher Power. More specifically, this higher Power is an intelligent, interactive, creative, benevolent, ingenious, omnipresent, unifying, self-generating system (that I now call ‘Source energy’).

It also became clear that the tug-of-war image offered me a choice on how to live. I could either go on making major life decisions from my intellect or make them by following the promptings of my soul. I chose to follow the promptings of my soul. I felt another surge of energy move through my body while simultaneously experiencing another deep sigh of relief. This event was the most joyous time in my life! I knew then that my life from that moment on would never be the same because it had taken on a whole new meaning and purpose. I was determined to develop my capacity to tune into and follow the guidance of my soul. Afterwards I went to the admissions office, thanked the director for her support, and told her I was dropping out of the master’s program.

In retrospect, I see that my decision to follow my soul represented a change in orientation from being primarily externally resourced to becoming internally resourced. No longer would I be controlled or manipulated by societal dictates and conditioning. I was determined to become my own person and design a life that was in accordance with my inner knowing.

It would take another thirteen years of experiences to develop enough understanding and a skill base to become adept at living a life of being internally resourced. This was no easy task, given that we live in a society that is primarily externally resourced. Although it has not been the ultimate pleasure cruise, I would not trade the insights, gifts, and lessons learned on this path of awakening. While on this journey, my connection continues to deepen with my human self, with others, with my experience of a higher Power, with all life forms, and with life itself. And this deepening connection continues to be revelatory and transformative. Indeed, as a result of what I now call Living in Alignment, the experiences of soul realization, soul actualization, and soul fulfillment have become my reality.

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The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

—Albert Einstein

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Overview of the Living in Alignment Model

The emergence of the Living in Alignment Model is a response to an ever-increasing number of people seeking greater awareness in their lives. Some among us share a common experience that there is more to life than meets the eye. The Living in Alignment Model focuses on what may not appear obvious, namely that we are both human and divine. Many people are living lives caught up in the extremes: either there is no higher Power, and what we see before our eyes is all there is, or physical reality is an illusion, and all the focus should be on spirituality. The Living in Alignment Model is designed to assist us in developing a healthy and sustainable relationship with both the human and divine aspects of who we are.

A New Paradigm

The Living in Alignment Program offers a language and context to understand the reality that many are experiencing as a paradigm shift taking place on Planet Earth. This new paradigm is a deepening of consciousness on a global level. The old paradigm is about being identified primarily with our ego-centered mind (a mind that thinks it is separate), along with living in the three-dimensional or seen world. This translates to being externally resourced.

When we are externally resourced, we tend to be identified primarily with our humanness and the conditioning of the three-dimensional world. We also tend to live in a fear-based reality focused on survival needs and, as a result, are easily controlled and manipulated by external forces (societal dictates).

The new paradigm—emerging on Planet Earth en masse—is about becoming internally resourced. When we are internally resourced, we go inward to receive our directives from our soul or the higher Power that resides within each of us. Instead of making decisions based primarily on outside influences, we defer to our soul. In other words, rather than having our ego-centered mind in the proverbial driver’s seat, we listen to and follow the guidance of our soul.

This new paradigm also represents a change from thinking that we have to figure out our life to the experience of feeling our way into it. There is a qualitative difference between these two ways of being. Reading about this difference is not the same as experiencing it. The Living in Alignment process assists us in having this direct experience.

The shift to this new paradigm is a result of reaching a critical mass (a tipping point) whereby a significant number of people now tune inwardly to receive their guidance. This shift is occurring as a result of a deepening of awareness on both the individual and collective levels.

This new paradigm also represents a change from thinking that we have to figure out our life to the experience of feeling our way into it. There is a qualitative difference between these two ways of being. Reading about this difference is not the same as experiencing it. The Living in Alignment process assists us in having this direct experience.

We will have limited access to our soul until we become internally resourced. We may have all the right words to describe the nature of the soul and/or transformation, but we will not experience a deepening connection with our soul, nor will we be able to experience any sort of sustainable transformation until we change our reference point. As our mind begins to feel at ease with the idea that becoming internally resourced and Living in Alignment will lead to greater wellbeing, safety, and success, it will become all the more willing to accept the guidance of our soul.

The Living in Alignment Program

The Living in Alignment Program invites us to come forth from the confines of societal conditioning to access our own truth. In no way is the Living in Alignment Model the be-all and end-all or a panacea. This Model is not a formula; it is not the only way. It is one way to experience soul realization and soul actualization, both of which lead to soul fulfillment. Along these same lines, anyone can benefit from utilizing the information set forth in this program. If something doesn’t resonate early on, chances are that it will as you begin to integrate the material into your life.

I have created the Living in Alignment Model to offer support and encouragement to those of us who have found ourselves face to face with difficult situations (like being in a life transition) where societal conditioning is inadequate to deal with these, let alone carry us forward. This program is for people who are committed to being proactive about creating a life that is in alignment with their soul mission.

It has been my experience that tuning inward for our answers will prove to be one of the best decisions we will ever make for ourselves. We each have our own path in life! The Living in Alignment process will assist us to discover that path and shed light on its importance, as well as giving us a skill base from which to work.

Living in Alignment and Recovery

From the LIA perspective, ‘recovery’ not only encompasses substance and process addictions, but also describes the transformative process of reclaiming our personal power from people, events, conditioning, and distressing periods of our lives. In other words the Living in Alignment Model broadens the prevailing context of ‘recovery’ to include anything or anybody to whom we have given our personal power.

The Living in Alignment Model is not intended to serve as a replacement for twelve-step programs for those in recovery. Working the twelve steps and receiving the support and fellowship that twelve-step programs offer have been invaluable for millions of people. Indeed, twelve-step programs have saved countless lives since their inception. It is also true that many people who are clean and sober as a result of having worked twelve-step programs feel that these programs are lacking. Many of us view twelve-step programs as an important (and in most cases necessary) step in the recovery process. As such, twelve-step programs are a springboard for many who feel compelled to go deeper in their recovery. The Living in Alignment process deepens and thus enhances twelve-step programs. In fact, the Living in Alignment process helps us embody twelve-step principles in our daily lives. To gain the most benefit from the Living in Alignment Program, people need to be stable in their recovery.

Living on the Periphery

For those of us who have been living on the periphery of society, the Living in Alignment Program may serve as the catalyst we have needed to jump back into our lives. Many of us have put our lives on hold in order to avoid assuming stereotypical roles, to become an individual and/or differentiate from our families, to reject the dictates of misguided leadership, or to heal from unresolved trauma related issues. In addition, many of us have awakened to the fact that we’ve been living our lives in ‘victim consciousness’.

No matter what our reasons for living on the periphery, sooner or later we come to realize that we are missing out on living fully. It may also come to our attention that by living on the periphery of society we have been part of the problem. At such time we may notice that when we are pointing a finger outward (being critical or judgmental), there are always three fingers pointing back at us. Upon recognizing this, hopefully we will acknowledge that if we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem. This acknowledgment alone can be transformative. I say can because unless we become proactive about being the solution in our lives, nothing will change. As we come into more alignment, the process of soul realization will naturally move us out of inertia and into living a life of soul actualization. This will result in experiencing more joy, happiness, and fulfillment in our lives.

Leadership Roles

Others drawn to the Living in Alignment Program are those of us who no longer want to be in a leadership role while our ego-centered mind is in the proverbial driver’s seat. Instead, we want to lead with our soul at the helm. Indeed, many of us have avoided leadership positions because we feared that our ego-centered minds would abuse our positions of power and authority. Rest assured that no longer will we have to fear abusing our power and authority once we come into alignment with our soul. This will also require Living in Alignment.

It is not the purpose of the Living in Alignment Program to try to prove scientifically the existence of a higher Power. On the contrary, this program begins with the knowing that a higher Power (or whatever name you prefer) does exist and is omnipresent. Nor does the Living in Alignment Program try to teach everything about a higher Power. On the contrary, the Living in Alignment Program operates under the assumption that the best minds on Planet Earth combined would still not be able to comprehend Source energy fully. Having said that, as we become more internally resourced, our increased awareness of the workings of Source energy within our lives deepens our understanding of it. And, more importantly, our experiences of a higher Power increase exponentially.

Program Layout

The Living in Alignment Model is designed to be simple in both theory and practice. Some of the main objectives of the Alignment Program are: (1) to give a language and context to experiences that many of us may have already had; (2) to inspire us to want more direct experiences of the subject matter; and (3) to ground these experiences in daily life. All the information presented herein has been proven useful as well as integral in the Living in Alignment process and, because of this, has been included in the content. Each section includes a personal introduction to convey pertinent subjective experiences. In each case, the material is a distillation of insights, gifts, and lessons gained from the integration and application of the subject matter.

I invite you to explore the realm of Living in Alignment. Please keep your mind and heart open in order to derive the most benefit from the program. Also, don’t get caught up in semantics. Your language and experiences may be