As you may know, I’m fascinated with religions and spirituality. I spent a year of my undergraduate program studying comparative religion and culture in four countries in Asia. I absolutely loved it, and I wish I had more time now to devote to the subject. Some time along the way, I encountered a spiritual concept called the Four Powers of the Sphinx.

 

Here’s a brief description from a French occultist named Eliphas Levi:

To attain… the knowledge and power of the Magi, there are four indispensable conditions–an intelligence illuminated by study, an intrepidity which nothing can check, a will which cannot be broken, and a prudence which nothing can corrupt and nothing intoxicate. TO KNOW, TO DARE, TO WILL, TO KEEP SILENCE…

(Don’t ask me why they’re called the Four Powers of the Sphinx–no idea…)

This concept came to mind yesterday when I was writing my post about triggers. I was thinking about my “people” trigger and recalling the reaction of my friend when we were out to dinner and I didn’t overeat. In that instance, I didn’t tell her why I wasn’t joining in the feast. I didn’t explain about my disordered eating. I didn’t tell her I wanted to get to my best running weight. I just politely declined and tried to sidestep the issue. And it worked! That got me thinking about how sometimes silence is the best policy, which reminded me of the quote above.

Now, I don’t know about attaining the “knowledge and power of the Magi”, but what if we converted the Four Powers of the Sphinx to the Four Pillars of Achieving Your Goals? Observe…

1. To know. In order to achieve a goal, you must first know exactly what that goal is. For example, “I want to be wealthy” is not a specific, achievable goal. How do you know when you’ve reached “wealthy”? How do you measure your success–in dollars? Possessions? Personal freedoms? Levi describes this Power as “an intelligence illuminated by study”, so that means you’re going to have to do some work to figure out your goals. You might need to do research, ask questions, contact experts, or take trips to find the information you need. One thing is certain–in order to have a clear goal, you have to precisely define what it is you’re seeking to obtain.
2. To dare. Levi says you must have “an intrepidity which nothing can check”. “Intrepidity” is defined as being fearless or dauntless, which means you have to conquer your fears. Take a hard look at your goal. What would scare you about achieving it? Looking at our example in #1, if you’re wealthy, you have more to lose. You might become a target for unscrupulous people who want a piece of your wealth. You might have to become a workaholic to earn that kind of money, thereby losing your family and friends. You might be seduced by material objects and forget who you are. Figure out the things that scare you about success and address those fears.
3. To will. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal? Are you willing to work hard, potentially to suffer, on the road to success? Will you persevere through the difficult times? Do you have “a will which cannot be broken”? For me, this step is probably the most difficult. I hate to say it, but I’m very easily discouraged. When the going gets tough, sometimes I just get frustrated and quit. The good news is that willpower is inextricably linked to desire and emotions–as they say, you’ve got to want it. You can use techniques like vision boards or other tools to strengthen your desire, which will in turn boost your will.
4. To keep silence. This part is interesting. I’ve talked a lot about the need for a support network, for a personal cheerleader to encourage you through the rough spots, and I still believe that to be true. I firmly believe that having some kind of support system maximizes your chances for success. However, disclosing your goals to other people also opens you up to their issues and their “energy”, for lack of a better word. Let me elaborate…

When I wrote about my triggers yesterday, Leah commented, “Remember that people who are uncomfortable with your eating habits are projecting their own self issues onto you.” How very true! For example, let’s say that Betty is trying to lose a substantial amount of weight. She enlists the support of her best friend, Wilma, who on the surface really wants her to succeed. Wilma loves her friend and wants her to be happy and healthy.

But deep down, so deep that Wilma isn’t consciously aware of it, she needs Betty to fail. You see, Wilma is overweight herself, and if Betty loses weight, it means that something is wrong with Wilma–she’s weak, she’s lazy, she’s got no willpower. Wilma is also afraid that the friendship will change. She and Betty used to go out to eat together, bake together, commiserate about being big in a small person’s world. What will they have in common now?

So Wilma starts subtly sabotaging Betty’s efforts. She brings cookies to her house. She asks Betty out to their favorite restaurant. She makes snide comments and undermines Betty’s self-confidence. This doesn’t mean that Betty is doomed to fail, but it certainly makes things a lot harder, doesn’t it?

To me, “keeping silence” means that–at least at first, when you’re initially pursuing a new goal–you share your plan with only your must trusted ally (or allies), someone who will receive no benefit from your failure. You should also be alert for mixed signals or signs of (probably unconscious) sabotage from anyone who knows about your goals–not to make judgments about the other person, but to protect you and keep you on track.

Keeping silence may also reduce the pressure you feel to perform/succeed. When I was working on creative writing projects, my stomach always churned when people asked how my writing was coming. I felt self-conscious (what if they didn’t think I’d been doing enough?) and anxious when confronted with those questions. It might be uncomfortable to have someone ask you publicly, “So how’s the diet going? How much weight have you lost?” Eek. Silence could prevent these situations.

What do you think of the Four Powers of the Sphinx? Is there value in keeping silence?

Trackback URI | Comments RSS