Notes from the workbench

 

The Voyage

You are committed to a new beginning.  You want release from cares and worries.  You expect that new skills will deliver freedom & that you triumph in the undertaking.   But looking forward, you see that …

On the one hand; it’s exciting to contemplate harnessing willpower & desire to create a new life of freedom from the raw material of intellect, emotions, & creativity.  On the other hand; you dread breaking away from conventional thinking and having to face the consequences that flow from creation.  This is the end of the old & the beginning of new - a voyage of no return.

On the one hand; you understand this is a new world of odd things - a future of as yet unrevealed complexities.  You understand that logic and rationality are limited.  You look inward & become aware of intuition.  You select friends that share similar experiences.   On the other hand; you look outward with confidence to a world of active growth -- that your new ventures will prosper.

On the one hand; you want to understand the objective reality of the trading world in all its phenomenal aspects.   On the other hand; you dread failure.  For now, you are unable to distinguish between purveyors of real wisdom and knowledge, from the many prognosticators of false 'pseudo-mystical' complexity.

On the one hand; you work hard to plan logically – to see things through.  You learn to acquire confidence, certainty, logic, reason, and courage of your convictions.  On the other hand; you start to see the dichotomy between intuition (i.e. Imagination Inspiration) and logic.  You fight the internal battle between intuition & logic.  You understand the role of emotions.  You develop the patience to develop a long range vision - to be true to yourself.  You acquire insight.

On the one hand; you look for rules that deliver results - from quiet markets to crisis situations.  You understand that wisdom is contained within the rules developed from an evolved structure (i.e. reflexivity, fractal theory, inflection points, and strange attractors).  You value accumulated experience of master ‘wizards’.  On the other hand; you understand that sometimes situations change radically - that old forms contain within themselves, seeds of their own destruction. You understand that change is simply nature re-establishing an otherwise previously distorted truth.  Sometimes, situations cannot continue as before and a core belief is changed in a flash.

You encounter challenging events, choices, adverse cycles where problems multiply.  Nothing goes right.  Your positions are too big.  You have trouble sleeping.  You become afraid.  You see yourself in terms of your success.  Emotions range from manic depression to cosmic elation.  You are a slave to the material world.  You can’t see whole picture.  Eventually, you find yourself choosing between different paths.  It’s a major decision about beliefs vs. markets or trading systems; logic vs. intuition; family time vs. money time.  These are but opportunities for a new creative solution – an opportunity to rise to the occasion.

At some point, you get clear about what you are trying to create.  Achievable plans and goals get set. You develop a vision to harness your energy.  You struggle and triumph in work that is part of sustained effort.  Things change for the better.  Things start to work out.  You link the mundane to the intuitive.  Behaviour is changed to support a healthy lifestyle.  You make adjustments to accommodate a changing world. Enslavement habits are changed.

You gain control of your emotions.  You start to achieve success - to see reward for effort and persistence.  You live in harmony with the cycles of the market.   You understand 'endings & beginnings'.  You have strength for a new situation. Change is embraced.

You become a guide for others.  You show the next step - but only the next step.  Guidance as a responsibility is now yours.  You understand that flashes of insight are but a form of self-initiation.  You enjoy aloneness.  A period of withdrawal or solitude helps you face the next step.  You've integrated logic and intuition.  You begin to move beyond normal everyday surface consciousness.  You delay gratification.  Salvation through sacrifice is contemplated (loss of ego).

Your awareness of the balance of opposites is reframed. Change is stability.  You look at sudden change as a new opportunity.  You examine new ideas and prepare for new circumstances.  You have wisdom derived from experience.  It’s the endless cycle of life.  You exemplify truth and moral character.  You see what is fair & see to it that fairness is carried out.    

‘Bon Courage et  Bon Voyage’ – Paracelsus.