Three excerpts from ‘The Book of Destinies’, the recently published book on Human Design by Chetan Parkyn and Carola Eastwood (Nishtha). “Understanding and embracing your Life Theme will give you powerful clues for how to align yourself in your journey.”
Have you ever asked yourself what is your life purpose? Have you considered what you are doing here and whether you are on the right track to being fulfilled?
Some believe that there’s no real purpose to our lives. We are simply part of a random process, a relentless spawning of groups of cells continuously reproducing themselves only to march to their inevitable doom.
Others believe we were created by a God whose only interest is discovering if we can be “good enough” to be accepted into his kingdom and who will cast us into everlasting, heinous torture if we fail to make the grade. And we only get one lifetime to get it right.
In either of these two viewpoints, the goal of life is not fulfillment. In the former, there is no purpose, and in the latter, one must die before hoping to find fulfillment.
Then, others believe we have thousands of lifetimes to slowly evolve through many layers of consciousness, with no way of expediting this journey. Through eons, we create karma that has to be cleared, and we can be stuck in an endless progression of lifetimes in which we are helpless because it is all “in the hands of God.” In this perspective, perhaps fulfillment can be reached, but we are powerless to ensure it. And it is going to take a very, very long time.
Yet social and biological science have shown that the one consistent driving force of all beings is toward “more life.” For us, that means more experiences and more pleasure, all leading toward a greater sense of fulfillment.
I am reminded of a time when I had recently concluded driving an exhausting overland bus trip from London, England, to Kathmandu, Nepal.
On an evening under a powerful full moon, I was having dinner with a Swiss couple in Kathmandu when we noticed an orange-robed sadhu standing in the doorway. In India, Nepal, and some other countries, there is an ancient tradition of spiritual seekers who let go of all earthly possessions and travel, mostly on foot, throughout the lands, gaining spiritual knowledge and experience. They are called sadhus, and they often travel dressed in orange robes and carrying a begging bowl and a walking stick. This sadhu was friends with my dinner companions, and he was immediately invited to join us for a cup of tea.
It quickly became clear to me that this sadhu had studied life in depth. He had great levels of insight and wisdom as he engaged in discussion with my Swiss friends, telling them all sorts of things about themselves and their lives. For ages, he talked with them, completely ignoring my presence.
It was fascinating, but in my impatience, I interrupted him and asked if he would say something about me. Turning my way, and looking briefly at me, he announced, “Full Moon Birthday!” Then he turned back to my friends and carried on where he’d left off.
He was right, of course. I had been born under a full moon.
Another age seemed to pass while he continued describing all sorts of wonders and mysteries to my friends about their past, present, and future lives, and again, I felt completely left out of the picture.
Finally, in exasperation, I interrupted the sadhu again and insisted he tell me something else about me, and again, he turned to me, looked me squarely in my eyes, and announced: “There are many lifetimes, Baba. This lifetime is the most important!”
I have to say that this single statement reawakened my inner quest and the realization that time ticks by, and it is up to me to be clear, present, and responsible for my life. Even if the “No Purpose” and “Judgement Day God” schools of thought have it all wrong, it is still up to us to honor this life experience by living it to the fullest.
Your Personal Destiny
What if life is not a problem to be solved but is actually a mystery to be lived? And within this mystery, we are afforded some very particular clues as to our individual path through life. It is evident that there are no duplications in this Universe. No two grains of sand are the same, just as no two people are the same, nor do they live the same life. We have the imperative to live in accordance with our own nature. If, as recent discoveries in modern physics have shown, everything that appears to happen in our world is a pure reflection of our inner state of being, then it follows that if we are not being true to ourselves, it is like viewing life through a distorted lens or trying to play music on an instrument that is out of tune.
The purpose of this book is to help you discover your own unique path so you can attune to your destiny and learn to live creatively through all the challenges life brings, finding fulfillment in knowing you are living in accordance with your truth. This book presents an essential aspect of the Human Design system, describing each of the 192 Life Themes, and it is a companion to Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be. The specific time and place of your birth establishes certain attributes about you, one of which is your Life Theme, which is like the intended storyline of your life. We each have one of these themes guiding us from our first breath to our last, and understanding and embracing your Life Theme will give you some powerful clues for how to align yourself in your journey. However, because you are born into very particular surroundings — involving parents, community, and environment — it is almost guaranteed that you will take on the beliefs, attitudes, and conditions playing out around you in your formative years. You will naturally be exposed to and absorb the influences and patterns of the culture you were born into. You might be encouraged to follow exactly in the footsteps or dictates of parents, grandparents, teachers, siblings, and society, disregarding altogether the natural inclinations you have within you. In this way, you end up living a discordant version of someone else’s life.
Knowing and accepting your particular Life Theme is truly transformative. Embodying this awareness gives you reassurance and clarification about your life purpose. It is like when the penny drops, or the lightbulb goes on, and you just “get it.” You will no longer have to deal with the misplaced expectations of others — nor will you have to wonder why others are moved to live in completely different ways than yourself — because you will understand the secret essence that quietly moves each of us through life and how to reach directly into the source of your own fulfillment.
Like the coding in your genetics, your Life Theme is something that resonates within your whole being, on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. When you attune your awareness to your Life Theme, you will find it completely natural to embrace. You will finally understand your life’s purpose and journey, and once you know your own Life Theme, you will be fascinated to learn the themes of everyone in your life. This knowledge expands your appreciation to include the extraordinary tapestry of themes that guide the lives of people around you. There are no “good” themes and no “bad” themes. There are just different parts to play within the main Symphony of Life itself.
The three kinds of Life Themes
If yours is a Personal Life Theme, you are on a journey of self-discovery; you pursue a hands-on exploration of the multiplicity of interesting things that life offers. You break new bounds and are not always privy to the implications of the effects of your activities on others, whether in past, present or future instances. Each Personal Life Theme appears four times at equally spaced, three-month intervals in a year. Thus, four variations of each Personal Life Theme appear in this book. Since some of the information is the same for each Personal Life Theme variation, this material is repeated each time for ease of reading.
If you happen to have one of the very rare Fixed Life Themes, you hold a very specific characteristic of the human experience. You have an exact, fixed trajectory through life and must hold to that trajectory. In a world that is full of “good advice” – full of all kind of rules and regulations, dogmas and creeds – it is important for those rare beings who have a Fixed Life Theme to know about it, honor it above all things, and stay true to it, regardless. Each of the sixty-four Fixed Life Themes happens during a space in time of just under three hours once a year, hence Fixed Life Themes are very particular and very rare.
Those with an Interpersonal Life Theme take on a supervisory role with other people, providing leadership and education, or taking on positions of authority in other people’s affairs. You often clean up other people’s messes and take charge, whether willingly because it appears to be easy and natural for you to do so or reluctantly because no one else is qualified to do it. Your role will naturally be as a guide, a way-shower, a teacher, a wise advisor, or a leader with the responsibility to advise others. Each Interpersonal Life Theme appears twice a year exactly six months apart. Thus, two variations of each Interpersonal Life Theme appear in this book. Since some of the information is the same for each Interpersonal Life Theme variation, this material is repeated each time for ease of reading.
It must be understood that no Life Theme is any better or more important than any other. However, among the world’s population, Personal Life Themes appear more frequently than Interpersonal ones, and the Fixed Life Themes are much rarer.
What is essential is to appreciate how very particular and refined your Life Theme is. Once you fully embrace your Life Theme, you naturally let go of resistance and needless entanglements. Accepting and indulging your Life Theme’s attributes will guide you to effortlessly embrace your unique journey through life.
Once you have found it, sit quietly with your Life Theme.
For the many people we have provided personal readings and mentoring to over the past two decades, a profound recognition is experienced upon first hearing about their Life Theme. Often our clients have tears running down their faces – tears of recognition, of relief, at finally having that ever-present longing in their heart and world named.
Excerpts from The Book of Destinies by Chetan Parkyn and Carola Eastwood (Nishtha)
Read Shantamo’s review of The Book of Destinies
Available in paperback and Kindle from amazon.com – amazon.co.uk – amazon.de – amazon.in
Chetan has spent the past 25 years mastering and teaching Human Design. As the author of the first major book on the subject, Human Design, Discover the Person You were Born to Be, he has made it his mission to bring Human Design to the whole planet. His books are now in eight languages, he has done readings for thousands of people worldwide and given classes to many hundreds.
Nishtha has been a Human Design consultant, teacher and business success coach since 1999. Prior to that, she had an established counseling practice and an astrology clientele in Santa Fe, NM and in San Diego, CA. She has been the author of the monthly column, Planetary Cycles, published by Life Connection since 1988, and is a highly-acclaimed astrological consultant and intuitive counselor who has appeared on national TV. She has also hosted radio shows and spoken at conventions.
www.HumanDesignForUsAll.com – Contact@HumanDesignForUsAll.com
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