Hello Hedge Schoolers,
Integrity has been the area of my life that I have done the most work over the past few years. It is easy to project a veneer that looks one way from the outside and another from the inside but integrity is what stares back at us in the mirror when we gaze deep into our eyes. Deep enough to see the life that is breathed alive in us. We may justify or rationalise with story but deep down, we know when we are living with integrity. This is shadow work of the deepest level. Being in integrity is freedom. For the truth is freedom.
What is integrity?
Integrity is our inner truth. A truth that provides the most robust platform to build a life of character and honour upon. Dictionaries define integrity as "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles" but there is more to integrity than this. Integrity comes from the word "integer", which means wholeness. Being in integrity is to be whole. A whole shape.
Humans are a complete system and part of a larger system. Our shape (or form) allows us to have an inner experience and engage with the larger system we are situated in. Our shape is our wholeness. All of it. Not just the bits that we wish to put on display. This unique shape is only ever known by us. We can influence how the world perceives us but we can never hide from the integrity of our own inner experience.
Nature's Integral Shape
In nature, the tetrahedron is considered the "minimum integral system in the Universe." It is the smallest whole that we can learn from. Buckminster Fuller learned this by studying how nature created integral structures. He discovered that the tetrahedron is nature's preferred Lego block and he used this shape to create powerful physical design models that held their integrity. Christine McDougall is my proxy to the teaching of Buckminster Fuller so I'll stand on her shoulders to share why the tetrahedron is so valuable to integrity
In order for us to see otherness, we need an inside and an outside. We need a system.
A minimum of four corners is required for existence. The tetrahedron is the minimum system in Universe. The tetrahedron is also the simplest way to enclose space using the least amount of matter and energy. The tetrahedron requires six relationships around the four corners.
The point of this…
There is a geometry to relationships and to the endurance of relationships. Three triangulates but does not have dimension and does not create space. Four enables dimension, systems, space. Four holds it’s shape. Four has integrity as a system.
Christine McDougall
Quintessence, Pattern Integrity, and Signature Sound
If we are a whole system ourselves and situated in a whole system, we can use the shape of the tetrahedron to ensure integrity. This is what Christine calls our Pattern Integrity. Nature only deals in originals so everything has a Pattern Integrity. We can use the tetrahedron as a physical representation of our own integrity.
Personal.
Business.
Community.
Relationships.
Any area of our lives that requires integrity...which is all in my opinion.
The tetrahedron has four vertex corners, six straight edges, and four triangular faces. As Christine shares above, the fourth dimension creates the inside and outside experience. If we are the tetrahedron, we begin with the four elements that make us unique. These four elements come together to form the shape that is us. In Alchemy, the four elements (fire, air, water, earth) come together as a whole to form the fifth element (The Quintessence or Ether). Our four elements together in harmony are our unique expression, our Quintessence, our Pattern Integrity. Carl Jung knew this. He studied Alchemy extensively and used the four elements represented by the tetrahedron to shape his thinking.
Practical Application
Part 1:
So sit with this inquiry.
What are the four elements that make you distinctively you?
Put five minutes on a timer and list as many as possible. Once the timer goes off, order the list. You can only have four. Once you have your four, list them on the attached blank template.
If you find this inquiry hard to begin with, try completing the process for your business or job.
What are the four elements that form the wholeness of your business or role?
Part 2:
Once you have your four elements, you now determine the six relationships. Each of the four elements relates to each other in a unique way.
How do the two elements connected by a relationship work together?
What is needed to ensure that integrity of the shape holds?
Below are my two examples (Personal & Work) that I have completed
As you can see from my examples, I refer to Pattern Integrity as our Signature Sound. This is our unique expression. Our Signature Sound can only be sung alive by us. And we must protect with ferocity and honesty the integrity of this shape. Learn from the tetrahedron. Use the constraints of the four elements to speak directly to your Pattern Integrity. You will never ever be in this world again in this form, so you might as well ensure that you hold the integrity of this form while you have breath in you.
It is your truth.
As always, I'm teaching while inquiring so please send me through your questions and practice applications. Also if you feel someone would vibe with this post, please hit the share button below.
Till next week,
Steve
Finding Truth In The Mirror Of Integrity