Authenticity and integrity live at an Edgewalker’s core, serving as the foundation upon which all other actions originate.
Sometime around 2009, I was fortunate enough to be taken-in by a mentor who walked me through the process of discovering my personal core values. It was a humbling experience, to be sure. We started with creating a lengthy list of all the attributes I felt described me, but our focus quickly shifted to peeling away many of those attributes to get to the five values that live at my core. The hard part was letting go of the attributes I especially liked about myself. Humour, love, openness, facilitation, learning – so many attributes were being ripped away. It was not so much that they were being discarded, but I thought that at least some of these should make up the final five. It is no lie to say I was grieving during this part of the process. But what I gained from the experience has driven my personal development ever since. This mentor was and is an Edgewalker.
This type of journey was, and necessarily is a spiritual encounter with my Creator as I repeatedly reflect and meditate on my relationship with the one who created me and knows me best, including the way in which I am to live out the core values that have been knit into my being.
Preceding my journey into discovering my core values, I remember following the herd and making career-limiting decisions as a young public servant. My peers loved my outward defiance and tenacious attitude as I voiced disapproval of strategic decisions and the decision makers. In the depth of my being, I knew that my defiance was not genuine. I was simply giving voice to what my peers were thinking and feeling. One day, my Director pulled me aside and said these words, which I will never forget: “Donovan, you have a bright future. Be careful who you hitch your wagon too.” I did not need an explanation. These words resonated to my core. My Director wanted me to follow my values and show my true integrity. This marked a turning point in my career and in my life. Her correction began my journey back to my true self.
In 2015, as a manager transitioning to a new organization, I was approached by a well-spoken retired employee of the new organization who had this to say: “The day will come when you have to choose between the values of the organization and your own personal values. When that day comes, you must choose your own values above all else.” His words are a sobering warning to all of us when our beliefs, approaches, methods and ideas are challenged. If we do not know who we are, what we stand for, and what belief system we live by, we are likely to betray ourselves. We must intimately know our core values and how they operate in our lives to stand these tests and remain people of integrity.
Along this journey, I have looked to mystic wisdom to help me understand how my values drive me. Mystic teaching has become an important part of my grounding and has made all the difference. One of the fascinating things about mystic wisdom is that it is founded upon experience and relationship with the world, creation, the cosmos and the Creator. It feeds the spiritual self – something that many modern institutions struggle with. What does some of this mystic wisdom tell me about being authentic? The following mystics are just a few examples.
Rumi (Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) was a Persian Islam who lived in the 1200s. He is quoted as saying,
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Public domain.
I leave this quotation with you for your own meditation and contemplation. Edgewalkers know well of this feeling, so Rumi’s words will resonate with you at a spiritual level.
Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala Lakota people, said that,
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”[1]
I am convinced that when I give of myself, I can only give out of my abundance or my poverty. My abundance can only be gained by recognizing the source of my positive energy as suggested by Black Elk.
Turtle Woman (Mi’kmaq Elder). I met Turtle Woman in Summer 2017. Though our time together was short, she left a lasting impact on me. What was most profound to me was her acceptance of who I was. She welcomed diversity and sought peace in our differences, seeing the spiritual connection we both share with creation and the Creator. She acknowledged and embraced the spirit in all things and encouraged me to see and accept these things as well. Turtle Woman has helped me to also embrace how I relate to all things seen and unseen. This helps me to stay grounded and aware of how I “fit” into the world around me.
Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan Monk. He founded the Centre for Action and Contemplation in 1987. Rohr states:
“The teaching and seeking of the nondual mind through solid contemplative practice seems to be the only effective way to integrate the inner [self] with the outer journey.”[2]
Rohr envisions that those who dwell on the fringes can have the most meaningful impact because it is on the fringes where we can remain free to explore, find, and keep our true identities. From the fringes we speak truth to power, see the big picture, and cast a vision.
General Rick Hillier (Retired) is former Commander of the Canadian Army. Authenticity was a key to his success as a leader in the Armed Forces. Hillier asserts:
“You have to be who you are… Being someone you are not will lead only to a loss of credibility…. Do an honest assessment of your traits and balance the people around you to achieve that same balance in your team.”[3]
As an Edgewalker, if I focus my attention on fitting a job description or living up to expectations of others, it will be much more difficult to be authentic. Instead, I look for opportunities to live into while remaining a person of integrity. I learned a long time ago that I cannot be all things to all people. So, I am better to be myself and surround myself with the right people to fill those other job descriptions based upon their own values. This will make the team whole.
Gordon MacKenzie is a retired creator and writer for Hallmark. He believes that we must find a balance between living within the “hairball” of the organization and breaking free of it enough to find our practice and space to be who we are. He refers to this practice in his book Orbiting the Giant Hairball. I have experienced first-hand the power of a community of practice that can break free and walk beyond the edges of “normal.” These are the Edgewalkers who can change the game if allowed to orbit.
These are just a few of the many ancient and modern mystics who I ascribe to. They may be Elders, Holy Men or Women, theologians, military generals, or hairball orbiters. They may be public servants in the trenches of front-line law enforcement or policy-creating desk jockeys. Known or unknown, they all share one thing in common in that they have taken the journey inward, discovered and embraced who they truly are and live by their core values.
Edgewalkers do not just read theories and ideas about these things. This is our practice. May you be encouraged to embed these practices into your daily routines.
Donovan Mutschler, MA
For more information on the content or processes included in this article contact Donovan Mutschler at donovan@edgewalkers.ca.
[1] Black Elk and Joseph Epes Brown. (1953). The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rights of the Oglala Sioux.
[2] Ibid. (2020). St. Francis: A Message for Our Times: The Soft Prophecy of Francis. Center for Action and Contemplation. Albuquerque, NM.
[3] Hillier, General Rick. (2010). Leadership: 50 Points of Wisdom for Today’s Leaders. Harper Collins. Toronto, ON.
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