DELTA: “Delphi” (“The Oracle”)
The oracle at Delphi held a place of honor amongst ancient peoples, not only the Greeks. As we approach the Olympic Games in London, it is good to remember that Delphi was one of four sites for the ancient PanHellenic games, the precursor of our modern Olympics.
The Oracle was dedicated to Apollo and from its hearth an eternal flame was kept to “light up” historic moments in Greek history.
Our reflection concerns the “inner” oracle and the “outer” oracle;
Inner: We may ask the question,
“What am I called to serve?”
As young people we must answer the call of the world and ambition. The difficulty of our present time is the inability of young people to find an appropriate call to work and begin the actioning of a career.
Older folks (50+) must dig deeper and ask the question more directly of themselves (ourselves) for we are often past “ambition” and need to answer a differing “call,” an inner “vox” whereby we can determine what our “soul” is calling us to serve. The challenge of answering this question as mature adults is the risk and honesty in facing the “call” from within.
In each case (younger and older) we need to attend to the “oracle” (voice) within through discernment, judgment, intention, and action.
Outer: We may further ask,
“What are the signs of the times and how do I interpret them?”
Few of us are historians or even philosophers; yet we are charged with the interpretations of the signs before us in each aspect of life as they weave together; faith, body politic, business trends, relationships, culture, aesthetics, etc.
The “reading” of the inner and the outer becomes our necessary navigation tool for our work and our living. The shift in CEO requirements in recent years has included this need to work from a teamwork, leadership, and mentorship point of view. The success of any enterprise has taken on a more strategic and (dare we say) “intimate” point of view.
The oracles are before us. It is all in the seeing and the listening.
