THE SEVEN SOUL COMMITMENTS

As our relationship grew in depth and understanding, we found that there were seven major process commitments that really made a difference. We took years to develop, understand, and embrace these commitments in our souls. Once we did, however, the heart-level satisfaction of our relationship became much more profound. Here are the commitments that we discovered to be essential:

THE FIRST: I commit to realizing my full potential for both closeness and autonomy. I open myself to learning about and honoring my essence rhythms of closeness and separateness, and to learning about and honoring those rhythms in others.

THE SECOND: I commit to full expression, to holding back nothing. This means telling the truth about everything, including my feelings, my fantasies, and my actions. I commit to telling the unarguable truth-truth that no one can argue with-instead of giving my opinions, beliefs, and prejudices. I also commit to listening, non-judgmentally, to what people say to me.

THE THIRD: I commit to becoming the source of full responsibility for my life, including my happiness, my well-being, and my life-goals. I absolve everyone, living or dead, past or present, from any implication that they cause my feelings or actions in any way.

THE FOURTH: When faced with the Choice between being happy and being defensive, I commit to choosing happiness; I commit to doing this especially in those situations when my defensiveness seems most warranted and when it is totally obvious to me that I am right and the other person is wrong.

THE FIFTH: I commit to learning to love and appreciate myself and others in mv close relationships.

THE SIXTH: I commit to the full expression of my creativity, and to inspiring the full creative expression of those

I commit to celebration as the dominating emotional tone of my relationships. Particularly, I commit to celebrating the essence of myself and those close to me.

The Master Commitment

The master commitment is a diamond with several facets. It begins in this way:

I accept relationship itself as my primary teacher about myself, other people and the mysteries of the universe. I open myself to letting every relationship interaction, no matter how seemingly trivial, deepen my connection with my essence and the essence of others. I invite all healing powers in myself and the universe to remove any obstacles to my relationships being a source of joyful fulfillment to me in all my depths.

The master commitment continues:

I commit to clearing up anything in me that keeps me from full loving unity with myself and my loved ones.

I make a commitment to intimacy that is greater than my commitment to being right and perpetuating my conditioned patterns.

(Reprint, Personal Transformation, August 1997)

Copyright © 1996. The Light Party.