I have mixed feelings over writing about co creation, but I’m not going to troll myself. I’ve had enough of my inner critic over the years. She still likes to throw daggers at my self worth if she sees a clear shot. But over the last few years I’ve replaced most of her knives with nerf balls. She hasn’t noticed. I’m also not going to wrangle with the question of free will versus fate here. So for the sake of this exploration let’s assume that if it appears that I have a choice, then I do.
What I’m interested in observing is the edge.
The place where my choices meet seemingly random events. Where the role of chance intersects with my agency. This is the space where co creation happens. It’s a dance with Reality, where I make a move, and my move interacts with all the events in the world. The billions of choices other people made, the influence of weather, systemic events (such as financial markets), outcomes generated by algorithms and AI, etc. All these merge in the symphony of life.
On the spectrum of subjective reality and objective reality, the perspective of co creation falls somewhere in the middle.
It’s a moderate position to take. It’s not wow I’m a god, my mind is creating everything. It also isn’t a victim position of thinking we have no influence over anything. At this stage of my life, this is where I’m hanging out. I’ve seen enough uncanny events and amazing coincidences that imply that I have more agency than meets the eye. But I also see events unfold that I don’t feel responsible for and forces at play that I can’t seem to influence, such as gravity.
The idea to pay more attention to co creation arose while I was sitting in the back seat of an Uber in Miami, calling a poker room to put my name on the cash game list. The casino had me on hold, and so I happened to be sitting in some stranger’s black Toyota Camry, thinking about my name. Wondering if I will have to spell it out, or should I use some short nick name. It’s not that often we think about our own names, in the grand scheme of time. But as I’m contemplating the weight of it, the sound of it, Magdalena, the car rolls up to a stop sign, and out my window appears the Mary Magdalene Church.
The decisions to go to the casino, and to call ahead of time, were mine. The act of pondering my own name also feels like something I let myself do. Which driver appeared wasn’t up to me, or what vehicle that driver chose to lease or buy. The route they chose to take was influenced by traffic patterns manipulated by navigation apps. At some point in time, a group of people decided to build a church in a city that honored a woman with a complex history. Forty some years ago my parents debated a couple names. Instead of naming me Isabella they decided to honor that same woman. And all these things come together to create this little synchronicity on a street corner.
My intention in life right now is to pay attention to that border of cocreation as I move through everyday life. To see what I can learn by just being aware of where that edge is. Can it be toggled? If so, how would I go about moving it? What role does it play in manifesting goals and dreams?
Exploring these types of questions about the true nature of Reality is a fetish of mine. I believe in the power of insatiable curiosity. There’s a certain alchemy that takes place when we focus our attention on something. In this case, instead of focusing on some specific agenda or desire, I’m observing the process from which all things arise. And If I discover something fascinating from this practice I’ll report back here.