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Some excerpts from this reading are taken from my journal, which is part of my daily spiritual practice combining Tarot and Taoism. This is a 3-minute read.
You should probably read it if you're working towards your ambitions, and want spiritual guidance that contains practical steps.
You can probably skip it if you're in a healthy space with your actions/ambitions at this moment. 🌻
What is co-creation?
To co-create is to create space in your heart for both the highest ambition, and, the utmost humility.
It’s to recognize that you hold more power than you can see, but that you’re not in control of the way Life unfolds. Your only duty is to show up and surrender, taking the actions that keep you moving with the flow, rather than fighting against it.
This is the big secret to bringing your ambitions to life:
All your efforts are meant to bring you into alignment with Nature  —  what we call right action.
Any act that does not bring you into alignment is a poor use of your energy. The Taoist teacher, Deng Ming-Dao defines these as undertakings that “leave destruction, resentment, or untidiness in their wake”.
On the other hand, right action unites the mind, heart and soul to manifest growth in the material world.
While this sounds ideal, it doesn’t answer the question of how.
How do you unify the mind, heart and soul to make sure you’re moving in the right direction? This is the ultimate question of any spiritual journey, so I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But here’s a few practical steps you can take with you on the road.
How to practice co-creation
“Only when wisdom, courage, timing and perseverance are combined can one have a sound basis for initiative.” Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao.
Wisdom is consulting those who are more experienced than you.
Courage is believing you’re stronger than your limitations.
Timing is knowing when to act, and when to pause.
Perseverance is cultivating the grit to follow through till the natural end.
Initiative borne from these four seeds arises from your inner being and spreads out into physical reality, like the ray of light seen in the Ace of Pents below.
In the card, the cosmic light starts from inside the heart and spreads outwards, bringing about growth in the material world.
The tree in the card isn’t flowering only because it was watered every day, (although that’s also important). Its external growth is a result of the support from its internal conditions.
Manifestation, then, is not something we do. Manifestation is a visible representation of invisible alignment.
In other words, stop trying to make things happen.
Instead, work on creating the right conditions within yourself so that your inner alignment is reflected in the material world.
Work on bringing your full Self into harmony, and then see how that affects the actions you take in the physical realm.
Evaluate your actions before you take them. Do they contain wisdom, courage, perseverance and right timing? If you realize any of these are missing, it might be wise to bring yourself into balance before making any big changes on the outside.
Disclaimer:
I believe that manifestation characterized only by financial wealth can be short-sighted. Instead, I define it as the creation of a fulfilling life.
If you’re specifically interested in financial growth, I gently suggest working with a business or career coach rather than a therapist/tarot reader/spiritual counselor.