“Anima Mundi epitomizes the principle “Accept all. Reject none.” Simply put, it is the living soul of the world in all its multifaceted, multidimensional layers, bonded together by loving cosmic forces. Diversity is celebrated, multiplicity is honored, and nothing is denied embrace. Constructs of separation dissipate into the wonderful mess of shared consciousness. Anima Mundi is the link between the literal and the imaginal, the rational and the mythic. It is the connective fiber that makes life feel meaningful. This card indicates an initiation on the level of the soul. You will awaken the unique light within and witness how this light contributes to the radiance of the entire universe. You will sense yourself as a critical note in the cosmic orchestra. Destiny is altered as you hear the enchanted melody of all living things.”Anyone who knows The Impact Collective knows how passionate we are about our Impact Framework. Earlier this year we were feeling pulled to revisit our impact pillars and create some space to see if they still resonated. We created our internal impact framework several years ago, and not only has the business changed drastically in those few years, the world has changed. We started the day pulling an oracle card from The Wild Unknown Deck by Kim Krans. Ironically, given the “Accept all. Reject none” tenet of Anima Mundi, we rejected the first card we drew. It was boring and didn’t resonate. So, we accepted that and rejected it! We threw all the cards on the table and picked the most interesting one - Anima Mundi. And this…this is what we needed.Leading a purpose driven business is hard. Leading a purpose driven business through the Trump administration is even harder. I needed the reminder that I do this work because I believe in the soul of the world. I believe in the cosmic orchestra and that my contribution makes the music brighter and more beautiful. On an individual level, the purpose of my life is to be of maximum service to my community. Decisions become incredibly simple when I ask the question “How can I be of service in this situation?”. This also strengthens the imperative to fit myself to be of maximum service. If my house isn’t in order, if I neglect my spiritual and emotional needs, I can’t be of service to my community.For the business, our mission is to empower whole humans and whole organizations to actualize their vision of a better world. And this makes business decisions incredibly simple. In the face of tariffs, pending recessions, so called “doom loops” and all of the unimaginable atrocities that we’re faced with right now, my feet feel firmly planted, firmly rooted. I’m not making decisions out of fear, or scarcity. I’m trying to be creative, agile, and community minded.The last three months have been more horrific than I could have imagined. The last three months have been just as horrific as I feared. The pace at which democracy is being systematically dismantled is breath taking. I’m starting to become numb to the headlines claiming “constitutional crisis” because anywhere between 3 and 17 things come to mind and I’m not sure which one they’re talking about. Existing in the social impact space is gut punch after gut punch - and they just keep coming. In my inbox this morning was a newsletter from Green Heffa Farms about the USDA terminating federal funding for the Black Women Regenerative Farming Project claiming it was discriminatory (support Farmer Cee’s “Rooted in Wellness” program here.)When anger, fear, disappointment, and sadness threaten to pull me under, I ask myself “how can I be of service?”. Is hiding under the covers watching the top tier “glasses acting” of Kiefer Sutherland in the absolute train wreck of Designated Survivor fitting myself to be of maximum service? Is lamenting about all the things that I can’t change, all the entities that are too powerful, too cruel and too seemingly insurmountable to stand up to in service to my community? No. Well…sometimes - for me it is necessary to allow myself to fall into the deep dark hole of despair once in awhile. As long as I have the strength to pull myself out of it at the end.I’m only able to pull myself out at the end because I understand my purpose - and my individual purpose aligns with and serves the purpose of The Impact Collective. One of the answers to “how can I be of maximum service to my community” is to help other purpose driven leaders find their footing, plant their roots. Usually when I write blogs and I get to the end I try to figure out some way that it has anything to do with business and make a haphazard transition. But, this time there’s a concrete call to action! We’re partnering with Construct the Present on a two day workshop called “Rooted in Purpose”. Day one will guide leaders through the creation of their own impact framework. Day two will test that framework against internal and external forces, ensuring that wind, rain, lightning, or chainsaws are unable to rip you from your roots. Learn more and apply for the workshop here.
3/17/2025
