Coin

A few posts ago, Craig-Bob (of Out Of Fellowship fame), asked about the rogue row beneath my Fourfold Fitness table: Finances. He wondered why it was set apart from the main grid.

My answer was that the financial dimension began as a subset of Physical, but since it isn't physiological, per se, it seemed to warrant a separate row.

T-Wolf argued that “Finance is not a component unto itself but rather an intention zone of the cognitive + the attribute strength.”

Craig-Bob followed with the idea that "Financial might fall on a z-axis because it has attributions in each of the 2-dimensional cells […] defined.”

Michael C. brought in the notion of metrics, suggesting that money measures momentum in each of the sixteen zones. He referenced Jacob Needleman's book, Money and the Meaning of Life.

For now, it remains a fifth row in my provisional paradigm. At some point, however, I intend to incorporate an additional four-directional plane to the map. It describes the way I think of resources: Time, Energy, Money, and Affection.

Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

Motion

Physical Flexibility [see table], or range of motion, is a fantastic thing: acquiring it… not so much. Flexibility doesn’t happen without stretching, and stretching is viscerally unappealing to me. It makes me cranky.

But I believe in it – I believe it’s important enough to warrant assimilating yoga practice into my lifestyle.

I think flexibility is a proactive prevention of future injuries. I like the idea of doing my part to avoid preventable suffering (my own and that of others).

I also like being able to move fluidly – having a body that can flow with the riffles and rills of existence. To my way of thinking, it’s an important dimension of enjoying and honoring creation. If I want to fully engage my life, I’ll cultivate flexibility.

Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

Fourfold Fitness Table

	Strength	Flexibility	Endurance	Balance
Spiritual	Integrity	Humility Transformation	Courage Loyalty Perseverance	Grounding Beauty Upright
Cognitive	Creativity	Teachable Broadminded	Curiosity Honesty Follow-Through	Wisdom Awareness
Emotional	Joy Gratitude	Generosity Kindness Adaptable	Hope Vision	Peace Humor
Physical	Muscle	Motion	Stamina	Agility Rest
(Financial)	Income	Giving / Spending	Savings	Budget

Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

Fourfold Fitness

The soul’s topography won’t fit within the languages of tongue or pen. It’s like trying to capture the vastness and detail of a natural landscape in the frame of a photograph.

But knowing the terrain of our own depths is necessary for fully engaged living. Some people have an innate knack for soul navigation; others need a map and compass.

I use a four by four grid, where the intersections create “intention zones” integral to my joie de vivre. The four components of my humanness are: Physical, Emotional, Cognitive, and Spiritual. The four key attributes of fitness (IMHO) are: Strength, Flexibility, Endurance, and Balance.

The next few soul-friending posts will describe some of my intention zones. I hope there will be ideas and inspirations for you. However, I hasten to underscore that it’s just a map I’ve sketched to help make sense of my personal topography; it’s not intended to be comprehensive, absolute, or directly transferable. But maybe it’ll provoke you to undertake your own “depth cartography”.


Copyright Scott Burnett 2006