The 16 celestial arts

I´ve mentioned during the post on skills of the self about this idea, which I find brilliant, of the celestial arts.

The word in Hindi for celestial arts is of difficult translation: Kala. It is related to the circus arts, which is a mix between art and skill. The translation is an open choice, indicating that is an art that takes you to heaven.

In other words, to be spiritual in this world requires from you to manage life like a circus artist: on a day-to-day basis, rehearsing all the time and expecting the maximum of the self at the crucial moment, when that adverse or difficult situation emerges in your life.

The number sixteen indicates the number of degrees for the full moon, a traditional symbol of dynamic perfection. Both words mean that to reach perfection takes from you the effort to transform the self by applying those arts and understanding that perfection is possible, but it is dynamic: sometimes you are full moon, whilst other times...

I will be talking about these arts in the next sixteen posts. I will make my best to make the matter practical and applicable in life.

Take care for now...

The skills of the self

An old book talked about the sixteen celestial arts, a series of skills the self needs to be happy in life. It included things like the art of developing, friendship, thinking and even the art of remaining happy and content.

Not, it is obvious nobody will put this into his or her curriculum... And no sensible company would hire someone because she masters the art of "concealing and revealing" or he is an expert in the art of "refreshing".

However, when people are working in a day-to-day basis, these arts turn to be the key for a person who wants to grow in the company because even though companies value techniques, knowledge and skills, the skills of the self are the ones which will help you to move forward. Even though you are in a company, you're still human.

The skills of the self are those virtues, values or qualities in general, plus those abilities that allow people to live with people, enabling them to overcome obstacles and to face the challenges that come on their way with victory.

Although some would have that naturally, developing those skills are not that different than any other skill. You will need for that:

• Knowledge. You really need to understand what patience means to develop it. Study and research are key.
• Attitude. A skill is nothing without a proper attitude to back it up. If you, for instance, want to develop patience, you need an attitude of understanding, perspective and maturity.
• Practice. A big part of any skill to be developed is to rehearse it. When you think of patience, you probably acknowledge there are situations which are easier for you to be patient with, and other situations that are much more difficult; practicing means trying first with those situations that are easy for you and then, gradually, trying the more difficult ones.

Even though you won't be able to mention these skills to your future client, I tell you one thing: many times, that is the real reason they are hiring you.