Original integrity (ICA)

This is the experiencing of one's self as a stranger, out of step with this world. One's roots are in another world, the world of mystery, consciousness, care and tranquillity. One is always on a journey between these worlds, knowing that one's final obligation is to no thing. It is the response of Jesus when he is asked about his family, "Who is my mother, my sister and my brother?".

A dimension of this experience is a sense of awe, that is fear and fascination. The experience is marked by the knowledge that there is nothing to fall back on. There is an ever-present fear that there may be nothing to show for all one's endeavours. Others do not seem to understand why one is not satisfied and sustained by the same temporal pleasures that give meaning to their lives. Knowing that this world is not one's home, one discovers that this is what one always wanted. The decision is to remain in this state, knowing that everything in this world is of concern; but at the same time, having a deep sense of detachment from anything that claims one's life. It is like taking the mantle of a foreign emissary, representing another world in the midst of this world, and possessing inviolate integrity.

This state is number 29 in the ICA Other World in the midst of this World.