The act of coupling in partnership is the interweaving of two time experiences into a single thread. Two become and remain one by choice. Each bring their own unique inheritances into a joint process of directing focus and energy within the moment. Although the individual is one with the collective in both the literal and figurative sense, they are never more whole than when they are with their partner. Partnerships are ancient in practice but presently subject to frameworks that are relatively short-lived in the scope of human history. We reimagine partnership in alignment with the single truth not to dictate or direct like past spiritual technologies, but rather to enhance our capacity to love each other.
The most successful partnerships are rooted in a willing commitment by two individuals. Partners enter an arrangement of perpetual impact, continuously receiving and being influenced by the information expressed by their significant other. Over time we inherit aspects of our partners, habits and traits formed through constant exposure and embrace. Within the relational universe, a partnership is an act of mutual becoming that we cannot avoid. Therefore, our frameworks of valuing our partners should focus on becoming more together. At the same time, we want to ensure that our individuality remains intact.
The best partnerships grow from mutual contribution. They go far beyond responsibility to household or sexuality, although both are important. We want to actively engage in the process of becoming more not only for ourselves, but for our partners. We want to remain interesting as our looks fade, but our obligations to meaningfully engage do not. There is always the risk of stagnation within relationships, especially when we fall into routines of exhaustion and entertainment. Our practice of active soulcraft provides us with an alternative. Individual time experience is always fleeting, and if we consistently default to the path of least resistance, we will soon find ourselves without much to say. We will become a distant shadow of who we were, who our partners learned to love. The individual is responsible for developing themselves over time, and when two commit to this shared vision of greatness, love blooms.
Commitment to a partnership takes focus and energy within the moment. The single truth and the relational universe ensure that choosing to direct our focus and energy toward one path always negates several others. To ensure that we embrace this commitment to growing our love with another, it is ideal that partners develop custom rituals for themselves. This can be any form of shared activity that brings two together as one for a dedicated period of time. These shared practices are likely to evolve over time as well. This is good and should not be met with resistance or dismay. The single truth is change, and it is unreasonable to think that our partnerships and personal rituals are immune from it. Some examples of rituals you might undertake with your partner include the daily practice of yoga together, a short evening dance, or ritualistic morning walks—anything that allows two individuals to grow in parallel with one another by directing their shared focus and energy. There is no wrong choice for shared ritual because the commitment itself is most important. Avoid claiming mindless entertainment as a shared ritual, as our purpose is to grow together, not stagnate. Keep in mind that all commitments generate expectations, obligations we choose to fulfill. Successful partnerships are rooted in trust, the belief that when a partner says they will do something, they make their best effort to do it. If the individual is unwilling or unable to consistently meet commitments they make to their partner, they should have the courage to say so. All partnerships are bound to the single truth and ultimately defined by choice. By embracing our core values, we develop ourselves to love and be loved. We choose deep mutuality with our partners through the willingness to become greater together.
Partnerships combine two unique journeys into a single path, which is why any attempt to be prescriptive in how two individuals should manage their relationship is undesirable and unhelpful. Here we reject the ethos of hierarchical spiritual philosophies and their designation of what is and is not appropriate within the private relationship of two individuals. The single truth provides insights into how we might enhance our relationships in meaningful ways that promote mutual growth. First and foremost, all partnerships must be rooted in absolute consent. We reject any spiritual philosophy justifying hierarchy within a partnership as divine or natural. They are nothing more than the proactive proliferation of power dynamics falsely claiming divinity in attempts to maintain dominance. Self-actualizing in the age of crisis is the process of embracing the mutual divinity the individual, other, and relationship share within the moment. We therefore reject any attempts to intertwine love and spirituality with the obedience of one to another.
Instead, we embrace radical openness and the assumption of good intent. It is no secret that open communication is the cornerstone of a successful relationship, and our core values help develop us in the direction of high comfort with openness. Every partnership should eventually mature into an agreement of intent, some combination of guiding principles that act as a compass during the shared journey. For example, when I married my partner, the vows I wrote focused on four key elements of our future: exploration, creation, contribution, and observation. We share ECCO as a philosophy, guiding how we construct our journeys, but what is right for one partnership may not be right for another. Take the time to dedicate energy and focus to understanding why you love your partner and what the two of you hope to experience together. Engage them in meaningful conversations about journeys you intend to construct, and begin the shared work toward creating them. Recognize that a partnership translates into finding ways to develop two separate visions of the good into a shared direction of focus and energy. When two align their time experience toward mutual creation, their efforts become a force multiplier in the practice of active soulcraft.