From the French word « Réalisation » - Action, fait de rendre réel, effectif. Realisationisme is inspired by the ultimate and highest need in the Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Self-Actualisation, or in French "Realisation de Soi" (et non « auto-actualisation » qui est une traduction paresseuse - just saying) Why so much French, you'd ask? It's because I'm French. I may use the English language because it's convenient in so many ways, but I'm also happy to take some distance... and the only language I know as well as English is French. Even though, I no longer live in France, I like to believe that there is a reason why I was born there. Using French in my work is a way to honour my cultural heritage, and the language that gave birth to so many revolutionary philosophies. (Revolution is imbedded in the French way of thinking - no one can deny that). So yeah, I may share my work in English out of convenience, but I think in both English, and French, and constantly play with intellectual/emotional/cultural concepts I discovered while studying other languages like Korean, German, Portuguese etc.... By the way, there are immense benefits to add various language to research, science and any other intellectual work. This is a whole other subject in itself, but if you are interested. I invite you to watch this TED talk.
Back to REALISATION-ISME: The Art of turning Spiritual intentions into tangible Reality. It's nothing new. In Europe, Alchemists actively were doing some form of realisationisme between the 13th and the 18th centuries (turning Lead into Gold is a metaphor - they used tons of them) and apparently the Arabs, from the middle ages already! But the practice got lost with the Rise of the Scientific Paradigm and the slow death of Religion in the Western world. That why I thought we'd need a name. As we know, naming concepts helps the mind understanding what these "new" ideas are about. Suddenly, we have a word to refer to, and with it comes the possibility to discuss this idea, play with the concept and enrich our cognitive process. That's the all point of literacy: words helps us make sense of the world. If a concept as a name, then it exists, I thought it was time for Realisationisme exist, so here we are! (If you know of an already existing word for Realisationisme, please share in the comments).
As I said Realisationisme is inspired by the Self-actualization needs, the highest level of needs in Maslow's hierarchy. Those refer to the realisation of a person's potential, self-fulfillment, leading people to seek personal growth, and peak experiences. One become their own project, and in the span of their lifetime they intend to realise it.
Realisationisme cannot exists without Spirituality, because the true ambitions of such practice is to align with the deepest aspirations, following our In-tuition (knowledge from within) and not focusing on the eternal results, which are just natural side effect of the personal growth journey. Realisationisme is a very personal journey, it can be really abstract for those who are not aiming to that level of needs in the Maslow Pyramid. And that's ok.
In order to make it a bit more tangible, we invite practical outcomes of such practice, and this is when Art and Philosophy can play a big role.
Make your Life a work of Art
Exactly like Romanticism was in the mid 17 century, Realisationisme is an Art form AND an Intellectual movement which purpose is to challenge the dominant ideologies of our times.
We are doing this for the sake of solving our own needs, creating alternative realities that are more aligned with how we want to live on a daily basis. And we combine both Artistic & Intellectual practices because we are tired of separating feeling from thinking, we want to be whole beings! Realisationisme may appear hard to reach for those who are still struggling to meet their basic needs (lower levels in Maslow Pyramid such as physiological and safety needs), but it's actually accessible for all, and I can speak for myself, coming from an unprivileged and dysfunctional family, yet I cannot remember a day in my life in which I was NOT aiming for Self-Actualisation. Why so? because all we need is a connection with the spiritual realms, with the divine, with Nature, the source, God (whatever you want to call it). Realisationisme has become my way of life, and I have met a few people along the way living in the exact same way at various degrees of intensity. People who don't limit themselves with social conventions, loving the contrast & vastness of the human experience and living outside of the traditional boxes.
Realisationisme is something that gained a lot of popularity with the new age & manifestation, but it would be reductive to limit it to these practices, because Realisationisme aims (most and foremost) to ultimate freedom, not the material abundance, even though the latest can contribute in some cases, but not always!
If after reading this, the concept is still abstract for you, feel free to subscribe to this blog and together we will dive deep as I unpack the many manifestations of Realisationisme.
PS: REMEMBER TO LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT
As always, if you don’t like it, just ignore it. As they say: "Take what resonates and leave the rest".
When you feel disturbed by something but can't handle it, do yourself (and others) a favour: take a break, then focus your energy elsewhere, onto something you DO like. Invest yourself in putting something up, instead of putting it down. This is how we may have a chance in escaping the systemic oppression we live in today: by allowing everybody the right and the place to exist, without trying to change them.
Want your piece of the cake? Make your own, this way you can even share it with others. BIG LOVE ♡
Comments