“Remember, Psyche’s first job in the underworld was to sift and sort the grain”.
I was in Dartmoor, at the start of a long dry summer.
Prior to hearing these words I was sat up high in an old oak tree. There were ants everywhere.
Normally I’d find that unsettling. On this occasion I felt a strange sense of calm.
I’d not heard the story of Eros and Psyche at this point. Hadn’t heard about the ants.
Than, a little later, back at the creaking manor house, a different kind of shelter, I got chatting to another participant.
She was from the US.
Turns out she was a board member at a very prestigious organisation. I knew it well. I was quite starry eyed!
I was saying to her how I wanted to bring more soul to the world of finance and accountancy. But that I was doubting myself. Doubting the need.
She thought my idea had legs though. More than that, that the old stories spoke to it.
She told me that Psyche (Soul), with the help of ants, first had to organise thousands and thousands of grains when she found herself in the underworld. It was tireless work.
A bit like making sense of numbers.
Hmm.
I have chewed on this for so long. My own kind of underworld.
And I wonder if AI is now doing a lot of that sifting and sorting for us, but even if so, the accountant, the numbers person, remains. And I believe remains deeply needed.
My mentor said to, “Will it’s about the person in the profession”. I’ve reflected on that alot.
Tonight I have class with Thomas Moore. We’re studying, yup….Eros and Psyche.
Meeting the story afresh is firing up my passion for working with Finance Professionals.
I was one.
I am one.
I have been in the underworld of so many finance roles.
I have a deep inner life that often got neglected along the way.And that neglect damaged my outer life as a professional.
One flows into the other, flows into the other…it’s a mobius strip.
If you work in finance and accounting and got this far, thank you!
I wonder:
Would like to work on your courage, your depth of charachter, to work on the person not the professional, or do you simply need a community of like minded finance folks to support your growth?
If so please DM me or follow along.
It’s early days and late.
But I am planning a launch/relaunch of Courageous Accountants. And this time I’m not overthinking it!
I’m Will
I help deep thinkers act with clarity and courage.