Entelechy means one’s essential potential. Aristotle, who coined the term, described it as “having one’s end within.”*
“Entelechy is inside of you, like the butterfly is inside of the caterpillar…” –Teilhard de Chardin
“Entelechy is all about the possibilities encoded in each of us. For example it is the entelechy of an acorn to be an oak tree, of a baby to be a grown-up, of a popcorn kernel to be a fully popped entity, and of you and me to be God only knows what. It is possible to call upon the entelechy principle within us in such a way that it becomes personal, friendly, and even helpful. This entelechy principle can be expressed symbolically as a god or a guide. We feel its presence as the inspiration or motivation that helps us get life moving again after times of stress or stagnation. There are many ways to engage the symbolic forms of the entelechy principle…” –Jean Houston
*in his De anima (On the Soul)