When sh*t happens, we need pleasure more than ever!
When sh*t happens, we need pleasure more than ever!
Category |The night after the American election, some people met for a Pathwork study evening. I was the facilitator and had prepared the program for the evening. But as participants came in, the mood in the room was heavy. One woman began to quietly cry. Obviously, something other than what I had in mind was being asked for that evening.
We meditated for a bit and then I invited people to check in with the question, “What do you need to share that will support bringing yourself fully here?” On their minds and hearts were lingering post-election feelings and worry about the Trump victory.
People shared from their hearts, expressing a range of thoughts and feelings from deep disappointment and sadness, disbelief, fear, helplessness and anger. Everyone needed space to speak about what was moving in them. An hour or so later, we returned to meditation, taking all the thoughts and feelings into silence and stillness.
After, the mood shifted. People slowly offered broader perspectives from those they started with. We moved to the big picture and considered that there maybe a higher purpose in what appeared to be a catastrophe. Change is needed, people are suffering, we’ve been asleep – this is a wake-up call. We considered how Trump is the ‘outside picture’ of what is most out of alignment within each of us. We looked for ‘The Trump’ in us!
People admitted that despair and feeling helpless is so seductive yet is the exact opposite of what’s required, because The Trump will have really won if we stay there.
I’m always looking at life – no matter what’s happening – through the lens of pleasure, but here I grappled to find the link. Then it came to me –a pleasure focus does help with despair. Now more than ever, to do what is needed, we need the nourishment of pleasure to stay positive, to be energized, to be grounded in who we really are, and for what’s most important, to remember goodness – no matter what’s happening.
Towards closing, we had a round of sharing about what IS most important, how we will keep ourselves nourished as the days go forward. Now pleasure was on the table: walks in the woods, good meals shared with friends, movies that make us laugh, telling the people around us we love them, staying awake, playing with our critters more, and the garden.
These things don’t change the world, but they bring in an energy that feeds positivity. Pleasure nourishes us to be energized and awake so we can DO the important things that will make a difference. It gives us the strength of self to speak up, take bold actions, and show up in the world.
What do you need to do now, and how can pleasure support you to be more brave and bold?
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