genie

www.yogainfo.ca

Letting the Genie out of the Bottle
By Catherine Dale

"Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were no doors before." - Joseph Campbell (1)
In the accounts of people who have attained higher levels of consciousness, there are descriptions of unbounded expansion - complete bliss. Funny thing about bliss, it's only as illusive as we make it. Those rishis and saints didn't go anywhere but inside themselves to find it. By its nature, bliss is expansive. If we deny its rightful place in our life - if we bottle it up - stuff it down, sooner or later it will burst forth. The effort of holding it down causes us physical and emotional pain. When the body and the mind can no longer take the strain of suppressing our True Nature, a crisis hits. Bliss steps forward to say, either you follow me now, or we've got a real mess on our hands. If however, as Joseph Campbell said, we follow it, our bliss will open doors, expanding and broadening our lives and our experiences.
I'm an expert at bliss suppression. I started when I was very young. I dumped cartons of ice cream and bags of cookies on it. Surrounded it with a large and cumbersome body. My bliss really wanted to dance. When I was six or seven, I saw a sign above a community centre which advertised ballet lessons. I told my Mom I'd like to try ballet. She told me I wouldn't be good at it. That stuck with me. I wanted to act and sing and create. That wasn't practical. I was the black-sheep odd-ball in my family. The artsy-fartsy. I was expressive and different. I needed to learn to celebrate who I was. I needed to believe in myself. You can't blame your parents for not giving you things they didn't know how to give. As I grew bigger and bigger, my fat became a target for criticism from my parents, my peers and myself. The life I lived was the life I was meant to live. However, the most important gift the past holds for us are the lessons we can learn from it. I have seen how vital it is to help my children discover their true selves. To go inside, listen and trust what they hear. It's as important to nourish their souls as it is their bodies.
When I grew up and decided to get an education and a job, I definitely didn't follow my bliss. I was still overweight. I'd never developed a list of things I truly loved to do, because my bliss was encased in 300 pounds of pain. I'm not saying every person of size is unhappy. Some follow their bliss perfectly well and live the life of their dreams. The weight doesn't stop them from being who they are meant to be, or from doing the things they love to do. Mine did. It was like my soul was a big, beautiful house, but I was only living in one room. Ironically, the bigger my body got, the smaller my life became.
My bliss was still there though, trying to elbow its way out. You see, our bliss wants us to live a courageous life full of challenges and adventures. Such a life requires strength and fearlessness and a belief in oneself. I would hear my bliss calling me. Telling me what kind of life I could have if I was willing to let it out. Those challenges looked like too much work. Standing up for myself. Saying, "no," instead of "yes." Choosing to take risks. It all seemed scary to me. My bliss wanted me to be an entirely different person. I liked that person, but she frightened me too. She had guts. She followed her dreams. Had confidence. Was vulnerable. Yikes! That bliss had to stay in its place. All of that looked way too overwhelming.
What was the price of ignoring my True Nature? Physically, my body became more and more dysfunctional. Debilitating joint and muscle pain. Severe intestinal cramps and food sensitivities. Trouble sleeping. A compromised immune system. It wasn't just caused by the weight either. After twenty years of morbid obesity, I finally lost the weight. I expected the pain to disappear. It didn't. If anything, it worsened. As did the rage and depression which went with it. Why? I was no longer using food to suppress my bliss. While I was abusing food it at least took some of the edge off the pain. Once it was gone, I was still scared to do the things it would take to truly listen to my soul. As long as I continued to do so, my body and emotions paid a very dear price. A few times I almost paid with my life.
I am not alone. According the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease study, by the year 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease as the most common cause of disability. Tobacco is expected to kill more people than any single disease, surpassing H.I.V. / AIDS. Of the top 5 leading causes for disability in developed regions listed in 1990, most of them are preventable: heart disease, depression, cerebrovascular disease, road traffic accidents and alcohol use. (2) Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we in so much pain emotionally and physically? Bliss suppression is rampant. Could it be our True Natures are in direct conflict with the society we've created?
After years and years of either dousing painful feelings with food, or doing things out of obligation, it seemed impossible to, "follow my bliss." I have to admit, even now, it doesn't come automatically. Lately, I've found my body and my emotions can be wonderful tools to tell me if I'm on the right track As radical as this sounds, radiant physical health and calm, steady emotions represent the normal state of well-being for everyone. While most of us might not be able to attain "perfection," in that regard, our bodies will tell us when things are not going right with our lives. Our emotions will too. If we find ourselves fatigued, craving the wrong foods, in pain, succumbing to illness and depression, then those are sure signs the life we're leading is not the life we're meant to be living.
For a very, very long while I treated the symptoms and not the cause. It's a bit like opening all the windows of a burning house to let the smoke out - all the while a real blaze is still burning in the basement. I've spent countless dollars on treatments and medication. That doesn't mean my pain isn't real. It is very real. My illnesses are totally legitimate. However, if I don't get to the root of what caused them in the first place, no pill or therapy in the world will help me.
For me, "following my bliss." means resting my body when it's tired instead of pushing through fatigue or grabbing something sweet. "Following my bliss," means taking time just to be - to meditate. To just eat when I'm eating. Just walk when I'm walking. Find joy in everyday things, no matter how small. "Following my bliss," means speaking up for myself instead of letting things slide and slide and slide until I get so depressed or angry I can't function or I explode. If my body or my emotions tell me something's not in harmony with my True Essence, then I need to address it then and there, instead of shelving it. "Following my bliss," means exercising awareness. Paying attention to the things I do which are nurturing and supportive, and to those which are not. Maybe I've taken on a job, because I think I should. Maybe I'm sticking with a relationship because of what others might think. A good rule of thumb is - if you're motivated by external forces; take a good hard look at what you're doing. Choices should be guided from your inner compass.
Too often we see the way the needle of that compass is pointing, and choose to ignore it. Perhaps, it's because the path seems too difficult, or the way seems completely foreign to us. Or, it's simply because we'll be forced to walk that path alone. All those fears and doubts are just our mind clinging on to old habits. Fear is useful if it prevents us from harm. Most often though, irrational fear hurts us worse than actual challenges. Fear is the most powerful magnifying glass known to man. Not only does it magnify things, it distorts them too. If your bliss is trying to show you new vistas and you're looking at them through fear, you'll never see them clearly.
The Universe, The Cosmos, God, or whomever you want to call It, supports us when we dive inside ourselves and follow the Light within. If we have the courage to be our true selves, then we are aligned with the power of the Whole Universe. Think about that for a minute. The power of the Whole Universe. Seems like a pretty terrific reward for getting out of our own way, doesn't it? That bliss inside us is God. It is the Self. This really isn't a complex concept. What makes it so, is our fear of the unknown. "What will happen if . . ?" That's the future. No use worrying about something which hasn't occurred yet. Be in the present. Listen to your body. Witness your emotions. All that is like consulting a "bliss compass." It will point you in exactly the right direction every time.
Catherine Dale
April 2nd, 2004

(1) Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way - A Spiritual Path to Creativity, Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam, New York, 1992, 2002) p. 194
(2) see - World Health Organization Website / Global Burden of Disease Project (www.who.int/healthinfo/bodabout/en/index.html)

yogainfo.ca

Letting the Genie out of the Bottle
By Catherine Dale

"Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were no doors before." - Joseph Campbell (1)
In the accounts of people who have attained higher levels of consciousness, there are descriptions of unbounded expansion - complete bliss. Funny thing about bliss, it's only as illusive as we make it. Those rishis and saints didn't go anywhere but inside themselves to find it. By its nature, bliss is expansive. If we deny its rightful place in our life - if we bottle it up - stuff it down, sooner or later it will burst forth. The effort of holding it down causes us physical and emotional pain. When the body and the mind can no longer take the strain of suppressing our True Nature, a crisis hits. Bliss steps forward to say, either you follow me now, or we've got a real mess on our hands. If however, as Joseph Campbell said, we follow it, our bliss will open doors, expanding and broadening our lives and our experiences.
I'm an expert at bliss suppression. I started when I was very young. I dumped cartons of ice cream and bags of cookies on it. Surrounded it with a large and cumbersome body. My bliss really wanted to dance. When I was six or seven, I saw a sign above a community centre which advertised ballet lessons. I told my Mom I'd like to try ballet. She told me I wouldn't be good at it. That stuck with me. I wanted to act and sing and create. That wasn't practical. I was the black-sheep odd-ball in my family. The artsy-fartsy. I was expressive and different. I needed to learn to celebrate who I was. I needed to believe in myself. You can't blame your parents for not giving you things they didn't know how to give. As I grew bigger and bigger, my fat became a target for criticism from my parents, my peers and myself. The life I lived was the life I was meant to live. However, the most important gift the past holds for us are the lessons we can learn from it. I have seen how vital it is to help my children discover their true selves. To go inside, listen and trust what they hear. It's as important to nourish their souls as it is their bodies.
When I grew up and decided to get an education and a job, I definitely didn't follow my bliss. I was still overweight. I'd never developed a list of things I truly loved to do, because my bliss was encased in 300 pounds of pain. I'm not saying every person of size is unhappy. Some follow their bliss perfectly well and live the life of their dreams. The weight doesn't stop them from being who they are meant to be, or from doing the things they love to do. Mine did. It was like my soul was a big, beautiful house, but I was only living in one room. Ironically, the bigger my body got, the smaller my life became.
My bliss was still there though, trying to elbow its way out. You see, our bliss wants us to live a courageous life full of challenges and adventures. Such a life requires strength and fearlessness and a belief in oneself. I would hear my bliss calling me. Telling me what kind of life I could have if I was willing to let it out. Those challenges looked like too much work. Standing up for myself. Saying, "no," instead of "yes." Choosing to take risks. It all seemed scary to me. My bliss wanted me to be an entirely different person. I liked that person, but she frightened me too. She had guts. She followed her dreams. Had confidence. Was vulnerable. Yikes! That bliss had to stay in its place. All of that looked way too overwhelming.
What was the price of ignoring my True Nature? Physically, my body became more and more dysfunctional. Debilitating joint and muscle pain. Severe intestinal cramps and food sensitivities. Trouble sleeping. A compromised immune system. It wasn't just caused by the weight either. After twenty years of morbid obesity, I finally lost the weight. I expected the pain to disappear. It didn't. If anything, it worsened. As did the rage and depression which went with it. Why? I was no longer using food to suppress my bliss. While I was abusing food it at least took some of the edge off the pain. Once it was gone, I was still scared to do the things it would take to truly listen to my soul. As long as I continued to do so, my body and emotions paid a very dear price. A few times I almost paid with my life.
I am not alone. According the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease study, by the year 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease as the most common cause of disability. Tobacco is expected to kill more people than any single disease, surpassing H.I.V. / AIDS. Of the top 5 leading causes for disability in developed regions listed in 1990, most of them are preventable: heart disease, depression, cerebrovascular disease, road traffic accidents and alcohol use. (2) Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we in so much pain emotionally and physically? Bliss suppression is rampant. Could it be our True Natures are in direct conflict with the society we've created?
After years and years of either dousing painful feelings with food, or doing things out of obligation, it seemed impossible to, "follow my bliss." I have to admit, even now, it doesn't come automatically. Lately, I've found my body and my emotions can be wonderful tools to tell me if I'm on the right track As radical as this sounds, radiant physical health and calm, steady emotions represent the normal state of well-being for everyone. While most of us might not be able to attain "perfection," in that regard, our bodies will tell us when things are not going right with our lives. Our emotions will too. If we find ourselves fatigued, craving the wrong foods, in pain, succumbing to illness and depression, then those are sure signs the life we're leading is not the life we're meant to be living.
For a very, very long while I treated the symptoms and not the cause. It's a bit like opening all the windows of a burning house to let the smoke out - all the while a real blaze is still burning in the basement. I've spent countless dollars on treatments and medication. That doesn't mean my pain isn't real. It is very real. My illnesses are totally legitimate. However, if I don't get to the root of what caused them in the first place, no pill or therapy in the world will help me.
For me, "following my bliss." means resting my body when it's tired instead of pushing through fatigue or grabbing something sweet. "Following my bliss," means taking time just to be - to meditate. To just eat when I'm eating. Just walk when I'm walking. Find joy in everyday things, no matter how small. "Following my bliss," means speaking up for myself instead of letting things slide and slide and slide until I get so depressed or angry I can't function or I explode. If my body or my emotions tell me something's not in harmony with my True Essence, then I need to address it then and there, instead of shelving it. "Following my bliss," means exercising awareness. Paying attention to the things I do which are nurturing and supportive, and to those which are not. Maybe I've taken on a job, because I think I should. Maybe I'm sticking with a relationship because of what others might think. A good rule of thumb is - if you're motivated by external forces; take a good hard look at what you're doing. Choices should be guided from your inner compass.
Too often we see the way the needle of that compass is pointing, and choose to ignore it. Perhaps, it's because the path seems too difficult, or the way seems completely foreign to us. Or, it's simply because we'll be forced to walk that path alone. All those fears and doubts are just our mind clinging on to old habits. Fear is useful if it prevents us from harm. Most often though, irrational fear hurts us worse than actual challenges. Fear is the most powerful magnifying glass known to man. Not only does it magnify things, it distorts them too. If your bliss is trying to show you new vistas and you're looking at them through fear, you'll never see them clearly.
The Universe, The Cosmos, God, or whomever you want to call It, supports us when we dive inside ourselves and follow the Light within. If we have the courage to be our true selves, then we are aligned with the power of the Whole Universe. Think about that for a minute. The power of the Whole Universe. Seems like a pretty terrific reward for getting out of our own way, doesn't it? That bliss inside us is God. It is the Self. This really isn't a complex concept. What makes it so, is our fear of the unknown. "What will happen if . . ?" That's the future. No use worrying about something which hasn't occurred yet. Be in the present. Listen to your body. Witness your emotions. All that is like consulting a "bliss compass." It will point you in exactly the right direction every time.
Catherine Dale
April 2nd, 2004

(1) Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way - A Spiritual Path to Creativity, Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam, New York, 1992, 2002) p. 194
(2) see - World Health Organization Website / Global Burden of Disease Project (www.who.int/healthinfo/bodabout/en/index.html)