ALLUREMENT or DOING SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT GOOD AT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dance class, Munduk, Bali  |
Back home
in Pennsylvania the other day I was talking to my friend Kathryn LeSoine, an
artist and photographer, about the new work she is doing. She's working with
many new media: plunging in, experimenting, seeing how things work and how they
work together--all this without a defined goal. It was a great thing, she said,
to work at something she's not yet good at. I said
that, for me, that kind of foray into new territory is answering the call of
the Beloved, saying Yes to allurement. A person, a place, an activity beckons, inviting us to
step beyond the safe and familiar and into the unknown and seductive. We fear
doing so: What if it doesn't work out? What if we make a fool of ourselves? What
if we're not good at it?
If you're intrigued with the idea of doing something you're not good at... and tracking your own allurement at the same time, here's an exercise I offer frequently at my
workshops: Get a
piece of paper and number down the side from 1 to 25. After each number, write
something you're currently allured to. It could be domestic (you've always want
to make a chocolate soufflé), humanitarian (you want to end hunger in Sudan),
familial (you really need to make amends to your brother-in-law for what
happened ten years ago), educational (you'd love to learn Italian). Try to focus your allurements on being and acting rather than on having. Then,
every week, take steps to launch yourself on the path to one of these
allurements. You probably won't get to them all. That's okay. But you'll get to
a few, and you'll discover unexpected surprises. You'll meet new people. You'll learn something that it feels profoundly satisfying to know at last. You'll
find out you can do things you didn't think you could do. And you'll let your
psyche know that it's okay to take risks and step into the mystery.
|
BEYOND THE PERSONAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
People pursue private interests and exchange views at the Parliament of the World's Religions, 2009  |
Theologian Frederick Buechner has written that one's calling is the place where "your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Hunger and gladness: these are surprising partners--not hunger and eating, not gladness and sorrow, but gladness and hunger. Buechner implies that a hunger, however and wherever it arises, is a need that is best satisfied not by those with certain credentials, certain provisions, but by those who feel the most ardent joy in responding.
For two or three decades, many people have been on a path of self-discovery. They wanted to be more at home in the world and with themselves. They sought a sense of freedom, a release from self-consciousness. They longed to be healed of past wounds, to open to love.
Now that path seems to be turning a corner. For one thing the economy is making it hard enough for people to buy school books and groceries, let alone spend time and money on what may seem like the luxury of inner work. Second, as a friend who tracks such trends in the cultural consciousness told me recently, people are increasingly focused on their communities.
This is a very positive shift, especially if what we bring to our communities is our whole, energetic self, our joy. The Path of the Lover is in direct alignment with this shift. The Beloved is an ancient archetype. The myths of many lands tell of a divine figure that bursts into the life of a human being (man or woman) and sweeps her (or him) off her feet, changing her life forever and compelling her to become her most sacred self. In personal terms, the inner Beloved is the dynamic force that pulls you in the direction of passion and joy, connects you with God-the Great Mystery-your higher self, and emboldens you to move past fear into the mystery that both frightens and allures you.
The world's hungers make themselves known in infinite ways. People need food, they need compassion in a time of loss, they need a ride to work, they need an aspirin, they need directions, they need silence. By paying attention to the hungers that call to our own particular joy, we respond with integrity. We give without feeling depleted. We come into alignment, rather than competition, with others.
Responding with joy to what which evokes our fascination and urge to participate, we enter a path that is made just for us. It won't all be easy. We'll make mistakes, we'll lose our way, we'll have many questions. But we'll be saying yes to the call that is aimed in our direction. We'll know joy, and someone else will be fed.
|
|
RADICAL JOY FOR HARD TIMES NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Global Earth Exchange, Ariel, WA |
If you haven't yet looked at the slide show of the Global Earth Exchange on our website, you're in for a treat. You can see images of the events that people all over the world did on June 19th to find and make beauty in wounded places. Next year's Global Earth Exchange is already scheduled for June 18, 2011.
Several exciting events are happening this fall that will spread the word about this pioneering new path of environmental activism.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 24:"Wild, Sad, Deep, and Joyful: Finding Heart in Wounded Places." Keynote speech by Trebbe Johnson. 8th Annual Wilderness Therapy Symposium, Naropa University, Boulder, CO.
October 21-24:"Radical Joy for Hard Times." Workshop by Trebbe Johnson. Bioneers by the Bay, New Bedford, MA. Sponsored by the Marion Institute. (Exact day for workshop to be determined.)
October 30: "Gulf Coast Rising: A Day of Solidarity, Beauty, Healing, and Yes, Even Joy for the Gulf of Mexico and Its People." From Galveston, TX to Panama City, FL, people will come together in a spirit of appreciation for their beautiful, damaged home. We need volunteers: team leaders, networkers, media contacts! For more information and to join, see our website.
|
THE LOVE OF NATURE AND THE END OF THE WORLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Since I have been in the Pacific Northwest, I have had the privilege of meeting Shierry Weber Nicholsen, whose remarkable book, The Love of Nature and the End of the World, I read recently.
In this book, Nicholsen a Seattle psychoanalyst, studies the effects of war and exile on people in an attempt to understand the how similar psychological reactions affect the humans victims of ecological destruction. She delves into the paradox of the human relationship to the natural world: on the one hand people love nature in a truly personal way; on the other hand, they seem indifferent to its destruction. This book is complex and thought-provoking. If you've ever longed to go beneath surface environmental preachings and appeals and really ponder the complex factors that make humans behave the way they do to nature, and respond as they do when nature is damaged, then I highly recommend this book. |
|
WRITINGS AND UPCOMING EVENTS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The World Is a Waiting Lover, with a foreword by Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, is available from Amazon.com or from your favorite bookstore.
Article:
My article, "World Religions Get Down to Earth," about the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia last December, appeared in the summer issue of Parabola. It has also been reprinted in the Parliament of the World's Relgions newsletter.
Interview:
The Spiritual Book Club blog did an interview with me recently. Very fun questions.
RADICAL JOY FOR HARD TIMES EVENTS WITH TREBBE JOHNSON:
September 24:"Wild, Sad, Deep, and Joyful: Finding Heart in Wounded Places." Keynote speech by Trebbe Johnson. 8th Annual Wilderness Therapy Symposium, Naropa University, Boulder, CO.
October 21-24:"Radical Joy for Hard Times." Workshop by Trebbe Johnson. Bioneers by the Bay, New Bedford, MA. Sponsored by the Marion Institute. (Exact day for workshop to be determined.)
UPCOMING PROGRAMS from VISION ARROW
Path of the Lover Workshops
We all live with two inner forces that influence many of our decisions each day. One calls us forth into the mystery that beckons us to expand more fully and authentically into the world. The other holds us back and urges (often excessive) caution. This popular workshop, based on my book, focuses on the first voice, that of the archetypal Beloved, a figure that shows up in the myths of many cultures, the poems of mystics, and in our dreams as the symbol of wholeness. Brought to conscious awareness, the Path of the Lover can bring us joy, passion, and fulfillment.
- Connect with the archetypal Beloved in you, that knows how to say YES to what you love
- Discover how your past loves (including those that didn't work out) were essential in opening you up to a bigger capacity to love
- Learn to recognize the inner voice of the "loyal soldier" that wants to hold you back from following your heart
- See how fascination and allurement have led you onto important paths all your life
November 12-14: Schloss Glarisegg, Lake Constance, Switzerland (contact Silvia Figel)
November 19-21: Eschwege Institute, Eschwege, Germany
Endless Mountains Vision Quest
August 9-13
This four-day program, held in a secluded 400-acre nature preserve, is specially designed for those who seek a meaningful rite of passage in a beautiful, yet accessible place. You explore many of the same processes and practices as in the longer vision quest, but with a focus on reading Nature's lessons and discovering how they apply to your own path in life. For the twenty-four-hour solo you may choose from among diverse ecological niches: glacial pond, meadow, wetlands, stream, or forest. Minimal backpacking. $605
What Now?
September 10-17
The time comes when everyone who has quested for a vision or dedicated themselves in some other way to bring a vision to fruition needs to re-explore what happened and how the insights of that experience relate to your current life. During this week-long retreat, held in old-growth Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in North Carolina, you'll explore what about your original vision still has heart and meaning... clarify where you are right now and what you are called to contribute to your community and your planet... and discover how you can reshape your vision to feed your own joy and the world's hunger for meaningful change. There will be a one-day solo in the ancient forest.
Guides: Trebbe Johnson & Eugene Hughes
Cost: $1,050. Click here to get to the Vision Arrow website, where you can download our beautiful flyer by Charlotte Dewar, who works with Eugene.
Sahara Vision Quest and Camel CaravanJanuary 1-15, 2011
NOTE: This may be the last year for this extraordinary journey! There are major changes going on at Foundation Iferouane, the Swiss organization that sponsors it, so if you have ever been drawn to participate, don't tell yourself, Maybe next year!
Following the steps of intrepid seekers throughout the ages who have been drawn to the desert to fast and pray for guidance, we venture into the greatest desert of all: the Sahara. Our guides are a group of nomadic Tuareg, a matriarchal people known for their love of the desert, poetry, camels, and beauty. Our base camp in the black basalt wonderland of southern Algeria is truly remote, reached after 1-2 days travel by Land Rover, followed by 3-4 days in a camel caravan. To undertake this journey, you must have an adventurous spirit and be prepared to sleep under the stars, immerse yourself in the ways of another culture, experience hot days and cold nights, live three weeks without a shower, and move fearlessly into a life of meaning and fulfillment.
Guides: Sabina Wyss, Trebbe Johnson, Adem Mellakh, and Tuareg hosts
Cost : 4,444 Swiss Francs, (approximately $4,500.00), including all meals, camping fees, riding camel, land transportation in the desert, and air travel from a European city to Tamanrasset, Algeria
For a complete list of programs offered by Vision Arrow, see our website.
Call 570 727 4272 or email Trebbe if you have questions or would like to talk about any of these programs.
|
|
