Where Beginners Mind & Embodied Wisdom Coalesce

Alive Again - part 2/5

🕊️Keep going, because this “whats the fucking point” phase is actually not the end of your journey, it’s the beginning of embodied wisdom with a beginners mind.

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Me in all my young, naive, foolish glory, before the pandemic & a gnarly breakup wised me up.

In the last essay (which you can read here if you missed it) we discussed the backwards wisdom of the Fool, who can teach us to dance with life. Let’s be honest, it’s no small feat to move in this way. 

So today I want to build upon this foundation as we wade through the reality that you know more now… and knowing more hasn’t brought more freedom, wisdom or joy. 

It’s true, what they say: ignorance is bliss, and the truth is a bitch.

I’ve noticed this in every area of my life as I have grown and evolved.

For example, over the last 2 years, I have longed for the “simpler times” in my business– the freshness of the beginning, the excitement to simply have the privilege to do this work, the sheer aliveness, confidence and bliss of being a beginner. It’s a wonderful place to be when you haven’t had to “grow up” and see the shadows of an industry, faced your own (or others’) humanity, Ego and limitations!

You, too, may notice this in your relationships. 

When the honeymoon phase ends, when a crisis happens, when someone gets sick… you’re left with two real, human people with quirks, wonky history, prickly communication habits and methods of self-protection that don’t evoke the bliss, joy and ecstasy you hoped would last forever. 

Be it business, in romantic partnership, a creative project, your spiritual life, your healing, your relationship to politics or collective liberation, it’s common to start the journey with energy, openness, willingness and fervor, and then to experience a taste of reality; only to have your bubbly expectations deflated. You may become disillusioned, be burned, feel weary, burnt-out and ask “what’s the fucking point??”

Relate?

If so, nothing has gone wrong. You’re actually right on time.  

🕊️Keep going, because this “whats the fucking point” phase is actually not the end of your journey, it’s the beginning of embodied wisdom with a beginners mind.