You have to strive every minute to get rid of the life that you have planned in order to have the life that's waiting to be yours. Move. Move. Move into the transcendent. That's the whole sense of adventure, I think.
- An Open Life: Joseph Campbell in Conversation with Michael Toms
I love this quote (and pretty much anything else Joseph Campbell wrote). When does our “journey” move from resistance to flow? From clinging to the old way of living, from living with an under current of fear in our lives; fear that we aren’t enough, fear of losing what we have, fear of the unknown.
Not paralyzing fear. That’s not what I mean – it’s a subtle feeling, a whisper of a voice in our mind that says, “You can’t live like that,” “You should believe like this,” “You’ll never have that,” “Feeling good is something other people can achieve.” Then February comes along and it’s time to head South.
Each time I travel to Mexico and embrace Teotihuacan and its pyramids, I experience some new revelation. Some new insight that has been buried inside of me. “Move. Move. Move into the transcendent.” Remarkably that always happens in Teo.
And the best part is I don’t really have to do anything to make that process unfold. Well maybe one small thing is necessary. I need to be open to what is. It may take a day or two for my system to register what’s going on, for my mind to release the ideas of what my Teo experience should look like. Since me being a bit hard of head, the Universe does a gentle jack hammer riff on me and eventually some Light seeps in. Eventually I see the opportunity.
So what was the “adventure” for me this time around?
Bodhi (my almost three year old son). Bodhi. One word conjures up so many images. Why? (Yes you may ask why). I was charged with taking care of Bo while the lovely Dreamers and group participants had their fun at the pyramids. My first reaction was pretty predictable.
How was it that I, a “master,” had been relegated to chasing a toddler around a labyrinth and changing dirty diapers?
Wasn’t I “supposed” to be leading the charge up the Avenue of the Dead?
What the heck was I going to do all day with this little being?
As if that wasn’t difficult enough by default, I suddenly found myself also in charge of playing with Lola & Bella, Lee & Mee’s (the owners of The Dreaming House) little girls. Great. This is exactly what I came to this beloved power spot to do: play “Manny” for a week. This was not my plan for my spiritual enlightenment. Nope.
Ahh dear reader you must anticipate the punch line rapidly approaching, no? The cosmic smack down of Jamie coming fast huh? Yup.
Except it was a beautiful revelation – another brilliant opportunity (isn’t our life packed with them?) to switch from what it should be to what is.
Remarkably I found myself gradually becoming more and more present. Slowly finding the joy of seeing (SEEING!) through the eyes of small children. Playing again with no attachment to what we were playing. During the games, the discoveries, the emotions of these three children shifting and swirling like little dust devils – I found myself totally present.
Let me say that again for effect: totally present in the moment. Wow. Try that for even a minute.
You can’t, I know. I can’t either when I’m plugged into my inner dialogue (especially back in my Bubble of a dream in Marblehead where I live). But some crazy shift occurred without even leaving the Dreaming House grounds.
What a relief, huh? What a gift (yet again, thank you Teo). Really. What I saw was the “adventure” that is called my “process.” We all arrive in Mexico with some sort of discomfort, some nagging pebble in our shoe (chaffing against our soul?) too small to stop and remove, but enough of a reminder to get our attention.
During our stay in Mexico the opportunities are many and constant to release so much that is baggage in our Hearts, so much that is not allowing us to fully shine, be totally present, to live from that drum beating place that IS our Heart. Our innermost Desire, our Dream of Life. To be in service to a feeling. That feeling is Love.
Well the funny thing is the Universe smiled and patted me on the head like a good little boy after my great realization. On our last day of the trip, Bodhi and I entered the pyramid grounds at Gate Five and walked to the base of the Sun. We planned to join the group at the top for the closing ceremonies.
As we approached the base of the pyramid Bo saw his mom (Meghan) across the plaza and casually waved to her. He then said to me, “I want to climb the Sun now.” And climb he did. One step then another without pausing.
When we had climbed to the last flat spot before the top he sat down and said, “Papa, look how high the Dreamers are,” as we looked down at the group gathered below us at the base. We had some water and a snack.
My thought was we would hang out while the group gathered at the very top. I would keep an eye on Bo but we didn’t have plans to join the ceremony. My feeling was we had to get right to the top and start holding the energy. And that’s what we did.
Climbing quickly the rest of the way. Then Bo sat with me as I began to settle into the space at the top of the Sun. He was quiet and I could feel our connection deepening as we sat there. Gradually the group came to encircle the top of the pyramid and a ceremony was created. Meghan sat down and put Bo in her lap and leaned into me.
Of all of my experiences on top of the Pyramid of the Sun this one was so sweet and tender. It felt like heaven.
Each one of you who are reading this knows that Love is transcendent. And I bet you also know that life is an adventure.
So my advice?
Go find a few toddlers. Put your cell phone down. Take off your shoes. Find a ray of sunlight. Connect to that moment. Take a really deep breath and go play.
Thank you Bodhi. Thank you.
- An Open Life: Joseph Campbell in Conversation with Michael Toms
I love this quote (and pretty much anything else Joseph Campbell wrote). When does our “journey” move from resistance to flow? From clinging to the old way of living, from living with an under current of fear in our lives; fear that we aren’t enough, fear of losing what we have, fear of the unknown.
Not paralyzing fear. That’s not what I mean – it’s a subtle feeling, a whisper of a voice in our mind that says, “You can’t live like that,” “You should believe like this,” “You’ll never have that,” “Feeling good is something other people can achieve.” Then February comes along and it’s time to head South.
Each time I travel to Mexico and embrace Teotihuacan and its pyramids, I experience some new revelation. Some new insight that has been buried inside of me. “Move. Move. Move into the transcendent.” Remarkably that always happens in Teo.
And the best part is I don’t really have to do anything to make that process unfold. Well maybe one small thing is necessary. I need to be open to what is. It may take a day or two for my system to register what’s going on, for my mind to release the ideas of what my Teo experience should look like. Since me being a bit hard of head, the Universe does a gentle jack hammer riff on me and eventually some Light seeps in. Eventually I see the opportunity.
So what was the “adventure” for me this time around?
Bodhi (my almost three year old son). Bodhi. One word conjures up so many images. Why? (Yes you may ask why). I was charged with taking care of Bo while the lovely Dreamers and group participants had their fun at the pyramids. My first reaction was pretty predictable.
How was it that I, a “master,” had been relegated to chasing a toddler around a labyrinth and changing dirty diapers?
Wasn’t I “supposed” to be leading the charge up the Avenue of the Dead?
What the heck was I going to do all day with this little being?
As if that wasn’t difficult enough by default, I suddenly found myself also in charge of playing with Lola & Bella, Lee & Mee’s (the owners of The Dreaming House) little girls. Great. This is exactly what I came to this beloved power spot to do: play “Manny” for a week. This was not my plan for my spiritual enlightenment. Nope.
Ahh dear reader you must anticipate the punch line rapidly approaching, no? The cosmic smack down of Jamie coming fast huh? Yup.
Except it was a beautiful revelation – another brilliant opportunity (isn’t our life packed with them?) to switch from what it should be to what is.
Remarkably I found myself gradually becoming more and more present. Slowly finding the joy of seeing (SEEING!) through the eyes of small children. Playing again with no attachment to what we were playing. During the games, the discoveries, the emotions of these three children shifting and swirling like little dust devils – I found myself totally present.
Let me say that again for effect: totally present in the moment. Wow. Try that for even a minute.
You can’t, I know. I can’t either when I’m plugged into my inner dialogue (especially back in my Bubble of a dream in Marblehead where I live). But some crazy shift occurred without even leaving the Dreaming House grounds.
What a relief, huh? What a gift (yet again, thank you Teo). Really. What I saw was the “adventure” that is called my “process.” We all arrive in Mexico with some sort of discomfort, some nagging pebble in our shoe (chaffing against our soul?) too small to stop and remove, but enough of a reminder to get our attention.
During our stay in Mexico the opportunities are many and constant to release so much that is baggage in our Hearts, so much that is not allowing us to fully shine, be totally present, to live from that drum beating place that IS our Heart. Our innermost Desire, our Dream of Life. To be in service to a feeling. That feeling is Love.
Well the funny thing is the Universe smiled and patted me on the head like a good little boy after my great realization. On our last day of the trip, Bodhi and I entered the pyramid grounds at Gate Five and walked to the base of the Sun. We planned to join the group at the top for the closing ceremonies.
As we approached the base of the pyramid Bo saw his mom (Meghan) across the plaza and casually waved to her. He then said to me, “I want to climb the Sun now.” And climb he did. One step then another without pausing.
When we had climbed to the last flat spot before the top he sat down and said, “Papa, look how high the Dreamers are,” as we looked down at the group gathered below us at the base. We had some water and a snack.
My thought was we would hang out while the group gathered at the very top. I would keep an eye on Bo but we didn’t have plans to join the ceremony. My feeling was we had to get right to the top and start holding the energy. And that’s what we did.
Climbing quickly the rest of the way. Then Bo sat with me as I began to settle into the space at the top of the Sun. He was quiet and I could feel our connection deepening as we sat there. Gradually the group came to encircle the top of the pyramid and a ceremony was created. Meghan sat down and put Bo in her lap and leaned into me.
Of all of my experiences on top of the Pyramid of the Sun this one was so sweet and tender. It felt like heaven.
Each one of you who are reading this knows that Love is transcendent. And I bet you also know that life is an adventure.
So my advice?
Go find a few toddlers. Put your cell phone down. Take off your shoes. Find a ray of sunlight. Connect to that moment. Take a really deep breath and go play.
Thank you Bodhi. Thank you.
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