Ecstasy Delights Haiku
Ecstasy delights.
Passion burns in winter’s night.
Soul’s fire sets within.
~Dr. Thomas Maples
Ecstasy Delights
The Joys of Living
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.
Emily Dickinson
Got Joy? How can we find the simple joys that an internal ecstatic state brings? Is it possible to find joy, or even ecstasy in the day-to-day process of living? Not only do I see it as possible, I also see it as a pathway towards inner bliss?
A Psychology of Striving
Wayne Dyer once brought attention to an idea that I believe strikes at the very heart of this question. He explored a division that occurs in the psyche when we undertake goal-directed behaviors in the pursuit of ecstatic experiences. Of course, when we look upon our life, we naturally gravitate towards the formulation of goals. I say this, knowing that the very act of setting a goal is important for psychological growth. Yet, the never-ending act of striving linked with goal setting itself can be a root for suffering. While setting a destination is crucial, Wayne asks us instead to focus on the power of intent. When our focus shifts in this way, it can relieve us from a common root of suffering.
Accessing the power of intention relieved me of so much of the seemingly impossible work of striving to fulfill desires by sheer force of will.
Goals are endless. An entire industry exists around making you feel as if you are not enough. Maybe, your focus can be that new job or new car. Maybe it’s a new family, or a new wife. You have one, but maybe there is a better one out there.
Perhaps you imagine inner peace and joy will come with owning a new house, a kind of bliss in ownership. But does that hold true even if you’re already carrying two mortgages on your current home? (I use humor here as a coping mechanism; it lightens the load when confronting the less pleasant aspects of human nature.) It’s easy to see how suffering can arise through this kind of endless striving, even if delivered with a laugh.
But I am sure that you can see how suffering can arise through striving. This is true even if one uses a sense of humor to deliver its message. Yet, maybe there is a key there, for life is too damn serious to take seriously anyways.
A Psychology of Arriving
So what can we do? Let us turn our attention instead to the act of arriving at inner happiness. Let us set a goal and obtain it. No, instead, let us set a dream and learn to direct it. A goal is a destination. Yet, when we set its place, one of two factors normally occurs. We obtain it and then inevitably move onto the next destination. This sets a course for life filled with snapshot experiences. It starts a series of moments that lead to a feeling as if “wow, that was a life well-lived.”
Psychological processes such as this mirrors a “grass is greener on the other side” mentality. It presents a manic and controlled approach to life that doesn’t allow for much time to savor the fruits. Secondarily, and on a more somber note, it may cause one to lose themselves in the details. This can prevent one from seeing the flowers in the meadow they have traversed. Ultimately, it may cause one to miss the essence of inner happiness and joy that is present in the journey itself.
Losing One’s Self to Arrive
Have you ever been lost in your thoughts and then you suddenly realize, “Wow, I am home?” You didn’t even realize the path you took to get there. This represents a pressing into the psyche, that is oftentimes caused by overthinking, overwhelm, or an attention deficit. It is a dreamer’s position. Yet, it can create a deep chasm that can stand in the way between the dreamer and the dream’s fruition. Living out goals, or dreams if you will takes vision, but more importantly, it takes action. Just imagine, what would happen to Michelangelo’s David if he didn’t put the mallet to the stone. But it also takes foresight to know when to stop. For even that perfect work or art would have been ruined if he took one more chip at its perfection.
Set the destination, and enjoy the flowers along the way. Strive, but also make sure you arrive. It is in the living process between that creates the ecstatic state of inner bliss.
Find Your Inner Bliss
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.
Joseph Campbell
Here we have true words of wisdom from the mythologist Joseph Campbell. It interests me that he does not define bliss as something you find. Instead, he points to it being an inside job. “Follow your bliss,” sounds out, that it is up to us to foster that inner direction. Where does that “bliss” lead us? It may or may not be there. Ultimately, we must define its direction. This happens while on our personal journey towards ecstasy.
Much has been said in recent years about the universe, or some unseen cosmic force that guides our destiny. For me, there is no other representation that needs to be spoken of other than God’s word given to humanity.
Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. 7 Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, 8 and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9
But as it is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” 10 this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
~1 Corinthians 2:7-10
There is a wisdom present in the destiny we are afforded. Yet, will we listen when it unveils the plan?
A Boundary or a Door, You Decide?
What barriers stand between you and your inner bliss? Ultimately, that’s for you to decide. Obstacles will always arise when pursuing a dream.
Yet, have you ever seen a boundary without an opening? If you have, that represents a prison that is impenetrable. Even Daedalus’s Labyrinth had an exit, which Theseus used to escape. It just took someone wise enough to mark the path. However, Theseus wasn’t alone; he had divine help from Ariadne, who gave him a thread to guide his way. Still, Theseus needed to believe in himself. He needed courage for self-preservation. He also needed faith in his ability to defeat the Minotaur. Without these, he wouldn’t have escaped that deadly prison. With a little help and faith, don’t we also have the ability to find our way out of even the deepest labyrinths?
Ecstasy, Inner Bliss, and Coming Full Circle
When we come full circle, we realize even the newness of life’s river from a fresh perspective. Winter always gives way to Spring. Did that doorway disappear, or did it just get snowed in? I believe every boundary in our life making pursuit has a door. It’s our capacity to be silent and still that awakens the conscious focus needed to find their presence and solve the problem at hand.
You can go over or under, but that will breach the’ boundaries of others. You do not want to trespass in that manner, as it can have both visible and unforeseen consequences. Yet, sometimes a knock is all it takes. This may enlist the heart of a friend. They might be willing to walk with you through the labyrinth. Together, you may just find your way out, or discover a new source of knowledge right where you began. Ultimately, you grow in this journey, and maybe then, you can help others traverse a similar road.
The path to inner bliss is found in the journey to overcome barriers in a way that fosters self-growth and independence. Travel, but try not to impede on the same road that others travel. May your road open to you as you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.
More from Dr. Thomas Maples
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