I was driving and thinking about Joseph Campbell's maxim of "follow your bliss." (Since college, I've been very fond of Campbell and his work.) It was an online conversation that led me to back to it, and I found myself imagining how I'd explain sources of bliss in my life. I would say, it's twofold: experiencing life, union and communion with my lover/husband/soulmate AND worshipping and experiencing communion with the gods and everything that entails, the mysticism and devotion to Them. And it hit me.
These things ARE my bliss.
You see, I'd always interpreted a subtext to "follow your bliss". Namely, that one should be able to turn one's bliss into a vocation, and that is what you should do with your life. That whatever you love or whatever fulfills you should be able to be transformed into a career. I've never loved any job that I've had. I went to college to try and figure it out and got a degree in General Arts because I didn't. The job I have now I've had for nearly 10 years, because I'm good at it, it pays well and it helps people. But I don't love it, and some days I don't even like it. I've long thought myself as a little "lost" because I couldn't figure out how to reconcile what other people seem to be able to.
But in another time, my devotion to the gods COULD have been a vocation. I could have served in a temple or been a priestess. I would have done it in a heartbeat.
Like most epiphanies, this probably seems pretty ordinary and obvious to anyone else. But it was a subtle shift in perception that makes me feel not just less "lost", but just a little more justified in taking what time I need to devote to the gods. I don't know how to turn mysticism into a career, but I think I can figure out how to make it a priority in my life.
That is a very important epiphany and I wish you the best in following your bliss.
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend!
DeleteI had a similar epiphany just as I was graduating from college. I had been trying to force what I loved into some kind of career mold and it wasn't working, I couldn't figure out any way to make a living from what was important to me without sacrificing and diluting too much. So I decided to just pursue it anyway, to the fullest extent possible, and figure out other ways of paying the bills. A few lucky people are able to match their passion and vocation to a career, but it's pretty rare if your passion is mysticism. What you can do instead is fashion a life that doesn't require too much time spent working to make money, so you can spend as much of your energy as possible on what really matters. (it doesn't seem to be letting me log in - but this is Dver from A Forest Door)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! In retrospect, I am surprised it took me so long to see it! I think it's one of the final things I needed to learn from my Saturn return. Funny that it wasn't that I needed to change jobs, just the way I see my job. I am fortunate -- for having a full time job, I have a pretty ideal schedule. I work 12-hour graveyard shifts 3 or 4 consecutive days a week (rotating), so I get 3 or 4 days off per week. That allows me remain nocturnal and have whole days for ritual or festival if I choose.
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