The Journey is The Destination ~ Smelling The Roses and Walking The Wu Wei

As kids, summer mostly meant play time, a time to adventure and have fun. I don't think we loose that desire to play as we get older but summer now means a chance to get a lot of stuff done, to accomplish, and it tends to involve a lot of work. We are all trying to manifest our dreams and be that change in the world that we wish to see, but sometimes our over-effort blocks the flow. I was at the yurt camp the other day and I noticed something about the feeling of happiness and what impedes it. I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish and I had completed about 95% of it. The weather was kind and I only had a few glitches along the way ( as apparently life does not always go exactly as we plan) however, even though I had gotten so much done, I could still only partially seem to really enjoy the progress. What I felt creeping in was that old familiar feeling of wanting to be way ahead of where I was. The opposite of the old adage that the " journey is the destination ." The momentum of "doing" can be so strong that it steals the sweet part of the journey. The inner "doer" is always wanting to be ahead and often lives in a feeling of lack rather than fullness or gratitude. The irony being that if we really stop and feel into the moment we are often was so blessed with time, energy, support, and abundance. This kind of experience is a prime example of what is referred to as Rajasic energy in Ayurveda, it's compared to the energy of emperors who seek to always achieve more, gain more, conquer more, and so on. As those of you who have completed Module 2 on Ayurveda know that Rajas is an essential force in the universe, it is akin to the force of creation. It's not a bad energy to work with... unless it is burning out of control (notice the solar plexus and fire analogy here). Rajas is always seeking to get ahead, yet even as we are on the frontier of new creations and progress we can often notice, much to our chagrin, that some of our earlier creations are already starting to need repair! Usually due to the nature of decay and the natural life cycle of things. In Ayurveda this tendency of things to break down and go into a downward spiral towards rest or renewal is what is called Tamas - the balance to Rajas. Theoretically, Winter is supposed to be that time of renewal and rest and "cooling our jets" so to speak, but in modern times people are so busy and active that the winter season is not much of a rest at all. So what's the solution? Is there a solution? Is there a way to enjoy the process of creation without becoming obsessed with the "next phase" to the point we can never seem to truly stop and smell the roses? Indeed there is, or I probably wouldn't bother writing this blog! To stop and smell a rose is to stop the world and tune into the vibration of Sattva - is referring to a feeling of inner peace and a sense of great harmony. To be in a sattvic state is to be in a state of ease and find the ability to taste the sweetness of life. I jokingly compare Winnie the Poo to Sattva in Module 2, and Tiger to Rajas, and Iyor to Tamas. We were born into a culture that worships Rajas, accomplishment, growth, and "becoming somebody." We were raised being graded on achievements and constantly being told in some way we are not enough... quite yet. It's fun having goals and working towards our visions, but even the "counter culture" that attempts to bow out of society or modern culture and do life an "alternative way" are often literally burning the candle ( Ojas ) at both ends. Even in spiritual or nature orientated circles there is often so much ambition towards personal growth and achievement that there is rarely a chance of being content or happy as is . The message of the ancient Taoists, from the shamanistic land of sages and meditation masters, is to let go a bit - into the state of what they call Wu Wei or effortless action . Now these wise ones were rarely raising kids, holding down careers, going to school, or paying rent, so they had it easier that way, but they also made choices to support such an easeful life. They tended to live in forest huts or caves with very little demands on them. Yet still their message is a potent one for us today as one of the gems they offer us is the idea that what makes a person a success. To a Taoist, the successful person, was one who could abide in the feeling of contentment and inner peace. A state or quality that they call Shen . For those of you who are into chakras, this would be quite a healthy heart chakra space. It tends to be much better for our health and our relationships. Ambition, and the tension and exhaustion that can accompany it, can be quite hard on relationships and steal the joy of life and being. This happens to be one of the main regrets recorded by those on their death beds - that they wish they would have slowed down and enjoyed life more, and allowed themselves to be happy. What might it feel like to at least occasionally be happy, accepting and at peace with things as they are? Content with our appearance, our bodies, our homes, our achievements, our lot in life, our income, our life partners and family and so on? As you can see this may be easier said than done, and like gardening, it requires cultivating an inner feeling of acceptance and gratitude for what is - now. Let's not confuse contentment with apathy. Maybe at times we need more exercise, or to eat less, or maybe we do need to move out of a moldy apartment, but when we do this W u Wei style it is done naturally, and with a sense of knowing when we need to make a change that is good for us it is natural movement like stretching your arms to the ceiling in the morning. It's an effortless action done without forcing or resisting. Without excessive deliberation or rumination. After all too much deliberating over things is de-liberating! We can imagine a natural movement as similar to how an animal chooses where to lay down on the ground. The kind of ease of flow that does not create dis-ease. Such states of ease and moments of soft surrender "into accepting and being grateful for the now" are not cultivated in our culture nearly enough compared to the opposite. Here enters our awareness of the collective human state of anxiety. Many people cannot, or will not slow down. Not because they are chasing dreams but because of the fear of "loosing ground" or everything falling apart. Now the antidote to fear of course is faith - something not promoted on the evening news or most daily media feeds. Faith is a feeling that heals, it's that trust in a greater force of harmony and creation that allows us to dance more with life and loosen our grip of fear. As the old saying goes it's "trust or bust." There is a natural joy that comes from both faith and the feeling of ease and gratitude that tends to go with it. It's almost a prerequisite to being able to stop and smell the roses or perceive the beauty and miracle of life, and it's a radical force of activism and self healing in a frenetic world. One of my favourite books of my 20's was written by Carlos Castenada , called Journey to Ixtlan . It was about a very heady scientist meeting a Mexican Currendero (healer / shaman) named Don Juan. There was chapter in the book that I will never forget called Stopping the World. All these years later I can see the importance of this perennial message about coming fully into the moment and being 100% present with our ability to see nature, to see life as it really is. To look at it all without labels, as it is and perceive the raw power, intelligence, and perfection of it all - as it is. To also see beyond what we see with our eyes and into the world of pure spirit, the force beneath what we see. Amidst our desirous ambitions, our need for control, or fear of impermanence, we can learn a lot from the courageous stance of the shaman. To take a deep breath, make a cup of tea, hug a loved one, smell a flower, and see through the game of life. Taking a moment to taste the nectar of being alive. To see the beauty, to feel the majesty, is to begin to sense the presence of our infinite nature and is part of our journey to wholeness. To sense a part of our being which lies beyond this great struggle and play of life. This is to find the sweet spot, to feel the awe, and to centre ourselves in eternal love. This is the state the shamans tell us can repel all negativity. This is the terrain of such masters as Winnie the Poo (who just happens to be from Winnipeg) meandering through the day, eating honey, trusting the flow, and that things always seem to work out. In traditional healing systems such as Ayurveda it is well understood that disease and unhappiness are most often the result of an imbalanced mind. It's true that there are essential herbs and vitamins that help with our mood such as B vitamins , and herbs like St John's Wort , or Lemon Balm . It's also true that diet and what kind of media we ingest are also important. We also know that hormones play a key role in ones state of emotions but we're talking about deeper root causes here. The root causes of dis-ease in Ayurveda is often said to be excessive ambition , as well as fear/hatred, and greed. There are sub categories fo these such as jealousy, resentment, grief and so on, however they are all said to stem from a lack of awareness or ignorance as to the true nature of things. Our true nature is already whole and content, which promote ease and good health. We may be part primal beings on a wild planet, and we do need to be on on toes, but if we really want to bloom in this life then we have to learn to "stop the world" as Don Juan would say. I think most of us would agree, that the Elders are right ~ the journey really is the destination, and that we are not going to find true happiness simply by what we achieve. We are already enough, and we were born enough. We are not only our bodies, but radiant souls rooted in divine source and each of us is a miracle of life born to experience our full potential to shine. Sure will need to pay our bills, to achieve things, and survive in these wild times. Sure we will seem to fail at times, and we may even seem to get a some of what we want at times. However as the late folk singer Utah Phillips once said "no matter how new age you get .... old age is gonna kick your ass." Tamas will win in the end, so the renewal can start again ~ that is how the wheel of life is designed. Impermanence is a core teaching of so many wisdom traditions, not to try to make us feel morbid or hopeless, but to help us enjoy the dance and play of life with more ease ~ to hold on more loosely and playfully. The rise and fall of relationships, of careers, economies, or even of entire civilizations and phases of history are nothing new here. As they would say in India, It's all part of the play of Maya - the great illusion, it's all part of Shiva's dance of creation and destruction. So maybe we are all learning to soften with age, and to dance with the cycles of the seasons of life. Learning to be "in the world, but not of it." We can build, we can grow, we can achieve, but if we really want to enjoy it, maybe we best practice to be grateful for the process itself. Grateful for the many lessons we learn, and the chance to love, forgive and let go. This is what is means to be in a Sattvic state in Ayurveda - to be light and clear in our minds and hearts. To feel awake in the dream of life, and compassionate towards ourselves and all life. The healing process involves remembering, and softening into the Wu Wei way of neither forcing nor resisting the flow and being more at ease. Then, at least from the view of the ancient philosophers of the East, we are a success! Content as we play, create, and cross off our lists, happy to just to be alive and in awe with today. Smelling the roses, with a smile of gratitude, and learning to walk the Wu Wei.