I saw a 6-hour documentary about Joseph Campbell a while back. It's called the Power of Myth, and is a long interview by Bill Moyers on PBS. It was on Netflix a while back, but don't seem to be now. In any event, it's well wroth watching.
One point in particular that really stuck with me was the conversation about his famous phrase "follow your bliss".
So many of us are busy focusing on how we can help others, heal others, heal the world, fix perceived wrongs in the world.
At the conference, a lot of questions and a lot of talk was devoted to, how can we spread mindfulness and meditation to other people in our organization, or outside of our organization.
And that's all well and good.
But very often, this desire to help comes from a lack of will to heal ourselves.
It goes like this:
I need help. I need love. I need healing. But healing myself is hard work and painful and I'm not sure how to do it. Besides, I'm not even really admitting to myself that I need it. So let me shut that down and focus my energy on healing others. I see their pain. I project my own pain onto them. Let me focus outside myself, because it's easier and safer and less scary than really looking at my own demons.
I've done this a lot.
These days, whenever I feel the urge to heal the world or heal other people, without them asking, I just love the part of me that feels the need to do this. If I then still feel like doing something, I'll do it, but it'll be coming from a place of love, rather than a place of need or lack, disguised as altruism.
And that was exactly what Campbell said: The best way to make the "heal the world" (not sure he used that term, but I forget what he did use), is to be in bliss. When you're resonating pure love, those who are ready will respond and take in what they need, and those who aren't won't.
Follow your bliss. Be love. It's not your job to heal the world. Just heal yourself, and the rest will take care of itself.
PS. What do you most need help with right now? Contact me and let me know. Then I'll see what I can do about it. No promises, but I'm feelin' the love.
One point in particular that really stuck with me was the conversation about his famous phrase "follow your bliss".
So many of us are busy focusing on how we can help others, heal others, heal the world, fix perceived wrongs in the world.
At the conference, a lot of questions and a lot of talk was devoted to, how can we spread mindfulness and meditation to other people in our organization, or outside of our organization.
And that's all well and good.
But very often, this desire to help comes from a lack of will to heal ourselves.
It goes like this:
I need help. I need love. I need healing. But healing myself is hard work and painful and I'm not sure how to do it. Besides, I'm not even really admitting to myself that I need it. So let me shut that down and focus my energy on healing others. I see their pain. I project my own pain onto them. Let me focus outside myself, because it's easier and safer and less scary than really looking at my own demons.
I've done this a lot.
These days, whenever I feel the urge to heal the world or heal other people, without them asking, I just love the part of me that feels the need to do this. If I then still feel like doing something, I'll do it, but it'll be coming from a place of love, rather than a place of need or lack, disguised as altruism.
And that was exactly what Campbell said: The best way to make the "heal the world" (not sure he used that term, but I forget what he did use), is to be in bliss. When you're resonating pure love, those who are ready will respond and take in what they need, and those who aren't won't.
Follow your bliss. Be love. It's not your job to heal the world. Just heal yourself, and the rest will take care of itself.
PS. What do you most need help with right now? Contact me and let me know. Then I'll see what I can do about it. No promises, but I'm feelin' the love.
About Calvin Correli
I've spent the last 17 years learning, growing, healing, and discovering who I truly am, so that I'm now living every day aligned with my life's purpose.
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