Creating Pleasure

Dearest Goddesses,

I was thinking more about my post from yesterday regarding the spectrum between pleasure and pain. Although I do feel like you have a choice in many situations to choose pleasure – I noticed myself trying to practice what I preached yesterday and actually choose pleasure. There were moments when I would be telling myself “choose pleasure, choose pleasure” and it just wasn’t happening! One thing I’m very good at is being able to shift my perspective and consider the perspectives of others in whatever I might be going through at the time – but there are just those moments when I know exactly what I need to give up in order to shift it – but I just won’t – or in the moment it is simply too hard to see beyond my strong emotions.

So while I was “on it” yesterday (and this morning, I might add) I observed that pleasure and pain aren’t always on opposite spectrums. I think actually it’s about collapsing the spectrums and simply bringing pleasure into the pain. Pain and upset are always going to be there – you can definitely choose your reaction – but chances are while you’re still training yourself not to immediately go into assassin mode when something (or someone) does not go the way you envisioned – I think that pleasure can be used to heal the pain, the upset. For example – last night I was experiencing an upset and I went into my bedroom and there on my bed were all three of my dogs. They knew I was upset and I allowed the pleasure of their kisses and love even though I was inside the pain – and the pain/upset did not completely subside – but during those moments of pleasure I was taken care of and I was able to see through the upset.

There is an exercise that I heard through a teleseminar a year or so ago – and I apologize that I do not have the author – but I will share the exercise. It was called Flip Switching. He had you think of something that relaxed you or brought you pleasure (child’s laughter, playing with your pets, sunset over the mountains…) When you find yourself getting stressed or upset or in pain – STOP – and think about your relaxation thought for 17 seconds. And you will automatically feel yourself getting calmer.

Patty’s Challenge: When you find yourself getting stressed – try the flip switching exercise and actively try to shift your energy from pain to pleasure – or at least be willing to experience or look for pleasure while inside of the pain.

Creating Pleasure: Wow, it’s been awhile since I offered a creative project…What is coming to me this morning is creating a visual representation of your relaxed moment – or simply think about being relaxed and allow your intuition to guide you – don’t worry about the outcome or the product – simply allow yourself to go through the creative process – allow yourself to create.

Recommendation: I’ve been sharing bits and pieces from The Wheel of Life which I think is a fantastic book – but I’m also re-reading an old favourite of mine – Life Paint & Passion by Michele Cassau and Stuart Cubley. It is simply a fantastic book and although it is about painting and allowing your intuition to guide yourself through the creative process while painting – I think it works with any genre. It’s really a must read – especially for anyone not acknowledging their inner artist – or convinced that they are not creative.

Love to you,

Patty

Grounding For Pleasure

Dearest Goddesses,

Pleasure…I’ve been allowing myself to experience snippets and really see the connection to not only perception and choice, but also to grounding.

In every moment, I have the choice to feel pleasure or pain or something in the middle of that spectrum. Sometimes these “choices” aren’t conscious, but I think it is possible to catch yourself and make a switch if you need to. I was sitting in traffic the other day, having a grand ole time. I was listening to Radio Dos – the only station on the planet I think where you can still hear Rhinestone Cowboy on the radio followed by We Are The World – and I was rockin out. It seemed to be one great song after another and I was totally enjoying sitting in traffic – I didn’t allow myself to get stressed out or cranky that I had taken a wrong turn and gotten stuck at a stupid intersection – I just let it be and continued the pleasure of singing the songs. NOW, this doesn’t happen all the time – and a lot of the times that I am sitting in traffic, I find myself headed toward the opposite spectrum of pain and torture and even when I’m there, I don’t make a conscious choice to get myself out of the funk and take the opportunity for a little pleasure – but the choice exists.

I tried to take this a step further in my head this morning and I thought about a disagreement that John and I had the other day. After the fact, I noticed that I consciously avoided his touch and requests for kisses – I kept the disagreement going. I could easily have chosen instead to head on the path of pleasure and be kissed and touched. Looking back, I can see that I was “proving a point” by withholding. Not particularly sure what that point was – or how effective it was! (To be honest, I don’t really remember the argument either – just the withholding. Sure would have been nice to choose the kisses and touches instead…)

Essentially we have to get out of our own way to be able to truly choose pleasure in the moment. I needed to give up being right in order to be present with John. I would have to avoid being the victim or whatever meaning I place behind the traffic in order to enjoy singing the songs on the radio instead of screaming at the traffic. Noone else would need to change a thing – just me. I am in control of my pleasure!

Now with that being said – having that choice become conscious requires some grounding – a connection to the Earth. If you consciously ground yourself you are not like a helium balloon being held by someone else – whose fate is guided by where the person wants to go or whether he/she wants to let go. Your roots are centered and feet planted firmly on the ground. This is needed in order to be able to access those higher levels of consciousness.

I’ve attached a grounding meditation from Wheels of Life, by Anodea Judith (I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a comprehensive but very readable book on the chakras).

Patty’s Challenge: Do the grounding meditation and give yourself a gut check every once in awhile – is there a place where you are able to make the choice for pleasure – if so – choose that!

Love to you,
Patty

Every Challenge, an Opportunity..:For Pleasure?

Dearest goddesses,

Ah…Pleasure. After a few weeks of challenge and justice and crossroads – this seems like a wonderful breather!

Of course, if you’re like me, you’re thinking how can I have pleasure, take the time out for pleasure when I’m dealing with…justice, challenge, crossroads (just to name a few…) It’s like if we deny, if we just wait and get through the challenges – then there will be plenty of pleasure to be had. If only…when…

I think that is the ultimate lesson of challenge – and it is perfect that pleasure comes right after challenge. Challenge is going to be there regardless, right? And as the Sphinx said – “…every challenge is an opportunity, every challenge presents a gift – every challenge is there to serve you…or not – the choice is yours.” I think one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves would be inside of challenge – to provide for the sensual needs of our body – thank Hathor for the gifts of pleasure –sound, music, song, dance, art, love and touch. And those are simple pleasures to be able to give to ourselves. Listening to music, dancing, looking at or making art and in the immortal words of one of my favorite goddesses: “Just open your legs and abundance will come...” (there’s no need for Mr or Ms right – or right now – treat yourself to a romantic date and allow yourself the pleasure of a home run!)

Patty’s Challenge: In The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, she challenges us with taking ourselves out on Artist’s Dates. These are dates that you take yourself on – or really that you take your inner child/artist on. Plan an artist date this week – schedule it and KEEP IT no matter what comes up.

Love to you,

Patty

P.S. I sort of slacked last week with the theme of challenge and wanted to share something. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the chakras lately – and am reading a great book called Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith (thanks Lula!). I’m still on the first chakra which really relates to the theme of challenge (and pleasure is a nice transition into the 2^nd chakra!)

She talks about the importance of grounding in the first chakra - and without grounding, we do not have the support or foundation of the consciousness awakenings of the upper chakras. To master the first chakra is to understand and heal the body - of which all of us are given just one of to travel along this life...grounding is connecting to the earth and protecting us from becoming overloaded by every day tension. I really liked the following analogy - taking the idea of energy never stopping, only transforming (little did I know that the work of Mr. Little's physics class might actually provide some relevance to my life in some way.) This statement clarified for me the idea of transforming chaos into stillness:

“Grounding brings clarity through stillness. Every action causes a reaction. If we can “still” our reactions to some aspect of a vicious cycle, we are “stepping out of the world of karma.” We are then able to stop the cycle. This is analogous to letting dirty water sit in a glass long enough for the mud to settle to the bottom, clearing the water.”

And if your challenge is survival consider the following:

“Challenge of survival requires us to think and act quickly and to innovate new solutions. Our consciousness is spontaneously focused on our situation in a way that rarely occurs at other times.” I connected to this statement and the poem of the Sphinx – every challenge is there to serve you – or not –the choice is yours.

Hathor: Pleasure

The following is excerpted exactly from The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and the illustrations are by Hrana Janto. For more information on their work, please visit the following websites:

Amy Sophia Marashinsky: http://www.amysophia.com/
You can download the meditations included in the ritual suggestions at http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

Hrana Janto: http://www.hranajanto.com/

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When you come to me

I take your spirit

from the stars

and clothe it

in a body of sensation

to finally focus you on form

to benignly bask you in bliss

You are here to experience delight

enjoy gratification

know satisfaction

have pleasure

in all ways

in all modes

in all aspects.

Pleasure makes you juicy

twinkles your eyes

enlivens your life force

The exquisiteness of existence

is pleasure

Get ready to feel soooooooo good.

Mythology:

Hathor (pronounced hat’hor), though depicted in many forms, was mainly associated with the winged cow of creation. As birth and death Goddess, she was credited with creating the body for the immortal spirit to reside in. As creator of the body, she also governed all bodily pleasures: sound, music, song, dance, art, love and touch. It is said that she attended the birth of every child and revealed the pattern of its destiny. She was worshipped in Egypt for more than 3,000 years.

Meaning of the Card:

Hathor is here to tell you that the way to wholeness for you lies in connecting with what brings you pleasure and in experiencing pleasure. Have you been taught that pleasure is forbidden, something sinful or evil? Are you so busy fulfilling your commitments that pleasure is relegated to the bottom of your list? Do you deny pleasure in order to get work done? STOP! Time to change all that. Pleasure relieves stress and relaxes and refreshes you. Pleasure is the body’s way of expressing health and vitality. Pleasure is the oil that keeps you lubricated and lush. Hathor says that since you have chosen to be here in a physical body, you might as well enjoy it. Don’t wait for others to fulfil this need. Plan to give yourself pleasure daily and you’ll find satisfaction dancing in your life.

Ritual Suggestion: The Pleasure Break
You can download this meditation at the following site for $FREE
http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=44&zenid=c636244961ac59cbabec57082d290766

This can be done wherever you are, whenever you want, or you can make a special time and place for it in your day. You may do this for as long or as short as is appropriate for you.

Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, let yourself relax. Take another deep breath and, as you exhale, give yourself a moment of pleasure. It can be the pleasure of just sitting and breathing. You may choose to take a walk in the woods, bask in the sun, sit in a sacred circle, look at a painting, read a book, or listen to music – anything that brings you pleasure. Whatever it is, give it to yourself, either in actuality or through visualization. What gives you pleasure may change over time. If you don’t know what gives you pleasure, then sit with it, open to it, be receptive to finding it, then give it to yourself.