stuff I do
So today, I started out with an idea of finding cool quotes to post on Way Cool Quotes. First thing I found was a list of inspiring Rumi quotes…
And it must be true because ….
well …
Next thing you know …
I’m downloading Cthulhu Wallpapers…
Which kind of freaked me out…
ok…
not really…
but then I found this, and that was fun!
Which lead to this:
And then somehow …
I’m not quite sure how …
I ended up on a Persian art downloading binge …
which resulted in this …
So now I’ve gone full circle …
flying back to the light …
Wheeee!
And here we are …
Back at the beginning …
with a Rumi Quote!
The other day, I was reading The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, and in his quest to become a shaman, he ended up in the deep jungle, and at one memorable moment, when he was exhausted and hungry, the medicine man who agreed to teach him said, “Good! You need to suffer. We want the Gods to take pity on you. Then, they might help you.” And I thought to myself… THAT’S IT!
In order to Create Work You Love, (which is what we are currently working on over at the Prosperity Project) you have to be willing to sacrifice and suffer. I don’t know for sure that the suffering in and of itself is necessary… but I do think that the willingness to do so is important. By that, what I mean is… when you find something that you are so committed to, so in love with, so passionate about, that you’re willing to sacrifice everything for it… then you’ve found your “dharma,” your “life’s work,” your “bliss”.
Just think about it… if you think I’m wrong, I’d sure like to hear what you have to say about it.
I grew up on the concept that Jesus suffered and died for our sins, and all the great saints in the bible went through “trials and tribulations.” Don’t believe in the bible? Ok… how about Odin, Father of the Gods… he suffered – willingly… Look at just about every religious icon… and you’ll see sacrifice and suffering.
But that’s not all… If you want to lose weight, or “beat” cancer, or climb Mt Everest… a fair amount of suffering seems to be a prerequisite for success. Read stories of great entrepreneurs you’ll see suffering and deprivation and the willingness to endure regardless of rejection and humiliation…
The more I thought about it, the more I am convinced that:
- The “Gods” are much more likely to take pity on you and support you if you are willing to go through a fair amount of suffering in order to reach your goal.
- If you are already doing a fair amount of suffering, there must be a really good reason for it, and the “Gods” are probably supporting you in some way – if only by keeping you alive so that you can endure even more suffering and eventually maybe even reach your goal.
- When you find the work that you love, and work that loves you, it often requires a willingness to give or to sacrifice… and again… endure a fair amount of suffering – at least initially. Once you have “paid your dues” and “offered up your first born child” and stuff like that, things tend to smooth out, and you generally have a decent, if not a happy ending.
Now, this may not be true for everyone, but it appears to be true for me. And it might even be true for you. So… how is this helpful in my quest for work that I love? Well, I got to thinking about work that I’m willing to suffer for, and I did come up with a list, here it is:
- Blogging – I am willing to be up all hours of the night, I’m willing to give all my free time, I’m willing to sacrifice quite a lot to be able to do what I’m doing right here, right now. I’d do it for free (well, I practically do), I do it if I’m sick, I do it if I’m busy, I do it hell or high water… If I could make an adequate living by blogging – I’d be one happy camper!
- Playing on the computer – Ok… that does include blogging… and it also includes making cool stuff for cafe press, designing websites, and helping other people with their computer stuff. Again, I do it if I’m sick, I do it for free… I have to MAKE myself NOT do it so that I can have time for things like… taking a shower…
- Art – when I have art in progress – I can’t hardly stop doing it. Yes – blogging can and does interrupt it, but I have an amazing amount of stamina and energy when I’m doing art. I can’t stand at the sink and wash dishes for 5 minutes without getting tired, but I can stand at the table and work on a mosaic for hours and hours and not even notice that my feet are sore… not even notice that I even HAVE feet.
- Spirituality, Shamanism, Magick – I’m sticking this one in here even though I’m not sure that it’s true. I want it to be true – so I’m putting it here! And god damn it, if I put it here that MAKES it true.
So… I figure that if I had a job creating shamanic art in a ritual way and then putting it on the computer and blogging about it – I’d be in heaven! I’m going to put that into a search on Monster.com and see what I come up with.
Oh By The Way…
Here’s a guy who has the Willingness To Suffer for Work You Love thing all figured out! LOL!
Well, day one of finding my inner Ranger has gone pretty well, I think. I have an idea that this could possibly be the one year when I actually succeed in my quest to “be” who I want to be. But I dunno… it’s just the first day. I’m posting a clip from Lord of the Rings to give me some inspiration and some umph… especially when I just want to sit around and eat cookies… here it is:
I think it’s really interesting how I’ve decided NOT to be Aragorn AGAIN since I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I will never succeed with that idea… and yet here I am thinking I can be who? a ranger? is that what I’m calling him now? a ranger? and in my head, am I really thinking Strider? and when I think Strider am I really seeing Aragorn? and what video am I playing? who is that cool guy? and why do I always want to be the guy and not the girl in the movie?? So we’ll see what happens…
I did think it would be a good idea to come up with a “how to be a ranger” list – and here is my first draft:
- Get up in the morning and take hold of the day.
- If something needs doing – do it. Don’t sit around wishing someone else would do it for you.
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going – that does not mean they go to bed… nor does it mean they go to the couch and watch tv.
- I can take out my own trash.
- I can clean up my own messes.
- It’s not going to kill me to be hungry.
- If someone you love dies – be sad, bury them, and then kill something – preferably an Orc or something meaner and more dangerous. The point is – channel your grief into action – the bloodier the better.
- Spend most of your time listening and paying attention to what’s going on around you.
I also think I’m going to have to focus on physical fitness – I wouldn’t have lasted 20 minutes on that trek out of Bree… plus I’m looking at working out a new wardrobe… something to fit my new persona. That will be the fun part – taking on the role – how will it look to be the Ranger Twofeathers – lurking in the shadows… no pipe – but for sure the candle, the cloak, and the ale. Lots of black – and hopefully leather too… how fun!
By the way: This post was migrated from my blogger blog (shirleytwofeathers.blogspot.com) and was first published on 1/2/12.
I’m still talking about the Lord of the Rings. Earlier, I mentioned something about how Gandalph changed my life, and how I made a decision to begin to live my life as if it was an Epic Fantasy Adventure.
So, having mulled it over for several weeks, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t just pick someone out of the move and “be” that person, because I wasn’t actually them. I didn’t have their skills, or their resources, or their support systems, or their history. Obviously, I’d have to be me. And I’d have to figure out how to be me in a more interesting, magical, adventurous, larger than (real) life kind of way.
The first thing I did was to quit my job. It was clear to me that I was working for was not one of the “good guys.” The next thing I did was get a part time job working for a company that at the very least had the appearance of being a “good guy.” And, indeed, my coworkers are for the most part, good people – and open minded. It’s one of the only work places I know where I can talk about angels, aliens, faeries, tarot, extraterrestrials, astrology, shamanism, reiki, drumming circles, underground kivas, ascended masters, yogis, buddhism, meditation, mantras, crystals, magic and etc etc… and while, I am the resident heretic, and I do frighten some of my coworkers, most of the time it’s OK, and very few people leave the room when I open my mouth. Maybe they even find my “wierdness” charming?
Having carved out a “comfort zone” for myself, I have set about working on creating a life that, for me, has magic and adventure. Which is one of those easier said than done sort of things, especially since life in America right now here where I am seemingly bears no resemblance to the landscapes, vistas, people, and events in larger than life fantasy movies.
And now, two years later, I’m still lost in a maze of what the heck does that look like? And how the heck can I do THAT? Am I too old? Is it too late? Am I up to the task? Is it even possible? Etc. Etc. I think it would be so much easier if I lived HERE:
By the way: This post was migrated from my blogger blog (shirleytwofeathers.blogspot.com) and was first published almost exactly 9 years ago, on 1/30/08.
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I think it's time to go shopping... maybe even buy some really cool stuff at my online shops!!
