Follow Your Bliss
This concept of “following your bliss” has got my attention. The late, great Joseph Campbell, one of my personal idols (and who I proudly share a birthday with), coined the phrase. If you haven’t watched the Bill Moyers series of interviews with Joseph Campbell called “The Power of Myth”, I highly recommend it. If you have, you might want to watch it again.
What does it mean to follow your bliss? Joe Campbell (I am taking nickname liberty here with my b-day forefather) borrowed this concept from one of the three Hindu principles to find fulfillment in life. He said that his clearest inroad of the three routes was to follow his rapture as his guide. So that is what Joe did over his lifetime, he followed his bliss and inspired his many students at Sarah Lawrence to do so.
Joe’s bliss started with a fascination with Native American tribes. This led him to a lifetime of study, teaching and publishing on comparative religions throughout history and the myth and stories of all the peoples of the world—the stories that define, remind and guide us into meaning in our human existence. Joe’s rapture about these subjects was obvious. His eyes shine as he speaks, like a little kid in awe of dinosaurs but with the seasoned calm of an elder. Thrilled and rooted at once. I can feel his mind making connection as he shares a deep well of information. I want to be in the room with him asking questions myself.
Someone close to me was teasing me as I talked about following my bliss and he brought up the concept of hedonism. He said the word in jest, but as I thought about it, I realized that hedonism could be the lead in for you (I am not prescribing it, but it could be). But what I imagine is more likely is that the experience of pure unadulterated pleasure will ebb and flow along the way. Perhaps it won’t be an eternal bonbon eating party. Then again, I would love to be proven wrong on that. I guess the point is to look for one’s particular brand of bliss, hopefully find it and keep right on trucking.
Hedonism or not, the Hindus and Joe were referring to a bliss, a rapture, that is sustainable. That would be my suggestion for hedonists, be honest with yourself. Is the pure pleasure-seeking working or is that enough? Maybe that’s the question we might all ask ourselves as we go. Is this path helping or hurting me more? Is this guidance I am following charging my battery? Is it lighting the holy fire in my belly? Or is it just lighting the fire of my senses? In the search for rapture, it wants to be both. That’s where the magic happens.
The beauty of it is that my bliss doesn’t need to please anybody but me. Your bliss only has to float your boat. It’s been said that, “all actions have both positive and negative aspects, and all we can really do is lean toward the light”. Make the work about finding out what the individual bliss path is and keep following it, hell or high water. Lean into your own rapture.
Finally, beware naysayers. Polish off those courage-and-dedication lucky charms. Run the other way from bliss-kryptonite. Follow the leaders, particularly the happy ones who seem to be having fun at it. From what I’ve glimpsed in the ones who inspire me like Joe Campbell, the ones who have found and followed their bliss, is that if followed ardently it will be a road paved with gold, a personal version of the yellow brick road. The light in the eyes of these folks is unmistakable. And something wonderful happens when we are lit up with inspiration, we end up inspiring others authentically and when that happens it makes the universe around us glisten.
Following mine,
Amy
09 Nov 2010
Elizabeth Howes
Great post, Amy. I’m also on a very serious quest to find my own yellow brick road. Thanks for the inspiration to continue on the (sometimes difficult) journey!