Pleasure As A Holy Rebellion
Hi beautiful soul,
For so long. I believed that healing had to be painful, almost brutal. Trust me–I have done plenty of painful healing work, especially going back into the deeply painful places of my past. I have done ayahuasca and other plant medicines that brought me to those stuck, traumatized places within. I fully trust that this attention to pain plays a part and has a role–most definitely–but this past year, I have really been exploring what it looks like to heal through pleasure.
I will know that I am not doing well when I am not laughing often. I can get so serious at times, but laughter is absolutely medicine. It is so healing. Even in my darkest times, laughter was always a part of my life. I honestly believe humor helped keep me alive. (Need a little laugh about your own journey? Watch this.)
I think my friends are the funniest people I have ever met and being with them brings me so much joy. We can be so irreverent and silly, and it feels so healing to my heart. Being playful, dancing, singing, being goofy, playing games, having sex, eating delicious food, and truly savoring life all feel like healing medicine to me these days.
I recently got home from co-leading a retreat in Italy. The most precious souls came on the retreat, and I truly fell in love with them all. We did yoga and meditation and I got to lead a few workshops, which were all so beautiful. We ate the most delicious food you can imagine and met incredible locals who opened their hearts and lives to us. We spent a night dancing with the hotel staff where we were staying, they invited us to play, sing and dance into the night, and it truly felt like medicine!
My hands were dyed red from eating so many cherries picked right off the tree and hot from the sun. I laughed until I cried seeing one of my best guy friends, Jean, who met me in Rome for a long weekend. I rarely drink anymore but in Italy, I savored and drank wine with almost every lunch and dinner. It felt amazing. Like the exact right thing for me to do in Italy. I read 4.5 books in 10 days, and they weren't spiritual books; they were dramas, romantic comedies and beach reads. It felt life-giving!
I barely did any of my practices. I hardly meditated. I didn't do my tea ceremonies, and I hardly wrote in my journal. And it was perfect! I think I can get so caught up in all my practices, always trying to better myself, always taking classes and courses, and always creating ritual and ceremony.
There is something deep down that unconsciously still believes that I am not okay as I am right now, that there's something that needs to be healed or “fixed.” I am actively practicing unlearning that story. I am letting myself play and rest (so much rest–I am LOVING an afternoon nap these days). I am just allowing myself to experience so much pleasure and delight, and let me tell you, it feels HOLY!
It feels healing to let myself just be here, enjoying this sweet life. Does that mean that there aren't hard things in my life? Of course not. There's plenty I promise you, BUT I am committed to finding and creating delight, pleasure, and joy in my life. It feels like the most beautiful offering to myself, to my life, and to God.
I am sure I will be getting back to my routine soon. I will even sign up for another course or class because I truly love being a student of earth school, but I don't ever want to forget again the importance of play, of savoring, of pleasure, of delight as holy healing acts. I will never be a part of a spiritual belief system that doesn't believe pleasure, play, joy, and laughter aren't holy and deeply important. I find them to be holy rebellions against the pain and trauma we carry in our bodies and on this earth. And if that isn't healing, I don't know what is.
Keep reading to see what’s coming in the Love’s Invitation community.
Community Dance Night is this Sunday, June 26 from 4-5 PM CST
Dance is the most beautiful way to get back into our bodies, to commune with stuck emotions and help move them through us. Most of us were not taught how to do this. We learn to swallow our big feelings and emotions, but as we know, the body keeps the score. So come join me for a night of community, connection and dancing with our feelings.
I’d love to hear from you. | Community Poll
It’s been beautiful to create this new space for Love’s Invitation over the last few months. I love connecting with you and receiving all your beautiful stories about what resonates. Love’s invitation is ours, and I’d love to know what themes you would love to dive into more as this container continues to take shape!
Take this quick poll and let me know!
Freedom From Chronic Pain Retreat
Audrey Assad and I are going to be joining Nicole Sachs again at the Omega Institute for the Freedom From Chronic Pain retreat this August. It’s a beautiful opportunity to commune with the connection between our mind, emotions, and body. We’ll work with healing practices to help you establish a foundation for long-lasting wellness.
If your’re interested you can learn more here.
Join me in Tulum!
I am co-leading The Venus Retreat in Tulum on September 16-22nd. This will be such an amazing opportunity to invite us into a life of surrender and ease, instead of pain and resistance, of trusting instead of striving, beauty instead of struggle, dancing with life instead of suffering.
The Venus Retreat will be an embodiment experience of unfolding into love, beauty and ease. This retreat will hold a container for you to release heaviness and bask in the waters of presence, pleasure, delight, sensuality, beauty, love and ease. We would be so honored to go on this journey with you!
A few simple pleasures
Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown - I’ve heard so many good things about this book and it’s on my list!
I’ve come back to this video by Matt Corby back to over and over through the years. It’s my favorite live performance I have ever seen. His music is pure baby-making music! it MOVES ME and brings me so much pleasure.
I just read Call Me By Your Name and Find Me by Andre Aciman while in Italy because so much of it takes place there. I was swept away by this beautiful, brutal love story.
A Card For You
I pulled this card from the Oracle of Illumination deck during my tea ceremony. So perfect.
