People work through things, they do. They work their way through relationships, jobs, physical, emotional and mental states and illnesses. Sometimes they make it through the task at hand, sometimes not. I think the best possible outcome is the gaining of wisdom or insight in the wake of these challenging situations. The saddest outcome is to work through something without learning a damn thing. It happens, and maybe all is as it's supposed to be when it turns out that way.
The process of acquiring wisdom, or at least working towards that goal, is strenuous. Though I work diligently towards greater consciousness every day, when insights arrive, they still pack a wallop.
This morning I'm thinking about relationships of arduous karma I've taken on in my 58 years. I had fourteen years of arduous karma with Jake, my beloved dog. My marriage, too, must have been a hell of a payback for something or another, as was the five year partnership that followed my marriage. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
I used to joke with my colleagues in Reclaiming about how every depiction of the wise woman archetype was of an old, wrinkled hag with a lot of scars. I joked about Odin, the father god of the Norse myths, how he traded an eyeball for wisdom, hung on a tree for nine days in exchange for the wisdom of the runes, etc. It seems that in looking to gain wisdom, those of us devoted to that path believe any price is worth paying. Ha ha ha ha ha. Wait! Is it funny that gaining wisdom is exhausting, painful? That it ages the person aquiring it?
Recent revelations have hit me hard, like a bright ball of divine light upside the head. I'm staggering around at the moment, yeah. What has come to me, about my marriage, partnership, about Jake - is really potent, powerful and I'm SURE after some serious contemplation, I'll gain a drop or two of wisdom from these insights. But oh my, oh my.
I'm thinking carefully about how to perhaps by-pass any future opportunities to work through arduous karma. Is it possible? I'm going to try! Is it any wonder I love living alone and have not been in a rush to get another dog? Well? Bloody hell.
Happy Friday, y'all.
14 comments:
No, you make perfect sense to me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if something happens to Mike I will just soldier on alone because I don't have the energy for all that drama anymore!
Dana, don't curse yourself or Mike, please! Indeed anyone who takes on a Scorpio is bound to enjoy some drama. But you two are a great team, you are! My exes and I? Not so much, not ever. Oy. Vey.
reya i've been mulling over this idea for some time because i remembered having this idea as a little boy that life could be easy. good. perpetually good no matter what was going on around you. because if you were good then the little world you create could be good too. but the situations that arrive like family, school, relationships, work, are so complex that other stuff gets mixed in and that's where the "learning" comes along. that's how karma gets played out. how do i manage the inevitability of the other stuff and still hold together my own good little world? how do i learn if i try to continue despite all the other stuff? can i grow as a person through learning to continue in my own work while not getting overly wrapped up in the messy other stuff? i dunno yet. working on it! steven
Well there's no rule that says you have to work through all your karma in one lifetime. Or maybe you decided to do some major housecleaning this time around. Who knows? Anyone who works so hard deserves a rest now and then.
I have such a good world around me at the moment, it's so good! I'm thinking bout how not to TILT into the wisdom acquiring circumstances in the future. Life itself, as you say, will bring plenty of opportunity!
Thanks, Ellen.
Yeah, gaining wisdom is an arduous task. For a long time I believed that life worked on very simple principles. But it hasn't turned out to be so simple, and with everyday, I learn something new. And yes, learning, at times, is not all that easy.
Well, thank God that I learn, because merely two years back, having barely crossed thirty, I felt I was heading to a life of stagnation.
SG - you're only 32? Wow. Old soul!
Fascinating discussion here, Reya. I have only the observation that sometimes two people can be in the same experience and yet have two completely different experiences. Know what I mean?
How much of our difficulty is a matter of perception and how much do we ordain to be karma?
Heaven knows I'm unworthy of offering advice, but you are worthy of trusting your own feelings, instincts, and intuition. You are so wise.
And I know that when you figure out the answers, you'll share them with us so that we call can benefit.
Thank you! ♥
Jo - tiny heart. Not sure answers will ever arrive. One thing that seems clear is that following my marriage, partnership, and 14 years with Jake, it's small wonder my hair is grey! Ha!
I rushed through life not taking the time to look at some (not all) of my choices. Now that I'm freer I am able to reflect on past experiences and wish like hell I'd had more sense then. Guess that realization comes with age and with finally understanding one's own worth & feelings. Good luck with this. Payback is a bitch.
I`m with Steven. Always kinda thought if I was being "good", things would turn out well. But you can`t avoid some very hard decisions, and hurting others (and yourself). Life always means loss (Jake and others, here too), and yet and yet... I LOVE life, and if I gained any wisdom so far, it has to do with "Love and Joy conquers all the tough stuff!" So go out and skip, Reya!
Timely post for me Reya. I've posted in a similar frame of thinking to you, but I'm tilting as you put it - in the middle of wisdom aquiring circumstances and trying not to tilt!
Everyones life path deals with choices and the resulting consequences. Relationships need nuturing and compromising.
As for karma in relationships, we have to work on those issues that were not resolved in a previous life. It is best to remember the good times while considering what might have been done at the time to change the outcome.
Self-mastery to reach a greater consciousness requires solitude. You're on your path, Reya. You're on your way!
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