Up The Mountain, Down The Well
Mindfulness is all the rage these days. Everybody wants to find themselves, to improve, be more aware, more successful and (most of all!) happier!
There is a sweet little secret to the inner journey I feel, however. A hidden metaphor which, actually, is not so hidden - just mostly forgotten or misunderstood.
Think of the Yin and Yang from Taoist philosophy. That famous saying: whatever goes up must come down.
Amen… it’s true, is it not?
We all ride this wave of work and rest, of hard and soft, of up and down, but few understand and embrace it fully perhaps. After all, have you (and I) ever REALLY gone to your deepest depths and reached our highest heights?
Perhaps not…
I call this journey: going UP THE MOUNTAIN (yang) and DOWN THE WELL (ying)
…think of the actual imagery even if you wish… climbing the peak of everest and, alternatively, spending time in some deep dark well, Murakami-style…
UP THE MOUNTAIN:
> Action-oriented / Work-focused
> Using oneself towards a MEASURABLE goal (simply setting an intention to do something, or planning to do it, is NOT enough)
> Eg. creating a self-sustainable business, running a marathon, building a house, writing a 300-page novel
DOWN THE WELL:
> Detaching oneself from various established actions, identities, habits, relationships etc
> Reflection / Observation focused (usually involving silence, meditative practices and/or the breath)
> Engagement in inner-work (eg. therapy, journalling, pilgrimaging, meditation etc)
And here comes the important part!
The deeper one delves into the well, the higher the mountain that one can reach. AND the higher the mountain one reaches, the deeper one is able to delve into well.
It is the paradox of living and dying - that one inherently invites the other. The snake that bites it’s own tail, as the Chinese say.
The Sufis highlight it best: ‘excess of joy weeps, and excess of pain laughs’
I suspect that each individual is more comfortable with 1 of the 2 journeys (the well or the mountain). So choose your poison. Let that be your life’s work, and watch how miraculously your journey, in turn, will become at the other end of the spectrum.
Personally, when I write/journal/meditate then I run more! And equally, when I run or work harder, I meditate far easier, with more clarity and awareness.
What might your journey look like? More time off from work or less? Exercising differently? Starting a new morning routine? Being much more (or much less) social?
Enjoy the ride folks and embrace the highs and lows of your own unique life <3.
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