Urban Shamanism

Or colossal treasure, actually

This Rune Reading was a beautiful surprise, it relates to Pleasure in the broadest sense, the enjoyment of company and proximity to others, the relaxation of exposure in trust. I've always had a strange relationship with Pleasure because I didn't quite understand it for most of my life yet explored it very early one. One of my primers in the concept was the British band Depeche Mode, one of my favorite bands and the only one that I absolutely have to see live at least once in this lifetime. The title of this post comes from one of their songs:

I started listening to them in 1997 and their lyrics and sounds shaped much of my idea of sensuality. They were just so alluring and luxurious, their dominion of the English language also playing a huge part in my fascination. When I grew up and started to relieve myself from the burdens of grief and anger, I truly began to see what this whole enjoyment thing was all about: letting go, surrender, deliverance, freedom. Much later still, only recently in fact, I realized all of these things are equal to Responsibility and Discipline, which I could never have conceived earlier. You see, Pleasure arises from honest connection to our Purpose, that mission that we must fulfill in the world, while Suffering arises from resisting this Purpose and attempting to subvert it. You may ask, where does Free Will fit in all this? If we have an inescapable role to play, how can we be free?

I ask you, when you're with someone whose presence you truly cherish, do you think of free will or do you just abandon to the feeling? Does it matter whether you're choosing this connection or whether it was imposed on you by the Universe? Not really. What matters is that it's happening, and if you're not in that moment, fully present, you're missing a wonderful thing, so pondering big questions is pointless. This material existence, this world of sensations and perceptions, is made in the image of what we seek, and what we seek is made in the image of what we truly, deeply want. If we choose to see this world as a prison, then our Purpose (and all its associated prices and hardships) is a chain that binds us. If we choose to see it as an expansive story, then we realize that we've always been in love with our Purpose, it's our unique path to discover what we truly are. And trust me, there's nothing more pleasurable than doing what you truly want to do at all times, without restrictions or schedules except those that you set for yourself consciously.

We struggle with pleasure because we tell ourselves narratives about what we want. We think we want money, we think we desire influence and fame, or spiritual enlightenment. We're always chasing after some fake expression of self in unawareness. We say that we've been done wrong by others who convinced us that this was all there was to life, that we've been manipulated by the powers that be that we're fragile, divided, unworthy. However, as Above so Below, as Within so Without. All of those purported exterior sources for our anguish are nothing but reflections of our own inner tyranny. The only way to vanquish these chains is to delve into ourselves and understand why they're there, and then we can see that they were never oppressors but tools we have neglected, aspects of our being that we haven't integrated. Pleasure is ultimately about integration, about fitting calmly and thankfully into place, about gliding silently and invisibly through the flows of the Universe, never in conflict or defiance, in the constant caress of the Stars.

Pleasure is indeed a colossal treasure, if you look at it that way.

Night Rune: Sowelo

I cross through various worlds mixed with images of the past. I observe interviews and rituals.

Daylight Rune: Mannaz

Public nakedness, exposition. It is a time of profound collective vulnerability, of transparency that may be terrible. The firmness of the links resides in the capacity to adapt to the tides. Find sanctuary in the Tribe, where you can show yourself as you are. Laugh in the mirror, do not take your opinion so seriously, it disconnects you from what is happening. Abandon shame and inhibitions, explore possibilities. The most honest communion is through the deepest emotion, open communications, initiate negotiations with the cards on the table. Acknowledgement, gratitude and forgiveness are the foundations of non violence. Renew the old rituals and vows, those who heal their Heart heal the world entire.