Is The Road To Pleasure Paved With Pain?

Dear Seekers,

This week we gathered at THE WELL to explore why feeling good is so hard. Our world is not set up to be pleasure-centered. Not only did many of us wake up to updates about devastation in Rafah, but there are so many demands on our time and energy that being regulated enough to even make space for pleasure, let alone feel it, seems unrealistic. 

We talked about how easy it is to give up along our pleasure journeys. To go toward your body, if it is wounded, in pain, or hasn't received the care it deserves, can bring up negative emotions and cause us to stop trying. Many of us haven't been able to self-observe without engaging in self-scrutiny. And yet, we know that desire follows will. We have to first be open to experiencing good things, before actually feeling their goodness. 

Alongside the sites of bodily distress, are loci of ease--we just need to wade through the discomfort long enough (and with the right support) to see what happens next. I believe that each of us has a core “Self,” an observing level of the psyche that has the capacity for healing and growth. No matter what has happened to us, the Self that is capable of deep love is always there, undamaged and waiting to be tapped into.

Come tap in with us on Sunday, February 25th, to see what is possible when you give space for good feelings to emerge. 

We will gather at Temple, a space aimed to explore the intersection of mind, body, spirit, and artistic practice, in order to awaken our erotic minds. In this time, you will reflect on what intimacy could be like if you honored where your body and mind was in the present moment, prioritizing connection to your deepest selves as a first step, while acknowledging all the things that get in the way of regularly practicing this.