I believe so many of us can relate to the feeling of earning pleasure. You’re so right, pleasure is just as important as any other part of life. Even back when we were hunters and gatherers, art was significant to us. I also think creativity only blossoms when we know the value of pleasure. I really appreciated your insights and wisdom, thank you so much! 💚
Thank you, Julia! 🤗❤️ I love that you brought the ancestors into the conversation! I agree that pleasure has always been important to us. And I see it in our non-human kin too…the way cats soak up sunbeams and birds splash around in streams. It seems like maybe pleasure is inherent to life itself.
To welcome pleasure in without hardship...I like that, Jenna. That is what resonated with me today. That I can have pleasure in its pure sense without feeling guilt or shame or or or...And that I can be proud of myself without the need to feel that I have to compare or contrast with others. I am unsure how this related to your post, yet that is the healing I received. Thank you dear one.
I love this, Sam! Comparison can certainly rob us of pleasure; or it can make it so we put ourselves and others on a scale of who “deserves” pleasure the most. This makes me think that the value in comparison is simply in noticing differences (and similarities) rather than placing the differences on a hierarchy. Thank you for bringing this wisdom here, my friend! ❤️😍
Reading this feels like coming home because for many reasons I have been away from Spirit Connections and have missed it. Thank you for this reading Jenna. As one with an addictive personality I identify strongly with all of the questions you ask. I certainly have felt I need to earn my pleasure and have judged those who create it regularly. I have come to see that my judgement is envy and curiosity. Your questions here are calling me to probe deeper.
Welcome home, Donna! ❤️🤗 I love that this feels like coming home! How wonderful that you see curiosity within your judgment. I really resonate with that. Like, maybe the curiosity is what draws my attention there in the first place, but then for some reason I feel I must tell myself a story about whatever it is, which is what brings in the judgment. I think next time this arises, I’m going to try simply being with the curiosity and leaving it at that. We’ll see what happens. Thank you so much for bringing that wisdom!
You nailed it my friend, I tell myself a story about whatever it is. The tricky thing is sometimes I don't know I'm doing it, but it's my responsibility to increase my awareness. I appreciate the nudge to simply sit in curiosity and see what it brings. You're awesome❤️
The Hedonist archetype has saved me more than once! Puritanical culture finds no value in this pattern, with its shaming judgements.
I see the 9 of Pentacles as this sensuous archetype, as well: enjoying rich fabrics, smells, leisure time, delicious foods, etc.
I have to wonder if the reason so many love winter holidays is because they have a cultural "excuse" to enjoy and indulge the Hedonist (cozy blankets, hot chocolate, decadent lights, gifts, baked goods, beautiful carols, Christmas movies, etc.).
And then at New Year's, the Puritan comes back on the scene... 😉
I love this Janet…the holiday season does feel like a cultural “hall pass” to indulge in pleasure. But then come Jan 1 we must make resolutions to put that Hedonist back in her box of shame. That’s really enlightening! And I so agree about the 9 of Pentacles, that luscious card of ripeness and pleasure. I’ve been traveling this past week (and as a total hermit, traveling is generally a stressful endeavor for me). I made a conscious effort to build pleasure into each day, even little things like using my travel heating pad for comfort. And it ended up being one of the easiest trips I’ve done!
We'll said! I'm happy to hear you're indulging in daily pleasures--and that you're having an easy travel experience. 🙏 (As a fellow Hermit, it exhausts me, too! 😵💫
Wow this is right on the nose. Burnout is a huge issue for me as is feeling like I’m never doing enough, and I do not prioritize any kind of fun or pleasure. I started reading it and thought I didn’t identify until you asked this question: “do you feel like you have to earn pleasure?” …. 🤯 well, I will enjoy examining and reframing this belief! Because yea, there is an inner guilt like I’m doing something wrong if I haven’t done “all the things” to earn a break or a rest or something fun. Thank you!
Same, Tess! I’m right there with you. I describe the sensation as “the shoulds are clawing at me”. I think, for me, there’s a lot of childhood programming at the root of it. But it’s probably also societal and ancestral. Here’s to us both reframing this bullshit and coming into delightful relationship with pleasure! 💖
YES - a LOT of childhood programming that I am currently examining and unlearning - a tremendous process that I am making a beginning at, but fortunate to take the journey. Thank you for your work! “The shoulds are clawing at me” I think I may adopt that to remind myself to chill out when that happens 😂 ❤️
I feel so called out by this reading that it's not even funny (but I'm still laugh-crying) 😭
"The Hedonist and the Empress ask us to welcome pleasure without waiting for hardship or validation. Instead, they call us to choose it as an expression of our own life force." - I love this perspective so much and it's making me think about how I've purposefully invited *joy* into my life, but struggle with the notion of pleasure. I view pleasure as something that must be earned and have a hard time engaging with it for its own sake.
Me too, Kerani! 💖 I mentioned in a comment above that I’ve been traveling this week and tried to intentionally cultivate pleasure each day of the trip. (For context, I generally find travel to be stressful.) Although I was quite tired by the last day, I did find that my nervous system did way better than previous trips. But now that I’m home, I feel I’ve been right back to the mentality that I’ll do the pleasurable thing AFTER I’ve finished my work. Time to reprioritize things here at home too!
I believe so many of us can relate to the feeling of earning pleasure. You’re so right, pleasure is just as important as any other part of life. Even back when we were hunters and gatherers, art was significant to us. I also think creativity only blossoms when we know the value of pleasure. I really appreciated your insights and wisdom, thank you so much! 💚
Thank you, Julia! 🤗❤️ I love that you brought the ancestors into the conversation! I agree that pleasure has always been important to us. And I see it in our non-human kin too…the way cats soak up sunbeams and birds splash around in streams. It seems like maybe pleasure is inherent to life itself.
That's very true! 😊
To welcome pleasure in without hardship...I like that, Jenna. That is what resonated with me today. That I can have pleasure in its pure sense without feeling guilt or shame or or or...And that I can be proud of myself without the need to feel that I have to compare or contrast with others. I am unsure how this related to your post, yet that is the healing I received. Thank you dear one.
I love this, Sam! Comparison can certainly rob us of pleasure; or it can make it so we put ourselves and others on a scale of who “deserves” pleasure the most. This makes me think that the value in comparison is simply in noticing differences (and similarities) rather than placing the differences on a hierarchy. Thank you for bringing this wisdom here, my friend! ❤️😍
Reading this feels like coming home because for many reasons I have been away from Spirit Connections and have missed it. Thank you for this reading Jenna. As one with an addictive personality I identify strongly with all of the questions you ask. I certainly have felt I need to earn my pleasure and have judged those who create it regularly. I have come to see that my judgement is envy and curiosity. Your questions here are calling me to probe deeper.
Welcome home, Donna! ❤️🤗 I love that this feels like coming home! How wonderful that you see curiosity within your judgment. I really resonate with that. Like, maybe the curiosity is what draws my attention there in the first place, but then for some reason I feel I must tell myself a story about whatever it is, which is what brings in the judgment. I think next time this arises, I’m going to try simply being with the curiosity and leaving it at that. We’ll see what happens. Thank you so much for bringing that wisdom!
You nailed it my friend, I tell myself a story about whatever it is. The tricky thing is sometimes I don't know I'm doing it, but it's my responsibility to increase my awareness. I appreciate the nudge to simply sit in curiosity and see what it brings. You're awesome❤️
The Hedonist archetype has saved me more than once! Puritanical culture finds no value in this pattern, with its shaming judgements.
I see the 9 of Pentacles as this sensuous archetype, as well: enjoying rich fabrics, smells, leisure time, delicious foods, etc.
I have to wonder if the reason so many love winter holidays is because they have a cultural "excuse" to enjoy and indulge the Hedonist (cozy blankets, hot chocolate, decadent lights, gifts, baked goods, beautiful carols, Christmas movies, etc.).
And then at New Year's, the Puritan comes back on the scene... 😉
I love this Janet…the holiday season does feel like a cultural “hall pass” to indulge in pleasure. But then come Jan 1 we must make resolutions to put that Hedonist back in her box of shame. That’s really enlightening! And I so agree about the 9 of Pentacles, that luscious card of ripeness and pleasure. I’ve been traveling this past week (and as a total hermit, traveling is generally a stressful endeavor for me). I made a conscious effort to build pleasure into each day, even little things like using my travel heating pad for comfort. And it ended up being one of the easiest trips I’ve done!
We'll said! I'm happy to hear you're indulging in daily pleasures--and that you're having an easy travel experience. 🙏 (As a fellow Hermit, it exhausts me, too! 😵💫
Wow this is right on the nose. Burnout is a huge issue for me as is feeling like I’m never doing enough, and I do not prioritize any kind of fun or pleasure. I started reading it and thought I didn’t identify until you asked this question: “do you feel like you have to earn pleasure?” …. 🤯 well, I will enjoy examining and reframing this belief! Because yea, there is an inner guilt like I’m doing something wrong if I haven’t done “all the things” to earn a break or a rest or something fun. Thank you!
Same, Tess! I’m right there with you. I describe the sensation as “the shoulds are clawing at me”. I think, for me, there’s a lot of childhood programming at the root of it. But it’s probably also societal and ancestral. Here’s to us both reframing this bullshit and coming into delightful relationship with pleasure! 💖
YES - a LOT of childhood programming that I am currently examining and unlearning - a tremendous process that I am making a beginning at, but fortunate to take the journey. Thank you for your work! “The shoulds are clawing at me” I think I may adopt that to remind myself to chill out when that happens 😂 ❤️
Thank you 🙏
I feel so called out by this reading that it's not even funny (but I'm still laugh-crying) 😭
"The Hedonist and the Empress ask us to welcome pleasure without waiting for hardship or validation. Instead, they call us to choose it as an expression of our own life force." - I love this perspective so much and it's making me think about how I've purposefully invited *joy* into my life, but struggle with the notion of pleasure. I view pleasure as something that must be earned and have a hard time engaging with it for its own sake.
Me too, Kerani! 💖 I mentioned in a comment above that I’ve been traveling this week and tried to intentionally cultivate pleasure each day of the trip. (For context, I generally find travel to be stressful.) Although I was quite tired by the last day, I did find that my nervous system did way better than previous trips. But now that I’m home, I feel I’ve been right back to the mentality that I’ll do the pleasurable thing AFTER I’ve finished my work. Time to reprioritize things here at home too!