“Love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped imagining.” ― James Hillman
You may still be in the process of constructing your Kama collage, keep at it. Sometimes it feels good to have 2 [officially allotted] days to work on a project rather than one. I’m going to add a little extra mindfulness for the rest of today—Kama in action.
Kama in Action: How do you embody Kama?
Kama can be explored both internally and externally. I was reminded of the intimacy we can experience with divinity herself. Swami Rama illustrated an image in one of my favorite books, Love Whispers. He says in a dialogue with the divine “in the depths of my heart dwells the eternal spirit of my love, which will one day transmute my whole being in to the golden moments of joy. I have already made it clear that the architect of my philosophy of life is not the knowledge of the mind but a pure vision. Often my soul has experienced the Real and touched the Infinite. My restlessness is for Thy eternal communion.”
In what ways can you embody Kama a little more today? Take the extra step from the thinking mind to the feeling body. You can look outside your window and think: “Wow, the sun is out, the sky is clear, what a wonderful day for a walk.” The next step would be to embody that feeling of pleasurable joy, and go outside. Our minds/ patterning (or I should say my mind) have a tendency to default to the next few thoughts… “I don’t have enough time. It’s really cold outside. Do I need to get out of these pajamas before going?” Basically, time, expectation, preparation, or whatever the pattern may be, get in the way of pleasure. Override those thoughts and move your body into the space of Kama.
Make any observations in your day when you intentionally set out to have a little more pleasure, beauty, and intimacy. Take note as the day progresses, you may find yourself on “auto pilot” or moving in the opposite direction.
At the end of the day, on the back of your Kama mandala, jot down, draw, or interpret in any way your experience. Distinctly note what it was that brought you pleasure, or what blocked it.
Aim Your Creative Force (with pleasure)
Chanti