Can I be a Spiritual Hedonist?

Here comes an age old dilemma that I am convinced every single one of us struggles with on some level. Part of me wants to be ego-less and good while the other wants to be eccentric and wild. What I call a  ‘spiritual hedonist’ is a mix of these contradictory qualities. Is it possible?
 
Spirit Junkie

I massively admire natural beauty, selflessness and a calm happiness that I like to call contentment. I am lucky enough to have felt this calm happiness often and it arises out of resting in the present moment. There is an elegance about life that oozes out of everything and it makes me giddy. I gain access to this the more I meditate and the more I practice ‘good yogi things’. I love health food, getting up early and reading about ancient Indian philosophies. This is the path of breaking down the ego, realising that you are more than your possessions, company and actions. It is a quest inwards. Finding happiness within.

What’s not to like? Once we are old we will regret not what we have done but what we haven’t. If my aim is to find true spiritual happiness the fast track would be to go dwell in a cave on my own or with a guru and seek enlightenment but somehow I feel that would be a life wasted. Life is too short and precious to be taken so seriously.

Bohemian Hedonist

However, I also admire people like Oscar Wilde and those written about in the Beat Generation like Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, the bohemian hedonists. People who seek pleasure and want to live to the max. They dress flamboyantly, eat and drink too much, stay up late listening to jazz in smoky bars, head off on crazy road trips with no money, say exactly what’s on their mind and are the life of the party. This is a culture all about letting the ego go wild and looking for happiness in experiences. What I find attractive is the way these people can be free. They really get every last drop out of life.

The downside? These party animals often use drink or drugs to let go. I don’t think it’s necessary. In fact I think it’s lazy. What about old fashioned bravery? Want to ask out that stranger? Pluck up some courage instead of throwing back a couple more shots of tequila. Courage is like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you exercise it until dancing on tables becomes second nature.

Can I have Both?

So how do I marry these viewpoints? It’s the clash between the lofty transcendental spirit and the mucky raw soul. We do need them both. I like to imagine a tree with leafy branches reaching up into the sky and then the gnarly roots spreading deep into the earth. A tree with shallow roots will topple and without leaves it can’t sustain life.

So yes you can have both, you need both! I would recommend starting by stripping the ego away and finding out who you really are under it all. Get to that space where you can be happy without relying on external influences instead of relying on them to fill a void. Then go ahead, be courageous and live fully!

The only people you should try and impress are your 8 year old self and your 80 year old self. What do these versions of yourself have in common? They don’t give a damn what other people think. What would you do if you didn’t care at all what others thought of you? Be true to this version of yourself, it may take courage. I’ll end on some wise words from Dr Seuss “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”.
 
Emma Sparrow 

Emma is a yoga teacher and scuba diving instructor based in Bali. Her dream is to one day run a yoga retreat center in a cocoa plantation surrounded by friendly otters.

http://www.simplysparrow.com
http://www.facebook.com/simplysparrowuk

Comments