So ~
Doesn’t the very idea of genius scare the proverbial pants off us?
I just came from the most magical of times with Michael Meade (author, storyteller, drummer, man of myths etc.)
The subject matter? “Finding Genius in your life” … and “Soul of Change” ~ mere pedestrian topics haha.
Nothing like jumping in at the deep end I suppose ~ and jump we did!
The most salient of points, for me it seemed, was not that we all have genius accompanying us into our unique lives, but that it terrifies us so to let the genie out of the bottle.
That we know intuitively that our greatest gifts will be found right slab dab next to our deepest woundings (of course from early childhood wouldn’t you know), is not really any great surprise ~ though I don’t want to go exploring back there any more than any other human being on the planet.
But the sheer abject terror of succumbing to our natural brilliance appears so utterly absurd, annoying, boring and innate to all of us ~ well, what kind of a crazy cosmic joke is that!?!
I loved it ~ every drumbeat, song, story out of Michael’s being was riveting. I soaked up the magic through every pore, salivating for more of this precious soul food. It seemed like we all did, all 33 or so of us. And by the end I felt so totally grateful for everything that we had shared together. The good, the bad , the ugliest of ugly ~ it all served to understand the personal and oh so collective suffering of humanity.
At one point Michael stated that we avoid letting our genius come out to play because of 3 simple yet powerful fears:
If I do this I will …
Be alone
Be envied
Go insane
I guess those reasons could be compelling enough to stop anyone in their tracks! But Houston, we have a problem … for if we don’t let the genie come out to play, then the genie turns against us ~ turning from the Daemon friend who came in with us at birth, to the demon frustrated at our unwillingness to “let go, let God”. Ouch!
I came home feeling a soul quickening ~ it was strong and immensely palpable in my blood, in my bones.
I wrote a little:
I kept the world at arm’s length
for as long as I could
(several years in fact)
in a vain attempt to heal the wounds of life
the wounds of love;
Eros’ arrow ~ yes, that one
that we all call for
and then are decimated by …
But tonight
tonight the world came rushing in
unbidden
liveliness and foolishness
sweetness and arrogance
humility and that never ending sense of being
lost.
Rushing in it came
the World
striking down my senses
my defenses
my cool spirit architecture,
I was swept up in it
suddenly
swept up in it,
all because I sang
all because I danced
I dared to dance
one more time.
****************