Can You Feel the Rapture?

Aug 30

I almost feel irresponsible writing what I’m about to write.

Our zeitgeist is one of political upheaval, market instability, multiple war fronts. In a word, fear.

And as important as it is to be active and do our part, big or small, I invite you to turn your attention away from it.

I’m not telling you to passively bury your head in the sand and do nothing to effect change in our complex world. Nor that your political opinion (whatever it happens to be) is the wrong/right one.

What I am telling you is we always have the opportunity to claim our power in the form of attention. And thereby be more grounded and resourced to deal with the world and its events.

The reality is that for most of us, our sphere of influence is relatively limited in regards to mother nature’s decision to shake Myanmar with a 7.8 earthquake, Trump’s next intrigue, or escalating warfare devastating Africa. Focusing too much on suffering across the globe and the forces outside of our control can be enough to send one into an existential crisis of meaning. This is exactly where Joseph Campbell, the famed mythologist, suggests we shift our attention:

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that the life experiences that we have on the purely physical plane will have resonances within that are those of our own inner most being and reality. So that we actually feel the rapture of being alive, that’s what it’s all finally about, and that’s what these clues (myths) help us to find within ourselves.”*

I assert that the feeling of rapture Campbell is referring to resources us in love, keeps us resilient, and elevates our spirits regardless of the epoch in which we live. Wisdom traditions, spiritual giants, philosophers, mindfulness heroes, the Beatles, and freedom fighters from across the ages have pointed towards love as the antidote to fear.

Love could feel like a pretty hand-wavy concept. Especially in the face of great challenge and powerful forces of darkness. However, this is exactly why I think this idea of tuning into rapture is important. It helps bring love into the realm of direct experience. It makes love tangible, and experiential - a state that we can tune into and lead our actions from.

Grounding ourselves in love is an action that is within our sphere of control. It's something we can directly impact, that can root us in an illimitable force that has the potential to buoy us through whatever challenge is bashing at our door.

In the words of French philosopher Albert Camus:

”In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger-something better, pushing right back.“

Resourcing ourselves in love is a process of turning of the attention inwards, not at the exclusion of the wider milieu of life, but as a way to more wisely include it all.

But isn’t this a time to make sure that we post our opinions, proclaim our feelings of dissent, protest, bang our battle drums?

Certainly.

Without being grounded in peace, however, what could possibly be the result except more division? You've probably felt it when you read headlines and doomscrolled through Insta/Twitter/Facebook... A lot of ME vs. YOU.

Could it be possible for us to march for peace with peace in our hearts? As Ram Dass teaches us “not [to] say ‘until I have peace, I can’t be peaceful’ You say ‘I am peaceful. Now let there be peace.’”

Can you feel the difference? To come from a place of peace, and share that with others rather than demanding peace on your terms?

And this is exactly the fruit we harvest when we turn inward in order to handle the world without.

What do we find when we turn in?

Rapture.

The root of the word rapture, rapt, to be carried away to heaven, or into spiritual ecstasy. Regardless your religious or spiritual belief system, I would wager you have felt the uplifting, rapturous energy of being alive.

The connected, resonant, vibratory hummmmm of dropping deeply into the present moment.

A few examples of doorways to that experience:

Basking in the gaze of your beloved
Savoring, relishing, delighting in a nourishing meal (and perhaps the gratitude that you have a meal at all)
The joyous good news of a health crisis averted
Getting lost in the work of a project you care about
Exquisitely melodious music
A warm greeting from a friend
Offering a benevolent smile to a stranger having a hard day
Connecting deeply with the felt experience of a positive or even neutral sensation (like breathing)
The inexplicable beauty of a wildflower sprouting in the grass, or an eagle soaring above you

Fear exhorts us to close down. To cut others off. To resent.

Don’t resist fear. Side step it. Allow it but flow around it.

Love invites us to expand. To include others. To appreciate.

Please. I ask you to find in small, minuscule, or large and grandiose ways, to feel the rapturous beauty of your life.

Remember the sage words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr:

”Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Connect to the light of your innermost being. Then, in our own way, we can be heroes and heroines, warriors of light. If that’s a compassionate word with a friend, or protesting in the streets. Caring for your grandchildren, or donating to causes you believe in.

In love and peace,
Wei-Ming

Sources:

* Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth - Available in book format or potentially through your local library on the streaming service Kanopy.

** Ram Dass, Here and Now Podcast Episode 125: Embracing the Mystery