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The Point Of No Return
Dreams ~ Possibility Reason ~ Commitment Passion ~ Play Bliss ~ Serenity Courage ~ Humility Compassion ~ Unconditional Love Knowledge ~ Transparency The concept of the 'dance of the seven veils' has intrigued me for several years, and when "Eat, Pray, Love" came out around the same time, I decided to take the opporunity to look into and shed the many aspects of 'Tammy' in order to reveal the very essence of 'who I am'. Well, I must admit, the idea of getting paid to take my own personal journey was at the forefront of my desires; it was not the intention of the Divine, nor that of any publisher. I was to foot the bill initially and receive my stipend once I reached the point of no return; and, as of today, November 10, 2010, I did just that. However, before I speak about this last ‘veil’, it’s important to note that this unveiling took place over a two year period beginning in November 2008 when I had been living under the guise that nothing was possible without money or the support of friends and family. The moment I embraced that there just had to be more to life than what was in front of me … BAM … the gates opened! Let's just say, not only did I step through, I bolted with enthusiasm not having any idea what was on the other side, and given my circumstances, it couldn’t get any worse because mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, I was about to expire. Not long after my departure from what I knew to be a normal life, impossibility reared it’s ‘ugly’ head; and, without getting into too much detail, I persevered simply because I was not about to retreat into a history that damn near killed me. Hence, the next ‘veil’, commitment. Interestingly enough, it was about this time I discovered God’s sense of humor as well, which forced me to deal with my serious nature. Laughter was never a part of my childhood; so, I found myself faced with every test imaginable and because I truly remembered a magical time in my life, I committed to getting through all of it on blind faith and trust. As God tugged at the rug under my feet, I became a big follower of Paulo Coelho. In his book, 'The Valkyries', he's coaching his wife to keep her eyes on the horizon. Not only was this a brilliant survival technique, the suggestion couldn't have come at a better time in my life considering I was taught to pay close attention to where I was in any given moment. With that in mind, as I focused on my current position in life, the more frightened I became; so, having a true sense of what I wanted to see on the other side of this journey introduced a renewed feeling of peace and tranquility. And, seeing the promise of my efforts, offered an incredibly serene space which encouraged my desire for more. I lived at this level for a while, feeling quite pleased with my growth; yet, I continued to experience financial breakdowns. In fact, money was consistently my biggest concern in life and it didn't begin to shift until I realized just how arrogant I'd been my entire life. Regardless of how it seemed to those around me, I harbored a 'better than you' attitude that finally got the best of me and it finally hit me when a friend / employer looked at me and told me that I'd never make it in this life without a real job AND refused to pay me my final paycheck. It was in that moment, I knew it was out of my hands and I surrendered to the Divine. In this surrendering, I also experienced unconditional love for myself and others. I have always made a point to be accepting of what others 'bring to the table'; however, looking back, there is no way it was at 100%. Let's face it, how could it be? If I wasn't fully accepting of myself, what were the chances of me loving someone else without judgment? It couldn't happen. In order to truly give that to another person, it was necessary for me to give it to myself first; so, that is exactly what I set out to do, as painful as it was, I worked on embracing the good, the bad and the ugly, and may I just say, I like what I discovered as well as received. So, here I am, completely at peace with myself and the way life is. In fact, I'm in love with ALL that life has to offer; yet, in someway, I see that I'm clinging, afraid to let go of any more of my material world because I have eliminated virtually everything I've ever owned. AND then, when you least expect it, expect it .... my car dies and the phone gets suspended, for reasons I do not need to go into; and as I observe this, all I can say is, how perfect! Keep in mind, I said, I see that I'm still hanging onto things, and as I step away from these things, I can see these items are representative of beliefs. In the releasing of the car and phone, I was able to rather quickly let go of the beliefs and get to an even deeper experience on inner peace. However .... As I explained to Jill earlier this evening, going through this process by myself is easy; allowing others to see me feeling fully consumed by this circumstance is an entirely different story. Of course, as the Divine would have it, my world expanded tenfold shortly after moving to Taos and forasmuch as it is an open and intimate place, the chances of successfully hiding out here are miniscule at best. Additionally, I met someone who I'm very taken with, and the idea of having him take a front row seat to this experience was definitely not a part of this girl's plan. However, I will say, for as vexatious as vulnerability feels, it forms an equally wicked foundation on which to build a life of my choosing considering the essential nature of who I am is all that's necessary for the quality of life that I seek. Furthermore, one of my biggest desires in life was to be seen and accepted as a beautiful spirit, full of love ... Yes, success, in exposing the biggest nerve of attachment, the final 'veil' falls,and with that, there is no going back! Knowing what I know, and for as easy as it was to live with my head in the sand, the happiness I feel every day far exceeds all previous speculations; in fact, I have officially reached the point of no return! Thus ends my dance. I am stripped of impossibility, indifference, solemn nature, chaos, arrogance, conditions, and walls. I am naked before you, free to be me, enjoying the gifts of my quintessence. ...In popular culture, "the dance of the seven veils" is believed to be the dance that Salome performed for her stepfather, Herod, as described in the Bible in Matthew 14:6-11 and Mark 6:21-28. In the Bible, the dance is not named, and "the dance of the seven veils" first appeared in print in the stage notes to Oscar Wilde's 1891 play Salome. It is not a traditional Middle Eastern dance, but more probably a Western invention steeped in Orientalist misconceptions, although some believe it to have associations to ancient Eastern religions. In the modern Western world, the dance of the seven veils is often associated with striptease, although some belly dancers perform more artistic interpretations The dance of the seven veils has appeared as a theme in art and literature since Oscar Wilde's play first appeared. It is the climax of Richard Strauss' Salome opera, based on Wilde's play. Women playing Salome through the years have performed memorable and often scandalous versions of the dance. In the dance of the seven veils, the dancer begins the dance wearing seven veils and removes them one by one as she dances, often, but not always, ending the dance nude or nearly so. Some have claimed that the dance of the seven veils has its roots in an ancient myth about the Sumerian goddess Inanna or the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. In this myth, the goddess descends into the underworld and must pass through seven gates on her journey, at each of which she must surrender a piece of jewelry or a symbol of her royalty. The number seven was significant to the ancients, as it is the number of heavenly bodies visible to the naked eye without a telescope: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Therefore, there are seven major gods in many ancient religions, and the number seven appears in many myths and classification systems. Modern day mystics see the dance of the seven veils and the story of Inanna's descent as a metaphor for enlightenment, shedding "veils" of illusion on the path to deeper spirituality of self-realization. The idea of "the seven veils of mystical experience" actually predates Wilde's play.... Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Tammy Davis Holistic Practitioner Writer / Speaker Taos, NM |
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