04 Mar Extremely Extreme (Rest is Radical)
I was thinking lately…
I was thinking that traditionally the Aghora sect of Hinduism has, at least in part, at least according to my understanding, embraced practices that would seem extreme to non-Aghori Hindus.
Or just about anybody else. Meditating in graveyards, maybe on corpses, inviting a relationship with what others would shun, in order to arrive at acceptance of, and relationship with, Reality. They had no use for the dogma of the elite—nor the snootiness that often accompanied. In going against the momentum of mediocrity, they attempted to engage in living alchemy and embrace Reality. Of course, there are other examples of individuals preferring to live according to a Truth that landed them in trouble with the presiding ruling class or Powers that Be (or Were). Saint Francis. Jesus. Guru Arjun Dev. Boston Tea Party. You get the idea.
It has occurred to me that, today, going against the tide would have to look very different from how it would have had to look a century ago. Or even quarter of a century. These days extreme is the flavor du jour. From Fear Factor to Extreme Makeover to people You Tubing your latest stunts (“this is me launching myself into a brick wall,” etc.), to photos of naked musicians covered in blood adorning popular magazines, to speeding up football (which is kind of cool, actually), it is hard to think of what could even be considered extreme anymore.
What would be the most extreme thing we could do now?
What would out-extreme extreme?
The thing we could do that would establish us as serious swimmers against the tide, as shaking off the status quo and becoming situated in our selves?
How about this? Slow down. Surrender ambition. Stop.
And it turns out this is really essential for women’s health and healthy hormones. I explore this a great deal in the book, Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life and our two online courses Women’s Health & Hormones Part I: Hormonal Balance & Stagnation and Women’s Health & Hormones Part II: Srotorodha & the 6 Therapeutic Principles.
(Most of this is post is repurposed from a blog post by Dr. Welch 18 December, 2010) copyright Dr. Claudia Welch 2011