What is Fierce Passion & why is it important?
Excerpt from my "FiercePassions 101" video. Entire video can be seen here.

CURRENT CONTEXT

We are in a particular moment in time: an extended moment when fear, panic, frustration & outrage threaten to overwhelm us on the daily.  But at the same time every day more and more people are speaking up and speaking out against these forces that seek to restrict, and in some case actually destroy, our freedoms, our joys, our loves, and our very lives. These destructive forces aren’t new—they’re simply bolder and less afraid. It's important to note that these are the same forces that for eons have encouraged our disconnection from our bodies, our pleasures, and one another. These disconnections isolate us, making us easier to vanquish; they also separate us from fierce passion—the renewable, sustainable fuel we need to create the world we want to live in.

Passion is a word with many connotations. Depending on the context, we could be talking about sex and sensuality, spirituality and devotion, love and adoration,  creativity, or politics. It’s a key component in healthy relationships— with ourselves, our loved ones, The Divine, the planet and its inhabitants.

BUT WHAT IS PASSION?

Passion is a form of desire. It’s a longing—for connection, to be understood, to be valued. It’s a desire to love, to be loved; a desire for a world where we all are able to develop our potentials: mental, emotional, sexual, sensual, spiritual. It’s a desire to be free to express the entirety of who we are. Passion is also a fuel, an energy source—the fire that feeds the work we do in the world. When we don't have access to that renewable fuel, we “burn out”, we get “writer's block”, our work lives are stagnant, our sex lives are unsatisfactory, our love lives are dreary and draining, we are unable to see the sacred in ourselves and others. We start “going through the motions” rather than being plugged in and engaged in this journey and adventure we call life.

WHAT IS FIERCE PASSION?

Fierce Passion is active rather than passive. Fierce Passion seeks out and embraces intensity and connection, rather than hiding from it or seeking isolation.  Fierce Passion is curious rather than avoidant or indifferent. Fierce Passion is like  an orchard at harvest: nourishing us with its fruits, fed in turn by the composting of that which we want or need to let go. Fierce Passion is like diving into an underground lake on a hot day: refreshing & invigorating. It's a mysterious place of limitless exploration. Fierce Passion understands that the body of self is connected to the bodies of others is connected to the body of community is connected to the body of the planet.

Fierce Passion understands that our collective and individual liberation begins in the body.

Fierce Passion has three pillars—embodiment (Presence), joy (Pleasure), and spirituality (Prayer). These provide a foundation that supports all aspects of our lives: joy, grief, work, play, sexuality, spirituality. Passion missing one of these pillars is unstable—it’s not something we can lean on; it can’t support the weight of our lives.

THE CHALLENGES TO FIERCE PASSION

Unfortunately for many of us, our histories— including trauma, experiences living in bodies marginalized by society, upbringing, etc—can affect the strength of any of those pillars. It can be challenging to be present because maybe being in our body hasn’t always been a safe place to be. It can be challenging to feel pleasure because we believed the lie that we are undeserving of pleasure, or because pleasure has come with a steep price. It can be challenging to experience our flesh as sacred because we believed the lie that our bodies are the opposite of sacred because of who we are, and are thus unworthy of attention from The Divine.

If we have challenges, we are not broken, or doomed to unhappiness, or stuck in this place forever. We work with the body to identify and address the challenges, building and strengthening the pillars so that we can fully and fiercely embrace the passionate life that is our divine birthright.