"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your Weekly Ecstatic Blessing:

Let me see the beauty in all things, Find my joy in little things

Celebrate the here and now.

I release the need to earn my leisure:

I deserve to rest.

Pleasure is my birthright. Play is how I re-create my soul.

I affirm that everything I do is done in love and service – including napping, laughing, skipping, and relaxing.

I am worthy of bubble baths and lounging in the sunshine. I am entitled to read fun books and watch frivolous television.

I reject the notion that time is scarce, that anything I choose to do could possibly be a waste of time.

Every minute of my life is precious – and that's why I choose to spend so many of them on me, indulging in Luxurious Deliciousness.

I accept my Pleasure now, from any source. I like what I like, knowing it's All Right.

I welcome more pleasure into my life now. I call in my bliss. I invite ecstasy to call upon me regularly.

Having fun on the trampoline with Bradley!

Personal Letter

Growing up in a conservative Christian community, I inherited and espoused a Puritanical approach to both work and pleasure:

“Life is short and you need to make every moment count. Be selfless. Work hard. Rest only when necessary. Give more than you get. Pleasure is to be treated with the utmost suspicion as a frequently-used tool of the Devil for seducing you from your True Calling.”

In the Bible, there's a parable wherein the person who receives 10 talents (a “talent” was a day’s wage back then, but it conveniently indicates the metaphor of the story). This good servant doubles his money but the servant who received only one talent buries it in the ground. When their master returns, he berates the One-Talent servant and gives his gold to the Now-21-Talent servant.

That story literally put the fear of God into me.

I KNEW I had been given Way More than others – a safe, comfortable middle-class white family with still-married parents who spent lots of time and money on my education.

I was healthy, smart, and acceptably good-looking.

I had ZERO excuses for not “making good” on this gift of life.

I OWED God a lot, and I knew He'd hold me to account for every second of my life.

Needless to say, I was not a particularly Fun Child.

I read books at parties and aced every test.

I felt a neurotic compunction to always be the best. At everything.

(Except sports. I thought sports were as useless as parties. ;))

It took a lot of Unlearning to finally accept that God values Joy.

You probably don't share my Biblical hang-ups, but just in case you do – two arguments finally convinced me that JOY is our Telos, that God is FOR Pleasure.

1. Why did God create humans? There is no good reason, except: “For the fun of it.” God didn't need anything from us… and therefore does not need anything from us. He created us because it brought Him joy to do so… He literally made us FOR JOY.

2. Despite a long history of gnostic renunciation of Pleasure within the Church, my favorite argument for the fact that God not only approves of, but actively affirms Pleasure is the Clitoris.

(Just including that word may negatively affect my email delivery rates, as even now, we assume that all talk of women's bodies must be censored and sent to spam )

God made women with an organ with over 10,000 nerve endings… for no utilitarian purpose.

Just Pleasure. That's it.

He literally made us to Feel Good.

I've since moved from “Pleasure is my birthright” to “Pleasure is my Divine mandate.”

Since we are the “nerve endings” for the Divine… Our pleasure is how we give God an orgasm.

(That’s it. With the inclusion of the “O"word, this email’s deliverability is really screwed. If you're reading this, thank you - you must already be a loyal reader for it to have passed your spam filter… )

Do you see why it's so important for you to stop and smell the roses?

Because you are God's nose!

Stop and savor the sunset –

You are God's eyes.

Pay attention to the silky feel of your cat's fur –

You are God's hands.

…honestly… The Divine does not need you for anything.

You are just not that important.

There is nothing you can do that They can't do better.

Except… ENJOY Their Creation.

THAT is your primary job description, Beloved.

So… this week:

Relax.

Revel.

Rejoice.

Savor.

Celebrate.

Sing.

It's the most valuable contribution you can make to the Universe.

With love,

Caitlin

P.S. Feel free hit reply and tell me your favorite way to IN-JOY your life!

Snuggling with my new favorite Fur-Friend, Buster... 

JOIN ME TOMORROW?

Every Wednesday at 9am, I interview successful entrepreneurs on my Ecstatic Business Show.

You can join us “backstage” with the opportunity to ask your questions in real time and get free coaching from me and my guest!

Tomorrow I will go live with GiGi (Genevieve) Ashworth, the "The Salmon Queen”. GiGi has been living a ketogenic lifestyle for the last 20 years before it was even a “thing,” and now she turned her limitations into extensive knowledge and tries her best to help others see life by overcoming illness from a glass-half-full perspective.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

…even if you can’t attend live, registering for the show will ensure you get the replay!

(it’s free to attend and my guests usually give away yummy gifts!)