Emptiness – Full of Agony or Pregnant with Allure? – # 45

Special Note To Readers: There is one unfamiliar-to-me word (besides the “E” word) in today’s post that I wish to add to my vocabulary. Kudos to first reader who identifies it in the Comments section and uses it in a sentence.

As time passes and my awareness level increases, I face a paradox: the more emptiness I allow myself to experience, the fuller my life becomes.

Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel* suggests that the “E” word is a “packed” word; a word that takes considerable effort to understand. 

So it is with temerity that we approach the “E” word. 

Let’s begin by asking what happens when our internal structures, the rules and ideas that have guided us for most of our lives, no longer make sense to us.

For me, the belief that there was a right way and a right answer has been a mainstay in my life. As this way of thinking about and being in the world begins to unravel, I face a vast open space.

This type of emptiness, experienced when the old becomes no longer feasible and the new is not yet established, can be a dark place full of confusion and anxiety.

This is because in emptiness, we come face to face with unwanted feelings and emotions. Many of us keep ourselves frantically busy so we don’t have to deal with these emotions. I can tell when I’m not wanting to deal with something by the importance I place on attaining perfection in any task that is before me.

We  often fail to realize that working with fears and insecurities, instead of ignoring them, is the way we move from one developmental stage to another.   

“Emptiness signifies possibility,” Elizabeth writes. It is likely one possibility for us will be increased authenticity. 

Emptiness gives room for new things to arise.

Slowing down and finding space (emptiness) is not for the faint of heart.  

This week, pay attention. Don’t fill up the empty places too fast. Wander around in them and see what you can learn. Let me know what you discover.

Thanks for exploring the mystery with me – Nicky Mendenhall

*Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question, 2011, pp. 43-44.