In my newsletters you're going to hear a lot about pleasure as a revolutionary pathway towards radical living, where "pleasure" signals a state of deep contentment and rightness. Subscribe if you are looking for permission, inspiration and direction in connecting with yourself and creating a life defined by profound fulfillment, alignment, and authentic self-connection.
Is it really that deep?
|
My vibrant dewdrop, Reader I have this super idealistic idea that TikTok could save the world. Just bear with me. So, TikTok has this profound potential to break down barriers and show people as they truly are, rather than through filtered and curated images (I KNOW there's going to be a pile-on about this "unfiltered" statement. And to that I say: bring it on). It's able to connect people from different backgrounds with directness and simplicity and lack of artifice that I think is just so freaking beautiful and amazing. I love that it's a platform that rewards people putting forward their most unfiltered and authentic selves. Once a lovely guy I was dating who was very against social media even downloaded Tiktok after my impassioned argument its transformative potential. Why am I nattering on about TIktok? Because this is just an example of how I can't seem to let even the most frivolous and non-serious things remain non-serious and frivolous. I approach everything, even the most frothy with a miner’s eye, always asking “what hidden treasures exist here.” And you might reasonably ask, "does everything have to be so deep?" If you’re asking Amelia the human, my answer would be YES. (I have both Scorpio and Sagittarius stelliums. That means I like to immerse myself in the subterranean depths of the subconscious and I am deeply philosophical. I can’t help it) But, if you’re asking Amelia the Pleasure Challenge Sherpa, my answer is “only if you want it to be.” Yes, I get riled up about this pleasure stuff not being frivolous. Indeed if you’ve been reading these emails closely (bless your heart 🫶) you’ll have heard me bang on about how pleasure offers a profound connection to our most authentic selves. And that viewing pleasure as frivolous is a result of patriarchal thinking as well as a tool of capitalism. Ok, all true. However if you have read on and thought “Gosh, she’s really serious about this. I’m going to be out of my depth in that Pleasure Challenge. This is going to be way over my head. It’s not for me.” Well, fuck. Deep, shallow… none of it really matters. If all you want is to have three weeks in which to reconnect to the things that delight you… I mean, that sounds wonderful. It also fills me with a luscious sense of mischief. Discovering what delights us at the most foundational level is a gorgeous aim, because it’s about welcoming awe and wonder and curiosity about ourselves and the world around us. Oh fuck, I’ve done it again. Listen, this all reminds me of a brilliant presentation I attended recently given by a friend of mine: Pilates instructor extraordinaire Cate Vallone. Her presentation BLEW MY MIND. She discussed the nature of being, she presented the idea that growth (spiritual, emotional, physical) is inextricably intertwined with life…I mean, it was truly so fabulous. Deep, rich, soulful. Some of her pilates students in attendance said they hadn’t considered any of this as the underpinnings of their classes. Afterwards she told me “they don’t realize it but I’m never NOT thinking about this.” While on the surface it looks like she’s just reminding them to focus on where they’re putting the weight over their ankle or how far they're pointing their left pinky toe, in every class THIS is actually what’s going on. My other point is that even if you play in the “light and frivolous” you’re still getting the deep and rich transmission, whether you realize it or not. The changes are happening in your body. Your ability or interest in reflecting about what it all means doesn’t make any difference. So, you can go to Tiktok just to enjoy the dancy-dance and the silly viral memes, but you’re still going to get the exposure to people all over the world. You’re still going to unintentionally breakdown stereotypes. You're still going to be exposed to people who don't think the way you thought they would because of how or where you've been raised. You're still going to see that people who look different than you like the same music as you, are nerdy little weirdos just like you. Go for the dancing and the songs about corn and stay for the shift in hearts and minds. The Pleasure Challenge starts this Saturday. You can grab your spot here. If you've already joined, you'll be getting an email with all the details soon! xoxo Amelia p.s. Wanna hear the voice memos I sent making my case for Tiktok? You can listen to the audio here: Amelia's Impassioned Argument for Tiktok.MP3 Please enjoy observing how I rarely finish a sentence. Those who regularly receive voice memos from me know my distaste for following a single thought through to its conclusion. How very dull 😬 |
Amelia Lord
In my newsletters you're going to hear a lot about pleasure as a revolutionary pathway towards radical living, where "pleasure" signals a state of deep contentment and rightness. Subscribe if you are looking for permission, inspiration and direction in connecting with yourself and creating a life defined by profound fulfillment, alignment, and authentic self-connection.
Welp, my darling Reader, the time has finally come. I woke up two mornings ago and realized I wouldn't be offering The Great Pleasure Challenge again. Something has been in the process of shifting over the last few weeks and whatever mysterious mechanism at play in my body and my energetic field made its last incremental move and clunked into place with a visceral thud. My response surprised me a little: "Huh. Okay." And then I got up and made myself some coffee. I loved the Challenge so much...
My dearest crumpet, Before every Pleasure Challenge I wonder if I need to do a rebrand, because “pleasure” is such a loaded word and people are bound to misunderstand. (truly, this happens pretty much every time) You see, the Great Pleasure Challenge is thusly named because I’m a literal biscuit and because asking “is this in my pleasure” and then proceeding (or not, depending on your answer) is what actually happens. You see, the Pleasure Challenge isn’t about having more pleasure in your...
Last Summer I Died This last summer I died. Sort of. My father died, and immediately after (I mean four days after) my mother had a stroke. And in the weeks leading up to my father’s passing my child’s already tenuous mental health was tanking. I was doing the best I could within my abilities to keep their head above water - and keep the suicidal ideation at merely ideation - while we waited for a spot to open up in a partial hospitalization program. The quiet and stillness that descended...