Recently I started to look into the five koshas, a yogic philosophy that says we’re made up of five layers: physical, energetic, mental/emotional, wisdom, and bliss. What’s cool is these layers can go from without to within, with bliss being the innermost layer at our core. I love that—bliss is who we are, our essence, and it’s accessible to us…as long as the other remaining layers are balanced. That, I thought, could sound daunting. Like a lifelong task, as is all inner work. But then I started noticing bliss popping up in the simplest ways.
Last month, we moved into an apartment with a kitchen big enough for a table and chairs, if you can imagine that. Apartment kitchens are often super small in NYC and, depending on your layout, dining in front of a computer or TV can become a way of life. But now my boyfriend and I have conversations without distractions (phones are in another room), I pay attention to and appreciate what I’m eating, and if I eat alone, I read a book or look out the window at our lovely view of rooftops, trees, and blue sky. It’s given me a whole new sense of grounding and peace in the middle of Brooklyn.
The other night before going to bed, I felt an unusual urge to check where our cats were. I found Faro in the living room, but I couldn’t find Calla anywhere. Right after I told my boyfriend I had no idea where Calla was, Faro got up, walked to one of our closets and stared intently at the door. Even though I had shut that door ten minutes earlier after checking for any cats within, I knew he was telling me she was inside, and indeed she was. It had been Faro to the rescue, before I had time to panic and wonder if Calla had slipped out when I took out the trash. It felt so good to know that Faro had my back—and Calla’s too.
Recently in a Zoom mediumship class, I was put in a small breakout group for platform readings. That’s where you connect with someone on the other side and hope a member of your audience knows who they are. There were six of us, and after time was up, we realized each of us had read once, and each of us had received one reading. That doesn’t happen too often, and we were all in awe. None of us knew each other, but our loved ones on the other side (who didn’t know each other either) had worked together and made sure each of us heard from someone. We didn’t have to try to make it happen. They took care of it and it worked out beautifully.
It makes sense that the map to bliss would be way simpler than I thought or even feared. If we take time to really enjoy the simple things, a lot of nonsense clears away. If we trust that the universe, our animals, and Spirit are always looking out for us and guiding us, we don’t have to spend energy on fear or worry for very long, if at all. Instead of searching for bliss, we can just be aware that it’s been in us (and certain kitchens) all the time. And that’s pretty delicious.