The 'Eat, Pray, Love' Disenchantment of Today

It's a beautiful dream -- to travel the world and find what brings you happiness through food, wine, romance and prayer. How many people read Elizabeth Gilbert's book, wanting to jump on the next plane to anywhere that would take them out of their own world of disenchantment.

So many people are in marriages today that don't fulfill them, where nothing seems to make sense anymore. Have you noticed? Yet, few have the courage to leave and search for what is calling out to them, as Liz did. She recognized the disconnection wasn't about her husband -- it was something going on inside her - and so she began walking toward that new world, while still offering love to the man she was walking away from.

The "Eat, Pray, Love" feeling of discontent is happening today -- not because people are selfish or aren't willing to work on their partnership, but because it's time to awaken to a deeper quest.

Consider if it's possible that Liz became unhappy because she was being guided to a life that had more meaning, one that could give her a greater sense of fulfillment. If you don't have love within yourself, it's difficult, if not impossible to give it to another. Often a partner can have this victim stance of "how could you do this to me," when it could be the very best thing that could happen for both of them.

When we have given ourselves agreement to look at the cause of our unhappiness,
unlikely messengers begin to appear in our lives. For Liz it was Richard, the Texan confidant she met in an Indian Ashram: "... If you want to get to the castle, you need to swim the moat." In other words, she would have to do a bit of soul searching within herself -- another reflection not too many people are wont to do.

Even so, more and more people today are feeling that tug in the heart, that notice we are sent, when something wants to change. It can feel pretty uncomfortable, and still, many will choose to live with it over dealing with change of any kind. Making a decision to leap into unknown territory can be frightening but it's where untold treasures await each person willing to cross that great divide.

The good news is... we don't have to travel the globe to reach that castle. The journey can begin in your very own home. Numerous people, myself included, have found that once a commitment is made to discover what your soul wants to show you, those "unlikely messengers" begin to arrive from everywhere to help you swim that divide.

Once you make sacred space in your heart and in your home to allow this infinite guidance in, it can happen through even as simple a practice as breathing deep with an inner focus. When it's time to discover that rich field of awareness - it will be there - for every person wanting to know... without even needing to travel to an ashram in India or a healer in Bali.

"Eat, Pray, Love" could be your "unlikely messenger." If it's time to take that journey now, don't worry, you don't have to begin by leaving your partner. Just take the first step and find what that disenchantment is really trying to tell you. Close your eyes... breathe deep... make a request... and get ready to discover the truly amazing travels that are coming your way.

 

Follow Marlise Karlin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/marlisekarlin

Comments

[Mirador7]

04:43 PM on 08/17/2010

Marlise,

thank you for RADIATING the deeper truth about the real INWARD journey of LOVE... We can only teach what we fully embody in each moment and you are doing just THAT.

Cezarina
Embrace Your Magnificence 2Day!
www.cezarinatrone.com

[SarcasticFringehead]

04:26 PM on 08/17/2010

I can't help but wonder if this movie-book-thing with "Eat, Pray, Love," isn't just just a fantasy-trip for middle-class, middle-aged women.

How many of us really can drop everything in our lives, abandon our family, friends, jobs, responsibilities and set off for trendy places?

And if we did leave, what is it we're looking for?

An escape from being and adult?

An extended vacation masquerading as an "inner journey"?

A search for a new, hot, sex partner?

As Ms.Carlin indicated -- the real journey starts by dealing with your own life and all its ambiguities, right here, right now at this moment -- not dropping your adulthood and running away to Bali.

[Rick Scheuer]

06:10 PM on 08/17/2010

This decision wasn't reckless, or irresponsible or selfish. It's not fantasy to ask the fundamental question: "What am I supposed to do?" - in fact this is the questions people seeking enlightenment have been asking since the beginning. It is certainly not a luxury to ask such a question, quite the opposite, since asking it very frequently results in seismic changes to a person's life trajectory, with a future that is often far from certain. In this case, the decision cost the author virtually everything - house, finances, the gamut. And even though the trip was financed through an advance, anyone who knows publishing knows there's no such thing as a slam dunk. Had this book flopped, she'd be hard pressed to write again for a living.

I'm not a middle-aged woman, and I didn't go to Rome, India and Bali, but boy do I know the roadmap she took.
It wasn't easy making the decision.
She invited God in - that's always a risky proposition when done honestly. There are no guarantees once you place that bet. If it's a marriage or a relationship, sometimes the answers can be found there but there are plenty of times when they can't.

[SoulBlazer]

04:09 PM on 08/17/2010

I love the journey that Liz embarked upon. I don't feel Liz "hurt" people. I feel people have a choice of how they feel. Her marriage was obviously not a happy one. Why stay someplace where two beautiful souls are trapped in a cage and can't blossom fully? When love doesn't reside in a home, you cannot give love to yourself or to others. I am a wold traveler. I have done the "EPL" experience for over two decades. I have traveled to over 50 countries. I was not married and didn't have children, however, the traveling opened my heart to other people. I feel it helps tear down prejudices and opens your mind to other religions, political thoughts, and service.

[MollyLive]

01:01 PM on 08/17/2010

Wow, I really like your refreshing take on Eat, Pray, Love. I too found some insight in it that I thought was helpful for the average divorcee like me who can't jump a plane to Italy. Check out my article.

http://www.postcardsfromapeacefuldivorce.com/564/eat-pray-love-lessons-for-the-average-divorcee/

Thanks for this thought-provoking post. Molly

[Rick Scheuer]

04:11 PM on 08/16/2010

EPL is a true story, but it is also a metaphor for changes we can make without going anywhere. Rome: Il Dolce Far Niente, 'The Sweetness of Doing Nothing.' American translation: Put down your Ambition, your To-Do's, your credit cards, your self-improvement routines, agendas, and smell the roses. Get in touch with the beauty that is all around you. Eat something tasty. India. Create a discipline, learn to become 'mindful' - through prayer, meditation - anything that you do daily to quite your mind. Become present in the moment. Bali: Balance - your inner life, your connection to the eternal Mind with your worldly life - love of self, love of those in your midst. That Liz had to do this through rupturing her old life, hurting people, left a mark on her, and truthfully, when it comes to personal transformation it doesn't have to be done that way - but it does have to be done some way. It started with a prayer; she let God in. Truth isn't always pretty or easy.

[Marlise Karlin]

07:34 PM on 08/16/2010

Hi Rick, I agree that we don't have to travel the world to find what Liz was truly searching for - the connection to her soul. And, we often need to break through old ways of being to find our truth. Does this mean everyone will need to leave the relationship they are in? Absolutely not. And, for many people it will.

What was extraordinary about the way Liz handled her break up, was that she did it with love. We can never be responsible for how another feels about our actions - but we can move forward with conviction and with love in our heart for everyone involved. Did you notice that at the end of the film, it showed her husband with a child? This divorce could have been what ultimately opened the door so he could discover all that he wanted out of life as well.

This is a time of great awakening, and as more people recognize they are not living in alignment with their essence, many will begin making decisions that are life changing. The guidance we receive in these times can make the road there filled with the miraculous, even while traversing the bumps. xxx, m

[Rick Scheuer]

07:51 PM on 08/16/2010

This story is dear to me: My ex and I parted ways a number of years back. My wife was miserable and I was doing all I could to keep things going but it just wasn't RIGHT. My heart lept when she asked to separate - and when I said I agreed an amazing thing happened: I got my best friend back. I've learned two things: There is such a thing as a successful marriage that ends in divorce, and something Richard says in the book that didn't make it to the film: Soulmates aren't necessarily the best marriage material.
We live in different cities now (my divorce propelled me to leave my hometown of Seattle and remake myself at 46 in San Francisco) but remain close friends and confidantes. My ex is engaged, a surprise for her as she thought she'd never marry again - and it's bittersweet of course. But she's grown into herself, she's happier now than I can ever remember her being, and my life has grown into something I could never have envisioned.