Day 14: “Great Exceeding” (AKA Tipping Point)

Beth Blair

May 3, 2019

Original Painting: “Great Exceeding”, Acrylic on Paper 18×24, 10/20/18

“Without nourishing it is impossible to take action. Thus, after Nourishing, Great Exceeding follows.” This is the sequence of the Gua in the I Ching. This is the place just past the “call to action,” this is the action itself.  This is the place Mary Oliver wrote about in her poem The Journey, “You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundation…” This is the place of totality of the Self. This is the place of Wholeness.  This is the place many get the call, and few answer! This is that first step of the journey of a thousand miles. Epic! How many times have you been at this place? Or come really close to this place?

Honestly, this is a scary and exhilarating place. I have been here several times in my 53 years. Truly, it flashed at me and it was gone. I didn’t take that next step, or did I?  I thought it would continue to feel epic. That awe inspiring, energy that is the rhythm of excitement. What I did each time I was here, “I saved the only life I could save,” (Mary Oliver) MINE. When I recognize my place in Wholeness and that Wholeness is who I am, I find purpose. I am not just a cog in the wheel of life, I am a holographic image of the wheel. I have all the parts of the Whole, living inside me.  Some would say this is blasphemy.  It took me many years to quiet those name callers and accept this call to action.  I had to nourish myself, as the I Ching instructs.  Truthfully, I ate junk food for a while. I didn’t understand what was the best, not “right”, nourishment for me. This is more than a “chicken or beef” or “carnivore or vegetarian” choice. This is about nourishment for the Soma. 

The Soma is more than the physical body. Thomas Hanna defines soma as, “the body of life that unfolded itself on this earth…unlike any other body in the world and must not be confused with the simply physical bodies of the world.” He continues to explain, in his book The Body of Life, that in Greek soma evolved to mean, “the living body in wholeness.” In many religious traditions, there is reference to being the living body. That is a tall order. This is an archetypical, colossal lesson that is put out into the world and is missed by many. That may sound judgy, and it is.  The writings are there to be not only read but lived and experienced, with a second helping of sharing it.

The reason the feeling fades from epic sensation when we reach this place of great exceeding is because even from this place, I still have laundry to do, dogs to feed, groceries to buy, yard to mow and bills to pay.  I cannot stay on the mountain top forever. I can keep the experience alive by my agreement to take the next step.  The journey begins again with each step.  I am nourishing while I am moving as this living body in wholeness. There are times I stumble, and still I continue. What about you?

This painting, for me, offers much excitement and possibility.  I see pathways, maybe a flowering of sorts, and a pallet of colors that compliments the places I have been. Trite as it may sound, “none of us are getting out of this life alive.” Accepting our place in the living body of wholeness and recognizing we are the whole as well, is the nourishment that can fuel us at the tipping point of great exceeding.  Are you hungry? Blessings and peace on your journey.

Beth is a seasoned and experienced bodywork, somatic coach and wellness professional. She is available to present on wellness, bodywork and somatic topics; or individual bodywork and coaching sessions.  Bring Beth to your area for workshops, speaking events or team building projects. Personal and business coaching are also services that Beth provides.  Consider coaching for individual or small groups/teams. Contact Beth for more information and rates.