Enthusiasm, Exuberance and Serenity

My father suffers from bi-polar, which is also sometimes referred to as manic depression. It is a horrible affliction and while his conditions have improved somewhat in recent years, it was a huge burden for him over several decades.They say that the bi-polar disease is genetic, and given that I am like my father in many ways, I certainly keep an eye out on potential symptoms in me and have been reading a fair bit on the subject as well. For example, did you know that there is even a milder form, bi-polar II, which may not have the manic episodes attached so it is often misdiagnosed as an outright depression.

A spiritual path traveler understands something about manic phases because along the path you cannot help being 'high on life' more often than not. During that phase you feel so in tune with everything that is happening in your life that you literally feed of the energies of your environment very much as you share your abundant energies with others. You are certainly enthusiastic given that the root of the word implies 'possessed by God'. You may even be exuberant on occasions, but you also know that you have to keep that phase to yourself. No, when you are connected to God or the Tao, you experience a clarity of thinking and a focus that you have never experienced before. Manic depressed in contrast think they are in tune in their exuberant phase, yet they are completely disconnected with their environment. Traveling along the Tao is the polar-opposite of that experience. As Jesus said, 'You shall recognize them by their fruit and they shall know themselves." When you travel along the Tao, everything should make sense all the times - this hardly is the case for a manic depressed.

Spiritual path travelers certainly can be moody just because there are days when this divine connection is less apparent. There are simply negative energy fields around on some days that disturb this free energy exchange with the Source. This is a horrible experience compared to the high phase, but it has to be accepted very much as every period of sunshine has to make way to clouds and rains. Who knows whatever the psychological benefit of these more sobering periods are, but you never fall in a dark hole just because you always know that the Tao is out there waiting to connect with you whenever you have worked through whatever it is that separates you from the Tao at that time.

It is a mistake to think that the chemical imbalances in our brains or our genetic propensity to experience these mental states are disconnected from what we do and what our life is all about. Nassir Ghemi wrote an interesting book in ''A First-Rate Madness' in which he makes the cases that many exceptional leaders in exceptional circumstances led as effectively as they did because of their propensity to experience mental bi-polar or depression states. He cites Churchill and FDR in the political realm as examples. His observation certainly also applies to our artistic community since the enthusiastic and sometimes even manic phases often correlate with extra-ordinary artistic inspiration. I would also think that our spiritual community has that susceptibility for creativity, which likely comes with some moodiness attached.

I sometimes wonder whether - on a soul level - my father carried this incredible burden to allow me to experience the bliss I do. Anyway, I would conclude that you don't need to worry much about manic depression. Along the Tao you cannot fall into the trap of disconnecting with your environment because your many soul siblings as well as everything that happens in our life will ensure that you are always connected. And if once in a blue moon you really have a fit of exuberance or depression, the Tao will also make sure that you will be in your private corner at this time and that no harm comes your way.