What do we know about these countries and experiences (being in a new place, learning a new language, meditating, etc.) that resonates, seems similar, seems different? I must admit, the food section reminded me of how much I enjoyed reading Amy’s emails of England! And, I can’t wait to hear from Tricia about her experiences of meditation – if you’re willing to share! Which sections did we like to most or least and why? What about Gilbert’s sense of humor? Writing style (all those metaphors)? Did it work for you or was it distracting? Other thoughts? Do you think you could write a memoir like this? Do you feel like your life is balanced? Can you imagine how you might be able to bring balance into your life?We all loved reading this book! Wouldn’t it be nice to take a year off to recuperate like that? The way the author tells her story makes us believe “if she could do it, maybe I could do it?” Her honesty and humor were realistic. We could identify and take comfort in her human struggle.
Some thought and questions we had are below.
Meditation which leads toward the blue light – the “blue light” seems to be a common theme in other spiritual practices as well. Gilbert is clear that this achievement requires a teacher/guru, a strong desire to want to do it/dedication, and a willingness to practice. What do you think about this?
Pleasure – Americans “buy” pleasure instead of sitting, eating, and enjoying the moment.
Didn’t she present steps to healing? – nourish yourself (eat), forgive others and ask for forgiveness in order to make peace with yourself, others, and spirit (pray); love finds you when you least expect it (love).
Fasting – this seems to be important across spiritual practices in order to be cleansed and open to a spiritual journey. Baha’i fast in March, Muslims fast in December, Native people fast for sweats and vision quests.
Was it necessary to go away to heal? – She melded with each of her partners and needed to recognize herself. It seems that spiritual growth does need some seclusion and change of scenery, in order to not be distracted by the everyday/mundane.
Themes – we talked about how identity and spirituality seemed to come up as themes in almost all the books we read, whether or not that was our intended focus. As we do our “healing” theme, we might want to consider these questions:
What mindsets are needed for healing?
What steps are needed to heal?
Are there any pre-requisites for healing?
What is healing?
Do you need a “teacher” in order to heal?
What is the spiritual component of healing?
Quote for healing:
“Stop selecting your thoughts” from Richard to Elizabeth
Starred Review from Amazon. Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candoróas she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.
Eat, Pray, Love:
• Maybe we really do need a guide to help reveal our inner selves and needs
• We really appreciated her step by step discovery and journey (she took us along)
• People do seem to need inner voice & calm
About Healing:
• Healing seems to come about when there is a greater power (individual or w/their group) than the power of the thing that is oppressing them.
• Community is important – Elizabeth Gilbert couldn’t have made it in three countries without the support of community (but she didn’t explicitly talk about it). Carl H. talks about the importance of community for N.A. healing (but not really about his own or white people’s needs for community). In his second book, he talks more about the importance of community for white people, too. Lori A. explicitly discusses the community of the patient, as well as her hospital and surgical Team.
• The legacy of racism/oppression is continued when the personal stories are passed on through the chain of generations. While there is a responsibility to hold onto the history/story because the alternative could be a loss of identity, the trauma legacy is real with psychological (cultural misunderstandings, depression, PTSD) and physical (T.B., alcoholism, dialysis) results of being an oppressed people with accompanying poverty, less access to healthcare, education, loss of history/identity/culture, etc.
• Understanding ourselves helps sustain us with other people
Elizabeth Gilbert on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Elizabeth Gilbert on How We Kill Genius
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