FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
Now, I came to this idea of bliss because in Sanskrit, which is the great spiritual language of the world, there are three terms that represent the brink, the jumping-off place to the ocean of transcendence: sat-chit-ananda. The word “Sat” means being. “Chit” means consciousness. “Ananda” means bliss or rapture. I thought, “I don’t know whether my consciousness is proper consciousness or not; I don’t know whether what I know of my being is my proper being or not; but I do know where my rapture is. So let me hang on to rapture, and that will bring me both my consciousness and my being. I think it worked.
The way to find out about your happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you really are happy not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what I call, ‘following your bliss.’ if you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you. And the life that you ought to be living, is the one you are living. Wherever you are, if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open doors for you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.
Joseph Campbell
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hello, my name is Bret Warshawsky and I am very pleased to be sharing this brief and informal introduction of my self and my experiences and passions here with you on these pages.
I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder when I was 19 (1994) after experiencing a spiritual emergency/psychotic episode in NYC and then being taken to a hospital for several weeks and finally a clinic. I describe some of that initial experience here in this short essay that I wrote in 2011 as part of a collectively authored book called Unbreakable Spirit that was edited by an extraordinary woman named Lisa Nichols. As you will see from reading that essay, it was not a pleasant experience for me, on any level, to be treated traditionally through the Western Medical paradigm. The following 12 years after 1994 were tumultuous to say the least and I spent my time becoming what I might call a natural PhD in the bipolar experience (internally on my Hero’s Journey and externally as part of the status quo system).
After writing the aforementioned essay in 2011 (and now looking back) I began a new chapter in my life that I called Transforming Perceived Mental Illness Into A Blessing with a subtitle of Passion IS the Gateway Drug (Some informal Youtube videos).
At the time, I thought I was going to become a crusader and entrepreneur of some kind around mental health reformation. It turned out that I needed more time for my own deeper healing and insights before I would be able to be of service to others.
Now, that time feels close.
Since 2011, I have been on an incredible adventure living in a Gift Paradigm as part of a spirit-motivated sociotechnological mission-- part of our platform and lifestyle and foundation is whole systems design and integral living. I was able to meet and marry my amazing love Andrea as a testament to following bliss. You can learn more about me and the work here. I am also now returning to some of my deepest heart’s callings with Togetherland, a journey of impact entertainment and regenerative filmmaking that synthesizes all of my passions.
Through this journey I have been able to truly explore, discover and begin to master some of my deepest passions and life’s work like Spiritual Philanthropy. I have been able to meet people from around the world who have similar experiences with perceived mental illness, and I have been able to learn some things about what does and does not work for people on their journeys. I have been able to come into my own light and understanding, of my self, of my experience, and to see where some of my life’s work is meant to be offered in service to others. The past 9 years happened for me because I allowed passion to be my ‘gateway drug’ in 2011 when I hit the road and left my government sponsored apartment and income behind to expand my self and find peace.
I have not (yet) gone out in a methodical and precise way on this path but I feel there is a wonderful opportunity for me right now to be a key advisor, contributor and/or teammate of any resonant mental health related project, in many areas.
I will be vulnerable in sharing that I often feel the written word doesn’t quite suffice in communicating my longing to be the change I wish to see in the world when it comes to completely flipping the script around mental health. I am here for nothing less than complete shift and revolution. Standing on the shoulders of giants, it is our time now, to go from counterculture heroes to mainstream players who can impact the entire global civilization in instituting a whole systems, and spiritually grounded infrastructure for an amazing planetary experience of unity, diversity, healing, creativity, regeneration, peace and the most love we can bring into reality.
I am an expert in the lived experience of bipolar and its spectrum of states like depression, mania, psychosis, etc. If I were in academia, I would have easily earned a PhD of some kind in some form.
My experiences in the system allows me to empathize and connect with people from all walks of life. I have been in the trenches in psychiatric wards, in day programs, on social welfare etc etc etc -- There are not a lot of us around the world who have been through the system to this degree as it is/was and come out the other side.
I completed (2006-2008) a well respected academic program in NJ in Psychosocial Rehabilitation which included a 1 year internship at a mental health program where I created my own program called The Happiness Agenda to connect with clients through their passions, interests and hearts.
I have over 150 academic credits that never added up to even a BA!
I am a survivor of the insanity they call mental health treatment in America. I have a story, I have a mission, and I have, to be honest, a healthy chip on my shoulder. There comes a time when ‘silence’ becomes as destructive as the oppression. It is time for more activism and the world is ready for a mental health revolution. I can be a wonderful, enthusiastic, passionate, charismatic and effective voice for different aspects (when needed) of any resonant project’s rollout and its ongoing success.
I also like to have fun and be light as well.... Using humor to make points.
I can provide a lot of great ideas, imagination and texture to what is being conceived for any endeavor overall, and what hasn’t been thought of yet!
I'm an entrepreneur and innovator by nature as well as a ‘heart marketer’. There's plenty of ways I can add value to creative ventures and social activism.
I am a netweaver with an extensive global network and trusted friends from all walks of life. I can contribute connections and catalyze some (perhaps many) joint ventures and collaborations as we go.
The sociotechnology project and community I am part of will definitely be looking to co-create with others in 2021 and I can imagine what we are working on can most definitely be a wonderful compliment and piece in the future; much more to be explored here.
Through this work I have a lot to offer around new paradigm business, self organization, gift paradigms, spiritual philanthropy, technology, post-fiat economics, movement building, conscious evolution, self inquiry, etc .
Our project also has many many global friends and cohearts to plug into in right timing.
My true occupation for the past 25 years has been self inquiry.
Please see the Solutions & Innovations Pages for more on what's being designed and incubated.