Bibliomancy

I think my sophomore year in college I took Supernatural Folklore with Erika Brady. We learned about some very interesting things in there like iridology, the Barnum effect, various campus ghost stories, and heck, I even wrote my final paper on exorcisms. We also learned about bibliomancy. This is the notion that when you open up a book, the passage is supposed to be particularly meaningful to you. People do this in spiritual practices, for example, picking up a Bible and applying the scripture to your life.

The "official" definition (from bibliomancy.org) states that "Bibliomancy is a practice whereby a person seeking spiritual insight selects a random passage from a book (often a sacred text). The Ancient Greeks often used Homer's Iliad, letting the text fall open to select a page. The I Ching has been used for thousands of years in a similar manner, and Virgil's Aeneid was a popular choice in the mediaevil period." You can even practice it on the site.

I have a book by the Dalai Lama called "The Art of Happiness." I actually haven't read it, so I don't know what it's all about. But I'm guessing finding happiness. So, I meaninglessly opened it tonight to page 83, which says:

 "Today, so many of us are oppressed by a feeling of something missing in our lives, intensely suffering from a lack of intimacy. This is particularly true when we go through the inevitable periods in our life when we're not involved in a romantic relationship or when the passion wanes from a relationship. There's a widespread notion in our culture that deep intimacy is best achieved within the context of a passionate romantic relationship--that Special Someone who we set apart from all others. This can be a profoundly limiting viewpoint, cutting us off from other potential sources of intimacy, and the cause of much misery and unhappiness when that Special Someone isn't there. But we have within our power the means to avoid this; we need only courageously expand our concept of intimacy to include all the other forms that surround us on a daily basis. By broadening our definition of intimacy, we open ourselves to discovering many new and equally satisfying ways of connection with others."

In that Baptist faith, we have a saying that goes something like "The preacher really stepped on my toes today!", meaning we were ridden with guilt or identified with the message. I think the Dalai Lama really stepped on my toes with this one. He actually danced all over my feet with 5-inch stilettos.

It's really hard being single, and goodness knows, I'm trying my best to embrace it. For example, due to NYE I have implemented a rule that states "Rebecca will not give out her REAL phone number to guys she meets in bars" and whoever is with me is accountable to make sure I do not. I had way too much fun that night, which is exactly what I needed after five months of self-loathing and feeling sorry for myself.


But, it's nice to be humbled with a passage like this. Ideally, I want what everyone else has--a meaningful relationship with my Special Someone. While it would be nice to find a Special Someone, the best thing for me to do right now is "broaden my definition of intimacy" and create such relationships with those already in my life. I have it. It is there. I don't need to go looking for it.


Well played, enlightenment. You found me and I wasn't even looking.