Amor Fati - Obstacles As Opportunities.

I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of Amor Fati, the Latin term meaning, literally, the love of one’s fate. But it is really about loving all that IS, AS it is, right now.

It’s a lofty goal, to accept and love all that life presents, but what could be more worthy of our time and attention?

“Rest Your Mind #4” Acrylic on Yupo paper 2020 ©Amy Guion Clay SOLD

I read somewhere that most deep anxiety comes from not trusting in life. We are suspicious that life will bring us what we want and need, so we try to control all the conditions in order to feel safe and happy. But of course we can’t control all things to our liking, and when shit goes down, we blame, suffer, and fear for the worst.

But amor fati is an attitude that acknowledges that everything that happens in our lives, including suffering and loss, are actually necessary to our soul’s journey and our growth.

This is not simply the “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” adage. It’s a deep philosophical/spiritual perspective that sees adversity as a gift.

It means to trust that life will always take us to exactly where we need to be, because it brings us to where we are now. And that NOW is the perfect moment, regardless of circumstances.

The great thinker Friedrich Nietzsche wrote:

My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it.

The writer/philosopher Albert Camus also spoke of amor fati:

"…a will to live without rejecting anything of life, which is the virtue I honor most in this world."

In fact, the study of amor fati goes so far as to embrace hardships because the belief is that the obstacle IN the way, IS the way. That hardship is necessary to fuel our growth, and we are gifted the opportunity to become a better person as a result. Actually, not just better, but the best version of ourselves possible.

So how to embrace this time of change we are living through now? Can we really believe that the pandemic (for example) is here for our higher growth? What if we become ill, or lose our livelihood, or even our loved ones? How do we accept adversity in the worst cases?

Well, really, we have nothing to lose by embracing life’s curveballs. At the very least, by finding peace and acceptance we will sleep better, strengthen our immune systems and are much better company overall (when social distancing of course). Some would say that choosing the path of least resistance even brings about positive change more quickly, that pushing against life only causes more pain and prolongs the suffering.

Amor fati calls for us to strengthen the muscle of radical acceptance through practice - in big and little ways. The creative process is the perfect place to practice this lesson because our art-making holds up a mirror to who we are, and what stares back at us is loaded with insight.

So, for example, if we can love ALL the stages of the painting, the good/bad/ugly, love the big fat messy process, love our vulnerable and sometimes aching marks - then we have strengthened our ability to unconditionally accept ourselves/our lives - one brushstroke at a time. In this way our work will be more authentic and speak from the heart in a way that can also move others to connect with our art more deeply.

——————————————————***—————————————————-

Further reading ideas:

One book that was quite impactful for me around this idea of loving ALL of life is the above Whatever Arises, Love That By Matt Kahn. In the spirit of amor fati, Matt takes you through the steps to finding peace and mindfulness in the presence and flow of whatever arises in your life.