Up: [[Hestia]] Created: 2023-09-02 ## Related Terms Contentment is not as snazzy as **happiness** and nowhere near as frequently referenced. It’s also quite different as a state. You can be contented and fairly flat line in terms of mood. Contentment reminds me of **tranquility**, but contentment, I think, is comfortably accepting what is, whereas tranquility is more about silence and peacefulness. A term that does serve as a good synonym for contentment is **serenity**. This might actually be a better term to use for Hestia. To be serene is to be untroubled, patient, calm, composed, well-possessed. Serenity is often associated with spiritual or emotional well-being. I think maybe serenity is the face that contentment presents to the world. ## Defining Contentment I’m going to stay with contentment as my term because so much of contentment is internal; it’s about acceptance. [[Accept Reality]] by recognizing and accepting the paradoxes, the [[Tension of Opposites]] that make up the world. And self-acceptance meaning be who I am, not more and not less. Not inflated where I am too much, a special human being beyond the realm of lesser mortals. Not deflated where I am not enough and have to be always doing amazing things for people and putting their needs and desires ahead of my own simply to be ‘good enough’. To walk this razor’s edge, this balancing act between inflation and deflation, which is contentment, I have to have a sense of connection to a larger whole. It’s this connection that anchors my ego so that my security in the world isn’t dependent on external events. The connection can be to other people, animals, nature, art and, ultimately, to whatever I understand as God or a divine power. For me right now that is Hestia, the archetype of my true Self, my inner God. ## Contentment Doesn’t Come From… - the phrase “just as soon as…” - peak experiences. What goes up must come down. - clearing the decks or any other ways of rearranging external life, although this can be helpful short-term, as can simplicity in its various forms because when we simplify we reduce the amount of mental processing we have to do. - action. This is the one that surprises, and dismays, me! If I’m trying to take action to bring about contentment, I’m not accepting what is. Contentment often requires surrender of my conscious position, letting go of making things go my way. ## I Need to Release - The illusion that I need approval and recognition from others in order to be ‘enough’ - Prioritizing other people’s needs and desires over my own - Trying to fix people or make things better for them - Needing to be special; old desires that no longer have the juice, such as publishing books - Performing, pretending, hiding, perfectionism ## Symbols of Contentment for Me - [[0 - Fool]] becomes wise/a sage by accepting being exactly what he is > [!User] Sources > Robert Johnson and Jerry Ruhl, *Contentment: A Way to True Happiness* > >Plus Roget’s thesaurus, books of quotations, *Atlas of the Heart* which wasn’t very useful (it talks about contentment being satisfaction), internet searches that didn’t contribute much either.