I’m a spiritual hedonist.

I recently had a conversation with someone very dear to me about whether the spiritual path and hedonism are compatible. We walk similar journeys, maintaining a regular spiritual practice (Reiki, yoga, meditation, etc.) and often enjoy the hedonistic Berlin party scene. Yet we agreed that sometimes it feels like these sides of ourselves are at odds.

Now that things are opening up again here in Berlin, I ask this question with inquired seriousness. Can one walk the spiritual path and be a hedonist? I think the answer is yes.

If you know me, you’ll know I moved to Berlin nearly a decade ago to party. I’m not going to pretend like that isn’t true. The dance floor is where I first found acceptance within myself. It’s the only place in the world where I feel truly free. Though of course as much as the dance floor brings healing and joy, it can also instigate a spiral of endless consumption, avoidance and self-harm. I suppose this is where many might struggle to strike a balance.

And this isn’t just about parties and clubbing. I think this is true for all forms of hedonism.

I think it’s important to introduce and distinguish between unconscious hedonism and conscious hedonism. The first is inherently selfish and ego-based, where MY momentary pleasure and happiness matters above all else - others (and myself and my body) be damned. The latter is living a pleasure led life in a way that opens our hearts to ourselves, others and our interconnectedness, allowing us to live with awakened hearts.

Concretely, this means bringing awareness, intention and consciousness into the hedonistic activities that we do, allowing pleasure, joy and love to permeate our being and radiate outward. This can also mean finding ways to make our hedonism sustainable.

But what’s more important is recognising what happens when we allow ourselves to pursue pleasure and happiness as a way of being. I notice that the more pure joy and pleasure I allow myself to receive and cultivate when clubbing or pursuing other hedonistic activities, the more I can embody and radiate that loving energy outwards, and the more abundance I have. It’s a virtuous cycle that lies at the foundation of my way of living a full, happy and awakened life.

Denying ourselves pleasure, fun and joy cuts us off from ourselves, from each other and from the love from which we stem - and even life itself. These things are not at odds with one another. As Sheilaa Hite writes in her book The Spiritual Hedonist, “Up until the last few years of the previous century, as far as common thought was concerned, one could either be considered spiritual or a hedonist—one couldn’t be both. There was little or no realization that the two could be combined into one entity or life path.”

And this is the path I choose to walk.

❊

So if you are walking this path as well, I offer some reflection questions to ask yourself about your spiritual hedonism.

Is the hedonistic activity or activities in which we you engaging:

• Energetically filling you up or draining you?

• Connecting you to yourself, to Source, to your true self? Or disconnecting you?

• Fostering a heart-centered connection to others? Or cutting you off from authentic connection?

How can you make your hedonism more sustainable? 

I invite you to also notice how you feel after pursuing any hedonistic activity, keeping these questions in mind.

What do you think? Are you a spiritual hedonist?