Self-Transendence in the poetry of Mary Oliver & the psychology of

Viktor Frankl

What is self-transcendence?

• “The overcoming of the limits of the individual self and its desires in spiritual contemplation and realization.”

• “The act or condition of going/being beyond ego or egoity, usually as a result of love, service, non-egoic discipline, or undivided attention for another.”

• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/self-transcendence

• http://www.soulprogress.com/html/Glossary/SelfTranscendenceGlossary.html

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl believed that self-transcendence was an important step in human development; a step which must happen before

Maslow’s lauded stage of self-actualization

Here:

For Frankl, self-transcendence is marked by encountering meaning.

3 ways to meaning

In Viktor Frankl’s view of human psychology, there are three ways in which mankind can experience meaning

• Through Work

• Through experience of something or someone

• Through our attitude toward unavoidable suffering

I’d like to illustrate Viktor Frankl’s ways of encountering meaning using Mary

Oliver’s poem, The Messenger.

The MessengerMy work is loving the world.

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—equal seekers of sweetness.

Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.

Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?

Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let mekeep my mind on what matters,

which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to beastonished.

The phoebe, the delphinium.

The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.

Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heartand these body-clothes,

a mouth with which to give shouts of joy

to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,

telling them all, over and over, how it isthat we live forever.

Encountering meaning through work or service

Oliver- “My work is loving the world.”

“Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work.”

• Her work is bringing meaning to chaos; finding a way to hold the transitoriness of beauty in a joyful way. To let it be.

• Her service is bringing that meaning to others to ease the anxiety of existence through joyful revelry. She is the messenger.

Frankl- “By creating a work or doing a deed.”

• He speaks of achievement or accomplishment as well as deeds.

• A life of service; this is also known as karma yoga, and was exemplified by Gandhi.

Encountering meaning through experience of something or someone

Oliver- “Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—

equal seekers of sweetness. “

“My work, which is mostly standing still and learning to be

astonished. “

• In her relationship with nature she feels connected to other beings, & senses commonality to that which is outside of herself.

• She is in a respectful, and reflective state; a state of being at awe with the way the world is.

Frankl- “The second way of finding a meaning in life is by experiencing something—such as goodness, truth, and beauty—by experiencing nature and culture…”

“By (her) love (she) is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved…(she) sees that which is potential in (her)…”

• The self is transcended through the appreciation of the essence of another. In this case, nature.

Encountering meaning through our attitude toward unavoidable suffering

Oliver- “Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young…mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here, celebrationwhich is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart and these body-clothes, a mouth with which to give shouts of joy…telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever. ”

• The ‘shouts of joy’ are the positive framing of attitude towards death.

• Faced with the transitoriness of all life, she rejoices in her presence with all things, which too shall pass. It is the act of bearing witness which cannot be changed, and which is meaningful. Action made eternal.

Frankl- “We may also find meaning in life even when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into triumph.”

“potentialities…as soon as they are actualized they are rendered realities at that very moment; they are saved and delivered into the past, wherein they are rescued and preserved…”

• Life is not inherently meaningful, but rather becomes meaningful in the choice to apply meaning where there may seem to be none.

"Which choice will be made an actuality once and forever, an immortal 'footprint in the sands of time'.“ Viktor Frankl

So, how can we bring meaning to our lives, and self-transcend?

• Through selflessness, an altruistic sense of obligation to those other than ourselves, we transcend the ego and find meaning beyond our own limited frameworks of thought, and achieve a sense of meaning through being for another.

So, how can we bring meaning to our lives, and self-transcend?

• Through appreciation of another form other than our own, such as nature, art, another person, we transcend the ego by honoring qualities other than our own.

So, how can we bring meaning to our lives, and self-transcend?

• And finally, through relinquishing control over that which we have no control, we engage in a humble practice of recognizing that we are not in fact the center of the universe, but rather a piece of a larger, ever changing framework.

by Jeff Zimmerman