Reclaiming Joy

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of joy lately. Living life with joy is like being in love. You consciously choose to look at the world through a different lens. You are in a state of being in love and this gives you the ability to quite literally view everyone and everything through the gorgeous haze of love. You have greater compassion. It’s all perception. 

Living without joy is like being in a constant state of depression. You look at the world through a dark and heavy haze characterized by consistent and persistent negative thoughts. 

We are all loved and valuable. We are all sparks of God/Universe/Love, whichever word works for you. What are your God-spark words? Consider all of the following words. Sort them into the following 3 categories: Positive Charge, Neutral, Negative Charge, and then get curious about WHY they hold these charges for you. There’s a message there, and it’s an opportunity to own your strengths and forgive your weaknesses:

Vital, Curious, Truthful, Honest, Empathetic, Smart, Valuable, Wonderful Lover, Wonderful Parent, Healthy, Balanced, Bright, In Flow, Fascinated, Sensual, Strong, Joyful, Patient, Committed, Passionate, Exciting, Friend, Adventurous, Beautiful, Compassionate, Brilliant, Wonderful, Lovely, Fascinating, Energetic. 

Keep in mind that every thought is a choice contributing positively or negatively to our experience of joy. Every moment is an echo. Every eventuality is a passage manifested. Life is not a series of random events. Even though it can certainly seem so at times.

I remember the first time I became aware of the magical elements illuminating joy and transcending the world I could initially only perceive with my five senses. I was seven years old, traipsing on my own through the woods of Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. And all of a sudden I felt everything. Felt golden. Felt the light coming though the trees also coming through me. It was epiphany. It was Divine. It was Magic. I felt a part of everything, all at once. I felt transported. Joyful.

Similar experiences have inflected my days ever since, and I’m profoundly grateful, as I’m never truly alone. And I’m far more comfortable being a mystic than one of the faithful. I have a deep faith of my own, but I’d likely be considered a heretic by the current guardians of the faith. But the magic, the joy, is now in my veins.

I don’t talk about this much, but I dream in broad strokes—parallel universes. Some call it astral-projection, a sort of mystic time travel. I think things, then many times, they happen. I know things, even when I should not. I was walking down the streets of Dublin a year or two ago, saw a homeless man and stopped and sat on the blanket beside him. After a few pleasantries (he made me welcome), I asked, “What’s your dream?” “I don’t have one,” he said. “Sure you do,” I said. “Isn’t it music?” “How did you know?” he said. “It’s written all over you,” I said. And it was. But that wasn’t the end of it. I owe him a debt. We all do.

Life can and should be magical. Practical magic, indeed. But magical nonetheless. Anything is possible. The kinder and wiser our gaze, the broader and more lovely the sweep of our imagination….and manifestation. Wishing you all your full portion of joy. XOKate