Ahhhhh, the pursuit of happiness - something that we all strive to create in our lives, right? Yet happiness doesn't last and we end up searching again and again for something to bring back those happy feelings. We are raised, taught and conditioned to look outside of ourselves for experiences and things that we think will make us happy. Yet the happiness we achieve is brief and fleeting and creates a never ending pursuit for something that doesn't really exist externally - only as a mental construct of our mind - our thoughts. Happiness is full of conditions - If I have this or try that, I will be happy and is a future state we tend to strive for, thus there is a perceived lack of happiness always looping in the backgrounds of our minds.
What if instead of pursuing happiness, we engaged in reawakening our Joy?
Unlike happiness, Joy is a state of BE-ing that we can choose to be in. Joy is living life through the eyes of a child, with a sense of awe and wonder in every experience. Joy is trusting in the unknown, knowing that anything is possible. There are no conditions or expectations and there is no pursuit or "getting there", it is just choosing to BE in Joy.
To reawaken Joy is to transform our relationship with our minds and our thoughts, noticing when we are stuck in our minds.
When we are dwelling in the past or hyper-focused in the future, this fuels our anxiety and our state of lack. We actually begin to believe our thoughts. One of my teachers, Rosemary Beam of Rising Fire Shamanism shares these words of wisdom about our thoughts: "The mind is not a truth teller! Our being-ness has contact with the All, access to far more than what the human mind can conceive.”
Stepping out of our thoughts, conditions and stories and into the present moment means being an observer, a witness to what is happening right now. It grounds us into the present and creates a state of peace and wonderment within.
As we choose Joy in every moment, we begin to cultivate this new state of BE-ing.
Like when a flower petal or a fern frond unfurls in the spring, we can reawaken our Joy with each chosen moment until our Joy blossoms and expands into every crevasse of our being.
You can start right now!
Joy, as it reawakens within you is a process that is cultivated like tending to a baby plant, so take small sustainable steps each day as you unfurl one beautiful petal of Joy at a time. There is no rush. There is nowhere to get to. Joy lives within you and these practices below will help you step into the state of BE-ing in Joy.
Here are some medicine tools to help you reawaken and cultivate Joy in your life:
Call in your spirit team and your allies and ask them to help you awaken your Joy. They are excited to partner with you and will get right to work on it!
Notice synchronicities - these are signs that your allies are sending you to help you reawaken your Joy. It could be anything - little miracles abound all the time and becoming aware of these brings you in touch with the magic and infinite potential that exists. Smile and shout out a thank you as you notice these. You could even say "Thank you, send me more of these!"
Call in Hummingbird or Dolphin - both of these allies are brimming with Joy and will be delighted to help you reawaken your Joy. You might even begin to see them over and over in surprising places. They will find Joy in bringing You Joy!
Notice when you are looping in your mind or stuck in a story or reaching externally. Gently step out of your mind, come back to your breath and see through the eyes of your heart, through the wondrous eyes of a child, just observing your present moment.
As you become more present in each moment, you may feel emotions rise. That's wonderful! Allow them, feel them, be with them. They will flow through you and out of you and create space within where Joy can rise.
Be curious and be gentle with yourself. Come back to yourself again and again and again (and again!) with compassion.
Laugh - if something strikes you funny, laugh loud, belly laugh, cry because you are laughing so hard! Laughing helps release Hucha (the Quechuan word for dense or heavy energy) and it gets you out of your mind and into your heart.
Begin with a Mantra - Today I choose Joy | I relax and enjoy the experience that is unfolding for me now | It is OK for me to experience Joy | My state of BE-ing is Joy | It is safe for me to experience Joy | I open to receive Joy | I am Joy | I wear the energy of Joy.
Call in the color Yellow. Yellow is the archetypal energy of Joy. Visualize yellow and breathe it in. You might even wear a piece of yellow clothing.
Music, singing and dancing also clears out Hucha and creates space within AND gets you out of your mind and into the present moment. "Sing at the top of your lungs and love without fear in your heart" (Lyrics from a Passenger song)! And check out this song - Joy.
Joy is your birthright!
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