While I’m not a proponent of using drugs for expanding consciousness, there’s a powerful quote in Christopher Bache’s latest book, LSD and the Mind of the Universe. In it, he’s having a conversation with the universe, which tells him:
“It’s you and I creating, my love. All the suffering and ignorance is simply what has happened since we separated. All of it is part of you and I creating. Do you remember now? You and I decided to create for the sheer joy of it.”
When I read this, I felt energy running through my body, which usually happens when either something is true and / or important to me.
And in fact, this is so important to all of us, that I’m beginning this new podcast on this topic of joy – something we all need to remember, and to embrace.
INTRO
Many years ago, I made a conscious vow to live my life with joy instead of suffering. That came after observing life and how everything was geared towards suffering. I wondered if it was possible to live life through joy instead. And since then, I’ve been practicing looking at life from the perspective of joy and gratitude. This takes a lot of effort and it’s not easy, although with time that becomes part of our way of being.
Recently I had an experience where I was told about the mechanics of creation. It included so many details that, at a certain point, I asked: “Why all of this? What is the purpose?”
The answer was kind of funny, and it came as a question, asking me: “Why do you go on a vacation?”
I said: “To explore new things and have fun with those I love!”
I then heard: “This is creation. It’s to experience things and have joy. It’s all about joy!”
Creation is also an act of love. Despite all the suffering that we see, the base of creation is love and joy.
Reading Christopher’s book was a great confirmation of my own experience, although I didn’t use drugs to get there. Still, these confirmations helped me to start this podcast. There are so many things I’d like to share, and I was having difficulty deciding which topic I would start with when Joy became clear!
After all, it’s in the name of my business: Heart Health Joy. My entire service is aimed at helping people find and live their purpose, and to experience that purpose through a state of health. And the end result of all of this must be joy. There’s no other reason for us to be here than to have and share this joy.
When we tap into joy, life becomes abundant and filled with gratitude. The more we make this our baseline, the healthier and more fulfilling and more meaningful our life experiences.
Yet as I said, joy is not our default. As Henri Nouwen once said: “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
And we have to do this because the world is focus on suffering, and wants to take us along with it. This is our environmental programming. Just watch the news!
It reminds me of a story that my mom likes to share: at a family gathering, many years ago, my family was sitting and talking when my mom mentioned that she was a happy person. Everyone stopped talking, and the conversation died on an awkward note. What she said was something strange to them. Something foreign. And almost as if it wasn’t allowed.
Of course we should be able to express that we are happy without awkwardness. But the truth is that we don’t need to say it aloud because our aura expresses it.
Have you ever noticed when someone comes close to you, and suddenly you feel depressed? The interesting thing is that the opposite is also true. Cultivating feelings of joy elevates the frequency of your environment, and if more of us work towards bringing this energy into our personal fields, can imagine how our world would be?!
One part of the beauty of joy is that it can be quiet and peaceful, or it can be beaming and embracing of those around us. What I mean is that, like any form of love, it can adapt to the needs of those we want to share it with. There are those who may be suffering who cannot receive a display of joy; and yet, with joy inside us and a gentle approach, we can start to heal them with our mere presence.
There are two important points here:
First, as we cultivate joy, it helps to anchor us to the deeper source of creation and allows us to better help others who are struggling without drowning ourselves in their sorrows. It can help to hold us up, and lift them up. Without this strength, we can easily be pulled down into their pain.
In fact, in later episodes, I’ll go deep into the nature of suffering and how this is the first thing we encounter as we expand our consciousness. Which makes joy such an important anchor in our personal development process.
Second, joy is a healing presence. If we wish to heal ourselves, we should embrace joy. If we wish to heal others, we should embrace joy.
This podcast will include the topic of health, so it’s important for us to understand that joy and health are intricately connected, and numerous studies have explored the positive impact of joy on overall well-being. Here are some ways in which joy can contribute to better health:
1. We have Stress Reduction: Joy has been linked to lower stress levels. When you experience joy, your body releases endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that act as natural stress relievers. Lower stress levels, in turn, contribute to improved overall health.
2. Very good for Immune System Boost: Positive emotions, including joy, have been associated with a strengthened immune system. The release of neuropeptides that accompany feelings of happiness can potentially enhance the body's ability to fight off illnesses.
3. Heart Health: Research suggests that positive emotions, including joy, may have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. Joyful experiences can contribute to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart-related issues.
4. Pain Management: Joyful activities and positive emotions have been shown to increase the pain threshold. Engaging in activities that bring joy can help individuals cope better with pain and discomfort.
5. Improved Mental Health: Joy is a powerful antidote to negative emotions like anxiety and depression. Cultivating a sense of joy and happiness can positively impact mental health, promoting resilience and reducing the risk of mental health disorders.
6. Longevity: Some studies suggest that people who experience more positive emotions tend to live longer. Joyful individuals may engage in healthier behaviors, have stronger social connections, and experience less stress, all of which contribute to a longer and healthier life.
7. Enhanced Social Connections: Joyful individuals often attract positive social interactions. Strong social connections are linked to better mental and physical health, as they provide support, companionship, and a sense of belonging.
8. Improved Sleep: Joy and positive emotions can contribute to better sleep quality. Reduced stress and a more positive mindset can help regulate sleep patterns and promote restful sleep.
In fact, have you ever heard about the Blue Zones? These are places where people commonly live past 100 years. When questioned about their routines, they provide a list, but you can also see how joyful they are.
We are living in a transitional period where huge changes are coming that involve planetary cycles. While cultivating joy and gratitude may be difficult for people, they may soon be more important than ever. We need to shift the way we see life if we want to pass this important period of time with grace, helping us to more easily usher in a new cycle for humanity.
In later episodes, I’ll be talking about how to bring this state of joy into our lives. How to feel grateful and fulfilled no matter what is happening around us. It does not have to do with anything external to us, like having more money, power, or glory, although when we are living according to our true self, those things can come to our lives if and when they are correct for us.
For instance, I use Human Design and other tools to explore people’s true purpose and to help them live life better aligned with their true self. This helps to remove resistance in life so that all the experiences we have are then correct for us and more likely to bring about our happiness.
But more than only that, we will go deeper into all sorts of topics across esoteric knowledge, consciousness, and health. In doing so, we can explore things from many different perspectives, which I hope will help us all to grow, to become better versions of ourselves, and ultimately, to live in joy.