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Here are links to all of the Abundancetrek Blog posts on the heavenly attribute of Joy:
MY AMAZING JOURNEY CHAPTER ON JOY:
Because of Love, there is an abundance of Joy. That's the way it is. Really. When we are living as heavenly beings, here on earth or somewhere else, we are aware of this heavenly situation. How wonderful it is. How fantastic. How fascinating. How amazing. "How does the creature say AWE?"
There is plenty of pain in the world. No doubt about it. But heavenly beings know that pain is temporary and joy is permanent. And the more we embrace our heavenly identity, the more we feel joy and overcome pain. The world needs us. The world needs our joy.
All of these heavenly attributes are for everybody, every creature, and cannot be realized by anyone separately. "One for all and all for one." Joy happens in community. Even when you are practicing solitude, you are in the community of all creation. "And heaven and nature sings." Always and everywhere. Sing. Make a joyful noise. Dance. Celebrate. Be glad all over. Enjoy your freedom. You are free to enjoy life, to enjoy creation, to enjoy every moment, every breath, every thought, every idea, every relationship, every gift given, every gift received.
"As he was dying, Abba Benjamin taught his sons this: Do this and you’ll be saved: Rejoice always, pray constantly, and in all circumstances give thanks." -- Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers, Yushi Nomura, Editor, page 87, quoted by Don Postema in Space for God: The Study and Practice of Prayer and Spirituality, page 81
Like each and every one of the heavenly attributes, joy is a gift given freely and abundantly moment after moment. Live joyfully. Live thankfully. Live in this awareness, this reality. This is the way things really are.
Because there is an abundance of Love, there are plenty of reasons to be joyful, moment after moment, breath after breath. Be joyful as you experience the amazing abundance of Love, Love in all its forms.
Heaven is simply full of joy. And, since we are heavenly beings right now, right here, we are full of joy unless we are allowing earthly attachments to dominate us. Heaven is full of joyful music. Do you hear it? Listen. Connect. Dance. Sing. Sing for joy. Dwell here. Rest here. Relax here. Thoroughly enjoy the music, the dance, the feast, the freedom of heaven. Home. Wow.
Even though earth is a temporary dwelling place, it can feel like home. It can be heavenly. Earth needs joyful, heavenly people. Earth needs you as you really are, the liberated soul, the joyful heavenly being having an earthly experience. You have been practicing. You are now tasting and seeing, touching and hearing, moving to the heavenly beat, breathing the joyful air of the greater reality.
Two wonderful movements are changing our planet these days: The Joyful Noise movement and the Joyful Silence movement. Join both of these movements wholeheartedly. You are free. You are loving. You have been changed, transformed, made new, made whole. Oh what a joyful being you are. Now. Here. Wow.
There is a lot of heaven here on earth. We need even more heavenly joy and you can make it happen. You can make it happen in many ways. Sing. Dance. Shout. Be still. Be silent. Pray. Connect. Connect silently. Connect wisely with few words and many gestures of joy. You can do this. You are doing this. You are a joyful heavenly being bringing the joy of heaven to earth right now.
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ADDITIONAL THOUGHT 11/11/17 > Here we are on our fragile planet hoping to find reasons to be hopeful, happy and whole + we are fragile and vulnerable but full of energy and ideas, full of beauty and wisdom, full of love and determination. May our joy in this life become more complete as we grow in our commitment to the path of compassion, mindfulness and service which gives us meaning and purpose.
But our true home is heaven and not earth. Heaven is the source of real and lasting joy. We are always connected to this source but we have to be devoted to spiritual practices which strengthen the connection. Breathe deeply, Breathe fully and experience that everlasting joy.
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John@abundancetrek.com
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RESOURCES ON THE WEB:
NEW 11/18/20:The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu certainly have faced political winds which could easily have killed their bodies and even their spirit but they knew where joy really comes from and it is not in our political order. These two wonderful "wise guys" teach this truth in their speaking and writing and definitely when you see them smile and laugh either in person or on a screen. In SE244 I linked to a video where you can see and hear both of them speak. Now there is a book which comprehensively presents these two amazing teachers in dialogue: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. The author who writes about this fantastic meeting of minds is Douglas Carlton Abrams. He makes it possible for the reader to experience this intimate encounter of these 2 joyful teachers.
NEW 11/18/20: Spirituality & Practice offers a review and an excerpt from A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Eckhart Tolle challenges us to live in the present moment and to transform our consciousness by surrendering to the joy of Being.
Spirituality & Practice offers a fantastic guide to the spiritual practice of Joy by Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat. Here is the first paragraph: "Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope, and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. Joy is our elated response to feelings of happiness, experiences of pleasure, and awareness of abundance. It is also the deep satisfaction we know when we are able to serve others and be glad for their good fortune."
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat cover many other practices at their amazing website. They have written thousands of book reviews, movie reviews, compilations of engaging quotes and educational guides.
Inner Frontier offers Joseph Naft's suggestions for the practice of joy. Here's an excerpt: "Though sometimes considered a joyless enterprise, the spiritual path affords true joy where there was little or none. A few moments ecstasy in a lifetime of labor do not approach the ever-growing joy nurtured through persistent spiritual practice."
Inner Frontier offers "Non-clinging: Letting Go of Attachments" by Joseph Naft. He links freedom and joy to the practice of letting go: "On the road to freedom, we must let go of everything as me or mine. One wonderful aspect of the practice of non-clinging is that partial results accrue to us, even early in our path. If we learn not to identify with just a few kinds of thoughts or emotional reactions, we discover a little freedom and lightness, more joy as we walk through life. Non-clinging serves as its own reward."
Wahiduddin's Web promotes the teachings of a Sufi Master, Hazrat Inayat Khan, one of the best advocates of the Perennial Philosophy, or Mysticism.
Moving Into Stillness is an ebook and a printed book by Erich Schiffmann which offers supurb wisdom and great techniques for finding our essential core of goodness and happiness through the discipline of Yoga. In "The Core of Goodness" (Chapter 2), he writes: "You won't have to lift a finger or change yourself in any way. It's the way you were built. It's what you are. The emotional feeling-tone of love and goodness is happiness."
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann offers revered and amazing wisdom for those who decide to simplify their lives and find true meaning and joy.
The Omkarananda Ashram offers "Sayings of Swami Omkarananda". These sayings offer wonderful wisdom on the abundance of God's love and beauty and peace and joy. He reminds us that the practice of stillness is the essential path we must take in order to know that we are living in heaven right now, right here.
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