Celebrate the simple joys of life!
Spontaneous joy
Have you ever seen a grown woman kneeling on the lawn, hidden behind the peonies, and the next moment she throws herself to one side and shouts "Peekaboo" !"? At that very moment a cat leaps straight up into the air, from the other side of the peony hedge, lands on her back for a millisecond and then gallops at high speed in the opposite direction on the lawn. Hmm...well, I could almost imagine that. It's not a very common sight, I can imagine. But that's actually what we enjoy in this home. Childish? Very possible. Super fun and bring-out-laughter-joy ? ABSOLUTELY! The simple things in the here and now are often what create genuine joy, right? What many might also consider "childish". When did we adults stop acknowledging the child in us? There is still a part of us that needs to be seen and heard. To play and feel spontaneous joy.
What is joy to you?
So what is joy? How do you experience joy and what creates joy for you? Just like with all emotions, joy leaves a memory in both our physical and astral bodies. It becomes like a marker in our aura. The aura can tell us a lot about our state of health, but also shows a lot about our personality and how we choose to react in different situations. Previous experiences are also reflected here in the form of memories and emotions. Because the body remembers... So when we actively choose to seek, see and let in the feeling of joy, you could say that we "program" ourselves to be in closer contact with the feeling and it is given space to arise more often and more spontaneously.
If we are not used to feeling joy, perhaps it is a feeling we need to practice a little. Practice, you might be thinking? Yes, it actually works. It can be as simple as focusing on what is actually positive here and now in our lives. Challenge the negative thoughts and try to reframe them with a positive perspective instead. Practicing gratitude and mindfulness is a good way, because when we slow down, breathe and be here and now, it is easier to see the beauty in the simple things and what we actually already have in our lives.
Joy - a feeling with a high vibration.
Joy is a high-vibration feeling, which, regardless of external circumstances, is created from within with a vibrant and expansive energy. Joy can be fleeting and unexpected, but is one of those feelings when we stop being in our heads with analytical thoughts for a moment and instead just fully feel the feeling. The vibrant and uplifting feeling that creates well-being and energy in us. Joy does wonders for our immune system and also spreads positive energy, like ripples on water, to our surroundings. The more the better, so to speak.
Joy does not have to be connected only to big events in our lives. It can actually be as simple as enjoying a cup of good coffee and the sunrise. A spontaneous hug from someone who is important in your life. Or listening to birdsong. Whatever it may be for you? Maybe you find joy in being creative in different ways, such as writing, painting, creating art? Or is your passion to be active and move a lot with dance or some sport? It can be as simple as smiling at someone you don't know, and getting a smile back.
Does that mean we should go around being happy, laughing and feeling joy all the time? No, that's not how life really works. Feeling emotions and allowing ourselves to feel the entire range of emotions is actually a superpower we've all been given, which we have the opportunity to use. Emotions inspire thoughts, behaviors and even development. It's all really about how we choose to relate to things. We can't influence some things, but maybe we can also see it as a kind of growth that makes us stronger.
The happiness hormone and divine primal power
My own best recipe for joy has always been nature and animals. Simple, uncomplicated and so enormously enriching. For me, both animals and nature are what have always been my stable anchor in life that provides nourishment and joy to the soul. We know that many different positive processes start in the body when we are out in nature or spend time with animals. Our blood pressure is lowered, levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease, our mental health is strengthened, fatigue is reduced and focus is strengthened. Likewise, what we usually call the "happiness hormone" dopamine, endorphin and oxytocin increase. So many benefits.
But my experience is also about a sense of awe. Animals and nature hold an energy of divine primal power that creates grounding, presence and understanding of what is truly authentic and genuine in life. Our home Earth, Tellus, is approximately 4.5 million years old where we humans, Homo Sapiens, have been a part of for the last 300,000 years. But it is only in the last 265 years or so that we have had industrialization, when we went from agricultural societies to industrial societies. The time before agricultural societies we were hunter-gatherers. Humans have lived most of their history in natural symbiosis with animals and nature, it is part of our DNA, our origin. Our most natural state.
Humans, animals and nature are like a globalrhythmic pulse, the trinity that when we live in symbiosis creates holistic balance. Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Industrialism created a lot of comfortable solutions for humans, but in its progress it also promoted three of the ego's central watchwords - Control, Competition and envious Comparison. We lost touch with nature, with ourselves and our intuition. We forgot in our progress and pursuit of development that we are all closely linked in the Universe. Animals, nature and humans are a sacred whole where no part can survive without the other. We balance each other.
I can feel awe for this origin when I am in nature and when I am close to animals. It creates a calmness in me. It creates nourishment and security for the soul. That no matter how the world is storming around us right now, I find calm, security and joy in animals and nature. It opens up for me to hear my own heart better.
In closing, I would like to invite you to a small challenge. The next time a refreshing rain falls on you where you live – go out and jump in the puddles. It's free, it's a childishly liberating prank and an easy way to happiness. Trust me – your inner child will thank you
