THE of
By Sophie Breillat
Joy is lightness, sweetness, harmony and ease. Joy is
always now, this day, this moment. When did you last experience joyous spontaneity without sub- ject, object, rhyme or reason?
Is it a joy for you to wake each morning as dappled sunlight warms your face with its shin- ing greeting? Is it a joy to fall asleep in a comfortable bed with the stars twinkling outside your window or the sound of gentle raindrops upon the roof? Joy creates wellbeing wherever it appears. Stop, listen, breathe, sense, feel, be silent. And there it is inside you, beneath all of your worries and concerns.
64
Do you notice the delicate flower growing between the cracks in the pavement as you rush to the office? It is communicating the joy of life to you. Does the sweet song of the nearby bird penetrate your heart as you wait impatiently at the traffic lights? It is singing its joyful melody to you. Do the glorious billowing clouds fill you with joyous beauty? When did you last view a glowing sunset or a golden full moon in silent joy? When did you last experience joy’s uninhibited magic in your body and in your life?
The spirit of joy is a like a clear and sparkling stream, bubbling over smoothly worn pebbles in the dance of life. Joy loves the si- lent depth of stillness, the sweet simplicity of humility and the spontaneous surrender of an open heart. In those precious moments when our outer cloak of protec- tion falls away, we experience the delightful joy of being. The busy pace of contemporary society does not support the sacredness of joy’s exquisite grace. Always rushing towards an imagined future, it does not acknowledge the delicious joy of the present moment.
Do you and your partner re- ally enjoy each other? Is being together a joyful experience for both of you? There is infinite love in joy. It is like a beautiful garden that flowers when nurtured and cherished. When did you last innocently delight in the joyous
June/July 2010
spontaneity of shared laughter, the joyous affec- tion of a gentle touch or the joyous passion of real lovemaking? If a relationship is not honoured as a blessing or a privilege, that ex- quisite joy of first coming together disappears beneath many distractions that destroy the sa- credness of love. Reactive emo- tions then cloud our perceptions, creating division, separation and a lack of vitality. A relationship cannot deepen if we are more committed to wordily ambitions and material pursuits than to the nurturing of true intimacy, joy and pleasure. Giving and receiv- ing are acts of love that bring joyous grati- tude into our relation- ships. Ac- knowledg- ing beauty in another creates more joy in our hearts and in the world.
Faith is rekindled as the joyous purity we knew as innocent
“Joy lo silent d of stil the s
simplic
humility sponta
surrend open h
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100