Dropping Into Joy

 Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.  Marianne Williamson

Amid all the sorrows and challenges of life, I can still choose joy. That’s what showed itself to me in my meditation this morning. Joy is the expansion of the heart chakra, the sensation of a greenish disc of energy swirling in my heart center. If I visualize it, I can expand it. I can likewise sense it in others, if I choose to be open to it. 

I can be more open and accepting of others’ journeys when I try to tap into their joy. What makes this person happy? What gives that person contentment? It’s not mine to know; what I can do is to consciously be aware that there is something within them which keeps them afloat, and share in that moment of gratitude.

Differences fall away, letting compassion grow. As compassion grows, the collective loads lighten. When I can see the Light in others, when I can imagine them feeling their own joy, I personally am given a moment of true connection; my joy is lit up by feeling your joy. The old egoic patterning of envy and jealousy no longer have a primacy in my thought processes. It’s a conscious — and often difficult — choice to break old patterns, but is ultimately worth the effort in the serenity it brings.

Today, may I recognize the good around me, within me, and in the hearts of others.