I planned on writing more today about our human emotional-spiritual dredging project. How it’s possible to illuminate our sorrows with the flashlight of love through gentle awareness and deep inquiry. How we can turn more steadfastly toward the light of the Great Spirit by deconstructing our conditioned reactivity.
The Holy had other plans–as usual.
While cruising around Facebook in my 55 Chevy (no, that belonged to my husband when I met him and only exists in the field of imagination now) I stumbled upon a post by Diana Gabaldon. All you lovers of the “wildly popular” Outlander books and series know Diana, don’t you? If not, go meet Claire and Jamie and their time travel adventures. Ye get on your Scottish kirk, don’t ye ken?
Diana posted: Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, called “Gaudete” (“Rejoicing”) Sunday. This is where we pause in our solemn reflections, light the third candle of our Advent wreath (which is pink) and realize with joy and wonder what this process is leading to: the fulfillment of hope and promise in the greatness of love.
Rejoicing Sunday indeed! I closed my eyes and imagined the Advent wreath with its five stalwart candles standing between earth and heaven. Imagined lighting the flames. And felt the Holy whisper: Pause in our solemn reflections. Pause in your solemn reflections. Let us bring forth the sparkly lights of the Christmas season that promise to lift tear-filled sorrows and bring awareness of Christ Consciousness in a manger once again.
My word for today is JOY! Can you feel it, too?
The Universe turns on its invisible axis suspended in space. Can you FEEL the remarkable awe of that MIRACLE?
Holy wah!
Sometimes this happens. Just a simple word like that–like joy–can ignite my heart’s embers and I’m twirling beneath a full moon in the soul’s psyche. Or just dancin’ around the Christmas tree…
Even though we’re doing our emotional and spiritual work, all ye Christmas elves, even though we’re building strong inner supports to give to the outer world–there’s a time for letting down our hair and dancing through Santa’s workshop.
Just say the word with me–sixteen times today. A thousand. After you empty the dishwasher maybe (because I’m imagining most of you have dishwashers, unlike us). Before you settle down to eat your turkey sandwich. How about every time you look at your phone?
Let’s say it. JOY. And watch the joy angels come singing. See if they will. See if they’ll let you lay down your burdens. Your sorrows. Your mistakes. The ways we’ve missed the mark. The ways we’re not brim-full with love and la-de-da and ho-ho-ho.
The Holy doesn’t want it to be all tears and sniffles and sadness. He wants celebration. She wants giggling. It wants us to drop the heavy platter of our thoughts and beliefs and judgments and opinions for the twinkle in a reindeer’s eye and just notice what’s here, now.
For those of you who can–and maybe some of you can’t–and that’s OK too because Joy will wait patiently until you’re oh-so-ready with beautiful golden wrapped gifts–let’s open our hearts today and sing Christmas carols to any bruised and battered corners of our being. To the bruised and battered corners of our blue and green spinning planet.
We’ll continue our journey toward Solstice and Christmas in the days to come as our ancient ancestors hover before the hearth and chant rituals to ensure the sun’s return. As we wait for the baby to birth through our humble offerings. As we light an advent candle in honor of the many ways the Holy appears in our life: light, dark, opening, closing, sadness, joy.
Anyone else up for some joy? What is bringing you joy this weekend? Can you find a morsel or two of joy to feed any hungry wee creatures in the corners of your red beating heart?
Day 57 of a seventy-five day journey to connect more deeply with God, Spirit, Holy, Love…to explore “What the Heart Knows” during the waning days of 2020.
Lake Superior Spirit 
Kathy, my heart is overflowing from JOY today . as i realized that all those old patterns of fear and anxiety belongs to that old child-in-the-ice-part – and so i can listen to them now, and stop judging them for being wrong – that makes me unspeakably happy
Wow, Leelah, that is SO wonderful! What an amazing Ode to Joy! I am happy for you, too, and hope to come over and read your blog soon today. ❤
Oh Outlander books, oh Diana Gabaldon, oh sweet selected pictures of Joy, oh dancing, singing, humming, vibrating Joy! I will say it with you sixteen or a thousand times today! Yes, yes, yes, I can FEEL it. Thank you!
Sparks of joy last night and this morning … as I sort through what goes with me as I leave my little Baraga nest. Old letters, cards, pictures … sentiments and words of thanks and gratitude written through the years. Putting things I no longer need in our communal laundry room, and secretly watching people take them, feeling little bursts of joy knowing someone else can use what no longer fits into my life. Ahhhhh … and just feeling overall cozy, in spite of the disarray. The winds of change (which are always blowing for all of us) are balmy at this time, though always subject to shift. I will take what is offered today. Today. JOY! 💖
Oh you are getting my joy button going again, Susan! I love how easily you feel things. What sweetness to be saying goodbye to your precious Baraga nest. To being a Secret Santa giving away things you no longer need. Yay for feeling cozy and loving the balmy shifted winds. May we be able to continue to open to JOY when she presents herself, O Unexpected and Delightful visitor!
I think it’s just perfect that this Sunday is a day for JOY! We’ve all been beaten down by misery for so long — so many trials, so much hardship, so many heartaches — that today is a great day to rejoice in what we do have. Family, friends, health, food, a roof over our heads, perhaps a few coins in our pocket. And the ability to get outside and feast on Nature’s beauty. Let’s celebrate, Kathy!
Doesn’t it feel lovely when we can rejoice, when joy comes by with her friend gratitude to visit? Yes, let’s celebrate, Debbie! Even the hawk is celebrating. *smile* EnJOY the rest of your day!
The physical act of smiling – consciously turning up the lips – fires neurons in the brain and brings positivity and joy. I’m smiling at you this morning, Kathy, as I look out at a white world sparkling in the sunshine. Love and peace abide with you, Barb
Barb, you can’t believe the amazing timing of your smiling comment! I had just received an email from a spiritual teacher–Matt Kahn–all about smiling being love. Then turned around and saw your comment coming in. Talk about serendipity! Thank you!
We had Advent wreaths when I was a child. Now, I pick a Christmas song each day to celebrate. And yesterday, we cut two lopsided pine trees from our farm and have tied them together with lights. Won’t have time to do the ornaments until Wednesday. I have a container of Candy Canes – one per day for the JOY of it (there !! I said the word). Tonight over turkey day leftovers at my deceased in-laws’ cabin with a wood fire in the Jotul because it is cold, we’ll watch Patrick Stewart play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. So I’m doing all right in this sometimes difficult and sad year. Merry & Bright most of the time. And joy to the world, we are going to come out of the darkness and into the light of a new day. I believe it. Christmas is about believing, so they say in The Polar Express.
Deb, that Christmas song-a-day in a great joyful thing to do! As well as harvesting and decorating your lopsided pines. (We used to cut down our woods trees too.) Sounds like a joyful pause in the middle of challenge. I do believe, I do believe…. ❤
We lit the pink candle today. Sometimes tradition helps align what is maligned in our lives. I wish I could say it was joy, but it’s more ethereal than that. XOXO
OK, weird. I remember responding to this comment. Honestly. I would have sworn on a…but, no, memory is not a reliable thing, is it? I so agree that tradition can sometimes ease us through challenging days. xoxo
Yes, actually, you did respond. Lost in cyberspace.
Ah ha! Memory WAS right! Hip hip hooray! *Smiling very widely and broadly at you*
I caught that smile!
Joy is one of my favorite words — in fact, the word is hanging on my solstice tree! 💙
Do we get to see a picture of your Solstice Tree, pretty please?
We’re working on it – neither one of us is great at indoor photographs but we’re trying to find the right lighting, the right time of day…
Joy is a morning off from work where I can sit in bed and catch up on reading your posts!
So happy you had the morning off and you chose to come here!!