Attuning to Joy (when it feels like everything sucks)

 

Softly inhale and exhale. Set aside, even if it is just for this moment, what is weighing heavily on your heart. Dear one, you can always pick these things back up. You will not forget anything you must address.

Notice your current emotional experience in your body. I invite you to shift your perspective from the one experiencing these emotions, to the one observing these emotions. Gently rest your attention on observing your emotional experience. Notice, without judgment, the sensations in your body. Your mind will probably wander to stories and thoughts tangled up in these emotions. When this happens, lovingly guide your attention back to your emotional experience like a parent gently and compassionately leading their child back home. Let all thoughts and stories drift further away as you sift them out from your emotional experience. 

My love, what a wonder it is that our bodies have the capacity to generate the emotional experience. Emotions are a gift of divine wisdom. If we carefully observe our emotions, we can notice that the pleasantness and unpleasantness associated with emotions are necessary to motivate us into action. Dear one, sometimes we over attune to our unpleasant emotions, because our thinking brain has learned to look out for danger. When this happens, our vision narrows and blocks out the wonder and joy that we are immersed in. My love, joy can be present at the same time as pain, sadness, and sorrow. 

Just as you gently and lovingly guided your attention away from thoughts and toward your emotional experience, allow your inner parent to guide you toward joy. Allow your inner parent to take your vulnerable, tender, childlike self by the hand. “I want to show you something beautiful,” she says. 

Notice your inhale and exhale. In that breath, there were miracles all around you. The Earth spun, the plants grew, your body healed, your digestion advanced, millions of birds sung, billions of people smiled, thousands of streams continued to flow, children laughed, people in all corners of the world embraced in a hug, and about four babies were born. You, my dear, are woven into this joyful dance happening all around you, and all you have to do is breathe and be still to feel the joy and wonder it generates. Without any of your attention or effort, your body is working to nourish you, heal you, and keep you safe. Without any of your attention, the ecosystems all around you are working to achieve balance and life. Oh, my love, and the sun…the sun is always shining, even when we do not see her. Our life source, the catalyst for all of the wonders in and around us, 93 million miles away, is shining and we can feel her warmth.

My love, as you have just gently guided your attention toward the wonders and joys around you, you can always guide your awareness to include these miracles. 

-Kiersten