by Cayce Howe • I love thinking about joy and happiness, but it’s even better when we can move into a realm where we can experience the feeling of joy and the feeling of happiness. Paramahansa Yogananda once said, “If you possess happiness, you possess everything. To be happy, is to be in tune with God.”
It is so often in this world that the external part of life does not give us too many reasons and opportunities to feel joy and happiness. Sometimes it even feels that there is little time to give ourselves that gift.
In a book I read, the author suggested that we take three minutes and spend those three minutes complimenting ourselves continuously. I had never done anything like that and it felt so odd at first, but then it felt really good and I was left with a feeling of positivity. I felt more receptive to the presence of God, as though it had cleared the way and that God could come in and sit with me.
I wonder if feeling joy and happiness is being in tune with God. How powerful is it? And how beneficial is it for just one of us to feel joy and happiness? How beneficial would it be to this great planet for each and every one of us to feel that way? If we have two or three or four people smiling, how beneficial is that for the consciousness of humanity?
Or what if we have an entire room full of people blending our souls together in this feeling of joy and happiness, how would that affect the consciousness here on Earth and how would that allow Spirit to walk through us and to manifest Him or Herself here?As we spend time in quietude and meditation we enter into a place that is limitless; we enter into a place where God’s divine plan can be felt, can be seen and tasted. When we quiet our minds and quiet our bodies, we can slip into this place of limitless beauty.
We can envision a world living in accordance with divine plan and all its’ inhabitants living in tune with our Creator. Imagine the playfulness, the joy and the bliss. As you walk through this beautiful thought world, imagine our own gifts, our own work, that you would offer in such a place. Imagine how divine Spirit would manifest through you, in your own unique way.
As we each do this, we are reaching out to our Creator, and saying that we are empty vessels for the divine plan to take place through us. We are here to help manifest in any way Spirit would like, this beautiful vision, this realm of limitless beauty and divinity and oneness.
Meditation allows us to transcend our worries and concerns, and bring us to a place where we can reconnect with joy, with happiness, and with the will of our Creator. In this way, we have a limitless opportunity to feel and experience the joy that is our divine birthright—what God wants for each and every one of us. We have the tools to not only uplift our own spirit, but the spirit and consciousness of this entire world.
Can we imagine the patience of God,
waiting for lifetimes to be recognized within us?
Waiting, watching, and loving, through thick and thin.
God is always right here,
the Spirit within the soul
that quickens and recognizes Oneness revealed,
inherent and ancient, long standing and pure.
God is always right here.
Security is knowing God loves me, always,
and loving God, always.
When I think of mother’s, I think of the protective, creative force of Mother Nature.
There are so many examples of this, from the mama birds building their nests in my yard, to my friends who are mothers—constantly sending love, strength, care and encouragement to their children.
But the mother’s energy exists in both men and women and can be seen and felt through the heart.
Especially during these pandemic times we find ourselves needing to be reassured that “everything is going to be all right.” And mother’s energy is so good at giving reassurance!
When I think of all the hardships that humans endure in their lifetimes, I am so grateful for the mother figures that stand by, offering their sometimes silent support of what we are going through, and sometimes offering their physical, emotional or spiritual help as well.
Let us all give thanks for this beautiful part of our natures and cultivate it within us to help soften the sometimes harsh realities around us.
The Divine in me, bows to the Divine in you. Namaste
Every year the swallows return to our home, miraculously, on March 21st, the first day of Spring. They bring so much joy to our lives as they busily work to build their mud nests under our eaves.
Thanks to the swallows, we have no flies or mosquitoes to contend with, but their real gift is watching them in flight as they joyfully circle over our heads in the morning and evening hours, in swirling vortexes.
How is it that Mother Nature knows the exact time and location to send her messages of joy to the world? And how many other messengers are we blessed to witness every day?
Throughout the year, Sunburst offers encouragement for twelve months of conscious living. Each sign of the zodiac offers the discovery of our own “star power,” strengths that we might not know we have. As we each realize the power of our natural divine self, we develop our Divine personality. The result is greater joy and meaning in our lives, as well as making the world a better place.
We end and begin the year in the midst of the sign of “Temperance.” This is Capricorn’s gift, as we celebrate while the Sun transits this zodiacal sign (Dec. 22, 2019 to Jan. 19, 2020). It’s our challenge to be temperate amidst holiday reveling, spending, and consuming. It’s not too late—you can resolve to embrace temperance the rest of this year, and you’ll be thankful you did.
Capricorn is an astrological Cardinal Earth Sign. “Cardinal” means it’s a sign of “doing—active.” “Earth” is the practical, grounded side of this energy. Now the challenge is not to be so caught up in the physical that we neglect the spiritual aspect of this time of year. It’s a wonderful time to “actively” find deep peace within, just as nature is engaged in doing in the Northern Hemisphere. Our energies gather, possibly discovering a more focused, and worthwhile purpose in our lives. Meditation allows our intuition to point out our best direction forward.
Paramahansa Yogananda was born in the month of Capricorn, on January 5th, 1893.
Sunburst celebrates every Capricorn with a Kriya Yoga retreat. It’s a beautiful opportunity to get in touch with your true self, the perfect spirit within your being. We celebrate with some hours of silence, refresh our meditation practice, learn new techniques for spiritual growth, and find that “reset button” to get our new year off to a start full of promise—with worthwhile and appropriate personal goals. Sunburst is also all about new friendships, love, and the kind of spiritual support we each need in a challenging world. Maybe you’ll tune in each month to “Be a Star.”
