The Power to Choose Joy
Yep, you've got to go that power
My favorite stretch of winter is the run up to New Year’s and the month of January. It’s deep, quiet winter but there is also a feeling of newness shifting into a whole new year. There’s a little reminder of that each time I have to focus to write the correct date on a journal entry or a check (yes, I still do those – old school I know).
This past New Year’s Eve, for the first time, I led the Burning Bowl ceremony at the Unity spiritual community that I serve. This New Year’s Eve event is definitely one of my favorite ritual traditions. The way we do it includes a reflective process to form intention around things we don’t want to carry into the new year; this could be thoughts, memories, habits, relationships, what-have-you. We write those things down on ritual burning paper, then walk to a place where we have candles burning in tubs of sand and burn the slips of paper. Next, we do a guided meditation in which people are encouraged to stay open to receiving a power word and an animal guide that will be helpers in the new year.
I knew going in that what I wanted to release was every “attack” thought. This is a concept in A Course In Miracles, that holds that every judgment, every grievance we hold against another is an attack. It goes further to suggest that another form of attack thought is seeing others as incapable or damaged. Further still, the Course teaches that we hold attack thoughts against ourselves when we view ourselves as incompetent, disempowered, not enough, not having enough; in other words, when we view ourselves as less than we truly are. For several years I’ve been making steady progress releasing attack thoughts, but some are quite stubborn. “Poof” into the flames went my slip of paper. Later, during the silent time of the guided meditation the word “self-trust” popped in, followed by a crystal-clear image of hummingbird.
My own spiritual path is eclectic, pulling from a variety of faith traditions, and heavily influenced by indigenous wisdom and practices, including animism. Animism is the belief that all beings, human and non-human, have a distinct spiritual essence. It lends itself to the belief that when other beings show up in our lives there is a lesson, or a message, or reminder there – what some call “medicine”. I knew the medicine of hummingbird was the reminder of the power of joy and play and beauty. Sounded good to me!
One of the greatest “unlearnings” of my life so far is the realization that we have tremendous agency to choose our feelings and emotions. Like most, my early programming suggested that the things that happen to us dictate how we’re going to feel. We sort of ping-pong through life reacting to events that seem beyond our control. The truth is we have tremendous power to choose how we feel about most things that happen. The more we practice catching ourselves defaulting to a negative lens, then redirecting our view of the event, the more we build muscles that empower us to naturally choose a more pleasant lens. One of my top power tools when dealing with a difficult situation is, “Perhaps there is a different way to look at this? What have I got to lose by asking?”
Here's an excerpt from A Course In Miracles I thought you might appreciate:
“So will the year begin in joy and freedom. There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. Accept the holy instant as this year is born, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening.” (T-15.XI.10)
The Holy Instant is another of the power concepts in the Course. It is all about releasing attachment to the past or future and fully opening to present moment right here and right now. Practicing Holy Instants help us remember that the past does not dictate the future.
So, here in this baby new year, what would you choose to leave behind? And what traits, self-reminders or spirit helpers might prove useful in moving forward in a more empowered way? Here’s a video of the Burning Bowl ceremony in case you’d like to do your own ceremony.
As for me, I’ll be choosing to choose joy at every single opportunity, which dovetails pretty perfectly with my new dog agility addiction. The amazing Olive (AKA Livvy Lane) just had another stellar trail performance and even earned a couple new titles. I’ll be choosing joy, being in the present moment ripping around with Livvy, and saying thank you to the gorgeous hummingbird sisters and brothers who frequent the feeder on my deck. May we all exude such natural feisty joy in 2023!
Much love,
Cylvia
P.S. Every once in a while, when I share something about animal medicine and the messages I find in encounters with wild critters people ask, “What if you’re just making that up?” To which I respond, “What if I am? It brings joy and richness to my life. It’s a fun way to move through this Great Mystery.” After all, we make stuff up all the time; why not make up something fun?
Here's a video of Team Olive’s title winning run in the FAST event. FAST stands for fifteen and send and it includes fifteen obstacles and an area where the dog must do several obstacles at a distance from the handler – that’s what the pink tape on the ground is for. Livvy is so awesome and I am totally head over paws for her.
Some Upcoming Live-streamed Talks
1. Spiritual Activism. January 22nd, 7:30am Pacific for Unity of Kitchener. Here is a brief description of the talk. Note, this talk is part of the Sunday service so it will not start right at 7:30.
2. Releasing Attack Thoughts including against Ourselves!. January 29th, 10:00am Pacific for Unity Spiritual Community Central Oregon. You can dial in here.