Eckhart Tolle's work is so beautiful, like the call of truth pulling you back home, even though sometimes it can feel like you are being dragged through hedges, feet kickin' an' all ... lol!
This see-sawing on the spiritual journey, like the sway of Laughter and Tears reminds me of a journey experience I had not that long ago (I'm a journey therapist .... i.e the inner journey, taking inner adventures through mindful meditation, witnessing the games we play with our egos and then letting go and submitting to truth)
Anyway .... having also read works like 'The Genie in Your Genes' by Dawson Church and 'Biology Beyond Belief' by erm-m-m oh yeah, Bruce Lipton, oh and 'Molecules of Emotion' by Candace Pert (powerful books, phew!) this experience made so much sense
On this particular journey I found myself looking at a spontaneous image of what I would call a clump of body cells. Each one was covered in receptor cells that looked strangely like pods of sweetcorn and these receptors it seems were 'primed' or 'keyed' for sad and tearful responses. They had been well fed over the years (reminds me of a folk tale I heard a long time ago .. can't remember the full details ... something about a wolf, an old man and a young boy, I think but the point of the story was: 'that which you feed the most, grows')
So these cells, as I understood it, had become conditioned and almost addicted to the sad/tears combination which fed and swelled up the pods. And no matter how happy I might be at a particular moment, these cells had their 'radars' on to find another sad and tearful moment to feed on (lol!) like needing a 'fix' from time to time to keep them going
Then I realised that I would need to 'retrain' these cells to take in or feed on happy feelings instead and increase the number of receptors that were tuned to happy feelings (feed them with laughter) and let the tearful receptors wither and die over time through undernourishment ...
And because tears and laughter are so close, it became possible to just 'switch' suddenly during a tearful episode and start giggling (without trying to think of something funny to giggle about ... just make myself giggle, physically) Anyone watching might think I was mad, but I did let my husband know that I was carrying out this 'strange' experiment so he wouldn't think I had gone completely nutty. I imagined that in this way I was feeding the 'fun' receptors which grew and spread across the cells and started to crowd out the 'sad' receptors which had overrun the place before
As I continued to practice this switching, I found that I started to take myself much less seriously and it felt good to be feeding myself with something positive. I began to feel much more expansive, confident and joyful instead of contracted, gloomy and sorry for myself.
And then there seemed to come a point when I didn't have to do it consciously any more, the 'fun' receptors had reached 'critical mass' and taken over and now my radar is set to happy experiences, joy and delight. I like this new food ha! ha!
Joy works with Energy Therapy and Mindful Meditation for healing and spiritual growth
For physical pain relief see her video that you can easily follow along for quick results Natural Pain Relief
To learn more about Joy and her work click here
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Laughter and Tears
Tears and laughter are two of the most beautiful and heartfelt expressions of human nature I know.
I find it absolutely fascinating that they take up a place so intimately close to each other in the brain. It is amazing to think they are just literally a 'spark' apart as the brain fires its neurons, so close, yet at the same time ever so far away, a perfect reflection perhaps of the dynamics of so many of life's relationships
How many of you have had the experience of laughing so much you end up in tears! Or of crying yourself out and ending it with a smile?
But trouble can arise when we form a habit of 'plumping for' the tears.
It's like this. Imagine you are sitting on a fence with 'tears' on one side and 'laughter' on the other. Another 'demand for payment' comes through the door, or the cat poops on the brand new carpet that you've saved up for so long to be able to afford, or your partner repeats the same behaviour yet again that you've told him a million times upsets you, or you are waking up into yet another day of chronic pain and aching ..... what do you do?
You are on the fence, even if only for a split second. That's all it takes to make the decision to jump into tears or laughter. Yet many of us will immediately take the tearful option, even without thinking and pull in a few other feelings along the way ... the poor victim, hard done by, long suffering etc etc
But what if you could catch yourself at that moment, just before the jump, long enough to be aware that you have a choice and what if you had just enough time to breathe in a breath of courage, if you could just let go of your resistance to change ..... if you could try an experiment with laughter ... even fake laughter (the body doesn't know the difference - really)
and ... Ping! You've landed on the other side and find yourself laughing at your predicament as the 'big, bad monster' fades into insignificance and the happiness seed starts to grow
And you realise you are bigger than any challenge and tears and laughter are simply currents in the bigger flow that everyone and everything is a part of
I find it absolutely fascinating that they take up a place so intimately close to each other in the brain. It is amazing to think they are just literally a 'spark' apart as the brain fires its neurons, so close, yet at the same time ever so far away, a perfect reflection perhaps of the dynamics of so many of life's relationships
How many of you have had the experience of laughing so much you end up in tears! Or of crying yourself out and ending it with a smile?
But trouble can arise when we form a habit of 'plumping for' the tears.
It's like this. Imagine you are sitting on a fence with 'tears' on one side and 'laughter' on the other. Another 'demand for payment' comes through the door, or the cat poops on the brand new carpet that you've saved up for so long to be able to afford, or your partner repeats the same behaviour yet again that you've told him a million times upsets you, or you are waking up into yet another day of chronic pain and aching ..... what do you do?
You are on the fence, even if only for a split second. That's all it takes to make the decision to jump into tears or laughter. Yet many of us will immediately take the tearful option, even without thinking and pull in a few other feelings along the way ... the poor victim, hard done by, long suffering etc etc
But what if you could catch yourself at that moment, just before the jump, long enough to be aware that you have a choice and what if you had just enough time to breathe in a breath of courage, if you could just let go of your resistance to change ..... if you could try an experiment with laughter ... even fake laughter (the body doesn't know the difference - really)
and ... Ping! You've landed on the other side and find yourself laughing at your predicament as the 'big, bad monster' fades into insignificance and the happiness seed starts to grow
And you realise you are bigger than any challenge and tears and laughter are simply currents in the bigger flow that everyone and everything is a part of
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Knowledge by Contrast: The Spiritual Way
People often view the path of spiritual enlightenment as a search for the light. In fact, spirituality involves bringing both the light and the darkness together in wholeness. And in truth, this is the only possible solution. In this world of duality, if we try to focus all of our attention on the light this can only serve to increase the power of the darkness by contrast. Our aim is not to deny or reject anything but to embrace it all. We are only able to distinguish and make aware choices for ourselves if we recognise and accept this duality, for it is by contrast that awareness is made possible. How can we know what love is if we don't also have hate? We can choose to act from love and also to respect the existence of hate which allows love to be known. We can choose to be happy, knowing what it is in contrast to unhappiness. A famous Sufi mystic once said something to the effect of 'I don't mind if I ride the steed of difficulty or the steed of ease' ... and in a way this makes perfect sense (although it took me a while to be able to say the same thing) We live in a world of perfect imperfection. Let's stop resisting it.
Have a pefectly imperfect day!
Joy :-)
Have a pefectly imperfect day!
Joy :-)
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Benefits Of Laughter
Here is an interesting and inspiring article I found recently on the benefits of laughter by author Jennifer Macleay that I would like to share with you today... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
For those who want to go straight to laughter therapy to begin healing immediately click here to go to a site all about how laughter can heal. You'll also find an opt in box there on the right hand side, to sign up for a complimentary 'Benefits Of laughter' E-Course, packed with tips, interesting information and advice
~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been doing some study on the benefits of laughter . The reason for this is that my husband and I have the responsibility of managing a guesthouse. One of the functions of this guesthouse is to provide accommodation for workers who are assisting in third world countries.
These workers may be sick or burnt out or just in need of a break. I set about to collect a book of jokes to place on the coffee table to be a source of cheer. I decided to go further and include some of the physical benefits of laughing . What I found was quite enlightening and I found that my own spirits were lifted from doing this study.
One may question does God have a sense of humor?
The stock answer is: of course, He made you and me didn't He
In recent years there has been many studies and much written on the benefits of laughter so I won't go into detail in this article, except to serve as a reminder.
Laughing is thought to help you to fight illnesses and tumours.
Laughing reduces pain
Laughing acts as a muscle relaxant for example if someone is fearful of injections, a laugh just before will do wonders.
Laughing reduces allergic responses.
Laughing lifts your mood or your spirit.
Laughing reduces the effect of stress by lowering stress hormone levels.
One study showed that laughing helped keep diabetes under control.
Lowers blood pressure.
Improves brain and mental functions.
Gives a feeling of inner joy.
This is just a brief view of a few benefits of laughing. Although these are from relatively recent studies, the ancient words of Proverbs, which is writings of practical advice for daily living, confirms that: A cheerful heart is good medicine. The second half of this verse confirms what recent studies have found in angry, unhappy people, that their health deteriorates. Proverbs says: a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
Learn how to transform pain into joy
My work as a clinical nurse has bought me in contact with a lot of older people. What stands out to me is that just about every old person 85 years plus, who does not have dementia, has a wonderful sense of humor. One dear old lady, had a long list of severe physical problems on her medical records, but to see her it was hard to believe, she just kept on keeping on with life, laughing and telling jokes as she went.
Although times may be tough and hard, Proverbs also says: the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
For a number of years we lived in a remote part of Papua New Guinea. We had to radio out to a town on the other side of the range with an order for the supplies that we needed. These supplies were bought and put on a boat that took several days to get to where we could pick them up. From our place to the pickup point was a two-day hike over rough mountainous trails and across dangerous rivers.
Quite often on arrival to meet the boat we would find that rough seas had turned the boat back. Or we may have ordered crucial parts for the chainsaw. Then after this long process to get them, we found that the wrong parts had been sent. This of course was causing much delay and frustration. We ate a lot of local foods when they were available, but we took the opportunity when a supply trip was coming up to order in some special things like canned foods and eggs. You can imagine our despair to find 18 dozen eggs, all broken and smelly after the two-day hike back from the boat because someone did not treat them with care.
So how does one deal with these extra frustrations in an already trying situation. For starters we had a deep conviction that despite all these events, God was still sovereign.
We would sit around the meal table, there were four of us, and we would take these frustrating events and turn them into humor.
We would use our imagination to concoct the most way out stories of how these events went wrong. We would laugh and laugh at each ones story. Then we might see who could think up the most uses for 18 dozen rotten eggs. Or what could we make out of all these useless chainsaw parts that we had collected through frustrating mistakes. We found that despite our often-desperate situations that the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
As wonderful as laughing is it is not always appropriate to laugh, and discernment is needed to be wise with ones humor. As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes: There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
By Jennifer Macleay Article Directory http://www.articledashboard.com
For those who want to go straight to laughter therapy to begin healing immediately click here to go to a site all about how laughter can heal. You'll also find an opt in box there on the right hand side, to sign up for a complimentary 'Benefits Of laughter' E-Course, packed with tips, interesting information and advice
~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been doing some study on the benefits of laughter . The reason for this is that my husband and I have the responsibility of managing a guesthouse. One of the functions of this guesthouse is to provide accommodation for workers who are assisting in third world countries.
These workers may be sick or burnt out or just in need of a break. I set about to collect a book of jokes to place on the coffee table to be a source of cheer. I decided to go further and include some of the physical benefits of laughing . What I found was quite enlightening and I found that my own spirits were lifted from doing this study.
One may question does God have a sense of humor?
The stock answer is: of course, He made you and me didn't He
In recent years there has been many studies and much written on the benefits of laughter so I won't go into detail in this article, except to serve as a reminder.
Laughing is thought to help you to fight illnesses and tumours.
Laughing reduces pain
Laughing acts as a muscle relaxant for example if someone is fearful of injections, a laugh just before will do wonders.
Laughing reduces allergic responses.
Laughing lifts your mood or your spirit.
Laughing reduces the effect of stress by lowering stress hormone levels.
One study showed that laughing helped keep diabetes under control.
Lowers blood pressure.
Improves brain and mental functions.
Gives a feeling of inner joy.
This is just a brief view of a few benefits of laughing. Although these are from relatively recent studies, the ancient words of Proverbs, which is writings of practical advice for daily living, confirms that: A cheerful heart is good medicine. The second half of this verse confirms what recent studies have found in angry, unhappy people, that their health deteriorates. Proverbs says: a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
Learn how to transform pain into joy
My work as a clinical nurse has bought me in contact with a lot of older people. What stands out to me is that just about every old person 85 years plus, who does not have dementia, has a wonderful sense of humor. One dear old lady, had a long list of severe physical problems on her medical records, but to see her it was hard to believe, she just kept on keeping on with life, laughing and telling jokes as she went.
Although times may be tough and hard, Proverbs also says: the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
For a number of years we lived in a remote part of Papua New Guinea. We had to radio out to a town on the other side of the range with an order for the supplies that we needed. These supplies were bought and put on a boat that took several days to get to where we could pick them up. From our place to the pickup point was a two-day hike over rough mountainous trails and across dangerous rivers.
Quite often on arrival to meet the boat we would find that rough seas had turned the boat back. Or we may have ordered crucial parts for the chainsaw. Then after this long process to get them, we found that the wrong parts had been sent. This of course was causing much delay and frustration. We ate a lot of local foods when they were available, but we took the opportunity when a supply trip was coming up to order in some special things like canned foods and eggs. You can imagine our despair to find 18 dozen eggs, all broken and smelly after the two-day hike back from the boat because someone did not treat them with care.
So how does one deal with these extra frustrations in an already trying situation. For starters we had a deep conviction that despite all these events, God was still sovereign.
We would sit around the meal table, there were four of us, and we would take these frustrating events and turn them into humor.
We would use our imagination to concoct the most way out stories of how these events went wrong. We would laugh and laugh at each ones story. Then we might see who could think up the most uses for 18 dozen rotten eggs. Or what could we make out of all these useless chainsaw parts that we had collected through frustrating mistakes. We found that despite our often-desperate situations that the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
As wonderful as laughing is it is not always appropriate to laugh, and discernment is needed to be wise with ones humor. As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes: There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
By Jennifer Macleay Article Directory http://www.articledashboard.com
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Masters Are Gathering ...
Hi There!
I just got word that the world's top transformation experts and best selling authors have come together for a once and a life time event...
THE MASTERS GATHERING ....
http://www.TheMastersGathering.com/?10047
This will be an AllStar Cast that includes:
T.Harv Eker - Jack Canfield - Bob Proctor - Joe Vitale - John Demartini
Bob Doyle - David Wolfe - Loral Langemeier - Dr. Ben Johnson - John Assaraf
Hale Dwoskin - Bill Harris - Marci Shimoff - Janet Atwood - Mary Morrissey
And more!!
They will be releasing exclusive videos from some of the top Masters very soon!
If you want to be first to watch and be notified when this happens...then just go
right here: ... http://www.TheMastersGathering.com/?10047
Enjoy!
Warmest,
Joy
I just got word that the world's top transformation experts and best selling authors have come together for a once and a life time event...
THE MASTERS GATHERING ....
http://www.TheMastersGathering.com/?10047
This will be an AllStar Cast that includes:
T.Harv Eker - Jack Canfield - Bob Proctor - Joe Vitale - John Demartini
Bob Doyle - David Wolfe - Loral Langemeier - Dr. Ben Johnson - John Assaraf
Hale Dwoskin - Bill Harris - Marci Shimoff - Janet Atwood - Mary Morrissey
And more!!
They will be releasing exclusive videos from some of the top Masters very soon!
If you want to be first to watch and be notified when this happens...then just go
right here: ... http://www.TheMastersGathering.com/?10047
Enjoy!
Warmest,
Joy
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