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Progressive Joy December, 1983 Session with The Herald, Held at Mississauga, Ontario Copyright 1983 and 2005 – Sheila M. Street and Integrated Dynamics Resources |
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(These notes were provided in an earlier session with The Herald, and were then distributed to the group to set the tone for the session, this being the first one being held at the earlier dates {October 1983 thru June 1984}. This is Chapter 3 of The Seeker Sessions – Patterns in Life. It should be noted that the speaker for this session was not the speaker for the one to follow; therefore, you will note a slight difference in how things are phrased, for instance. Several different ‘speakers’ are available, and occasionally two or more will share in the same session. Other than voice, tonal and phrasing changes, the material retains consistency and consensus, and the “group voice and purpose” remains constant.) It has come to our attention that many people have a fear of realizing their spiritual growth potential because they have the notion that to begin working on oneself in that sense, one must give up all of the things in life that make them joyful. They have been taught, or somehow drawn to themselves the idea, that in order to become more Christ-like, they must totally release all of the joys of life, becoming very somber, stolid individuals, and perhaps even to withdraw from society altogether, lest they be tempted back to being joyful and therefore “Less Spiritual”. Therefore, they reject any attempts in that growth direction. Conversely, there are individuals who, holding the concept that joy is an adversary, will still endeavour to grow spiritually, and who then find themselves miserable, resentful of their joy, and unless they can be guided to find the joy they have tossed aside, will eventually shrivel away into a bitter state of martyrdom. What, then, is the proper attitude
of mind to hold in attempting to realize a fuller spiritual potential, and
still retain joy in living now? We feel
that question could be better Answered if first of all one had a clear
conception of what “joy” encompasses.
We therefore suggest the following exercise. Ask yourself, and write down the
answer to this question: “At my present
state of beingness, right now, what things to I do that make me happy?” Try to list at least five items. Considering each item on your list,
put a check mark beside those items which you feel would also make others
happy. Considering the list again, what
items would you eliminate (if any) that you feel would help you to become a
spiritually aware person if they would be eliminated? Mark an “X” beside those items. Does the elimination of those joys
really help you to achieve more growth? It is obvious, when explored fully,
that the things which give you joy most, will generally also be things that
give others joy, and because that is a shared joy, it is multiplied. Now, considering your list once more, add to it at least one more new personal joy (perhaps a joy you’ve passed over), and make it or them your goal to achieve and/or experience across the next weeks. Becoming more spiritually aware is a gradual process.
It takes discipline, but beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle
with yourself. Developing
your potential is a process that should be filled to the brim with joy.
The biggest joy you may experience is the joy that comes in knowing
you have exploded for yourself the illusion that the process would be
a joyless, somber affair. The
preceding exercises also hold a “hint” as to how to find that joy in
more abundance. Therefore, we share with you the joy of these words, taken from the
DESIRATA found in Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore: “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shame, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful (care for others). Strive to be happy." ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ THE
SESSION The Herald:
Quiet joyfully we begin. We
give you greetings all. Joy, in a spiritual sense, is always progressive.
Many individuals though, at one point or another, seem to fall away
from the experiencing of joy in their lives, so that they might experience
what could be termed a joyless existence.
Why do people do this? why,
when it would appear that they can have all of the things in life, all of the
feelings in life, that would bring them joy, why do they cut themselves short? As it is looked at from a spiritual sense, looking at it as a spirit
looking into the physical world, it would seem to be somewhat confusing, and
even for an entity walking upon the face of the Earth in full physical
materialization, ‘twould seem rather confusing that one would deny
themselves joy. Now, in the teachings of many so-called religions, it has been literally programmed into the followers of those religions, that in order to find spiritual growth, in order to find spiritual advancement, one must forget themselves completely, and think only of another individual, never to think of self. And especially, never to think of self first. Might we say to you, in all earnestness, that the most important person in this room is you. Whether you be Tom, or Dick or Harry, or Sue – the most important person is you. And the most important thing that you can do for yourself in
life is to continually produce situations for yourself that create joy
for yourself. As you have noted in the little quiz that you did before the
session, each of the items on your list, or just about all of the items on
your list, that gave you joy, also in one manner or another, would give
another joy. It is contagious, in
a very nice way. Joy has many different facets to it.
It is as a diamond or a crystal that has been finely cut, and as you
look through one or another of the cuts that have been made in a diamond, for
instance, or a crystal, you will have a different view of light, a different
reflection. Ultimately though, if you follow the lines, and if it has
been cut properly, you will see that they lead to a central point.
In this central point there is a gathering of energy.
And as that central point gathers the energy, it also reflects it back
out again, and the eye beholds the change.
Therefore, as you view the different facets of joy, life then becomes a
rainbow of promise for you. Can joy be taken away from you by other than yourself?
We give you that that is somewhat of a two sided coin, however,
ultimately, the choice is yours. You
can allow another to rob you of your joy.
Many people, seeing your joy, in seeing their lack of joy, will
attempt in some small measure to receive some sort of gratification by seeing
your joy shattered, as a pane of glass would be shattered, if a stone were
thrown through it. True joy that is felt at the soul level, true joy that is indeed joy,
and not some other sense gratification, cannot be shattered.
There will always be a protection measure placed around it, so that it
cannot be broken in twain. In
order to produce this protective measure, you will needs learn then to
treasure each joy – in that treasuring, it is tucked away neatly within the
heart centre, which is also the mind centre.
Therefore a remembering from the heart, and the memory of the joy
cannot be touched. Now, how would one go about taking your joy from you, if you were to
allow it? Some individuals will
tell you “You cannot do such and such – it has not been done before.”
Even so, you wish to experience the joy that you can receive from doing
something that may not have ever been done before.
Are you going to let an individual with a lack of insight, a lack of
belief, perhaps most of all, in themselves, to rob you of an experience that
will bring to you a measure of joy? We
therefore say unto you: hold on
to your dreams: look toward your
goals, whatever your aspirations may be, for in that holding on to, in
that working toward in earnestness, the sweet savour of joy at the
end-mark will be yours, and they will have somewhat of the bitter herbs of
disappointment upon which to gnaw. As
you share your joy with others, it will indeed multiply for you. How can you do this in your day-to-day life? This is a question that has been put forward. How do you maintain joy in your life, when you have the realization, that because you are here in a physical incarnation, you have tasks to perform, you have duties to undertake, you have karma, both negative and positive to settle out – how do you go about doing this? Progressing your joy to greater and greater heights (is the answer).
The joy of knowing that each time you smile at an individual, that that
smile will more than likely be returned to you, is thus doubled, perhaps even
tripled, when the smile is actually shown. Now, at times you will take joy in being manipulated:
you will take joy in knowing that others are, in a figurative manner,
twisting you around their baby-finger. This
is not wrong to enjoy being manipulated – you can derive great joy in it, if
you understand that the experience is your joy.
Your joy is the experience – the two cannot be separated.
Each thing that you do in life, each little thing, like getting up in
the morning, putting the kettle on, hearing the kettle whistle:
to some individuals would be a rather dreary thing to be joyful
about. It can be looked at in a
totally different aspect. The alarm clock can be looked at as a friendly bird chirping you out of
bed – use your imagination. Your
kettle, whistling at you, letting you know that the water inside is piping hot
and ready for coffee or tea – this also be a joy.
Look out the window; is it
foggy, raining, is it snowing, is it blustery and cold?
These can be joy for you. Should
be joy for you, for as the winds blow, the Earth changes.
In change is a breaking down of the old form, and a renewing process
each second, each millisecond of time, as you know it.
As the rains come, the snow comes, the moisture comes to the Earth,
carrying with it minerals; carrying
with it chemicals even, that can be of great importance to the nutrient of the
Earth. Again, at times this will
bring change – may even bring what would be, for appearance sake,
destructive change – it is a renewing process;
it is a rebirth process. As you look forward to the ripening of years, can you not see the joy
being prepared for you to see the advances that will be made in technology, to
see perhaps better government for your country, to see the young individuals
growing into maturity, bringing forth new fruit to the land. Can you see
beyond that: whether it be a time
when you make ready to depart the physical or a time when you decide you will
stay – you will find a way to live beyond your seventy and two years
allotment. These all be moments
of joy. If life can be viewed as
one moment-point upon another moment-point, filled to the brim, running over
the brim with joy, then it is very difficult indeed for an individual not
to advance in awareness of others. And
indeed, as one does advance in awareness of others, and in awareness of self,
joy unfolds, colour by colour, crystal by crystal, and moment-point by
moment-point. And we do thank you, and we are ready now for questions. Question:
What things bring you the most joy? The Herald:
Are you speaking we of The Herald,
or are you speaking of people in general? Answer: The Herald. The Herald: As a group consciousness,
the thing that brings us the greatest joy be the seeing of one entity that can
be aided through whatever work we would do:
whether it would be an entity who requires a healing that can be
channeled, or an entity who requires of information that will save their life,
or an entity who ask a question “what be your greatest joy?”
All of these be our greatest joy by the communication in whatever
manner we can perform to show love and to show joy;
to provide as accurately as we can the true concept of what that is.
And we do thank you. Question:
How long do you think joy lasts – say you had a really wonderful
experience, would it after a time begin to dissipate? The Herald: It never really begins to
dissipate; it is always permanent
in and out of time and space. What
begins to dissipate of it is your memory.
If you have stored it properly, given it great emotional impact within
the storage portion of your sub-conscious, you have but to bring it out
occasionally, look at it and renew that emotional impact of it to remain a
constant joy. Therefore, there is
much good in retrospection of ones life, to see the joyful things that have
happened. Question:
Would you describe joy as being a state of mind or a state of being,
and is it a goal, or is it some point along a path that we can recognize –
something else being an ultimate goal? The Herald: First to help you out with
your definitions. A state of mind
is a state of being. When we
speak of mind, we do not speak of that internal organ, gray matter as it is
termed, and the various nerve endings that are attached, and so on – we
speak of mind as that greater consciousness, and therefore it also is that
greater Being. Therefore joy, in
itself can be termed a state of mind or a state of being, for ALL THAT IS,
God in your terminology, is TOTAL
JOY. Therefore,
as you go through life, touching on this joy, or that joy, or another joy, you
are touching then, into the fabric of that TOTAL
JOY.
Therefore, it is for you to experience, as has been given, that
Ultimate Joy of being totally enwrapped, enclosed and knowing that
experience consciously – enwrapped, enclosed, within the total fabric of JOY, in TOTAL
BEING.
Does this answer your question? Question:
Yes, and is joy a goal that we should seek or is it a point on a path
that we can recognize? The Herald: Joy, in its small term, that
of perhaps the joy of owning an item that no other individual has, can be for
you, a point on the path. The
goal of joy is that total blissful joy, of final and ultimate union with
ALL
THAT IS.
Yet each little moment-point of joy that is found on the path
contributes to this, for you see, in that total union, you are not only
experiencing the joy of what you can term that moment-point, although the
terminology does not fit completely, you also experience in accumulated form
then, all of the other joys that you have touched along that path.
It is perhaps difficult to envision. Question:
What are the major enemies of joy that humanity has or is faced with? The Herald: Jealousy
is the prime one. Jealousy, in a
way, is the attempting to bleed off, to act as a vampire, to another’s joy. When one individual has joy then, another, in some measure or
other attempts to spoil that, to bleed off.
There is no joy in the act of jealousy itself; the feelings, the sensation that may arise from an act of
jealousy is of the lower emotional nature, and has no inroads at all as far as
joy is concerned. Another enemy
of joy is the fear that man holds within his heart, within his mind, that
prevents him from stepping out to experience different things in life, rather
limiting themselves so that they do not experience fully of what they can.
To give you an example here: if
an individual has never gone skiing, has never stood at the top of the hill
and seen the expanse of white below, they may, out of fear, discourage
themselves completely from experiencing the joy of whizzing down the slope, of
zigging and zagging back and forth, of feeling the air crisp and clear in
their lungs and blowing through their hair.
Fear paralyses man – fear encloses him, wraps him ‘round, and
therefore joy cannot penetrate. These two are what could be termed the prime culprits in
destroying or pushing away joy. Question:
If I experience a great joy, or the ultimate joy, then if I receive it
properly, then it should stay with me in the back of my mind, I suppose, or I
would recall it quite often, since it would be a happy thing to recall? The Herald: When you have experienced of
Ultimate Joy, it never departs from you and it remains constant with you. Question:
Right! so, what of these
lesser joys, once you’ve experienced the ultimate joy – then would
standing on a hill about to jump down with your skis on, be less or have less
meaning? The Herald: It would then be a
continuation, if you still are in the physical to do this.
When you have experienced that ultimate joy, and you live it
moment-point to moment-point, then each time your heart beats, each time your
pulse pulses, each time you draw in a breath or exhale a breath, all of these
be joy. Therefore, the standing
at the top of the hill with the skis would also be joy in its ultimate form. Question:
Well, what do you think is the ultimate joy for a man? The Herald: Are you speaking of a man in
physical, and intending to remain that way, or are you speaking of a man who
progresses along the spiritual path to find atonement and attunement with
ALL
THAT IS?
There be a vast difference here in what we will give for an answer, you
see. Question:
Just the average man? The Herald: You are an average man, are
you not? (Thank you).
What would be your ultimate joy? Answer:
Well, I don’t know – that’s why I asked. The Herald: When you have formulated for
yourself what you would consider to be your ultimate joy, go out and
seek it, and then it will be for man, the ultimate joy. Question: If we’re always seeking
for ultimate joy, how will we ever find it, if we don’t even know what joy
is, to being with the smaller things, or not the recognition of the smaller
joys that perhaps we’ve looked over because of some ultimate joy, would that
not then lead to whatever man’s, or his or her, idea of ultimate joy, would
recognize that when they came upon it?
{Editor’s
note:
That’s what he said – if you can make out a question here, be my guest!!!} T.H.:
Indeed so.
....Do not the joys accumulate and become sort of altogether, and become one
great big joy? T.H.:
Indeed so.
....Let’s forget about the average man then... You broke it up into two – the man who is on the spiritual
road and the man who is not – what then would be their ultimate joy, then,
or either one? The Herald: First of all, all
individuals are on one path of spiritual growth or another – it is for those
who recognize that they are, and then do something about it.
Again we will go back to the experience of the individual, as has been
so aptly put here, the experiencing of one joy after another joy, after
another joy, ‘til they become as a snowflake that begins rolling down a
mountain, and gradually gathers speed, and as it gathers speed, it gathers
magnetism, and eventually you have a huge snowball of joy.
What you are looking at, in terms here, is very difficult to describe
to you as there are no words. We
can attempt to give you pictures to help you to expand your mind, to allow
these joys to penetrate to you – they are continually bombarding you;
it is only in your lack of sight and in your lack of acceptance
that you do not receive, that you do not see. Question:
Is that true for the majority of individuals on this plane. The Herald: Indeed so, and at times for
many that inhabit the spiritual realms as well.
Those entity that be waiting to see if they will reincarnate into
another physical – those entity who wait for rebirth – these, too, have
joys that they pass by, that they do not experience. It is, in a problematic sense, not only those in physical who
lack the sight, who lack the understanding. Question:
If the individuals here in the room were to make a project to recognize
more the joys in our everyday lives, whatever they be for each individual, and
showed in an outward appearance “Hey – I’m joyful” that other would
perceive that, and then begin to
perceive those joys in their lives as well – that would be kind of a
snowball thing too... The Herald: Indeed so.
If each, for even a day, each time there be a joy sensed, would write
down, would find by the end of the day many pages filled if accurate seeing,
accurate feeling had been given. And
for each time that had been recorded, if that joy is shared with another, even
in some small way, such as a passing on of a smile, or the wink of an
eye, or the nod of a head; this
all contributes to the giving of joy, and in the giving, preparing oneself to
receive. We have time for approximate one more question. Question:
I have a question
regarding the role of proper diet, meditation, and other things that many of
us are striving to do in our lives – can you comment on these activities in
relation to our ability or our hopes to obtain joy?
I know this is tied into understanding ourselves a little better. The Herald: Indeed so.
When you begin to form what has been termed the antekarana
within you – when you begin to produce and grow further, that thread which
connects the personality to what is known as the Monad or the Soul, there is
an increasing responsibility to other individuals, especially, to treat those
individuals as you would treat yourself.
Now – you would not generally treat yourself harshly, judge yourself
harshly, and if you did, you would find little joy in your life.
Therefore, begin there, in gentleness toward yourself, and spread that
joy, in gentleness to others. With regard to diet then, you must also consider that in your place in
progression of evolution, you have kingdoms of evolution above you and below
you. One of those kingdoms is in
direct relation to you telepathically, in that of mind link, and that be of
those of the animal kingdom, and especially of those of the domesticated
animals. If you are a pet owner,
especially, you will know this to be true, as your closeness to the animals
grows, as your joy in the animal grows, be it a cat, canary, or a dog, you
will begin to experience changes in conscience, rather than just
consciousness, yet conscience as well, for it will appear to you, and rightly
so, that this entity, though it be not of a speaking brother, and though it
may not walk on two legs, but rather on four, still it has a consciousness,
and it has a manner of communicating, and therefore, when you destroy this or
any of its brothers, be they sheep, pig, cow, steer – then you are
interfering to some extent in the joy that be experienced by that group
consciousness, that group soul, of which that pet be a part and therefore be
affected also. Therefore, your
joy is affected too. Can you see
this? Answer:
Yes, that’s absolutely correct, thank you. The Herald: And
we do thank you. Bud: Do you have any final
comment, or shall we end this session now? The Herald: One
comment. Experience as much joy
as you can in your life. Look at
each experience in life as a joy to be tallied toward that final tally of
joys. Though the meaning of these
words be not entirely clear to you at this time, in holding then in
consciousness, and in attempting, even in a small way to live them, you will
indeed progress in joy. And again
we thank you. ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ |
