More Joy

“Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Talking, Eating, Sex, Action or Work, Movement, Sleep, Excitement or Anger, Play or Laughter, and Contemplation or Thought,” are the twelve foundational elements of the human experience mentioned in the ancient Kabbalistic text, The Sefer Yetzirah or The Book of Creation. The English translation of biblical Hebrew might be somewhat different depending on the interpreter, therefore, I have included more than one rendition for some words. Anyway, it is quite a list! Did you notice sadness is not on it? The absence of laughter does not necessarily imply someone is unhappy or they lack love in their life if angry. Feeling sad can start as a construct of the mind and then your contemplations or ruminations worm their way into your heart. We feel black and blue, bruised on the inside. This is why control of your thoughts, what you tend to focus on and say to yourself, is imperative to your emotional wellbeing.

When you allow yourself to replay the past, a perceived hurt over and over again, coupled with the mind’s ability to envision details onto an internal mental landscape, it contributes to profound emotional instability and can be debilitating. I’ve been there. For months, I’ve festered over something a family member or friend did, or didn’t do, or say. Thankfully, now I am more or less on the sunny side of the road, laughing at my stupid waste of time. For sure, life is difficult. Breakups happen, loss, trauma, and tragedy can be expected. How we handle these terrible circumstances is up to each of us.

Generally speaking, control your mind and diminish the amount of sadness you’ll endure. Of course it might be more difficult these days. The world appears to be on the edge of a major war that no one can properly explain. The news reports are horrible, we can feel it in our pocketbooks, and many also in our hearts. The dire situation contributes to a state of malaise, which seems like a constant. Nevertheless, we have to counter it. Let’s try to replace this collective despair and declare now is the time for joy. More joy for everyone, even for our so-called enemies. The clear implication is it’s time for peace. A grand peace and not a shaky ceasefire. And we need lots of free stuff too; more swag, gallons of gasoline, grocery giveaways, and party prizes for all. Call it wanting to get lucky, or my over active imagination because present day circumstances do seem bleak.

Primarily our current state of affairs is due to Trump deceiving Americans into a war of losses in the Middle East, while his masked thugs arrest and traumatize everyone except the violent criminals illegally in the United States, as he promised. Famous author and former French politician, Victor Hugo wrote, "Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin." Trump is incapable of sprouting love. He appeals to the bullies and psychopaths who can't hold down regular jobs, and to those who have a high tolerance for mean people. Too many “deplorables” voted for him, and now these bad guys are employed and were handed permission slips like lollypops by a dubious man who thinks he's above the law and uses his pardon powers like a mafia boss granting favors with strings attached. Without clear answers as to “why and for how long” his masked paramilitary, under the auspices of ICE, terrorize folks in America, while his Iran War of Choice kills and injures US troops abroad, as well as hundreds of civilians. The so-called President of the United States has put our wellbeing and national security at risk.

Yes, it is sad times. However some hope is brewing within the hard-right, manosphere crowd. "Sadly, the Trump we all knew and loved no longer exists”, said the infamous, InfoWars podcaster, prior Trump fan-boy, and fellow defamation-ist, Alex Jones. In a March 31st Instagram post of his podcast, he continued

his message that it’s time to move on "now that it's extremely clear that President Trump has a serious cognitive problem or has been seriously compromised". Probably both are good reasons to dump Trump. Even his former fan-girls are speaking out against him ie Ann Coulter and Marjorie Taylor Green. Let’s be smart. Vote for more joy. Neuter his effectiveness, and then demand he and his crowd of criminals are held accountable in a court of law. Let's make sure our collective sadness doesn't become despair over the loss of our democracy.

I am reminded of the tarot card, Three in the Suit of Swords. It is one of the four suits in the lower arcana. Swords traditionally represent the realm of air, ideas, the intellect, and the mind that gives voice to the petty, inner critic and the whisper of the internal sage. To help us understand and make our way in life each of us must learn to disregard those unhelpful, unfavorable, self-induced “opinions” and nourish more positive ones. I know it’s hard to do and easier to write about. In Alister Crowely's Thoth tarot deck the three of swords is titled, Sorrow. The artwork for the deck was painted by Lady Frieda Harris, who depicted it as three swords penetrate a lotus blossom to its core, as it’s riped apart. The symbolism specifically teaches the need for mental realizations about suffering.

What mostly pierces the heart is when we constantly berate ourselves over minor missteps with the same fervor as failed major endeavors, or whatever it is that brought you to anguish. The worst thing you can do is to rework hurtful past scenarios in your mind and then act out in retribution or self-loathing behavior. Instead, the heart and mind must be properly linked to create more joy in your life, more peace in the world, and to do so quickly. Repeating affirmations and prayers said with intention and comes from the depths of you are useful tools to transform consciousness and one’s ways. While writing this article, I came upon an anonymous saying which is also instructive:

“The biggest skill you can develop is the ability to reset fast. Bad conversation? Move on. Bad day? Start fresh tomorrow. Missed workout? Hit it the next day. Poor decision? Learn and adjust? You can't control what happens to you, but you control how long you let it affect you.”