The Soul Matters theme for December is Opening to Joy. As days shorten and nights grow long, we need joy to keep our inner spark alive. As we respond to another variant of Covid-19, we need to be open to joy, our own true nature, as our Buddhist friends say. Joy is more a verb than a noun: to en-joy = to embody joy, to be a channel for the joy of life. We ‘enjoy’ being seen and heard by friends. We ‘enjoy’ being in the woods, breathing in the beauty of the open sky; we enjoy the laughter of small children and the faith of dogs.
But here’s the challenge: We can’t force joy. Joy, the relentless force of life, will find us if we remove the inner obstacles. In this time of Covid uncertainty, polarization, and accelerating change, our nervous systems are struggling. We need to heal our wounds and reset our nervous systems. A friend describes it like going into a swamp where monsters live: mean inner voices, fears, old tapes (!) of blame, hopelessness, powerlessness. We enter the swamp to heal wounds, revise stories, change habits.
We heal because we are held: by interdependent web of life, Love, and by one another. It’s why we create congregations, covenant and meditation groups.
Joy is not just for personal healing. We get inundated by collective stress, fear, grief, anger, stories and habits. May we support one another in individual healing so that Joy finds us, shines through us, supports us in responding to Covid and all collective challenges.
Opening to Joy, transforming, and shining, together.
Rev. Mary
