Tag: joy

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The rhythm tap path to joy

My recent blog post about dancer Bunny Briggs set me off on a voyage of discovery. I’ve loved dance forever, but I never knew there was something called “tap” and something called “rhythm tap” (a form of tap dance that includes percussive heel drops, instead of only emphasizing toe taps).

And I never knew about the men who were masters of this style of dancing. They’re quite amazing!

But here’s the thing. There is so much JOY happening when these guys dance! It’s palpable. They are having all caps FUN, but in a harmonious, cooperative, supportive, joyful kind of way.

I was marveling about this the first time I watched the second video below and then the thought came: “But I wonder what they were really like? Were they decent people? How did they treat their wives and children?” And I struggled a little bit over the age-old conflict of witnessing the ways an artist can achieve transcendence through their particular medium (dance, music, art) without being in any way a completely perfect being.

What I think, however, is that when a person gets a little taste of this kind of transcendent joy for even one moment, in just one area of their life, it makes a lasting impression. In some subtle way it leads to them wanting more.

And so the search begins, as we achieve perfection and transcendence first in this activity and then in that practice, getting another taste, another glimpse of the divine. Until we finally find the infinite love and joy we’ve been seeking by merging back into our true source.

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Tax time joy

I’m pretty sure we have the best tax preparer in the world.

I mean, when you go to have your taxes done, do you see a sign like the one above next to the desk?

And when you arrive and start walking up the pathway to the front door, do you feel like you’ve wandered into a serenely beautiful and scenic park?

And are your ears and your soul soothed with gentle instrumental music so enthralling you simply have to find out what it is…only to discover that it’s devotional music recorded by musicians you knew years ago when at conservatory?

And as you drive away do you feel more uplifted and prosperous than when you arrived?

We’re so grateful that we can answer yes to all of the above. And this is the altogether delightful annual experience which — for us — is “getting our taxes done”!

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So. Much. Fun.

Can I just say how much fun we’re having in choir?

Today was one of those non-stop days, filled to the brim with tasks and challenges both expected and unexpected. It was all good but I felt like I hardly had a chance to catch my breath, arriving at rehearsal feeling rather frazzled and not especially prepared.

But it really didn’t matter. Because there we all were (close to fifty of us), joined together in fellowship and in the joy of singing our glorious music. Feeling our energy rising in response to the vibration of high consciousness.

So we sang and we laughed and we sang some more. And it was just so fun because there was so much JOY.

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Life Mantra (part 2)

Here’s the way the opening event unfolded: Jyotish and Devi greeted the hundreds of devotees from all corners of the globe and shared a few words about the week and about the Temple. Then Devi led everyone into a meditation. The lights dimmed and the choir from Ananda Village silently filed up onto the dais in the dark. We stood quietly for the short meditation, then out of the silence came the sound of a harmonium softly playing our opening notes and Life Mantra began.

Some comments from choir members…
“I will never forget the feeling of powerful and palpable bliss that filled me in that final chord of Life Mantra. Wow.”
“I thought maybe it was just me but apparently not. This was one of the most uplifting performances I have ever been part of. The vibration was so high I felt like levitating. I sang the Life Mantra twice more as I was driving home, still filled with joyful energy.”
“While we were singing, at some point I distinctly felt a change in the sound of the choir. My first thought was ‘The angels just joined us!'”

Personally, I believe the angels did join us! A friend who was at home with her children on the complete other side of our 900-acre community reported that they could hear the singing from their house. My theory is that the angels were all over the Village, celebrating with us, and singing the good news that “God is life! God is joy! Life is God’s! Life is joy!”