joy

Planetary Transits & Cosmic Interplay for the week of Sep 30–Oct 6

Perhaps the commonest resolution people make is to be happier—we all want to be more joyful, more satisfied, and a sated soul in life. But mostly, we go about it the wrong way. Instead of making happiness a goal, make it journey. Making it a goal means you will let things interfere with it, letting hurdles come into the way of true happiness. Making it a journey means you will teach yourself to smile through it all—and by the end of the year realize that your basket of joy is overflowing—enough for you to share the love and make the world a happier place!

So with the holidays looming around the corner, most, if not all of us have already made our plans to be with family or friends. In case you didn’t, or can’t or, well, won’t—here’s how you can have a Merry Christmas all by your lonesome self…

Have you ever stood in the middle of an orange orchard and breathed in the sweet, heady fragrance of oranges ripe for the picking? It is truly one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. It could be nothing less than the scent of abundance filling the air, reminding my cells that they are not limited to what I put into my mouth, but that every part of my being can, at any time, access the Supreme Source of All that Is.

When you hear the word "abundance" what do you think of? 

Money? Wealth? Riches? Freedom

If you haven’t heard about the latest trend of “goat yoga,” you likely will soon. It’s new, but it is catching on quickly. Goat Yyoga was started pretty recently (in August 2016) by Lainey Morse in Willamette Valley, Oregon, and is quickly becoming a trend.

What is goat yoga, you might ask? It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like—it’s a yoga class with goats! And adorable, snuggly, curious baby goats, at that.

It’s been a rough week. I found out a friend of mine committed suicide and it sent me reeling. Not only am I grieving the loss of my friend, but I’m also questioning the meaning of life, what my priorities are, how I’m spending my days, etc. The inconsequential questions, in other words.

When it comes to being happy, we are perhaps the universe’s biggest procrastinators. So let’s not waste another moment, and be happy now…

We keep telling ourselves that we’ll be happy when we achieve this or that. When we get married or have a career, when we become parents or move into that dream house, or when we get away from a bad relationship, and so on and so forth… Noble dreams, yes, but to be happy, you just have to make yourself happy now.

If you want your walls to spread joy and make you and everyone at home happier, then here is what you need to do…

A few weeks ago I listened to a radio show by Radleigh Valentine and he said on average, people laugh 15 times a day. Fifteen times! And then he asked, “Do you remember if you laughed at all yesterday?” He pointed out it’s easy to remember the unpleasant things – the times we’re sad or scared or anxious – but the joyful times, the laughing times, are easier to forget. He encouraged his listeners to take note of when they laugh, to see if it adds up to 15 times. And then he said something really interesting: Plan for joy.

The Four Immeasurables may seem like insurmountable idealism, but don’t be fooled by your own ego. There are four easy ways to cultivate and nurture compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy and equanimity.