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One Razor's Edge
People have asked me, "What is the point of living on the razor's edge? Is it for excitement? Inspiration? Enlightenment? Or even for learning to partner with Spirit--which is what you often seem to indicate?" Actually, it is all of these, and more.
To my mind, the real work of the razor's edge is about finding joy. But that isn't obvious at first. Like rainbows that appear only after a summer shower, joy can't shine through until we have weathered the storms that are ours to face.
That's the way it goes on this path. Tough times require faith and perseverance. But if we keep putting one foot in front of the other--and most importantly--if we determine to learn and grow through even the worse of times, a particular joy may find us.
Stairway to Joy
The way I see it, this joy is not the same as mere happiness. Think of it this way: If joy is an ice cream sundae, happiness is the cherry on top. Many people just go for the decoration but leave the full dessert because they shun what appears to be plain vanilla. What they miss are the richer tastes and textures hidden for those with the courage to embrace the fullness of what life serves up.
You see, those stories about the light at the end of the tunnel are true. Or, as I heard the other day: "The light at the end of the tunnel isn't an illusion; the tunnel is."
The luminescence that is meant here is what's truly present--even in our darkest hours. And that's how joy finds us; it follows the light we invoke through practice, devotion, and service to whom and what we love.
So our work is to shine an ever-brightening light on life's deepest conundrums, so that we may allow Spirit to illumine our way to a vital new existence. Here we discover a fresh sense of self-appreciation, self-awareness, and even gratitude for some of the biggest challenges we will ever face.
Because here's the key: When the worst thing that has ever happened to you becomes the most important experience of your life, you find joy. Not a silly, happy-go-lucky kind of superficial satisfaction--but a deep experience of being connected to a universe that is teeming with compassion and care.
Joyful Sunflowers
This joy brings with it more than a feeling of elation that temporarily tickles our fancy. It eases into the body, mind, and heart with a lasting, grounded sensation that is simultaneously powerful, meaningful, peaceful, and holy.
That state of awareness is what I call "The Beautiful Middle of Now Here." Living there as a permanent stage of development is an essential goal of life. Getting there, of course, is the most arduous adventure of all.
Yet there is a way through that wilderness journey. And the deeper we venture into life's greatest challenges, the more clearly we see that the way is joy itself.
Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Eckl Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more about Cheryl Eckl and The LIGHT Process in "The Author Speaks" by the Psychology Today Book Brigade
