What is JOY?

Photo by Diana Turner-Forte: North Carolina

Is joy the movement of water splashing over a brick wall? It could be depending on the circumstances. I believe we often think of joy as something coming to us from outside ourselves — that brings a lightness to our spirit and encourages a spring in our steps. Or joy could be the result of an unexpected gift from a friend or a delightful synchronistic moment when a number of events come together magically. But, is that all there is to joy?

In the principles, Days 28 and 29 of the Third Order Society of St. Francis (TSSF) an international religious order of dispersed Anglicans and Episcopalians joy is defined as:…rejoicing in God’s world, its beauty and its living creatures, calling nothing common or unclean….We carry within us an inner peace and happiness, which others may perceive, even if they do not know its source. Over time it is understood that of the three notes [t]his joy is a divine gift, coming from union with God in Christ.

For me joy arises from contemplative practices that include dance and movement and stillness. It has taken years to develop and acquire practices that were inspiring to me and at the same time carried with them a rippling—a pebble in the water affect— that was not the result of sold tickets from a performance. In other words, the joy was not just the evidence of hours of hard work serving an immediate need, but evolved into a much broader relationship.

And maybe, it was more something I wondered about. Does the joy and abundant energy I feel through the limbs of my body while dancing also affect other people, even though I may not be performing on a stage, teaching in a studio, or practicing the art of sacred dance. Was it really something that transcended the inner feelings of the beholder of joy.

Dr. David Hawkins researched, spoke, and wrote extensively about various frequencies of consciousness with joy being in the area of 650 determined through muscle testing. As much as we would all like to be in a state of constant bliss that is not the goal, but to effectively move through life managing all that it offers while noticing our calibration as often as possible, ensuring a higher frequency of expression. That is the work of consciousness, prayer, and contemplation. And joy.

It is a paradox of that seeming inaction leading to action. A ripple.

Rabindranath Tagore said this of joy:

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

When we are in our flow, doing what we love and are passionate about our mission in life and acting fiercely on that mission then joy surges forth from our being. We don’t need validation from anyone, we are simply doing the work of living our lives fully, whatever that may be.

Mother Teresa said:

Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Isn’t that delightful? A quality we can all attain that is the act of catching souls. That kind of exuberance for life is healing, attractive, and contagious. You’ve maybe met a few people like that. They are courageous, filled with light, engaging in unexpected ways, and exuding a generosity of spirit. They tend to glow.

Theologian, activist, cosmologist and author Dr. Barbara Holmes (1943-2024) wrote in Joy Unspeakable of the emotions and deep yearnings that “focuses on the black church and points toward a mystical and communal spirituality not within the exclusive domain of any denomination.” In the preface of the 2nd edition Holmes wrote in verse and the final verse speaks of the profound nature of joy:

Joy Unspeakable / is / both FIRE AND CLOUD, / the unlikely merger of / trance and high tech lives / ecstatic songs and jazz repertoire / Joy unspeakable is / a symphony of incongruities / of faces aglow and hearts / on fire / and the wonder of surviving together.

Joy seems to take in everything and send out a newness that quenches a deeper and deeper expression of itself. It seems to multiply, yet, never divide or judge. It seems to gather everyone and everything in, leaving no one and nothing out. It seems to expand from the tiny movement of a child’s foot kicking to the grand jete of a professional dancer. It moves further and further, into an ever more expansive network; joy is spacious—inclusive, unifying, and all-loving. Perhaps, that is what arose in C. S. Lewis when he wrote:

Joy is the serious business of heaven.

Ah, I hope you have known that kind of joy, dear reader.