April 4, 2026
In contemplation
Remember, You Are Joy
Joy is your true nature. Amid all the noise of the world, remember that you are love untainted by fear. You are eternal and unchanging. You are the ember within lighting the way. You are the wise voice guiding all through existence.
Existence is the world as you know it. All of existence is embodied in consciousness. There is no existence without consciousness. Consciousness is the emptiness that is nowhere. It is intelligent and aware. Existence is a thought of separation in consciousness. You know existence as the universe. You experience existence as the me of the body.
Separation is not real. It is perception. Separation exists as an illusion in consciousness, like a unicorn in a child’s dream. You perceive separation in the same manner as the child imagines something that has no reality. Separation has no reality but without separation you cannot realize yourself in consciousness. To perceive your existence, you need consciousness and something else. That something else is separation. Consciousness cannot be differentiated without comparisons and there are no references for comparison without separation. You cannot know this without that. What is here without there? Who am I without you.
The more you perceive separation, the deeper you dive into existence as the me of the body. As the me of the body you learn to possess and hold onto thoughts and emotions. You attach to objects, family, friends, lovers, pets, places, etc. Attachment is natural in the world. It is encouraged and supported. To live without attachment is difficult for the me of the body, if not deadly. Letting go of attachments is hard work. The me of the body clings and grasps to sustain itself. When life does not go its way, it feels betrayed and resentful. When anger and revenge lift their heads there is little room left for joy. You feel separated from your true nature.
To exist is to separate. You desire this, but not that. Life is distributed into piles of happiness, sorrow, pleasure, and pain. You move among the piles seeking meaning and purpose where there is none. Your fulfillments are temporary. You live in an illusion of spacetime where all is in transition. The me of the body lives in constant fear of losing it all.
Liberation from fear comes from walking the path homeward to joy. Once on the path, you cannot stray. You might stumble. You might fall. But up you get again. The way is straight and narrow. It is lit by the ember within. With eyes that see you can step confidently into joy.
The path is not a distance to be traveled from here to there. The path is a journey within. It is remembering your true nature. Your true nature never left you. You have clouded your vision with fear. You grasp worldly desires to find your way. You are blinded by the dust of the world. It billows before you as expectations of this and that. You hope and dream. You feel lack and seek what you fear you do not have to sustain your existence. Desire keeps you in motion. It is the carrot pulling you forward but never reached. There seems to be more just ahead. Fulfillment seldom lasts. Failure loams like a storm cloud. Your attachments weigh you down like Marley’s chains. The weight on your heart can be unbearable at times. You are burdened with pain and sorrow when all you want is pleasure and happiness.
Joy awaits your return both in the deep wells of despair and atop the high peaks of happiness. Joy is the ember within to light your path in darkness. Joy is the beacon on the hill to show you the way through life.
