JOY BLOG 4

Up until now we have been focusing on our survival needs and on spiritual practice as a way of transcending Helplessness, Grief and Sorrow in order to find joy.
Helplessness resides in the 1st "Flight or Flight" (also Feigning Death and Freezing) chakra. self esteem or what the Buddhists call self cherishing is a 3rd chakra (Ego) energy and is a recipe for misery as opposed to Self Worth or Self love or an unconditional positive regard for ourselves which is a 4th or heart chakra vibration.

When we go above the diaphragm to the heart chakra of love we discover that there are more signals going from the heart to the brain and especially the prefrontal lobe (Spacious Mind) than those being transmitted from the brain to the heart. These impulses are biophysical (pulse waves,) neurological, biochemical (hormones) and energetic (electromagnetic) - all causing a positive or negative "vibration" within and around us. These are affects on the thousands of nadis (like acupuncture meridians) that emanate from our chakras. Also when we have joy and gratitude the heart rhythm is Coherent and this also splashes over to others around us as opposed to when it is dys-rhythmic creating non coherent impulses. Studies on gratitude show this happens with a gratitude practice that can engender well being and joy even beyond the individual. Neuroscience and FMRI studies have show an associated increase in neural activity in the Prefrontal lobe with a gratitude practice.
The Maharishi university showed that the crime rate dropped and this local "Coherence" occurred when a critical number of people meditated in an area. Similarly prayers for peace or distant healing by many are more effective that by just a few through Coherence and can possibly be even Global. When the heart chakra is open and loving we more also easily induce Coherence.
So that we could say that there are all of these variables

Personal Field & Personal Coherence which comes out of dedicated spiritual practice

Collective, Local or Community Field Coherence

Global Field Coherence

and even Universal or Cosmic Field Coherence

AS ABOVE SO BELOW!

All of which cause us to have more

Emotional maturity and balance,

Vibrational maturity and chakra balance.

Neuroscience and the Heart Math organization emphasize that

Heart Coherence also causes positive thoughts and emotions and better cognition by its effects on the brain.

Incoherence or dys-rhythmia of the heart cause the opposite.

The Ancestors add the following:

Hence the affects of joy can be ubiquitous;

However;

Hence the causes and effects of joy are much more complicated and life altering than we realize.

It's no wonder that the yogis say the most difficult chakra to open is the heart chakra and the Kabbalists acknowledge that once the student has mastered the Sephira of Love he or she can teach her/himself.

It's fascinating that folks who have had heart transplants acquire some of the habits of their doners' without even know what those were. For instance they may have a craving to eat ice cream which they never had before. This is in spite of he heart no longer having any neural connections with the recipient's brain.

Above the diaphragm the energy centers also facilitate the Positive Psychology of Ryff as well as that of Seligman's and his concept of P.E.R.M.A. as well as the Hero/ine's journey.

There are three phases to the Hero's journey; Separation when we move away from complacency to find something new about our archetype. Threshold where we enter the metaphoric forest to encounter the inner and outer dragons that are preventing us from becoming who we could be. Incorporation where we bring back the Grail or the Aha experience and change who we are or the way in which we have been doing things and living our lives. Incorporation is about giving the gift back to others.
The Warriors journey has no Incorporation phase.

We all can have many Hero's journeys as we advance spiritually and these can be done at every level of the chakra or Tree of Life hierarchy as can Seligman's PERMA. However, they really begin when we go above the diaphragm and open the heart. When we are in our third ego chakra we are usually dealing with the Warrior and not the Healer archetype. The former is common, the latter rare in our society. The Warrior's journey omits Incorporation and the gift or talent is kept for individual, the family or the corporation.

We have visited Seligman before in earlier blogs but this is the essence of the mnemonic P.E.R.M.A.

Positive emotions are a way of overcoming Helplessness and part of his Learned Optimism but they also transcend the 1st chakra energy and should pervade all our chakras.

Engagement and being in the flow of our signature strengths as well as doing it on behalf of others is part of Congruence and the Hero'/ine's journey and finding our destiny.

The Ancestors

When our relationships are for their own sake and for what we can bring to others we are in the Incorporation phase of the Hero's journey as well as the E or Engagement of Seligman when we are in the flow of our signature strengths serving something greater than ourselves. It is then that we find meaning which facilitates joy and well being..

Accomplishment is more of a 3rd chakra intention and fits with the Warrior archetype rather than the Hero which is about giving back. Seligman confirms that Accomplishment is ok but not something to be focused on unless it is for the greater good.

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” C. Jung

The Hero/ines Journey and how do we get there?

Separation

And...

This first Separation phase of the journey involves taking a risk, being a fool, jumping off a metaphoric cliff away from prior limitations. We separate from the familiar and complacency and take a heartfelt chance to find the right new door to our life path. This will create fear. There can be no courage without fear - otherwise its purely stupidity.

Theshold

when we face the inner and outer fears of the journey and conquer them and acquire the "grail."

Joseph Campbell said that;

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure (or grail) that you seek."

and the Ancestors;

Incorporation

Congruence occurs when we Incorporate and are congruent with who we truly are. We have found our destiny, unique God given gift/s or our signature strength/s.

We return from our journey to give back the gift that we have acquired. Our work begins as in Seligman's Engagement when we are in the flow of our signature strengths. This is associated with Coherence and sometimes even being in the "Zone."

And the Zen saying;

"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water;" but in a different, now more altruistic way.