Secrets of Spiritual Happiness
Secret #2 -- Inspire Your Atmosphere
By Sharon Janis
Secrets of Spiritual Happiness
Secret #2 -- Inspire Your Atmosphere
By Sharon Janis
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I first learned about the practice of creating an inspiring atmosphere during my twenties, while living in an Indian ashram , or monastery. Every here and there were heartwarming sights, sounds, and smells to remind us to think of God and the spiritual nature of life. Rooms and hallways were filled with uplifting photos and statues, and we had many temples and other holy sacred spaces, including powerful "meditation caves" that we could visit for even a few moments in the midst of a busy day.
This sacred environment offered constant reminders for us to take time to realign ourselves with our divine Self and our greatest potential. Pools of restful and invigorating waters were sprinkled throughout each day - moments of peaceful space, through which we could touch the great space of our eternal nature.
Every day, we had morning chanting sessions, noontime prayers, afternoon mantras, and evening services. We'd also be treated to many lectures and discussions about the most sublime and vibrant spiritual teachings you could imagine. These spiritual practices gave time amidst a busy day to turn our attention inward, toward lofty spiritual thoughts and feelings. I might walk into a chanting session feeling tired, but would usually leave it feeling happy and rejuvenated. In fact, chanting has probably been my number one favorite practice for creating inner happiness.
What does it for you? What helps you to feel inspired and rejuvenated? What kinds of images, smells, tastes, and sounds make you happy? Will taking a walk in nature buoy your spirits? How about listening to some good music? Have you tried singing while you wash dishes? Dance around the room! Wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, create an uplifting atmosphere, whenever and however you can.
Some people like to fill an atmosphere with the sight and smell of blooming flowers. Some may bring fragrance into a room with essential oils, by lighting a bit of incense, or by burning some frankincense on a small brick of charcoal in the morning - which is something I like to do because it reminds me of my days in the monastery. Fragrant smells can sanctify an atmosphere, and can be especially conducive to feelings of happiness. You know, the olfactory lobes in our brains are just about the oldest gizmos in there, so smells can affect us on especially primal levels. Therefore, instead of just letting the world bring us whatever smells happen to be floating by, we can also make efforts to design some inspiring smells for our own atmosphere.
I also love to play uplifting music of various genres whenever I'm cleaning, working, resting, or playing at home. And I make sure to have inspiring books around so I can pick them up and read a couple lines here and there during the day, and before going to sleep. Each of us has individual tastes for what inspires us, and for which of our senses - such as sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling - affect us the most. Notice what inspires you, and bring more of it into your life.
Even if you don't have the freedom to bring an arsenal of inspiration to your workplace, you can certainly include reminders of uplifting and inspiring sounds, sights, and smells right in your own home. You can create greater happiness at home by taking the time and care to put up decorations and photos of what you love and what inspires you - whether breathtaking photographs of nature, inspired paintings, a golden crucifix or other religious symbolism, photos of your loved ones, or whatever uplifting images float your boat, move your heart, and still your soul.
Surround yourself with reminders of what makes you happy. Don't decorate your home just to satisfy the judgments of company you may invite over. Put up what truly moves and inspires you. If your guests think your tastes are a little eccentric, well then, maybe your boldness will inspire them to also expand their own repertoire of expression and appreciation.
I learned to go beyond decorating for other people after I left the monastery and began working as a video editor for one of the most high paced television news shows in Los Angeles. Soon after beginning the job, I was bold enough to place a medium-sized photo of my spiritual teacher, or guru, in my editing bay - right in front of my workspace.
With all the challenges of transitioning from a decade of monastic lifestyle to a very non-monastic lifestyle, I wanted to see my guru and keep her close to me, even in photo form. In the midst of this exciting and harried news environment, I wanted to be able to look at my guru's face and be soothed, refreshed, and reminded of all that she represents for me, and of all the teachings and blessings I'd received from her. These spiritual strengths were definitely needed for the challenging life experiences at hand.
Looking at that little photo definitely increased my spiritual happiness during the long hours of editing news stories about every possible topic you can imagine, and a few that you probably can't - such as the risqué fare of "sweeps" weeks, when the number of viewers is measured to decide how much money a show can charge for their commercials. You can usually tell when sweeps season is in the air, because there are a lot more sexy and racy stories, and I was assigned to edit some of them. One series was so explicit that people from the newsroom kept coming up to our third-floor editing suite to see if we were really going through such shocking footage. Eventually, the reporter and I put a sign on the door declaring a five-dollar admission charge.
In the previous, monastic decade, I'd produced and edited hundreds of videos about the most sublime spiritual topics, and now the material for my creative works was dramatic footage from the Los Angeles riots of 1991, shocking scenes of bombed out war shelters from George Bush senior's "Line in the Sand" Gulf war, feature packages about "The Prozac Paradox," "Pearl Harbor, 50 Years Later," "Ghosts on the Queen Mary," and "The Academy Awards Specials," along with all the other newsworthy happenings of a city as large, diverse, and exciting as Los Angeles.
Having my guru's photo nearby helped me to find the inner strength to not only rise to the occasion of all these projects, but also to enjoy creating them - and to do my best to present reports and stories with a slant toward seeing the blessings as well as the challenges. Many workers find the same value in keeping photos of their families in their workplace, but in my case, it was a photo of my guru - who represented my connection with God, with divine inspiration, and with my center of spiritual happiness. Therefore, it was worth the occasional ribbing to have her there.
Some of the producers and reporters would joke a bit about my guru photo. Nevertheless, when things hit the fan and we were rushing from my editing bay into another to finish a piece that had to be on the air in 10 minutes, one of the toughest reporters actually insisted that we bring my guru's photo into the other editing bay with us, saying, "We need her for this one!"
In fact, when we fill our environments with what inspires us, we'll also be more likely to help inspire others. We'll be giving, receiving, and nourishing the spiritual happiness in our lives and in the world.
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