"The last twenty years or so, spiritual/new age authors have sent this message
to readers: "You have something broken about you and I can fix it."

Now a newer, truer message must be heard: "You are here to deliver a beautiful gift to
the world - and it's a gift that benefits everyone. Remember it, and get on with it."

UNDERSTANDING THE WORDS that point to spiritual principles requires a right brain/left brain balance. You cannot depend on the traditional left-brain use of a word while trying to comprehend its full spiritual implication. Ecstasy is no exception. According to the dictionary, ecstasy means an overwhelming feeling of great happiness. That feeling is certainly a part of the occurrence of the spiritual principle of Ecstasy, but only a small part. Happiness is the result of, not the experience of Ecstasy.

From The Invisible Garment:

With Ecstasy in your garment, you carry a very deep knowing that 15 billion years ago when consciousness first expressed itself as light, all the energy that has run the universe since then was created. We are 15 billion-year-old energy being recycled, and each of us has the opportunity to become that first expression of light anew with every breath.

Due to Ecstasy in your garment, you are aware of yourself manifesting what I call "the stardust factor." All the elements that make up our planet and our bodies were created when a star became a supernova and burned itself out. In the last two weeks of a star's life, it burns so brightly and becomes so hot that it melts the hydrogen and helium atoms together to create all the other elements in the universe. It then spews them out into space and they eventually merge together to create other forms. We are stardust. You are a master at remembering that fact on a cellular level. Sometimes you can almost remember the star from which you were spewed.

That's Ecstasy: the experience of oneself as Original Energy. The happiness that ensues is merely a by-product.

When I try to picture the embodiment of Ecstasy, my friend Evette always comes to mind. She is a teeny tiny woman who lives near the sea in a small village in South Africa. A potter and artist, her relationship with nature drives her daily existence. Each morning she swims in the sea. But her morning ritual is more than just a swim in the cold salt water for exercise; she takes her harpoon and net and actually hunts in the sea. She brings home food for the day! Of course, she sometimes encounters danger in the form of sharks and other potentially death-bearing creatures. But rather than facing them in fear, she chooses to be energized by those experiences. She emerges, day after day, victorious and carrying lunch!

The circumstances under which Ecstasy shows itself are those moments in which all the bodies - physical, mental, emotional, astral, and causal - are in alignment with each other and with the universal energy flow. Evette has found the activity in her life that evokes the principle. Each day as she enters the waters, she becomes so much a part of the Whole Plan that even the danger of a predator seems normal and she integrates it as such.

Inside the body, Ecstasy is focused in the adrenals. When we speak of the internal focus of a principle we don't mean that the organ or gland "causes" the emergence of the principle, but rather that by studying the workings of that organ or gland, we can more clearly understand the dynamics of the principle as it operates in the realm of form. Let's look, then at the function of the adrenals in the human body to more fully understand the role of Ecstasy in the human family.

Simply put, the adrenal glands produce a broad spectrum of hormones which evoke a fight-or-flight type response. (In that sense, Ecstasy is closely connected to the principle of Flowering, because that principle is focused in the reptilian programming in our bodies. Ecstasy is as well akin to the principle of Love, which is focused in the brain stem, or site of the reptilian brain.) An adrenal rush in the body is accompanied by a release of endorphins, which make us feel good. Endorphins not only create a sense of well being in the body, but they also ease pain.

Now, this cycle of adrenaline and endorphin release in the body can cause a pleasing "high," or they can create a concerning rise in blood pressure and other stress-related symptoms. It all depends on how one's body interprets the experience. Healthy reactions to adrenaline and endorphins can cure us; unhealthy reactions can accelerate our demise.

I once heard a well-known cancer researcher tell a story about the study of healing in his patients. It is fully accepted by researchers, since the publication of Norman Cousins' book, Anatomy of an Illness, that laughter and good moods can be powerful in healing life-threatening illness. Cancer research, however, shows that if the body experiences an adrenaline rush and an endorphin release as fearful, the disease will spread more rapidly. For example, if you love roller coasters, a good ride will give you a great rush and could be very healing for you. If you are afraid of them, however, that same experience could actually encourage the cancer cells to grow more rapidly.

Now, back to the spiritual definition of Ecstasy. This principle is a force, or a law of nature, which moves through humans and through human societies as an experience that occurs when all aspects of a personality (or culture) align with the Great Plan. Like the adrenaline release in the body, to the extent that we interpret such an experience as joyful, Ecstasy results in happiness and well-being. To the extent that we are afraid of such powerful alignment, Ecstasy brings stress. Evette's daily dose of Ecstasy in the South African sea is also her secret to good health.

In the last twenty years we have seen Ecstasy evoking an interesting trend in big business. Starting with courageous entrepreneurs like Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's we have witnessed companies as they include philanthropy in their mission statements. They were initially met with fear and disbelief from peers and competitors. How could a company expect to make money if it also gave away money, or created fair trade agreements biting into their own profits in order to pay third world workers a living wage? Within a few short years, however, these companies proved that having balance and fairness as a part of their business plan proved beneficial to their bottom line, and indeed attracted customers.

In the last few years, as the cancerously greedy companies like Enron have rotted from within, more and more "main stream" companies are stepping up, admitting their errors and revealed their plans to change (Gap and Starbucks), and others are rewriting their business intentions altogether (Hewlett Packard.) And perhaps even more exciting, CEOs are making commitments to put substantial amounts of money into researching "green" alternatives to our dependence on oil. Men like Sir Richard Brandon of Virgin and John Browne of British Petroleum have committed millions of dollars of their company's profits to correcting the path of diminishing our earth destruction through abuse of her non-renewable resources, and to changing the course of humanity toward an earth partnership. It's inspiring to listen to interviews of the CEOs of these companies. Their enthusiasm is contagious, their sincerity clear. Looking deeply into the day-to-day operations of those companies is even more encouraging. Their employees report that are happy, and that the philanthropic foundation of the companies actually makes their jobs feel more substantial - as if by working they are actually helping the world.

If you have the principle of Ecstasy in your garment, take a special time today and do a quick life review. As if you were going through your life file, pull up memories of when you felt absolutely in alignment with the world, and recall the feeling within your body. Whether it came after some exciting activity like an extreme sport, or whether it came after a great conversation with a loved one, you'll recognize this feeling of Ecstasy as having a common thread. You know the feeling, don't you? It's exhilarating, and at the same time, it has that endorphin feel-good component. So, as you're remembering and re-experiencing the feeling in your body, give thanks for the fact that Ecstasy is with you, has always been with you, and will continue to be with you throughout your life.

Whether in personal activity or in business, Ecstasy results from living in balance and alignment with nature, and happiness results from living in Ecstasy.

© Connie Kaplan, 2007

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