Finding Happiness

Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

In my youth I was prone to melancholy. As I began to make a commitment to my spiritual awakening, this mental-emotional disposition was a challenge I had to overcome and I must admit, it did not sit well at all with my spiritual teacher Amin.

Amin once told me, after I had been in a very ‘down’ or unhappy state of mind for weeks, that the reason I was so unhappy and had no joy was: “your outer life is completely out of sync with your soul nature.” He told me I needed to find my purpose in life, which was part of the deeper desires of my soul. In seeking and fulfilling my purpose, my soul’s desire on earth, I would find the joy and happiness I sought.  Phew, that seemed like a tall order for one wallowing in self-pity and melancholy!

“Every being is born on Earth with a purpose

and the Light of that purpose one is born to accomplish in life

has already been kindled in their Soul.”

Hazrat Inayat Khan

As I began to think about it, I realized that the desire of my soul was something inborn, not something I needed to create, therefore what I needed to do was find ways to reveal it so I could see and know what it was.  I knew it was not going to be some frivolous personal desire but a deeper impetus that drove my soul to be born on earth .  Once I realized this, it was clear why Amin told me it was the key ingrediant to finding a steady state of Joy and Happiness in life.  I realized to be truly, inwardly happy, I had to find a happiness that was not dependent on outer circumstances (which are constantly changing), I had to find and actualize something from within, not outside of me. And I also realized that I could not let this discovery be colored or limited by the expectations or norms of society, parents or friends.

This reminds me of a women I ran across working at Starbucks, our only encounter was that she took my order for coffee. I tell you now, her eyes sparkled and she was so full of love that just by her greeting and service of coffee that I was flat on the floor overwhelmed with by a feeling of love and joy! She was absolutely filled with it, there was no faking it, it was her own inner being shining out that was infecting the whole coffee shop!  I watched her for a time and her temperament did not change.  Well, “I wanted what she had!”  What was it that made her feel this way?

“By creating happiness, one fulfills one's life purpose."
 Inayat Khan

Finding our Purpose...

To find what is hidden inwardly we must look for its signs outwardly, we must become trackers, identifying the external signs and then we follow them back to their source which was hidden but now can be found.

          Seek out, think about the things you have done that made you feel joyful or happy.  These may be recent or from the past – it does not matter as long as they were things that made you feel inwardly fulfilled, happy or joyful.  Write them down.

Now think about what it is in these things that touched your heart and made you happy? What is it that you loved or enjoyed about these things? Why did doing this or that seem fulfilling?  You see, it is not the specific activity itself it is something behind that activity that is touching your soul - what is it?  Once you find this you will know something of the core quality or qualities that is behind your purpose in life. You may have identified a number of activities, what do they have in common with each other? 

There are indeed many things you can do in life that will actualize your purpose and they need not be your vocation but it can be your passion!Don’t forget these things! Don’t forget what it is that makes you happy and look for ways to incorporate those things in your life.

Words of power that also may be of help:

1.   Ya Fatah – Ya Wahabo (open the door to the fulfillment of my life)

2.   Ya Wajid – Ya Hadi - The guide to finding the way

3.   Puush-karaksha – for pure joy

4.   Nur, Nur, Nur - Hayy - to chase away psychological darkness

5.   Ya Maumin - For the faith and self-confidence to move forward

6.   Do a Light Meditation – it makes things clear

“It becomes apparent that by learning, through countless mistakes and wrong turns, individuals fulfill the Divine Purpose for which they were born thereby contributing to the ever-evolving destiny of all human-kind.” Pir Vilayat