Elysha was talking about the mindbody package, and suddenly it struck. That was it. The penny dropped with a clunk. That is what had been missing from the picture over the past weeks. The mindbody package was gone. The Self was gone. There were no internal arisings, no emotions, and no feelings of the package of who I thought I was, which felt like it was just the tip of the iceberg with loads more under the surface. Nothing.
With this revelation the feeling in my chest lit up like a fire and felt as though it was burning and shining like a great beacon of joy. I saw that the Self is dead, in a clear momentary flash. A huge smile suddenly burst out. Joy was breaking through and there was no containing it.
There are no feelings of bliss or joy or any describable feelings at all really, only a sense of forever, filling this moment. Not as a time, forever, or a motion outward to some place, forever, but the eternal now moment as it is. Simple. Like floating in a small room which has many doors and they are all locked shut. Almost sterile. Untouchable.
"Like so many of us, I spent a great deal of my life....cataloging all the ways I had been injured and abused...I analyzed and categorized the whos, whats and wheres of my misery. I was a confirmed pessimist, always able to see the dark side of anything and everything. My belief was that life was hard and disaster was looming around every corner...Despite life's difficulties, it was my responsibility to do all the good I could and become the best person I could be...I started to notice the dearth of positive emotions in my life...I knew precious little about joy, happiness, optimism, faith and trust....That's when I learned that you don't have to be saddled for life with mental attitudes you adopted in childhood. All of us are free to change our minds, and as we change our minds, our experiences will also change."
M J Ryan
Source: Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Everyday of Your Life, Pages: 3...5