Wunjo -- joy -- Years ago one of my shamanic teachers told me he hated moments of clarity. He went on to say that they were wonderful, vivid, heart-affirming, though elusive and ultimately not as clear as his ecstasy presented them to be. I knew what he meant, but I remained hopeful that wonder could sustain, that wisdom could override impulse, that awareness could last. He said clarity always preceded a big fall, and he'd grown to despise the feeling of elements aligning.
I can't say that I share his angst in realizing awareness, or any good thing when it visits, though I fully understand such moments to be delicate and fleeting. This is the message of Wunjo. This week joy is visiting. Savor it. In this moment alignment with All Things delivers the object of dreams, fruits of labor... clarity. If this week was a cake glowing with candles, Wunjo is the wish made behind closed eyes. It is the split second during which every cell conspires in support of deepest desire, and aligned elements usher that manifestation forward.
Know that for this time the clarity is real. It is the result of a lot of hard work and being true to self.
I admit I was very starry-eyed when my teacher revealed this tender point to me. Even though my instinct told me all hills must be crested and descended, I wanted the view at the top to last. Yet, my teacher wasn't wrong, just a bit "half empty" in assessing his own process at that time. The reality is Wunjo is the end of a cycle -- literally the last Rune of the first aett. It's a transient state we pass through when we succeed, complete, step into new personhood. The completion of one passage leads to another. That's the story of humanity. The end of a cycle gives us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and derive meaning before we move on to the next challenge. It's our choice to fret what comes next, or draw on experience to grow beyond it.
For the record, clarity does last, until with further experience it yields to some other insight.
Joy lasts in memory, it thrives in sharing.
Originally published at Intentional Insights.