PSS–For those of you in Ottawa, I am giving a short talk tomorrow:
Healthy Communities Showcase
Wednesday March 10th, 2009 – Free Admission
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Algonquin College, Woodroffe Campus

Awakening Joy is now available as an e-book ($10), and it arrives with three additional popular e-books, free! “Alchemy, Love is Eternal” is a collection of personal musings and poetry that I wrote before Awakening Joy came to me. With “Love Before You Think,” there’s never been so much power for true personal transformation packed into a short book. Order now!

On New Year’s eve day I called a friend I had not seen in a few months, and learned she was in hospital, dealing with 4th stage cancer. Fourth stage means that the cancer has moved elsewhere, beyond it’s origin. Her liver was the largest problem; it was not doing a good job purifying the blood of toxins. The day I arrived she had enough energy to occasionally sit-up on her own , smile, and hug. But the disease had progressed fast. At 46 she looked 80, her skin was jaundiced and drooping.

New Year’s eve dinner was a salad in the hospital, sitting near her, and it was one of the greatest gifts of the year. She sat-up with anticipation when her dinner arrived, but somehow she could not eat very much. Drinking was a challenge; she’d often drop the cup. We had a few short jokes, a line or two. None of this was planned, and seeing her I wanted to stay until the next day, but I could not find a way. I had to return to a dog I was sitting so it could eat and do its business outside.

This triggered a deja-vu. A memory surfaced of Dad’s passing and of how old mind presented itself, “My Dad just died, how can the world keep going?!” It was a reminder, that although we apparently are born and die, it’s just more of the same, it is life going on, and we take care, we do whatever we need to do to take care of the moment, however it presents itself.

(I remember a similar suffering when watching a horrific execution online, which I stumbled upon. It so disturbed me–or, I so disturbed me–that in excruciating pain, I wrote a poem about it. ) Suffering says, “the world must stop, because this can’t be.” Yet it is. And the world does not stop. No matter how you wish, no matter how much you suffer “about” it, what is, is. Suffering does not change anything. It never has, it never will. If there is a problem, then suffering itself is it. Life and how it arises, dwells, and decays and renews itself is not a problem.

A few days went by, and I visited every day I could. She would eat, then rest, and wake-up, surprised to still see me there. A few words, not really sentences, here and there. None was needed. Mostly I sat in silence, looking at her, and there was only a deep peace. We visited in stillness. And love. A knowing arose that who she was is not the body. That she is beyond the body, immutable, indestructable–eternal. The more the body faded, the more this ‘brilliance’ shone through to me; a very powerful sense of love and connection flowed through my body, and beyond.

Each day after, the body fell further and further away. And it, and she, was beautiful.

She could no longer sit-up on her own. I appreciated how matter-of-factly she was in each moment and with how much grace she bore her pain and inabilities, her dependence on others. And yet she also remained self-reliant, doing as much as she could herself. I massaged her swollen ankles and legs, and later her back, which was in pain from laying down so long. Eventually she mostly slept. Even as the family made plans to move her into a hospice, there were murmurs in the hospital that she might not last to the next weekend. I know there have been “miracles” at fourth stage cancer, and so I never took to heart anything anyone said…

I don’t know how many times I thought I was “late” only to find that I was perfectly on time to not be in a car accident…

“I knew something was seriously wrong when he did not answer the phone all weekend. No-one else had reached him either, and his voice mail was full. That was it, I could not take it any more, and I raced across the city.”

Cindy is the author of Awakening Joy™. In April of 2009, the practice came during her own suffering and discovery of joy, and later it emerged and took form in words, to help someone else.  Her life has become happy and often ecstatic with the most simple things. She is excited to continue this adventure and wonders just how good it can become as she practices allowing more and more joy.

She encourages the world to—Seek Joy!

Learn how to master how you feel, no matter what is going on around you! Find the freedom that you are, that is your birthright. Nothing can ever hurt you again. You are capable of much more pleasure and joy than you have experienced or imagined.

What value do you put on joy? It’s priceless. Order the printed book to carry with you, read in bed, or give as a gift. Give the priceless gift of freedom, peace, and happiness.

Every time you get lost and you believe it, I stand clear and ready, available to walk the path with you all the way home. In every challenge, outer and inner, I am there. No matter what passion or aggression drives you, I will stand by, waiting, knowing; knowing that it is a passing cloud in front of your beautiful eyes.

Even when you are hurting and you lash out, I stand here, steadfast, and know its source as deep love swelling intensely. All it wants is to express its true self. And you will find a way.

Even in your anger my tender heart cracks open because I know you are suffering…

Check events often for more dates, or subscribe to be notified.

Awakening Joy

with author Cindy Teevens. More about the book Awakening Joy.

Hear the true story of suffering that led to Awakening Joy™, a simple practice anyone can do that will create a life full of constant joy. Meet Cindy at this talk, listen to her story about how she discovered joy in the middle of suffering, and learn how you can do this in your own life. Cindy Teevens is the author of Awakening Joy™. The practice came through her own suffering and later discovery of joy, and it emerged and took form in words to help someone else. You can use Awakening Joy™ anywhere, any time, and for everything including: illness, stressful thinking, losing weight, grieving, anxiety, connecting with the deceased, motivation, couples, abundance, fears, break-ups, missing someone, poverty, depression, undesired habits, improving relationships—or simply for the pure joy of it!

Awakening Joy™ is a simple practice that anyone can use to live the great teachings, such as from Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, mindfulness, etc. And what fun!! Your neurology will prefer feeling good, and so the more you practice Awakening Joy™, the more it practices you.

There will be time for questions, and perhaps some joyful practice.
Water will be available. You can register and pay for multiple people at once–bring a friend! Click here to register.

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Awakening Joy CDs and books will be available for purchase and signing.

When someone is hurting sufficiently in some way, that kind of pain can motivate them to act-out or try to hurt others, even those they love the most. This is an attempt to stop their suffering by getting their needs met. They turn to the (person/thing) outside because they believe it is the outside that is hurting them.

Anyone who is hurting simply wants to feel good, and so the core intention is good. However, if you hurt someone you love because you were hurting, you will later regret it, whether you got what you wanted or not. Simply put, with this strategy you can’t ever win.

While you are hurting, your world becomes tiny, often focused exclusively on the pain. You may no longer even see the actual person you love in front of you, much less be aware of their state–and in that way you make yourself blind to the effect your words and actions have on them…

Today a slight “off” feeling stuck around my solar plexus for a few moments. I am not “off” much since April—the gift of suffering does not last long as it is just a pointer toward joy, which I gratefully accept. I knew the feeling was related to someone else from my past, who I had been thinking about, and so I began the practice.

What do I want?

Hmmmm I tried-on a few things like “to love that person,” and “to feel that person’s love,” but this time these things did not match. Nothing filled the gap, until I hit on wanting that person’s forgiveness. Old mind began to arise, “but they won’t even speak to you, how can you get their forgiveness…?” and ignoring that thought, which did not feel good and was designed to take me in the wrong direction toward suffering, I continued with the practice…

Now you will be able to carry it, read it in bed, or give it to friends. Beautifully and properly printed, long-lasting copies of Awakening Joy™, the end of suffering and birth of unconditional love, First Edition–are going to press, and you can pre-order right now. As the original readers of Awakening Joy™, for a limited time you can order three copies and get one free! This will not be available when the book is sold publicly.

What’s new:  Eighty more new pages with a State of Being Scale, expansion on thoughts, freedom, peace, and experience, a new section on forgiveness, a true and detailed conversational example of practicing with judgment, what role zen sitting/meditation played in Cindy’s breakthrough, a complete answer to the question “Are you enlightened?” discussion of birth and death, elaboration on relationships, and more.

Pre-Order Now!

Books will be shipped by December 1st, in time for Christmas. (Printed books not necessarily exactly as shown in photo.)

Single Copy $16.95 plus $8 shipping, taxes

Buy Three, Get One Free! Four Copies $12.71 each plus $11 shipping, taxes