Abstract

The word Joy, as represented in common language, falls short of its original meaning or logos. Having been steeped in contemporary Western culture, Joy has been weakened and trivialized. I use the term Joy to refer to a powerful way of coming to sense phenomena, in which and through which broad interpretations of our worlds become possible. Non-dualistic Joy bridges the Cartesian distinctions between matter and spirit, body and mind, and therefore, cannot be 'captured' through dualistic interpretations. I do not seek to create an entirely new sense for the word 'Joy.' Rather, I seek to re-create its original and ontological Greek meaning; its logos and world-making power. ;My understanding of Joy grows out of related concepts in Buddhist, Hindu and Western traditions, especially the work of Martin Buber and Martin Heidegger. In part due to this, the relationship of aesthetics , mystery, and phenomenological consciousness form the matrix for my exploration of Joy. I have chosen to conduct my exploration through poetic-thought. This viewpoint allows me to explore Joy in relation to human consciousness. ;Nietzsche claimed that we create our worlds and then forget that we have done so. The nature of these creations is dependent upon our interpretations. This assertion is substantiated by evidence from virtual reality, neurophilosophy and quantum physics which link the worlds of matter and spirit. ;My exploration draws upon the poetic-thinking of diverse sources including Plato, Rumi and Rilke, generating an aesthetic experience of Joy. This experience stimulates the mind/body's 'epistemic hunger' for connections between Joy as experienced through poetry and Joy as glimpsed through philosophy and science. These connections are, in essence, novel metaphors which allow new, non-dualistic interpretations of our worlds through Joy. Here, the full generative power of Joy's logos is found