I make a distinction between what I call Ecstatic Awakenings and EveryDay Ecstasy, or the Ecstasy of Flow. Ecstatic Awakenings are transcendental occurrences that come now and then but are not meant to become permanent in this world. If they did, we would be unable to function. They are moments of opening, spiritual fireworks, like a cork pulled out of a champagne bottle. They are dramatic divine encounters meant to remind us, often in moments of hopelessness or despair, that ecstasy is the essence of our nature and of existence itself. EveryDay Ecstasy is that steady stream of joyful aliveness that connects us to our Source, that can become our true and permanent state when we have fallen in love with life, embracing it like the lover it is.

Fundamentally, ecstasy means to transcend yourself, to go outside and beyond what you think, know, and believe is possible. An ecstatic state is a glimpse into the infinite.... ecstatic states are not separate or opposed to ordinary life. Ecstatic states happen spontaneously. They are as natural as sleeping and breathing. Ecstasy was programmed into us the moment the sperm met the egg in our mother's womb. It exists inside us right now as a potentiality. And it is possible to create joy within, to live a life cut like a precious jewel that reflects who we truly are, that radiates an energy that is healing and enchanting. And every step we tales carries the possibility of such an awakening.

Ecstasy is both our true nature and a state to be realized through self-mastery. Christian mystics call it Christ consciousness. Buddhists call it our Buddha nature. It is our essence, our eternal nature, untouched by all that is impermanent, changing, appearing, and vanishing in. And whether we or others notice it or not, it is always shining through.

from THE ART OF EVERYDAY ECSAYSY: The Seven Tantric Keys for Bringing Passion, Spirit, and Joy into Every Part of Your Life. ©1998 Margot Anand