About Linda Joy

All of Life is a Blessing

I am a mother of two amazing sons, who I love dearly. It is a blessing and pleasure to raise both these men to be loving forces in the universe, to honor and be respectful of others, be they human, animal, plant, or the Earth and to be responsible for their actions and choices – both during life and before it. 

I grew up in the Chicago area and had friends of many different faiths, while spending 3 days a week at my own spiritual home, St. Paul’s Church-By-The-Lake, an Episcopal church. Many years later in Seattle, I raised two children in an interfaith marriage, during a time when the world was not tolerant of diversity, including religious and spiritual intolerance. Most people tried to convince me that I had to stick to one spiritual path for my children to develop morally. But I said that I believed that contact and exposure to the world’s religious and spiritual paths would help develop their values of compassion, understanding, empathy, grace, joy, love, and light. It was quite a mission that I had to believe in at the time.

I have been blessed to be an artist my whole life, from the time I could scribble with a crayon (oh, I love the aroma of a box of crayons!) to this present moment. My father who was quite an artist and would encourage me to create from my heart, as we would play with art materials. Our family was full of creativity, writing, singing, and dancing and art. Such fun. Our family encouraged a creative process across topics, which has helped with my way of being in the world. 

I am an energy practitioner and a teaching Reiki Master, but I also have been trained in Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch and Earth Medicines. Depending upon the need, I fuse these different healing approaches for the person, or animal or plant or location on earth. The earliest time I remember sharing healing energies is at the age of 2, an age that I didn’t know everyone didn’t do the same. I remember my mom telling me that my hands could heal and to use this gift to help others. I also remember her telling me that some people, might feel that this gift was unusual and to be careful.  I believe we all have healing abilities but just have forgotten them or our world culture has trained it out of us... for the moment.

I am one of the founding members of Interfaith Community Sanctuary in Seattle where we honor diversity, both spiritual and secular and where, as a part of my spiritual path, I became an Associate Minister in 2006.  I am also a Cherag, which is an ordained minister of the Sufi path and a studying Druid. Even within myself, my spiritual path is diverse.

I have officially retired as a minister but my feelings about Divine Spirituality are the same. It is heart-opening to be a part of a community with vastly different spiritual paths. We all learn from each other’s perspectives and one of the things we hold dear is to honor and respect all paths that lead to the Divine. Each of us brings a precious part of the All to our gatherings and our community.

When asked many years ago about my vision of Interfaith, I said, “I look for the common cord that underlies and supports all spiritual and faith traditions and therein lies my path and my heart.” The One Source Who Is and who Is a part of all paths; The One Source who was before and who is now and who forever will be.” I feel the same way today. 

One of the specific gifts that I brought to the 7 years we had gatherings of the Convocation of the Divine Feminine, was doing live paintings during services that took twelve months and twelve services to complete. While painting, I enter a state of prayer and meditation, to bring in the energies of those present and not present, my Higher Self, and Divine Presence, as well as the energies of the materials. During this creative process I feel l Am the blessed moving part that brings feelings and thoughts and energies into manifestation. Creation is a gift. This is a Divine Feminine way of doing things: to honor creative input and energies from across the veil and bring them here to share. 

I have created services, rituals, and ceremonies for this community and others as well. I have been told so many times how important my thoughts, words and ideas have been to those listening in that precise and perfect moment. So, it is with joy that I share these words with you.  It is my prayer and hope that some of you or at least one of you will read one of these talks and feel it is perfect for what you desire to hear.  

As an artist, I have had one-woman art shows and shown in group shows. I now sell my art privately when spirit connects me to buyers. In the past, I have written a child-adult creativity column, shared angel drawings with patients on chemotherapy, led community art inspired by spirit, created malas dedicated to Mary Magdalene and the Divine Feminine, and done live in-person paintings as a part of spiritual gathering, whilst in the state of prayer and meditation. And so much more!! You might say I have followed my heart and creativity where it leads me by listening to Divine Voice. 

I have been asked by people wherever I speak, to have a copy of the words I have spoken. I always say yes and just give them my notes, as I feel I don’t own any ideas or words or feelings, as they came to me in a direct voice from the Divine. The Divine shared them with me, so I lovingly pass them along. 

Blessings from my Heart to Yours.

I have written the following poem while in a forest of ancient Cedar tree.

Reverence……
To be in the state of reverence 
in communion with Creator, 

In awe of Her creation…...of all that is
To feel our connection…...of all that is,
To feel our hearts…............beat together, 
To feel the Spirit that exists…...........together, 
To feel the Heart of earth beating.... together, 
The Heart of creation beating 
Together..................together...............together 
In one form, as one form, merging into All of that.

To be awe of the miracle of the smallest particle in space, or
The infinite intelligence of the cells of our body or
The beauty of a Flower petal or
The birth of a star or
The voice of a bird …………and then
To feel this Holy Family 
That we all are..........we all are..........we all are as
One Reverent Spirit   

To know that we are in a relationship 
with everything together, 
Blessed by opportunities to love and honor and care for Earth, her body, and all forms of life found here and in other realms, 
and the galaxies, the universe, the multiverse, 
the multidimensions.
By our spirit, energy, thoughts, prayers, words, and deeds. 

Reverence for life, 
Reverence for creation, 
Reverence for all that is 
Feels like Divinity washing over me in a flood 

So deeply touched by the reverence of All
That my heart bursts open…............yet again
To have the immensity of it all pouring in, 
The beauty of it all pouring in,
The mathematical synchronicity of it all pouring in
to absolute overflow!  
And to once again know,
that we-are-all-One, 
We are all One family
connected in a cosmic dance, 
In a web of life, 
In a universal cord, 
In a luminous tapestry
In an emergence of energy and light,
In a mathematical equation of divine love
In a multi-dimensional canvas of the multiverse, 

Birthed in a Reverence so deep and wide and intense 
That there must be another word, 
That there must be a phrase, 
There must be a brush stroke,
There must be a musical chord
Another way to describe this state. 
This state of being that is union, that is all, that is Divine. 
Love.