Oh you poor soul, you have stumbled upon the pages of a spell (and you thought this was going to be an essay about Running Though the Hills and Joy and all of that (and perhaps it will be)). And now you cannot stop reading, because if you do you won’t know why this is a spell and what the spell can do, and you can’t stop reading because you want to know… well… what’s a spell?
“Write it down on real paper with a real pencil with real intent and watch it get real . Spelling is a Spell.” — Erykah Badu
Have you seriously not noticed it? SPELLing. Do you know why it’s called that? To Spell is to Spell is to Spell. And you dwell on these words: long enough to realize you’ve realized something: it’s a spell if you write it down and it changes everything. Which is to say, if you write it down, and it changes everything, wasn’t it a spell? If you can write it and hen read it and move to another Universe which is much like this one but… slightly different… then…
So enough, enough, on with the spell, let’s spell:
RUNRUgoing2RUNRUNbutmakeitFUNThenitisgoing2beFUN
There it is! Pretty simple. Now, let’s get started:
— — —
I started running a few weeks ago and I decided to do it with Joy. And that’s quite funny because everytime I tell people I’ve started running the response is the same: “UGH WHY” “RUNNING IS BORING” “I HATE RUNNING”
And I did, too, until I spelled the spell.
(did you notice the number 2 above, and how you have 2 legs!? coincidence!?!?!?!?!)
So you may be wondering how I run with Joy and what that means and what it has to do with the spell. So I want to ask you to do a few things for me (this too is part of the spell (and you’re too deep into it now (so you might as well go deeper (and find out what happens (if you really spell it out (break it down (til it becomes (so simple…
Close your eyes and imagine yourself running effortlessly through the hills, the wind in your hair, the birds, the breeze, the sun. Imagine your muscles pulsing, sweat on your brown. Imagine your lungs pumping, your heart thumping. The whole thing. But you are running, and you are running FAST, and you are running THROUGH THE HILLS, and you are an ANIMAL, and you are PUMPING and you pull in a breath and you BELLOW LIKE A BEAST and you run up and down and you sprint and you stop and you look around at the hills and the trees and the flowers and it is all so beautiful and free. Could you possibly imagine anything more like flying?
Do it! The spell won’t work if you don’t! And you’ve come this far so why not just a bit further oh but ohhhh ohhhh it is very sad (and The Divine Balance says our sadness must be at least as strong as our joy) it is so sad that you cannot run freely through the hills.
“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” — Kahlil Gibran
It is a tragedy that your body could be that free, but it is not. Instead you sit. Instead you soak in apathy. You go to the gym. You push the levers. You go to your class. You lift your legs. And if you tried… oh if you tried to run through the hills it would be so sad. You would huff and puff and suffer and stop and wilt and give up and when your friend tells you they’ve started running through the hills with joy you’d say “I HATE RUNNING” and you’d know why, because running is the fucking worst.
When I lived in the mission (before I knew the spell) I would run up Bernal Heights and it was the fucking worst. My lungs would burn. And I would push and grunt and push. And my legs would scream. And they would be sore for days. And the whole thing was just Fucking. Miserable. But I wanted to be Good At Running Up Hills because I thought that that would make me Strong and Ripped and One Of Those People orwhatever. And I hated every moment and so I stopped. Because I didn’t know
RUNRUgoing2RUNRUNbutmakeitFUNThenitisgoing2beFUN
But now I know, and now you know. So OK though. You want to run through the hills with joy? It is so close, this secret, and so easy. Here it is:
Run through the hills… with joy.
Take your first step. A big, bounding step. A HUGE step. Straight up the hill. That’s all for today. Was it fun? Just that huge step? You aren’t out of breath. Your legs don’t hurt. Hopefully you didn’t fall. Just one step up a hill. Enough for today. So easy, so simple, so free, so fun! Big accomplishment, gold star, feel your full prideful joy because you ran through the hills with joy for one day!
Tomorrow: 2 steps. With joy. But check in after the first one: a bit silly, I know, but just check anyway: joyful? Cool, keep going. Step #2: joyful. Good! Joy for 2 steps up a hill. Congrats!
Next day: keep going. Keep going and each step: joyful? Cool, keep going. Joyful? Cool, keep going.
You aren’t practicing running. Fuck running you’re practicing RUNNING WITH JOY. The thing is you may not realize this but this spell I’m teaching you isn’t just a bunch of words jumbled together this is a single word (I know it looks like a strange word (but haven’t you seen spells before (ABRACADBRA!?!…
RUNRUgoing2RUNRUNbutmakeitFUNThenitisgoing2beFUN
It’s one word. It’s one concept. There is no separation, here. You aren’t (Running) && (Also Experiencing Joy). It’s not two concepts. It’s one concept. Runningwithjoy. It’s one spell:
RUNRUgoing2RUNRUNbutmakeitFUNThenitisgoing2beFUN
Are you getting it? Have you realized yet that this isn’t about running or hills or joy? This is about your life and the difficulties you are facing because you have the choice to face them with joy. One step at a time. Everyone can take one step with joy. And everything is only so many steps.
“Sometimes we have to do the work even though we don’t yet see a glimmer on the horizon that it’s actually going to be possible.” — Angela Davis
You may not realize it, but if you cast this spell you will be free to Run With Joy Through the Hills:
RUNRUgoing2RUNRUNbutmakeitFUNThenitisgoing2beFUN
But it is also about running and hills and joy. I have been running with joy in the hills for 3 weeks and I am learning to love running. I am learning to love my body. I am learning to love what it can do. I am remembering my Animal Spirit. It is fucking hard. It hurts sometimes, and when that hurt threatens my Joy then I stop. Because I am falling in love with my Joy. It is uncomfortable sometimes, but if my Joy stay intact then I go. Because my Joy is my beloved and I want to run with my beloved!
— — —
I’m learning that Joy isn’t a thing that comes and goes. It can be a choice. It isn’t always a choice. Sometimes life fucking sucks, and we have to tap into Spirits deeper than joy, and in those times we need other, more serious Spells (and sometimes Potions (and sometimes we must summon our Angels and Demons… but that’s a story for another time.
I wish you all the best luck. I wish you Joy. I hope you can learn to RunThroughTheHillsWithJoy. And I’m here for you if you would like to talk about Running and Joy and Spells and Angels and Demons.
— — —
May we all one day run through the hills, carefree, together.