Laughter and worship.

So, as I mentioned in my last entry, my life is turning to shit, but i am somehow managing to keep myself from depression or the dark feelings that so often accompany me in life. The truth is that since starting this little challenge of mine, these meditations on the Gods, I have become far more calm a person. I am less argumentative, far less prone to depression, and far less cynical about the world around me, and part of the reason for this is my willingness to laugh.

But just today I was thinking about Aphrodite, about her unique domain, that of laughter, and I had to take the time to say thank you to her for the way she has helped guide me through my inner turmoil these last few months.

Laughter is a funny thing, and no that is not intended as a pun. We humans find comedic value in so many things. From the raunchy to the cute, from the wholesome to the offensive, and it is this ability to laugh at ourselves, and let's face it, others, that we find that that old saying really is true. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

So, how does one incorporate laughter into worship?

There are cults in Hinduism, philosophies, based on the idea that laughter, the actual act of laughing, is actually spiritually healing. Is there such a thing in our own religion? Can we find it in ourselves to look beyond the way our culture places such a sense of severity on religious practice and learn to laugh and be merry as part of our religious observances. Or, perhaps, I should be asking how am I going to accomplish this? After all, I am the one responsible for my own relationships with the Gods.