I am rather curious about the actual experience of Hrestoli Joy, putting aside the theological discussions about its nature for a moment.
/// That cannot be done - Joy is God In Your Essence, Your Essence in God, Feeling Cosmic Rapture, Being With The All. Joy cannot be described or expressed. It is beyond our meagre capacity to communicate. It is immeasurably stronger, more intense, more purifying than any feeling you can feel in your mundane life.
I understand it happens every now and then during regular worship, and possibly on some special occasions as well.
/// Any occasion can be the opportunity to Go With Joy, to Walk In Joy.
I also understand that it can happen to people in non-Hrestoli churches.
/// Some downtrodden, exploited rokari do Feel Joy sometimes, and suffer for it as their authorities crush them.
- What does it actually feel like? Is it a very individual experience, or does it transcend individuality? How self-conscious is a person while experiencing Joy? is it just a rapturous feeling of oneness with the Invisible God/a higher level of the Universe, or is there something more to it?
/// See 1) Above. You can't express it, it's beyond words. Some stay transfixed, some have convulsions, some stare in the Infinite, some run around dancing. In Loskalm we all try to Share Joy the same way, Reaching Out to God with our outstreched arms, bathing in Joy while chanting our sacred mantras. After Joy we feel purified, at peace. Ready to face the world again.
- Would it feel differently depending on one's beliefs (Church or individual)?
/// I could not say. We of Loskalm all walk in One Faith. Pity the heretics.
- How often would it generally happen?
/// Under wise guidance of our liturgy - we all want to feel Joy as often as possible. But Joy all the time is Solace, Going Beyond. Joy is Solace in your mind. And your mind is needed to fulfill its duties in this world. Joy is a reward, a promise, a glimpse of What Is To Be.
- Would it happen to some people more often than to others?
/// Yes. Our Most Wise Persons have more often experienced Joy than laymen, and See Further as a result.
- Can an uninitiated outsider tell that someone is actually experiencing Joy?
/// No outsider is allowed into our sacred ceremonies.
- How long does it usually last?
/// One fraction of a second. Forever. Both. Joy knows not Time.
Yours,
Daniel Adamov