When most people think of spiritual rites of any kind, they think of solemn, quiet, reverent proceedings in which everyone is on their "best" behavior. The men may remove their hats, or they may wear a special hat. The children are urged to be still and quiet, and a prayerful mood prevails. There is, of course, nothing wrong with rites of this kind, and for some it may be one of the few moments of genuine peace and tranquility that they get during the day or week. All too often, however, this is the sum of our spiritual life, and we are left with the feeling that the Divine can only be approached very, very seriously. And this actually makes it harder to connect with God.

O Lord, You are so big...so absolutely huge. Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You. Forgive us, O Lord, for this, our dreadful toadying and barefaced flattery. But You are so strong and, well, just so super. Fantastic. Amen.
—from Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"

Our natural state is one of Joy. Joy is exhuberant, festive, jolly, and keenly, viscerally happy. When we're joyful, we laugh, we celebrate, we're loud! By definition, solemn rites are none of these things. If we approach the Divine from a place that is too serious, it implies separation from the Divine:  God really is just too big and imposing to meet from a place of joy, fun, or irreverence. We feel that this separate God can be offended by our exhuberance because it somehow implies disrespect. When we do this, we are treating God as an authority figure, a parent who can be angered if we're not on our "best" behavior.

Reverence has its place. There are occasions that merit a quiet, even somber, approach, but those occasions are usually about other people, not about God. It isn't appropriate to laugh at a funeral because we respect the grief of the loved ones who are still here. We may also feel reverence when listening to a moving piece of music, when we meditate, or when we listen to a minister, rabbi, or mullah. But in this sense, reverence is yet another expression of Joy—a silent one.

God, the angels, and all of the spiritual masters who are channeled do not require you to approach them seriously. On the contrary, they want you to find your joy. Laugh, make jokes, be irreverent. They don't mind. Why should they? They are you. Irreverence doesn't necessarily mean disprespect. There is a tremendous difference between being loving and being mean, and we know the difference when we encounter it. Irreverence can be loving and fun. Talk to Spirit just as you would your best friend. You probably kid around with your best friend, so why not with God?

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
—Matthew 18:3

Children know how to play and laugh and live in their Joy. They are often irreverent, and we enjoy this quality in a three-year-old. Why not as adults? Play like a child! Engage Spirit as a child! It will help you find your Joy, and when you find your Joy, you will find the God within you.

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