I feel like less of a Shakti since....

It is very nice to have your presence again Art. You carry much depth of wisdom with you have endured much suffering. That is why you are often serious. Paramahansa Yogananda used to tell us that God played the biggest joke on us of all by making us believe that where we are now is real and that we ourselves are. We take are ego identifications very seriously and real. Yet if we become too frivolous we loose our intunement to divine perception. We can often laugh when we see God's sense of humor actually start to be recognized in our lives.