Meditation Instructions for Sun., May 27, 2012

For this Sunday, May 27th, the focus for our meditation will be on Courage.  Most of us thankfully will never have to encounter a situation where we are asked to sacrifice our life in service to our country.  This weekend we pause to commemorate the Courage of our fallen heroes who have helped secure the many freedoms we enjoy in this country.  While that form of Courage is not what most of us are required to call upon, there are other more mundane ways in which Courage is needed in everyone’s life.  Perhaps it is the Courage to take what seems a risky first step in making a career change or starting up a business or doing something we feel is beyond us.  For some, they may require Courage to be able to enter into a relationship after experiencing hurt.  In other instances, we may find ourselves needing Courage to stand up for something we believe to be wrong, especially if we initially feel we are lone voices in the crowd opposing the flow.  Even in just having the ability to express to others who we really are or what we really feel may require more Courage than we sometimes feel we possess.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us consider where in our life we may be wanting more Courage and ask that we be shown a way to act on it with the knowledge we are always supported by Spirit.

Please follow the same practice as before: Get centered in your body, ask to bring in your guides and others who are there to assist us, connect to the circle of others participating in this project, and create the brilliant star-like light over the nation. Extend blue rays from the center of this light to the nation's four borders and then connect to the grid or matrix that extends from the circle. 

Ask yourself how does it feel in my body when I feel the Courage to do what I know is best for my higher self?  What does it feel like when I am able to summon the Courage to take a challenging step? Then send the energy and intention of that feeling to the nation.

Be sure to disconnect from the circle at the end and express thanks for those who have helped us in this effort.

If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share please let me know via e-mail to k_miritello@bellsouth.net or kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., May 20, 2012

For this Sunday, May 20th, the focus for our meditation will be on Unity.  I was recently visiting a state that apparently has an upcoming primary.  That meant being bombarded with numerous television ads, each worse than the other, lambasting various candidates.  As I watched the incredibly negative messages play out I realized how they were intentionally trying to divide viewers.  In one instance they were criticizing an incumbent by quoting their campaign intentions and then countering it with the appearance the candidate had backpedaled on their promises.  What they weren’t showing, however, was that in each circumstance something else had interfered.  On one issue the incumbent had had to seek compromise and consensus in order to get legislation passed.  On another issue the incumbent’s efforts to pass legislation had been blocked by the majority votes of opposing party members.  In any case it is clear the divisiveness of our quadrennial national elections has begun.  This tactic will become more prominent as opposing candidates seek to divide the populace in an effort to win votes.  Instead, we want to counter the impact of negative campaigning by asking that the people of this nation feel more Unity.  If this nation is to tackle the problems it faces we will require cohesiveness to assemble the resources and willpower needed.  Let us not be divided along party lines, but let us instead ask through our prayer and meditation that a feeling of Unity return to this nation. 

Please follow the same practice as before: Get centered in your body, ask to bring in your guides and others who are there to assist us, connect to the circle of others participating in this project, and create the brilliant star-like light over the nation. Extend blue rays from the center of this light to the nation's four borders and then connect to the grid or matrix that extends from the circle. 

Ask yourself how does it feel in my body when I feel a sense of Unity with others?  What does it feel like when I am a part of a community or group that experiences Unity? Then send the energy and intention of that feeling to the nation.

Be sure to disconnect from the circle at the end and express thanks for those who have helped us in this effort.

If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share please let me know via e-mail to k_miritello@bellsouth.net or kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., May 13, 2012

For this Sunday, May 13th, the focus for our meditation will be on Rights.  This past week the state of North Carolina passed an amendment defining marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman.  This hurtful law now excludes the Rights of marriage to same-sex couples and has repercussions that go far beyond mere ceremony and title.  Consider for a moment that the only other citizens with limited Rights are criminal convicts.  Those who are incarcerated lose the Right to liberty, and convicted felons forever give up the Right to vote.  It is shameful to think that we are treating an entire category of good citizens in comparable fashion.  While certain Rights are legally extended to all regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, etc., in practical reality there are many, many instances when people receive unfair or disparate treatment simply because of who they are or what they represent.  I remember naively asking an African American friend years ago if she had ever experienced prejudice.  Here was a woman who was bright, well-educated, responsible, a leader who was respected and admired by her peers, and her response was that every single day she experienced prejudice of some sort.  Sometimes it could be something as subtle as a shopkeeper looking at her with a certain expression as she entered a store, or monitoring her more closely as she walked around the displays.  The point is that there are many ways in which people fall short in their treatment of others and fail to extend to them the Rights they deserve.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us ask that all good citizens throughout this country be given equality in Rights with the same privileges and liberties extended to all.

Please follow the same practice as before: Get centered in your body, ask to bring in your guides and others who are there to assist us, connect to the circle of others participating in this project, and create the brilliant star-like light over the nation. Extend blue rays from the center of this light to the nation's four borders and then connect to the grid or matrix that extends from the circle. 

Ask yourself how does it feel in my body when I am grateful for the Rights that are given to me as a good citizen?  What does it feel like when I recognize that all good citizens deserve to have the same Rights to be treated equally? Then send the energy and intention of that feeling to the nation.

Be sure to disconnect from the circle at the end and express thanks for those who have helped us in this effort.

If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share please let me know via e-mail to k_miritello@bellsouth.net or kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., May 6, 2012

For this Sunday, May 6th, the focus for our meditation will be on Resolve.  During World War II, a woman named Dion Fortune, who was the founder of an esoteric spiritual order known as the Society of Inner Light, chose to use the prayer and meditation resources of her group to help bolster her nation’s Resolve against Hitler.  While it is now almost unimaginable at the time there was a great deal of controversy among nations as to the position they should take with regard to Hitler.  Some believed they needed to stand up to the Nazis while others just as firmly believed they should capitulate in order to limit their losses and presumably receive more leniency in return.  Dion Fortune felt her country was losing its Resolve to fight against the evil of the Axis powers and recruited the members of her order to pray for the country in order to sustain their ability to resist.  She knew if they lost their Resolve the repercussions would be momentous and irreversible.  There are times in our own lives when we can easily feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of a problem and be tempted to give up instead.  By asking for an increase in Resolve this week we want to examine where we may need additional support to overcome a difficult stretch.  Additionally, we want to look to the future of our country and ask that our nation’s Resolve be made firm to see us through any trials that await.

As a reminder, we typically form as a group in our focused meditation every Sunday from 12:15 to 12:30 pm (Eastern time) and return to bring more energy to the same theme throughout the week as time permits. If you are unable to participate at that particular time there are instructions posted on how to energetically contribute at either an earlier or later time (please see “Instructions for Meditating at Alternate Dates or Times”). A few minutes before 12:15 you may want to get into your meditation posture and begin the relaxation phase.

Stage 1:
Sit (or lay down) so that you are relaxed and comfortable but your spine is straight and aligned over your pelvis (if seated). Begin by taking several slow, deep breaths. Follow the sensation of the breath down into your body. Breathe into your spine, your hips, and then your legs. Feel the breath reach your feet on the floor and then feel the connection through your feet to the earth's energy. Draw the earth's energy up through your feet into your body. Feel your body fill completely with this energy from your breath and the earth. Invite your own personal spiritual guides to join you in this meditation. Ask for those in the spiritual realm (especially the nation's Founding Fathers) who want to assist us in this effort to be present. If you have trouble feeling centered and fully in your body or feeling grounded to the earth ask Guidance to help you.

Stage 2:
Stay relaxed and begin to make a connection with the others in the group by perceiving that we are present in the same room and formed in a circle. Feel yourself make contact with the person on each side of you in the circle by taking their hand -- one to the right and one to the left. Feel the energy of the group grow as you make this connection. Recognize there are groups all over who are doing similar activities with the same intention. We are connected to them as well as to each other. Feel the grid or network that is created from this energetic connection. We receive energy from it as we feed energy to it.

Stage 3:
Place a brilliant white light over the center of the country. Extend blue rays out from the center of that light in the four directions (north, south, east, and west). The blue rays fill the country from border to border and sea to sea. Connect to the energetic grid or network created across the circle. Use that grid to direct energy to the manitou of the nation (see "Explanation of the Grid or Manitou" for more information) with the intent of sending the energy of Resolve across the nation.

The way to do this is to perceive in your body how the quality of Resolve feels. Ask yourself how do I feel when I have been able to muster my Resolve and overcome a period of difficulty?  How does it feel in my body when I know I hold the Resolve not to give in to challenges?  Hold that sensation and allow it to intensify as you feed that energy to the grid or network with each breath.

Stage 4:
Close by disconnecting from the group circle. Feel as though you release the hand of the person next to you and feel yourself break from the group.

Stage 5:
Thank your guidance and those in the spiritual realm for coming to assist you in this endeavor. Ask them to continue this work from their plane on your behalf. If you are able, you may want to repeat this process throughout the week, focusing on bringing light and energy to the meditation topic. When you do, connect to the same network or grid of energy created by the group at the original meditation session. Direct your intention to help support and grow that group energy. Be sure to disconnect from the group at the end.

If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share please let me know via e-mail to k_miritello@bellsouth.net or kmiritello@gmail.com