Meditation Instructions for Sun., June 30, 2013

For this Sunday, June 30th, the focus for our meditation will be on Freedom.  Over the years, the way our nation celebrates the Independence Day, or July 4th, holiday seems increasingly to have more to do with cookouts and fireworks than the original occasion.  On July 4, 1776 our nation adopted the Declaration of Independence, a foundational document for our country declaring its Freedom from British rule.  The Freedom we gained that day set our country on a path that eventually led it to become one of the world’s greatest nations through the dedication, sacrifice and toil of its citizens.  While our country remains far from perfect, the tenet of Freedom on which it was founded is something people too easily take for granted.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us consider the Freedom granted to us as citizens of this nation.  Let us think about the Freedoms for which we are most grateful and ask that our country continue to honor the importance of maintaining those privileges for all.

In our efforts this week let us also use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation let us re-energize the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Begin by forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible to look directly at it.  Raise this sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of our country.  From shore to shore and border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country and the people who live across its vast lands.

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, and connect to the circle of others participating in this project.

Ask yourself how do I feel when I appreciate the Freedom that citizenship of this country provides?  How does it feel in my body when I recognize the importance of Freedom for this nation?  Then send the energy and intention of those feelings 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., June 23, 2013

For this Sunday, June 23rd, the focus for our meditation will be on Disorientation.  Last Sunday, June 16th, was the first time in the Meditation Project’s nearly five-year history that a weekly topic was not posted.  That weekend I joined some of my siblings in our former hometown area to try and address issues related to an aging parent.  It had been over 30 years since I had moved out-of-state, and I struggled to recognize local roads and neighborhoods.  Everything seemed strangely unfamiliar.  Combine that with the stress of trying unsuccessfully to resolve the parental issue and I found myself thrown into a state of Disorientation so profound it was not until I was back in my hotel room late Sunday evening that I realized what had happened.  Not only had I missed the usual meditation window, but I had even forgotten to post a topic.  Oddly enough, Disorientation is a state that can actually be useful in accelerating or kick-starting a period of growth.  When we remain in the comfortable structure of familiar surroundings and regular routines it is easy to operate on autopilot.  Take us out of those surroundings and disrupt the predictability of routine and suddenly we find our usual coping mechanisms or operational patterns no longer serve us.  When laboratory rats are placed in a maze they find themselves in a foreign environment and need to figure out a strategy to locate an exit or food reward.  As they navigate their way their brain develops new synapses as a result of the effort, subsequently making them more adaptable to change.  While I have no idea whether this recent experience with Disorientation left me with a slightly denser cortex, I am appreciative of the opportunity for growth it may have brought.  This week in our meditation let us consider whether we might find some worthwhile benefit from being taken out of our comfort zone.  Let us ask to be gently led to a state of Disorientation so that we may experience needed growth in our life.

In our efforts this week let us also use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation let us re-energize the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Begin by forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible to look directly at it.  Raise this sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of our country.  From shore to shore and border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country and the people who live across its vast lands.

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, and connect to the circle of others participating in this project.

Ask yourself how do I feel when I am in a state of Disorientation that forces me to adapt my usual habits and patterns of behavior?  How does it feel in my body when I am aware of the growth that a state of Disorientation can bring?  Then send the energy and intention of those feelings 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., June 9, 2013

For this Sunday, June 9th, the focus for our meditation will be on Mindfulness.  Many studies have shown the benefits that come from Mindfulness meditation.  Practicing Mindfulness meditation can help to reduce anxiety and depression, and a recent study showed it can also help alleviate symptoms of PTSD.  When I first began meditating years ago I used to think it required you to “empty” the mind of all thoughts but soon realized it was a foolish and impossible goal.  Instead of clearing all awareness, thought, and feeling Mindfulness meditation actually makes you aware that all that fills the mind can be perceived without judgment.  Rather than being critical because of the thoughts and feelings that perpetually wanted to intrude on meditation you simply learn to accept them for what they are.  This acceptance gradually develops a feeling of harmony and peace with the state you create during meditation.  In our prayer and meditation efforts this week let us consider what we would like to be Mindful of in our goal to bring healing to the nation and ourselves.  What sort of thoughts and emotions perhaps crowd our mind that would be better replaced by the Mindfulness that brings peace and harmony instead of criticism and discord?

In our efforts this week let us also use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation let us re-energize the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Begin by forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible to look directly at it.  Raise this sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of our country.  From shore to shore and border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country and the people who live across its vast lands.

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, and connect to the circle of others participating in this project.

Ask yourself how do I feel when I am in a state of Mindfulness that brings inner harmony and peace?  How does it feel in my body when I experience the benefits that come from Mindfulness meditation?  Then send the energy and intention of those feelings 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., June 2, 2013

For this Sunday, June 2nd, the focus for our meditation will be on Affirmation.  There is an internal process known as “self-talk” that occurs almost incessantly in our heads.  It is so constant that many of us even lose awareness that it is going on.  What is surprising is that 70% of this self-talk is negative.  The vast majority of the time what we are saying to ourselves is far from uplifting or encouraging.  Our internal talk consists of critical, negative thoughts such as, “It won’t work,” “They won’t like me,” or “I’m no good at that.”  Can you imagine if we had speakers that audibly broadcast this endless stream of negativity to others around us?  It likely would not project the image we try to portray.  Yet, every single one of us is prone to this habit of negative self-talk.  A spiritual practice of positive Affirmation is one way to help retrain our neurophysiology.  Affirmations are declarations of a statement that one is affirming as true.  When one first begins to use an Affirmation there is the perception that it is, however, far from true.  The amazing thing, though, is that as one continues making the Affirmation on a regular basis it subsequently can alter us physiologically.  The question before us, then, is whether what we want to manifest is positive or negative.  If we consciously choose to adopt positive Affirmations to help counter the negative self-talk they will, over time, begin to dominate and can eventually make us more capable of manifesting greater positivity.  In our prayer and meditation this week let us consider whether there is a particular Affirmation we may want to adopt to help bring a more positive aspect to our life.  Let us seek to lessen the negative chatter of self-talk and replace it through the conscious habit of Affirmation with that which better represents our higher self.

In our efforts this week let us also use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  Let us additionally focus the light of our attention on the areas of the country that have been recently buffeted by extreme weather and ask that they be protected.  As we perform our meditation let us re-energize the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Begin by forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible to look directly at it.  Raise this sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of our country.  From shore to shore and border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country and the people who live across its vast lands. 

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, and connect to the circle of others participating in this project. 

Ask yourself how do I feel when I am aware of the change that manifests from positive Affirmations?  How does it feel in my body when I recognize the need to replace negative self-talk with the power of positive Affirmation?  Then send the energy and intention of those feelings 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