Meditation Instructions for Sun., February 1, 2015

For this Sunday, February 1st, the focus for our meditation will be on Magnification.  One of my favorite prayers is based on Biblical text in the Gospel of Luke when Blessed Mary, the mother of God, rejoices after visiting her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant and carrying the boy who would later become John the Baptist.  Mary’s prayer, which eventually came to be known as The Magnificat, begins, “My soul Magnifies the Lord.”  The depth of potential insight in this prayer could serve as the basis for a year’s worth of meditation, in my opinion.  It is a study in joy, faith, and humility.  The notion of our soul being so filled with goodness that it not only reflects but even amplifies the quality of Divine goodness is profound.  It makes me pause and want to contemplate how I am living my life and what my soul would subsequently be found to Magnify.  Am I capable of so filling my soul with goodness and light that it Magnifies all that our Lord represents?  Let us use this time of prayer and meditation to consider how we are feeding our soul and what it therefore Magnifies.  Are we focusing our life on activities that intensify our faith or drawing us further into darkness?  May we ask to be gently led in a way that enables us to bring even more light and goodness into the world around us.

In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Just as before, 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 that I am able to Magnify certain qualities through my being?  How does it feel in my body when I am so fully saturated with goodness and light that it Magnifies those qualities around me?  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 kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., January 25, 2015

For this Sunday, January 25th, the focus for our meditation will be on Permission. A well-known Jungian analyst and author, Dr. James Hollis, recently visited the area where I live.  An eloquent and erudite speaker (the two don’t always go together), he enthralled a room full of people talking about his life work as a therapist.  One of the many comments that resonated with me was his description of his client base, most of whom would be considered to be in the “second half” of their life.  They are well educated and very accomplished people, yet they struggle with the perceived lack of Permission to be themselves.  Dr. Hollis has written several books about the second half of life that he believes is about the recovery of personal authority – in other words, learning how to give ourselves Permission to be who we really want to be.  There are many influences that suppress the ability to grant ourselves this Permission earlier in our life.  Family pressures and demands, societal and cultural norms, career aspirations and so on, all of which accumulate to make us work harder to gain the approval of others rather than love ourselves for who we truly are.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider whether we are ready to let go of our need for approval and replace that with Permission to be who we want to be.  If we have the courage to grant the Permission to just be ourselves, we come closer to fulfilling our true potential.

In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Just as before, 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 able to give myself Permission to do something I feel strongly I want to do?  How does it feel in my body when I love myself enough to grant Permission to be myself more fully?  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 kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., January 18, 2015

For this Sunday, January 18th, the focus for our meditation will be on Consciousness. I was startled to find that in the almost seven years this weekly meditation practice has been in existence this is the first time the focus is Consciousness.  As surprised as I was to realize I had not used this topic before I have to assume it is because it was meant to come in its own right time.  What prompted this topic was learning of the amazing results in the San Francisco school system after they instituted a twice-daily meditation period in which all students are required to participate.  It began in a middle school and then expanded to include even high schools.  The students seem to love it and talk of how it helps increase their focus and concentration.  In other words, it brings them greater Consciousness.  Violence and suspensions have significantly decreased while attendance and grades have increased.  In schools where fights were a regular occurrence they are now the exception.  Children who were angry use the meditation to let go of their anger.  Personalities change for the better.  What excites me most is to think of how those schools are producing an entire generation of young people who will go out into the world with more Consciousness.  The positive effect that is bound to ripple across society fills me with optimism for our country’s future.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us connect with this population of students in San Francisco and add our energy to theirs from all points across this land.  May this connected web of Consciousness grow a strong foundation from which the future of our nation may be secured and enable us to reach our full potential for the highest good. 

In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Just as before, 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 able to achieve a higher Consciousness through my meditation and prayer practice?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to bring that greater Consciousness into all aspects of my life?  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 kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., January 11, 2015

For this Sunday, January 11th, the focus for our meditation will be on Meaningfulness. Viktor Frankl was a prominent Viennese psychiatrist who was sent, along with his entire family, to Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.  Eventually liberated by the Americans, he and a sister were the only surviving family members.  Dr. Frankl subsequently wrote about his experiences in a book titled, “Man’s Search for Meaning.”  In it he writes, “Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself—be it a Meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter.  The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself.”  Our challenge this week is not to broadly ponder the Meaning of life in general but to consider the Meaning of our own life.  Let us use our prayer and meditation time this week to contemplate why we are here and what we are Meant to accomplish in this lifetime.  What is the Meaning of the experiences we have, both good and bad, or the people we encounter each day?  Each moment of every day affords us a clue as to our purpose.  By coming to realize that there is Meaning in each of these experiences it helps us overcome adversity and move forward.  Through our meditation let us ask that we be enabled to see more clearly why we are here and what we are Meant to do.

In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Just as before, 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 find a deeper Meaning to even the most mundane experiences in my life?  How does it feel in my body when I realize there is a Meaning or purpose to my life, and I can see clearly what I am here to do?  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 kmiritello@gmail.com

Meditation Instructions for Sun., January 4, 2015

For this Sunday, January 4th, the focus for our meditation will be on Relations.  As we enter a new year historic changes in the Relations between the United States and Cuba are taking place.  For the first time in decades, commercial and economic sanctions will be eased, and eventually unfettered travel by citizens to both countries will be resumed.  The easing of diplomatic tensions finally came about following the personal appeal of Pope Francis to the leaders of both nations.  His request for forgiveness of disputes between the two and a restoration of full diplomatic Relations sets a model for us to follow not just on the national stage but throughout this entire country.  This first Sunday of 2015 let us send the energy and light of our prayers and meditation across this land to ask that Relations be improved at all levels.  May we see in 2015 a healing of Relations among all people in this nation so that those of color, those of different ethnicities, and those of different faiths all live in harmony.  May our prayers for a healing of Relations ease the distrust and tensions that have built up between our citizens and law enforcement officers.  As our local, state, and federal governments resume their legislative sessions and especially as the buildup begins toward next year’s presidential election may the intransigence of both parties be abandoned for a sincere desire for bipartisanship and cooperation.  Through our prayers may we see this nation move forward and heal those Relations that are hampering our full potential to live up to the sacred covenants by which we were created.

In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation.  As we perform our meditation this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create.  Just as before, 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 entire 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 value the importance of the Relations I need to maintain with others?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to establish healthy Relations with others that mutually benefit us all?  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 kmiritello@gmail.com