Meditation Instructions for Sun., April 26, 2015

For this Sunday, April 26th, the focus for our meditation will be on Fullness.  I recently came across a blog by someone named Scott Dannemiller, a speaker, author, leadership consultant and former missionary.  One of his posts in particular really resonated with me in which he spoke about the increasing prevalence of “busyness” in people’s lives.  How many times have you found yourself, when asked about your day, responding with something like, “crazy busy” or, “insane” or, “rushing around like a mad person!”  While modern life with all of its demands to juggle professional, personal and family lives tends to easily become hectic it is our emotional response to this regimen that is concerning.  Some people love to appear busy and wear their busyness like a “badge of honor,” as Scott says in his blog.  It is as though they have so much of their ego invested in how much they (and only they) can accomplish that to appear idle seems embarrassing.  Instead, they cram as much in as they can but more significantly wear their busyness on their sleeve to impress others with their own importance.  Sometimes it is impractical to cut many of our obligations out, but rather than fretting about how many demands there are on our time let us reframe the problem as one where we are blessed with a Full life.  Where we are able to scale back our activities let us consider doing so.  However, when that is not possible, let us take a breath and think of our day as Full of potential for accomplishments, wonderful encounters with others, and moments that will never be experienced again.  May we consider in our prayer and meditation time this week the Fullness of our daily life and ask to be guided how to release our tendency to self-impose a stressful response rather than one of gratitude. 

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 feel blessed rather than stressed by the Fullness of all I am able to do in a day?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to lose the stress of busyness and replace it with the gratitude of Fullness?  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., April 19, 2015

For this Sunday, April 19th, the focus for our meditation will be on Listening.  It may be apocryphal, but I recently read an anecdote about Dan Rather, the former CBS anchor, who once asked Mother Teresa what she said during her prayers.  She answered, “I Listen.”  So Dan turned the question around and asked, “Well then, what does God say?”  Mother Teresa smiled with confidence and answered, “He Listens.”  For a moment, Dan didn't know what to say. “And if you don't understand that,” Mother Teresa added, “I can’t explain it to you.”  So many times in life prayer occurs as a last-ditch effort to salvage a situation and becomes a desperate plea for intervention.  When we remember to pray not just when we are in crisis, as though trying to tune into some celestial emergency hotline, prayer becomes more of an exchange than merely a one-way transmission.  In Listening during prayer we make ourselves able to actually feel our connection with Spirit.  Prayer becomes less about the words and more of a physical sensation that makes us realize how integrated we all are with the Divine.  We are asked to quiet ourselves and Listen with our entire body which allows us to be totally present in prayer and completely aware of our union with God.  Personally, I am a big fan of a walking prayer practice.  The physical activity energizes my body, and I especially enjoy feeling more in tune with nature in all its amazing glory.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider how actively we Listen while praying.  May we ask to be helped to better Listen during prayer so we may physically feel our eternal connection with Spirit.

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 still myself internally and truly Listen during prayer?  How does it feel in my body when I realize that Listening is an active process that engages my entire physical presence?  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., April 12, 2015

For this Sunday, April 12th, the focus for our meditation will be on Joy.  I remember when I was growing up somehow discovering a wonderfully dynamic speaker and author named Leo Buscaglia.  His books and talks on life and love brought tears and laughter to many who heard him speak or read his poignant writing.  Leo unfortunately is no longer with us, but I can still picture the childlike glee that animated his face as he lectured on the videos I watched.  His eyes literally twinkled with smiles.  In one of his books he wrote, “Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife.  The first question was:  Did you bring Joy?  The second was:  Did you find Joy?”  The measure for passage into the afterlife was not how much the person had earned, what status they had accrued, or even whether they had been good or bad, but very simply whether they had been able to find Joy in their own life and also be a source of Joy for others.  This past week I finally adopted another retired racing greyhound after losing my previous greyhound to cancer last December.  How fitting that this dog’s name should be Joy for she has helped heal the ache in my heart with her Joyful presence.  As I think about Leo’s quote and the difference this little dog is making in my life it prompts me to reflect on the quality of Joy.  How do we find Joy in our life?  What fills us so completely with contentment and happiness that we are consumed with Joy?  And what do we do in our life to help share that feeling of Joy with others?  This week in our prayer and meditation let us consider whether we have found Joy in our life and whether we are seen as being a source of Joy for others.  If not, let us ask to be shown how to feel true Joy and especially how to bring Joy into the life of those 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 filled with true Joy that lightens my life?  How does it feel in my body when I can sense that others are helped to find Joy in their life through my presence?  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., April 5, 2015

For this Sunday, April 5th, the focus for our meditation will be on Progress.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a notable President for many reasons.  He was elected even despite an obvious physical disability as a result of his having contracted polio as an adult.  However, the way in which I consider him to be most remarkable was that he was elected to four consecutive terms.  Because of current term limitations such a tenure would be unheard of today, but even back then it had never previously happened.  FDR died three months into his fourth term, which meant there had been the potential for him to be in that elected office for sixteen consecutive years.  People grew up knowing him as the only President to serve in their lifetime.  He was a father figure to some and certainly brought a sense of stability to the nation during years of turmoil.  Whether because of his triumph over polio or for other reasons, people felt that he exuded a sense of optimism.  Just as he recovered from a serious illness so could the nation recover under his hand from the Great Depression and the Second World War.  He gave people hope that they, too, could Progress and see their life slowly improve.  I firmly believe most of us wish to evolve rather than devolve in this life.  We are motivated to select choices that help us Progress in our life by learning from past mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us consider the choices we make in our life and how they help us Progress in the right direction.  If there are activities or ways we expend our resources that aren’t helpful, let us ask to be gently shown better alternatives that will allow us to make more Progress through this lifetime.

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 seeking to Progress rather than regress in life?  How does it feel in my body when I can sense the Progress that comes from making the right choices?  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