Meditation Instructions for Sun., July 26, 2015

For this Sunday, July 26th, the focus for our meditation will be on Deliberateness.  I spend a lot of time in New York City on business and as a result over the years have acquired certain habits.  Specifically, I tend to walk like a New Yorker – fast, determined, and with a no-nonsense focus on reaching my final objective.  When it is high tourist season in the city it tests my patience as I am forced to sidestep gawking sightseers more intent on absorbing the scenes than on reaching a destination.  While I might believe my Olympian pace serves me well it also interferes with my ability to take notice of all that is around me.  Fortunately, I have a dog who believes that walks are for leisure and enjoyment and thus helps to balance my desire for speed.  On our daily walks around the neighborhood she is allowed to regularly stop and sniff all the fascinating smells that entice her.  As she takes in all this sensory pleasure I pause and similarly try to notice all that is in our environment.  We are routinely presented with the graceful leaps of deer, scampering rabbits, lovely old trees that reach into the skies, and incredibly gorgeous sunsets.  If I went through our development in my power walk mode all of this would be overlooked.  The lesson for me is that by being more Deliberate I am rewarded with all of these beautiful moments.  It encourages me to try and bring this same quality into other aspects of my life.  Rather than rush to a decision or action, I try to instead consider taking my time, for that will better allow me to take in additional information and thus make a more informed choice.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us ponder whether we might benefit from going through life in a more thoughtful and Deliberate fashion.  Let us try to restrain the impulse to rush ahead and as an alternative take our time in order to fully experience each moment.  By opening ourselves to a more leisurely and Deliberate approach may we better connect with Spirit and thus be led rather than blindly hurry and miss the best of life.

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 take my time and am more Deliberate in my actions?  How does it feel in my body when by taking a Deliberate approach I can better sense the presence of Spirit who directs 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., July 19, 2015

For this Sunday, July 19th, the focus for our meditation will be on Impact.  There are times when news headlines can leave me feeling utterly helpless against the pervasiveness of evil in the world.  I’m not quite so pessimistic as to think things are becoming worse, but I do very much believe that man’s barbarism against his fellow man has ancient roots.  Those of us who consider ourselves to be “light workers,” seeking to bring more goodness and light into the world, can begin to question whether we are having any positive Impact at all.  At such moments I find encouragement in what has become known in chaos theory as the “butterfly effect.”  The concept comes from the understanding that the tiny perturbations of a butterfly’s wings can set off a cascade of conditions that subsequently Impact the weather halfway around the globe.  It is not, however, a simple cause-and-effect theory.  The butterfly beating its wings in the Amazon jungle does not directly lead to a tornado in Texas.  Instead, the seemingly trivial movement of air from the wings of the butterfly becomes just one of a series of events in a ripple effect that ultimately combine to have a much more consequential Impact elsewhere in the world.  I firmly believe the energy of our prayers can have this same effect, combining with the energy of others praying around the globe and eventually bringing about positive change.  This week in our prayer and meditation time, as we consider the events across our nation of late, may we seek to send out more love and light, confident in knowing we are indeed making a positive Impact.  May all those who strive to bring goodness and light into the world recognize the Impact of their prayers and actions and feel encouraged in knowing their work ripples far beyond where they may perceive.

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 of how the energy of my prayers can Impact others?  How does it feel in my body when I know the prayers and encouragement of others have had a positive Impact on 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., July 12, 2015

For this Sunday, July 12th, the focus for our meditation will be on Receiving.  I have written before about an art project that was done at an annual retreat by Rev. Jennifer Halls in which we had to make plaster casts of our hands.  The concept behind the project was to make us more aware of our readiness (or not) to Receive assistance from others.  To make the plaster casts you had to plunge your hands into containers of wet plaster and leave them there for what seemed an interminable amount of time for them to set.  Being thusly encumbered you had to rely on your assistants for every need.  Want a drink of water?  You had to ask someone to hold a cup to your mouth.  Pestered by flying insects (as the project was done outdoors in a wooded environment)?  Someone else had to swat them away for you.  Feeling overly warm in the sun?  You had to learn to ask another person to fan you.  I’m not sure what was more onerous to me – having my hands encased up to my wrists in plaster or having to ask for help – but the project made me keenly aware of my innate reluctance to Receive assistance from others.  It grates on me to have to ask for help, as I proudly consider myself to be quite capable and self-reliant.  Yet, I have come to learn that denying someone the ability to offer assistance robs them of the opportunity to give their gift to the world.  It is a selfish act to refuse to Receive from others.  By learning to open my heart and graciously Receive from other people it enables them to make a valuable contribution they would otherwise not be able to offer.  Sometimes this lesson comes to us in the simplest of ways.  Consider whether you are one of those individuals who when thanked, responds emphatically, “No, thank you!”  Instead, try Receiving the gratitude with a more open heart and learn to say, “You’re welcome!”  The difference over time will amaze you.  This week in our prayer and meditation let us think about the ways we may want to be more willing to Receive from those whom we encounter in life.  Let us ask to be gently shown how to readily open our hearts and accept the offer of assistance from others in a way that Receives them with love and gratitude. 

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 gladly Receive offers of assistance from others?  How does it feel in my body when I recognize that my ability to Receive from others helps me expand my own heart?  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., July 5, 2015

For this Sunday, July 5th, the focus for our meditation will be on Sanctuary.  Our nation was created by our Founders years ago as a place of refuge for those seeking to be rid of oppression.  It offers guaranteed basic rights to all its citizens and affords them the opportunity to speak openly without fear of reprisal or to worship as they wish.  Since then this land has become known as a Sanctuary where others may flee to live in safety.  Recent accounts of refugees who left their former homelands because of war or political upheaval and subsequently became naturalized citizens fill one with pride.  We are so very fortunate by mere virtue of our birthplace to be able to live the way we do without worry of persecution.  As we celebrate a holiday weekend commemorating our nation’s independence, let us also give thanks that we are able to live so freely.  Let us use the light and energy of our prayers and meditation to support those in need of Sanctuary that they may find a place of safety and refuge where they feel accepted with open arms.

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 in a place of Sanctuary that surrounds me with peace and tranquility?  How does it feel in my body when I know where I live presents me with a Sanctuary of safety and security?  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