Meditation Instructions for Sun., November 29, 2015

For this Sunday, November 29th, the focus for our meditation will be on Change.  I am a huge believer in the power of prayer and definitely have faith in the miracles it can produce.  Therefore, I was surprised to read a response from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the recent Paris attacks, when he wrote, “Violence is a reaction by short-sighted, out-of-control people.  At 81, I believe it cannot be resolved through prayers or government help.  We have to begin the Change at individual level and then move on to neighbourhood and society.”  When I first glanced at the quote I thought he was dismissing the value of prayer but after reading the message more carefully I realized he was exhorting people around the world of all faiths to do more than just pray.  In addition to our prayers we need to also be willing to first Change ourselves before we can expect Change from those around us.  I’ve written before about the ripple effect in the power of what we are trying to manifest through our meditation and prayer practice, and this is a another good example of that spreading chain reaction in what we do.  Let us this week in our prayer and meditation look within and identify what we would like to see Change about ourselves.  Let us ask for divine assistance in being gently directed toward ways that will help make a lasting Change that would be beneficial in our life.  By triumphing over Change in ourselves, may we ask that the ability to Change likewise spread to our families and friends, our work place, our neighborhoods and communities, and eventually across this nation and around the globe.  In kick-starting a campaign of true Change may we help others also make needed shifts that will be capable of eliminating hatred and evil in this world.

 

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 what do I recognize in myself that I would love to be able to Change?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to make a shift that Changes me as an individual?  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., November 22, 2015

For this Sunday, November 22nd, the focus for our meditation will be on Improvement.  While standing in a grocery store checkout line I recently saw an article headline on what may have been a Buddhist magazine that read, “This life is not a self-Improvement tour.”  It got me to thinking about why, then, are we here to experience this lifetime?  Certainly it seems far more admirable to Improve ourselves and make ourselves a better human being than those who are devolving instead of evolving in this lifetime.  But ultimately that seems a very selfish goal.  Perhaps our goal should be to leave the world around us a better place.  Mother Teresa certainly didn’t appear to be focused on making herself better.  By her own admission she was as flawed a human being as the rest of us.  Her goal was to make those around her more comfortable, to feel less hungry and more loved.  She worked to help Improve the communities she so selflessly served.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us look around us to see where Improvements could be made.  Let us ask to be shown how to help Improve our schools, our neighborhoods, our workplace, our towns, and all the other communities we encounter in our life.  If more focus across this nation was directed to Improving our surroundings think how that might help ease so many of our country’s problems.

 

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 recognize a way I can help Improve conditions for others around me?  How does it feel in my body when I take time to do something that helps Improve the world?  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., November 15, 2015

For this Sunday, November 15th, the focus for our meditation will be on Humanizing.  The mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico came up with a positive way to help the problem of homelessness in his city.  All too often authorities deal with the issue of homelessness by acts intended to discourage those who are in need, such as arresting panhandlers or placing barriers on public benches and other surfaces that might serve as a bed for the night.  But Mayor Richard Berry saw things differently and realized the homeless people he observed every day on the streets were Human beings; people who could be his brother or sister if things had turned out differently for his family.  He then came up with the idea to offer them work maintaining public areas in exchange for a fair hourly wage and a free meal.  People who accept the offer are picked up by a roaming van that gives them a waiting lunch and then transports them to various sites around the city to perform weeding, trash pickup, etc.  They are also given the opportunity to connect with available resources for assistance in counseling, health and housing services.  The vast majority of those approached by the city actually take them up on their offer.  The result is it helps those who are on hard times restore their dignity and self-respect.  Rather than just giving them a handout it gives them a chance to do meaningful work instead.  It also makes people see them in a more Humanizing way rather than turn away from the nameless in need.  The issue of de-Humanizing is at the root of so many of the world’s ills.  It is the foundation of human trafficking, domestic violence, child sex abuse, and is also demonstrated every time a radical terrorist group chooses to target innocent people to make a point.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask to be shown how to see our fellow citizens of the world as Human beings.  Let us see people in a more Humanizing way that allows us to recognize their intrinsic value as genuine people and not mere objects.  May a wave of Humanizing light spread across our nation and the entire globe help to ease so many of the troubles that result when we do not treat others with the kindness and respect they deserve.

 

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.

Let us also send the light and energy of our prayers to the people of Paris who were under siege this week by another senseless act of terrorism.  May our prayers help console those who have suffered loss in this tragic incident. 

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 see strangers in need in a Humanizing way?  How does it feel in my body when I recognize the homeless as Human beings?  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., November 8, 2015

For this Sunday, November 8th, the focus for our meditation will be on Fun.  Have you seen the video making the rounds on social media of a subway staircase that was transformed into a piano?  The steps were covered with special material that made them resemble the black and white keys of a piano and produced a sound when someone stepped on them.  It was part of a research study to show how the number of people who chose to use the stairs rather than take an adjoining escalator significantly increased when the chore of climbing or descending the stairs was made more Fun.  Old and young alike not only chose to take the stairs but many of them opted to linger on their journey and “play” a tune on the steps.  I find a similar strategy works for me when I have to produce a complicated analysis of a written report, a task that can be mind-numbing at times because of its intensity.  On those occasions I imagine that I am teaching someone else how to do the analysis because instruction is something I enjoy doing.  It makes the assignment more Fun to do, and I feel less drained by it as a result.  While our lives may be made easy by those occasions when we genuinely are engaged in something Fun to do, there are times we could also make an arduous task less burdensome by figuring out a way to make it feel like play instead.  Didn’t we all when we were younger find a way to convert a chore like raking leaves or shoveling a sidewalk into something that felt more like a game?  Once those leaves were raked into a huge pile it made the perfect bed to cushion a body’s flying leap through the air.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider if there are ways as adults we can bring that same approach to our work and daily lives.  Let us ask if there are ways we can make an unpleasant task seem more like Fun than drudgery and find ourselves feeling more rejuvenated than worn out by what we are required 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 remember how much Fun I have when I am engaged in something that feels more like play than work?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to transform an unpleasant chore into a task that I enjoy and find Fun 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