Meditation Instructions for Sun., January 31, 2016

For this Sunday, January 31st, the focus for our meditation will be on Acceptance.  We are still early in the election process but already the mud-slinging has gone into full swing.  To some degree we have come to expect this from political candidates competing against each other for public office.  However, what is particularly disconcerting is the degree to which this same readiness to attack others is now replicating itself across this nation among the voting populace.  I regularly hear people mention in hushed tones that they have to be careful when speaking with certain friends, neighbors, coworkers, or relatives.  Their political viewpoints are such polar opposites that they seem unable to hold a civil conversation without descending into rancor and insult.  Similarly, at least once a week I see someone on social media announce that they have had to “unfriend” others because they are so opposed to their voicing support for a particular candidate or offering their perspective on key platform issues.  We will never live in a society where everyone thinks and feels the same way – such a realm does not exist.  Therefore, we need to learn how to Accept that others may not see things the same way we do.  More importantly, we also want to understand that complex political, legal, and societal issues seldom can be reduced down to simple concepts.  The challenges facing our nation are complicated and persistent, and rather than rushing to take sides and shut out those who are not aligned with us we would be better served to merely Accept these differences and seek to work together.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask that the spirit of Acceptance sweep across this land so that schisms based on political views will not be formed.  May we instead recognize that others will see things differently and be shown a way to Accept and respect them as fellow human beings for only then will our nation have the strong foundation it needs to move ahead.

 

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 feel in my body when I am able to Accept people who hold views which may significantly contrast with mine?  How does it feel in my body when I am willing to suspend differences and Accept someone rather than rush to criticize them?  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 24, 2016

For this Sunday, January 24th, the focus for our meditation will be on Intention.  All too often, despite my best Intentions, I find myself going through life on autopilot just trying to clear a manageable path through the mound of tasks that always seem to be ahead of me.  As a result, I end up feeling disappointed about things I let fall through the cracks – not recognizing a friend’s birthday on time, not bothering to call someone because I feel as though I can’t spare the time for a lengthy conversation, etc.  Recently, it was something as simple as realizing a full moon had passed – one I would have liked to have honored in some way with a ritual, but it was over before I became aware of it.  The other way that we fail to act with Intention is by living in the past or only dreaming about tomorrow.  Rather than racing about frantically in a perpetually distracted state, perhaps we would be better served to take a breath, focus solely on the task at hand, and act with full Intention in that moment.  By acting with conscious Intention we may find we are able to better appreciate the experiences life brings us without wanting to just check off a box and move on to the next.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask to be gently guided on how to go through life with more Intention.  Let us ask to be assisted in our awareness of how precious each moment truly is and take time to savor what life presents to us in the here and now. 

 

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 feel in my body when I am aware that I am behaving with conscious Intention in my actions?  How does it feel in my body when I take time to expand my awareness in a way that allows me to act with clear and focused Intention?  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 17, 2016

For this Sunday, January 17th, the focus for our meditation will be on Compassion.  A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found after two weeks of a meditative practice focused on Compassion participants not only behaved more altruistically towards others but also developed actual physical changes in their brain.  The experiment encouraged people to select not just individuals they loved, for whom it would be easy to feel Compassion, but to also focus on people they genuinely disliked.  According to the researchers, “Doing these kinds of exercises is a little like weight training – the Compassion ‘muscle’ is strengthened by practicing with people of increasing difficulty, like increasing weights over time.”  While some people may be more naturally inclined to be Compassionate, this study demonstrates that we all can develop or enhance this trait.  Imagine in our world today with all of the issues that arise from hatred, prejudice, misunderstanding, et cetera, if people were able to increase their ability to care about others, especially those around us who may be suffering.  This week in our prayer and meditation time may we seek to grow our own feelings of Compassion towards others, especially those we may find difficult to like.  Let us ask as our capacity for Compassion increases within us that this same characteristic ripple across the communities in which we live and work and help cultivate a stronger desire to ease the suffering of others.  [For those who may be interested in trying the meditation training focused on Compassion please visit the website at http://centerhealthyminds.org/well-being-tools/compassion-training/]

 

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 feel in my body when I am filled with genuine Compassion for others?  How does it feel in my body when my feelings of Compassion make me want to reach out with caring and understanding for those 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 10, 2016

For this Sunday, January 10th, the focus for our meditation will be on Saturation.  The state of Saturation refers to being so completely filled with something that nothing else can be absorbed.  In the Dagara tradition, an indigenous people of West Africa, 2016 is considered to be a water year and therefore holds special meaning in terms of the power or influence of this element.  The human body is somewhere between 50 to 75 percent water, depending on age, health, and the nature of specific tissues.  Throughout the world many belief systems think of water as associated with emotions.  As a result, our bodies conceivably represent a whirling tub of emotions.  When we encounter unpleasant situations or difficult people for some of us it can be an ingrained response to shield ourselves with a coat of armor that hardens our outer shell.  However, this can be energetically draining.  Instead, if we remember how fluid our physical cellular structure really is we can adopt a much more effective response.  The next time you find yourself confronting a challenging experience think of your body as a sponge that is being Saturated with a quality that will be more helpful to you.  Perhaps instead of being engulfed with anger or fear, try soaking all of your cells in serenity, love, joy, etc.  Imagine that higher quality filling all the tissues in your body so that they are so Saturated they are incapable of containing anything else but that positive feeling.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us contemplate what qualities we would like to infuse in the tissues of our body and through the process of Saturation learn to adopt healthier response patterns in our 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 what do I feel in my body when I am so filled with a positive emotion that my entire body feels Saturated with that quality and nothing else can be absorbed?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to Saturate all of my bodily tissues with a quality that allows me to retain my fluidity rather than harden?  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 3, 2016

For this Sunday, January 3rd, the focus for our meditation will be on Freedom.  The New Year is a time when many people make a resolution to alter their life in some way, often through the adoption of a healthy habit.  People resolve to work out more often, spend time with family, go on a diet, etc.  Their resolution entails adding a behavior that they hope will improve their life.  Metaphysically, however, before we can make a substantial change in our activities we need to prepare a space for the addition of something better by first releasing that which may be blocking us.  We want to ask, what is it that continually seems to interfere with my ability to make these changes in my life?  What is holding me back from reprogramming myself so I can move forward and shed old habits that no longer serve me?  Until we gain Freedom from these hindrances we will find ourselves struggling to incorporate a new way of thinking and being that helps us progress.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider whether there are old habits, ideas, or emotions that we want to release in order to gain the Freedom we need to effect meaningful change in our life.  May we ask to be given the spiritual support that will help us shed these encumbrances and bring us the Freedom to be all that we want to be.

 

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 feel in my body when I have achieved Freedom from those bad habits that I seek to shed?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to find Freedom from encumbrances in order to adopt a new way of being?  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