Meditation Instructions for Sun., June 26, 2016

For this Sunday, June 26th, the focus for our meditation will be on Courage.  Not too long ago I heard an account of some middle-school students who noticed one of their classmates, a special-needs student, being bullied.  They decided to stand up for him against the bully and regularly escorted him to school and even between classes to protect him.  In the process, they actually got to know him as an individual and developed a genuine friendship with him.  Their relationship blossomed, and they began inviting him to join them in after-school play activities.  It took real Courage on the part of these fifth-grade boys to publicly associate with a peer who was being shunned by others, but the rewards they all ultimately received were beyond expectation.  Even though at this time of year schools are on summer recess it is still a period of growth and learning; the latter is often less academic in nature and more about social interactions.  As the school children across this nation enjoy the hiatus from their studies let us ask that they be shown how to stand up with Courage for others.  Through the development of greater Courage may they find their return to school in the fall creates an environment with less bullying and greater acceptance of all despite any differences.  Let us spread the energy of Courage through the light of our prayers and meditation throughout the country and encourage more of our citizens to stand up to intimidation whatever the source. 

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 stood up with Courage against those who would bully others?  How does it feel in my body when I find the Courage to defend the weak against those who seek to intimidate 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., June 19, 2016

For this Sunday, June 19th, the focus for our meditation will be on Similarity.  Last week saw an unspeakable horror unfold with the mass shooting of 49 people at a club in Orlando, Florida simply because of what they apparently represented to the killer.  This weekend marks the anniversary of a similar tragedy, this one in a small church in Charleston, South Carolina.  A year ago a deranged shooter who was welcomed into a prayer gathering subsequently turned on the participants because of a difference in race.  In one circumstance people’s lives are erased in an instant because of what was perceived as a different sexual orientation.  In the other circumstance nine lives were snuffed out by a killer who saw his victims only as beings with skin of a different color.  The fundamental problem is people would rather focus on differences than take the time to find Similarity.  If you are perceived as being different and can be labeled in a way that conceals your humanity, then it will make it easier to reject you without bothering to get to know you.  For some people, encountering someone who is different from them irrationally prompts feelings of fear and hatred.  They don’t want to recognize the other person as someone who may be a struggling single parent, a young person worried about finding a job or being able to afford college, or a brother or sister concerned about an ill family member.  If they took the time to learn who the person was it might make it harder to hate them.  Instead, they would rather focus only on the perceived differences to endorse the judgment they have rushed to form about the other person.  We encounter these false snap judgments all the time, and it is easy to succumb to their powerful influence.  What if instead of first noticing how someone is different people were more willing to see how there is Similarity?  That frazzled woman behind the checkout counter who has skin of a different color from yours may also have a teenaged son or daughter with whom they just had an argument.  That well-attired man seated in the coffee shop looking fondly into the eyes of another man across the table may also have an elderly parent who is beginning to show signs of dementia.  We are more alike than we may initially realize, and if we as a nation are able to overcome our tendency to focus only on the differences perhaps there would be less prejudice and hatred in our society.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask to be gently reminded to notice the Similarity that exists among strangers.  May we be shown how to recognize that those who may superficially appear to be different actually share more Similarity with us than we may know. 

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 see the Similarity between myself and someone who appears to be different from me?  How does it feel in my body when I am more willing to pause before labeling someone and take the time to see how they are actually Similar to 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., June 12, 2016

For this Sunday, June 12th, the focus for our meditation will be on Possibility.  One of my favorite bumper sticker sayings is, “Let me be the person my dog thinks I am.”  The suggestion is that our view of ourselves is far more critical or negative than how we are perceived by those (particularly our pets) who recognize what we are capable of becoming.  From their perspective we already have fulfilled that Possibility whereas from our perspective we continually fall short.  Even people you would think feel totally successful and who have achieved all that is Possible often see themselves differently.  A famous quote by the revered actor Cary Grant was, “Everyone wants to be Cary Grant.  Even I want to be Cary Grant.”  It was as though he saw himself as an imposter who could never live up to how others viewed him.  While we may not achieve all that we want in life, if we aim for what we think may be Possible it allows us to reach far beyond what we might otherwise attain and is merely probable.  It is easy to become complacent and remain satisfied with where we are presently on our path.  But if we hold an image before us of what could be Possible we are more likely to find that we eventually progress far beyond that.  The key is to never feel so discouraged that we lose sight of what truly is Possible for us to realize.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider how our goals or objectives might change if we were willing to reach for what is Possible rather than settle for what has already been.  Let us ask to be helped to broaden our self-view and see a clearer vision of what may be Possible that ultimately draws us to that higher level.

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 willing to reach for what is Possible for me to achieve rather than settle for what is probable?  How does it feel in my body when I allow myself to hold a higher Possibility of what I can become?  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., June 5, 2016

For this Sunday, June 5th, the focus for our meditation will be on Vision.  This is a time of year filled with ceremonies and speeches to commemorate graduation from colleges, universities and schools.  Those selected to deliver a commencement address often exhort graduates to go out into the world to pursue their passion, to live life to the fullest and check off every item in their bucket list so they won’t come to the end of the road with any regrets.  Carpe diem and all that, they urge.  But what if these graduates were encouraged to go out into the world and develop a Vision not of what they can do to better themselves but rather a Vision of what they can do to make life better for others?  An eight-year-old girl named Khloe Thompson has already acquired that Vision.  Each day on her way to school she would pass by homeless people on the street near her home in Southern California.  Rather than ignore them, she is one of the few who actually would notice them and decided to do something to help.  She created a non-profit called Khloe Kares (http://www.khloekares.com/home.html) and began sewing cloth “Kare Bags” filled with items she knew they could use and handed them out.  Her Vision is to inspire other people and at her very young age to begin to make a difference in the world.  Imagine if more people went out into their environment each day with a Vision that enabled them to see those in need rather than become oblivious to their presence?  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask what we allow ourselves to see when we are out in the world.  Do we have a Vision of how to make things better or are we more focused solely on our own desires?  Through the light and energy of our prayers may more people acquire a Vision that will enable them to improve their communities, and may this clearer Vision for a better future ripple across our nation.

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 a Vision that is focused on the needs of others and not just me?  How does it feel in my body when I follow my Vision that shows me ways I can 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