Meditation Instructions for Sun., November 25, 2018

For this Sunday, November 25th, the focus for our meditation will be on Reconciliation.  A friend of mine has had a strained relationship with an in-law for years.  They never speak to each other, and she feels unwelcome at this individual’s house.  The reasons for the tension in their association are unclear; she can recall no cataclysmic episode that led to the discord.  Family gatherings where both are present have been understandably uncomfortable for my friend.  However, over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, she was amazed to have this individual behave towards her in a much more welcoming manner.  There was no explicit apology or even attempt at explanation for the past frostiness, but it was clear the animosity was no longer present.  I was struck by the obvious joy she felt at the Reconciliation in a season when family gatherings can easily become springboards for arguments and upheaval.  Many people look to the leaders around them to be their role models.  We emulate the conduct of people in authority we presumably respect, such as our teachers, religious leaders, law enforcement personnel, and elected officials.  Rather than look to them for how to behave I believe we should model how we expect them to conduct themselves.  For years as a nation we have wrung our collective hands and bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship in our government.  We chide both parties for failing to get along yet follow a different standard in our own personal lives.  Let us instead seek to model the spirit of Reconciliation in our families, our communities, our schools and our work places.  In our prayer and meditation time let us ask to be shown how to reach out to those with whom we have difficult relationships and find a way to Reconcile those differences.  If we can succeed at this on an individual level perhaps those more public authority figures will be encouraged to behave likewise.

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 been able to reach a Reconciliation with someone in my life?  How does it feel in my body when I realize how rewarding the act of Reconciliation can be to repair a broken relationship?  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 18, 2018

For this Sunday, November 18th, the focus for our meditation will be on Play.  Remember when you were a child and loved to Play being grown-up?  The fun of pretending to have responsibilities and chores to do when Playing house, for example, made adulthood appear tantalizing to a youngster.  Then suddenly we find ourselves older and saddled with duties that seem inescapable and definitely less amusing. As we enter this holiday season it is so easy to feel weighed down by all that we have on our “to do” list.  Add to this having to accomplish everything under conditions where winter weather begins to make travel difficult, roads and stores are more congested, and we begin to feel stressed and frazzled by the challenge of the season.  Rather than allow ourselves to feel burdened let us choose an alternative approach that takes the drudgery of our adult responsibilities and makes them feel more like Play.  Try singing out loud when washing dishes or vacuuming the house.  Those seven cartoon dwarves who whistled while they worked were onto something for I’m sure it made it seem less like a grind and more like Play.  If you are in a hurry to get somewhere and find your blood pressure rising when stuck in traffic, try dancing (safely, please) from behind the wheel.  Drum your fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of music, sway your shoulders and bob your head up and down.  It can feel silly and fun and carefree and definitely makes holiday travel feel more like Play than a pain.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us try to ease the stress of this holiday season by exploring ways we can make everyday tasks seem more like Play than problems.  Let us ask to be reminded to never lose the spirit of Play we had as children and to always make time for Play in our life.  May a resurgence in the spirit of Play sweep this land and help ease the stress this time of year can bring.

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 recall what it was like to be carefree and allow myself to Play?  How does it feel in my body when am able to reduce my anxiety by converting a chore into Play instead?  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 11, 2018

For this Sunday, November 11th, the focus for our meditation will be on Value.  This past week we observed quite a bit of variability in the issues that seemed to incite passions around our country.  People were first riled up about the run up to and then results of the mid-term elections.  Tensions were raised when people objected to the way the President treated a news reporter.  Depending on your perspective, others were incensed at the way reporters posed questions to the President.  And then stuff happens.  A gunman opened fire in the midst of a happy gathering at a bar, instantly snuffing out a dozen lives.  A wildfire roared at the mind-boggling rate of an entire football field each second, destroying homes, businesses, and leading to more loss of life.  In those heart-wrenching tragedies we sometimes are confronted with split-second decisions as to what matters most.  A brave policeman chose to run into the hail of gunfire to try and save lives.  Homeowners desperately fleeing the inferno had little time to gather precious possessions and some had to deal with the anguish of leaving animals behind.  Those who escaped unscathed were rattled to their core and expressed gratitude for their survival.  Those who suffered the loss of loved ones or homes were left numb at the prospect of how to pick up life again.  In either instance those affected by the tragedies spoke of how they forever altered their appreciation of what mattered most to them.  How do you estimate the Value of the loss of a human life?  In a crisis, how do you decide what you Value most and can’t live without or are willing to risk life and limb to preserve?  By the end of the week, the issues that previously seemed so important held little Value in the new accounting of the grand scheme of things.  This week in our meditation time let us send the light and energy of our prayers to those whose lives were altered by these horrific tragedies.  Let us also use that time to examine how we place Value on what matters in our own life.  Are there people, things or activities that we believed we could not do without that might not really be worth the Value we attribute to them?  How do the things we appear to Value in our life reflect what we aim to be as we try to achieve our Higher Self?  Let us ask that all across this country come to a better appreciation of what really matters and what is worthy of Value in their estimation 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 what do I feel in my body when I am able to appreciate what I truly Value in my life?  How does it feel in my body when I know the things on which I place Value in my life are really worthy of it?  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 4, 2018

For this Sunday, November 4th, the focus for our meditation will be on being Informed.  The value of the Fourth Estate, as journalism and media are sometimes referred to, is in their ability to serve as conduits of news to help keep us Informed in a timely manner.  Most of us cannot recall a period in our life when we did not have ready access to breaking news through either radio or television coverage of critical events.  We take for granted the immediacy and availability of having Information at our fingertips, especially through our ubiquitous mobile devices.  There is also a downside to the ease with which Information can now be disseminated.  In the rush to gain an electronic “scoop” some news coverage loses accuracy.  Recently the journalism and media news professions have come under criticism for biased reporting.  There is a major newspaper I have subscribed to for almost 40 years.  This past year I canceled my subscription because the bias in their coverage of national events was so evident I felt I could no longer have faith in what they wrote.  It was a difficult decision, because I truly believe we have the responsibility to keep ourselves Informed of what is happening in our communities and country.  I also feel the heavy-handed criticism they were dishing out was unnecessary.  There were, to my view, plenty of legitimate reasons to level criticism at what was occurring, but their rancor became so obvious and petty that it made me lose trust in their objectivity.  Unfortunately, some people have taken this as license to harass and even threaten or assault journalists and media reporters.  Rather than engage in violence I would much prefer that people hold news reporting to maintain standards of accuracy and objectivity.  It is a profession that is crucial to our understanding of local, national and international events.  We have mid-term elections taking place this week around the nation, and our ability to be properly Informed about issues and candidates on the ballot rests with journalists and reporters.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us focus light and energy on those whose responsibility it is to fairly and accurately keep us Informed of the news.  May our prayers help support those who are trying to report news in a manner with ethics and integrity so we may all be better Informed.

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 recognize I am fully Informed on matters of importance?  How does it feel in my body when I appreciate how being Informed helps me make better decisions?  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