Meditation Instructions for Sun., March 31, 2019

For this Sunday, March 31st, the focus for our meditation will be on Interpretation.  Most of the time in life we must rely on information that is incomplete and may even seem contradictory about a particular situation or person.  Seldom do we have all the data we might like in order to make what we believe is the “right” assessment.  We must constantly try to fill in the gaps of missing pieces and draw assumptions in trying to figure things out.  Often that process goes wrong.  Sometimes we are led astray by our own cognitive or perceptual biases.  We see what we want to see or hear what we want to hear and disregard everything else.  A while ago I read an account on social media of a college student annoyed by the behavior of a foreign student who always took the seat next to his in class.  Every time he arrived, he would find the foreign student had piled his belongings on the desk where the other student usually sat.  The foreign student would apologize and remove the belongings, but it annoyed the other student, for he Interpreted the behavior as being inconsiderate.  It wasn’t until one day when he was late to class that he observed another student attempt to take his seat, and the foreign student discouraged him by saying it was already taken.  He realized then that this person was placing his belongings there to save the seat for him.  They consequently struck up a friendship which never would have happened if the first student had continued to Misinterpret the actions of the other student.  There is so much Misinterpretation in the world today.  We tend to far too readily leap to false assumptions about others based on a faulty set of data.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider whether there are circumstances or individuals we have failed to properly Interpret as to their intentions.  Let us ask to be shown how to open our eyes and unblock our ears so we may perceive our world more clearly and not be as quick to Misinterpret the motives of others. 

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 taken the time to really look at all sides of a situation in order to more properly Interpret what is happening?  How does it feel in my body when I am willing to be more open-minded in how I Interpret the motivations of other people?  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., March 24, 2019

For this Sunday, March 24th, the focus for our meditation will be on Participation.  This past week a disturbing video went viral on social media that showed an older woman being assaulted on a subway train while bystanders simply watched or recorded the attack on their cellphones.  This isn’t the first time spectators passively allowed a tragedy to unfold before them.  A few decades ago all across Europe citizens stood and watched apathetically as Nazi thugs forcibly removed Jews from their homes and businesses.  Throughout America’s history there have been countless incidents of towns people standing idly by as African Americans were subject to harassment and violence out of prejudice.  The only thing new or different about this most recent episode of apathy was that those nearby had the technology to live stream the incident.  The psychology of passivity in the face of a troubling incident such as this one is complex.  Some people fail to act because they are concerned for their own safety.  Others may be waiting for someone else, perhaps an authority figure, to step in and therefore presume they don’t need to become involved.  What differentiates “heroes” from the rest is their willingness to step up and take action without waiting for others.  They see a need and rather than passively watch a situation unfold they choose to become engaged.  They become full Participants rather than idle observers.  Life is too fleeting for any of us to let events pass by without Participating.  Whether the incidents that occur around us are positive or negative, we owe it to ourselves to take part rather than observe out of sheer inertia.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask if there are opportunities to become more active Participants in life around us.  Let us ask to be shown how to become more fully engaged and be willing to Participate rather than let life pass us by.

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 the courage to become a full Participant in the activities around me?  How does it feel in my body when I see the benefit to being an active Participant rather than a passive observer of life’s events?  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., March 17, 2019

For this Sunday, March 17th, the focus for our meditation will be on Community.  Recently a person on Twitter received a response to one of his tweets from a woman who was making what appeared to be a suicidal gesture.  Fortunately, he did not ignore it.  Even though he lives in a completely different geographic area he reached out to his Community of online followers and connected with people who were able to alert authorities and intervene to save the woman’s life.  Several of them have offered to actually visit the woman in the hospital to let her know she is not alone and has a Community of support available to her.  All too often we find social media an environment that is rampant with hatred and vitriol spewed by people who hide behind anonymity.  There have been numerous times when I have considered giving up social media because I become so fed up with the nasty pettiness I see there.  But then I come across something like this individual’s post and realize the precious resource that social media can be if we allow it.  I prefer to focus on those moments when people utilize social media to encourage or console others, even those they have never met in person.  There is tremendous power in the fund-raising capability of social media that can bring needed financial assistance to those in crisis.  If nothing else, social media can be a mechanism by which we stay involved in each other’s lives and feel as though we truly do belong to a Community of caring individuals with like interests.  Our modern-day notion of Community is quite different from generations past when people physically gathered in a town square to listen to a speaker or attended a neighbor’s barn-raising to lend a hand.  There is no reason why social media cannot be as powerful a Community resource as how people stayed informed and helped each other decades or even centuries ago.  It is up to us as individuals to examine how we use social media and to ask ourselves if we use it to promote goodness or instead see it as a vehicle to vent our negative feelings.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider our online social behavior and ask if our presence creates a sense of Community.  Let us ask to be guided how to behave responsibly online and reach out to others who may not feel part of a Community that cares for them so all may recognize the connection we have to each other as human beings.   

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 felt encouraged and supported by an online Community of friends?  How does it feel in my body 1when I recognize the importance of a sense of Community, even a virtual one, to our sense of connection to each other?  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

If you or someone you know may be considering ending a life via suicide please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 and speak with someone who wants to help.

Meditation Instructions for Sun., March 10, 2019

For this Sunday, March 10th, the focus for our meditation will be on Modeling.  I just returned from attending a concert with a singer/performance artist named Puddles Pity Party.  I’ve seen him several times now, and one thing that always amazes me is the diversity of his fan base.  When you look around the performance venue you will see families with young children seated next to burly guys with multiple tattoos and piercings, or hipsters sitting beside older people dressed in their Sunday best and everyone engaged in conversation with each other.  If I were to show you a photo of the audience, you would be hard-pressed to even guess at the genre of music they have gathered to hear because of the eclectic and diverse nature of their makeup.  At the core is a performer who makes a point of being inclusive of everyone.  He doles out equal measures of compassion, kindness, good humor, and understanding to all.  When the occasional disputes erupt online between fans, he gently reminds them we are all in this together and to please try and get along.  I like to think of his fan base as a microcosm of the world at large.  All it would take for us to be able to feel connected and considerate of each other is to have someone Model these same characteristics that ultimately make us better people.  Sometimes we look to the wrong people to serve as our role Models.  We expect our elected officials, our teachers, our religious, or our higher-ups at work to show us the way.  We end up discovering they are as flawed as we are and can easily become discouraged or even cynical as a result.  Instead, we would be better served if we all examined our conduct and tried to become better Models for those around us.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us consider in what way we could change our behavior to Model for others how to become better human beings.  Let us ask to be motivated to strive to be our best even under difficult circumstances and may the way we serve as Models for others inspire all to work together more cohesively.

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 inspired to be my best because of someone in my life I consider to be a good role Model?  How does it feel in my body when I appreciate the impact I have on others around me and strive to Model my best behavior?  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., March 3, 2019

For this Sunday, March 3rd, the focus for our meditation will be on Trust.  This is an impatient time of year for me.  We begin to see hints of spring but know instinctively winter is probably not through with us yet.  At times the temperatures vary from day to day by more than 30-degree swings.  I want winter to be over with and to be able to move on to nicer weather that allows me to spend more time outside.  But knowing there is still winter remaining I must be patient and Trust spring will come in its own right time.  This Wednesday, March 6^th, marks the beginning of Lent which mirrors the 40-day period when Jesus went into the desert to gain insight.  He had to have had an enormous amount of faith and patience to spend 40 days preparing for the trial he knew he would have to undergo.  When he emerged, he had to have Trust that the path he had chosen to take was correct.  The challenge with Trust is you usually have to rely on it in the absence of any assurance as to the outcome of what you face.  It can be a bit like walking a tightrope while blindfolded.  This is where our faith comes in.  If we can have the patience to hold off the urge for immediate gratification and wait things out often the right result that is far better than what we would have otherwise imagined occurs.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us enter into the Lenten period by contemplating where we may need more Trust in our life.  May we specifically be guided in how to develop more Trust in ourselves and recognize that with patience and faith we can prevail through any challenge.

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 have faith and Trust in the inevitable right outcome of a situation?  How does it feel in my body when I can let go of impatience and Trust that something better awaits 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