Meditation Instructions for Sun., April 28, 2019

For this Sunday, April 28th, the focus for our meditation will be on Tolerance.  Last fall the television show, Saturday Night Live, pushed the boundaries of decency when a cast member mocked a former Navy Seal named Dan Crenshaw.  Crenshaw had recently been elected a U.S. Representative from Texas and was taken aback at the level of public outrage in response to the SNL skit.  People around the country were extremely offended, particularly by a glib reference to an eye patch Crenshaw wears as a result of an injury while serving in Afghanistan.  Crenshaw didn’t share their same level of offense, however.  As he put it, he hadn’t been outraged when he had been shot at, so why start now?  In a Washington Post Opinion piece Crenshaw noted, “I also could not help but note that this was another chapter in a phenomenon that has taken complete control of the national discourse: outrage culture.  It seems like every not-so-carefully-worded public misstep must be punished to the fullest extent, replete with soapbox lectures and demands for apologies.  Anyone who doesn’t show the expected level of outrage will be labeled a coward or an apologist for bad behavior.  I get the feeling that regular, hard-working, generally unoffended Americans sigh with exhaustion — daily.”  Here was someone most people thought should be offended by the humor at his expense, and he purposely chose not to adopt a state of outrage.  Our society has somehow become a culture of hypersensitivity.  College students demand to be protected from “trigger words” that might raise their anxiety.  Drivers regularly lash out in sometimes fatal incidents of road rage in knee-jerk responses to perceived acts of aggression or carelessness by other drivers.  We no longer seem capable of “turning the other cheek” and practicing forgiveness but instead seek vengeance and public castigation of those who offend us.  I have never been a fan of Tolerance when it comes to acts of prejudice – I believe we should not just endure those who are different from us but seek to understand and embrace them – but in our daily conduct there is a place for Tolerance when it comes to being more forgiving of the faults of others.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us examine our behavior and ask if there are ways in which we would want to practice greater Tolerance with others in our life.  Let us ask for divine assistance to become more Tolerant of the missteps of others and less quick to be offended, and may this nation as a whole adopt a desire to act with greater calmness, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness. 

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 overlook the mistakes of others and be Tolerant of their flaws?  How does it feel in my body when I manage to avoid being outraged and instead find Tolerance for those who appear to offend 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., April 21, 2019

For this Sunday, April 21st, the focus for our meditation will be on Rebirth.  This time of year, seasonally as well as with the Easter holiday, is a period filled with the celebration of Rebirth following an interval of darkness.  We are finally coming out of the bleakness of winter to see signs of the earth coming back to life, and Christians around the world are filled with joy at the resurrection of Christ following the dark tragedy of his crucifixion.  These instances serve as a reminder for us that even when we seem to be experiencing the “dark nights of the soul” and facing challenges in our life there is the potential for Rebirth to come.  Whether we may be going through trials in our families, our workplace, our communities, or our nation, let us remember that Rebirth is always a possibility.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask for greater hope to outlast any time of darkness we may be undergoing.  May we be reminded that the potential for Rebirth awaits us no matter how deep the darkness we may be facing. 

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 be patient and know times of difficulty can be resolved through the possibility of Rebirth?  How does it feel in my body when I have seen the glory of redemption and Rebirth following a period of darkness?  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., April 14, 2019

For this Sunday, April 14th, the focus for our meditation will be on Influence.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently wrote, “We may sometimes feel that we can’t do much as individuals, but humanity is made up of individuals; we can make a difference.  As individuals we can Influence our own families.  Our families can Influence our communities and our communities can Influence our nations.”  It can be easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed in the face of events or outcomes beyond our control that do not reflect what we had hoped would occur.  For instance, people seem to often be in a state of outrage about politics and believe they do not have a voice.  Ask yourself what it is that you are not happy about with respect to politics and then ask whether you do anything to be a positive Influence as a counterbalance to that policy.  Don’t agree with the current administration’s policy towards immigrants?  How do you personally treat them when you encounter immigrants in your day-to-day life?  Do you speak disparagingly about people of other races in front of others or use slurs that denigrate them?  If we heed the Dalai Lama’s advice and consider how our conduct in our immediate environment can Influence others then we can begin to create a shift in ways we might never otherwise expect.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us examine how the way we speak and behave serves as a source of Influence on others.  Let us honestly consider whether our actions reflect the impact we want to have on the world and be gently reminded when we fall short of this intention to be a positive Influence on others.  Through the impact of our behavior in our surroundings may we serve as a positive Influence that ripples across our communities and entire 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 recognize that my speech and behavior can Influence those around me?  How does it feel in my body when I try to be a positive role model and Influence others to behave similarly?  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., April 7, 2019

For this Sunday, April 7th, the focus for our meditation will be on Generosity.  Most people think of Generosity as having to do with the charitable donation of goods or money.  However, there are more significant ways we can be Generous with others that have nothing to do with material things.  A few years ago, Pope Francis called for a fasting from indifference during the Lenten season.  He wrote that, “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”  Over time we become inured to the images of poverty, of hunger, of violence that surround us, and they cease to move us.  As Pope Francis suggested, we come to expect someone else will step up, and therefore there is no need for us to take action.  While donations of money or belongings are laudable, we may also want to consider how we can be Generous with those around us in other ways.  Perhaps we want to allow ourselves to be touched by their plight and become Generous with our feelings and compassion for others.  Imagine if more people were moved by the images seen in the media of those in need and were spurred to action?  Another simple consideration is whether we are Generous by giving others our time.  Do we blindly rush past others and choose to ignore because we are so busy, or can we find a way to pause and truly focus on another individual who may need our attention?  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask how we may want to bring a greater spirit of Generosity that shares much more of ourselves with others beyond mere material possessions.  Let us ask to be gently reminded that those around us may be in need of our time and shed our indifference by being Generous with compassionate attention.

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 be Generous with others by giving them the time and attention they deserve?  How does it feel in my body when I appreciate the compassion shown by others who Generously extend themselves to me in non-material ways?  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