Meditation Instructions for Sun., November 24, 2019

For this Sunday, November 24th, the focus for our meditation will be on Silence.  You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that I am once again going to draw upon Mister Rogers for inspiration for this week’s meditation topic.  I wasn’t even raised on Mister Rogers as I was more of the Captain Kangaroo generation.  I also never had children who would have served as a vehicle to watching his program.  But with the recent release of his biopic featuring Tom Hanks I find myself increasingly captivated by the specialness of this man and the wisdom he imparted to the world.  There is a practice Fred Rogers relied on numerous times in public speeches he delivered.  He would gently ask the entire audience to pause for ten seconds and reflect in Silence on those who had helped them become who they were in life.  It didn’t matter if the audience was one of educators, Hollywood’s finest, or staid members of a Senate Committee, they all ceased their conversations and reflected Silently along with him.  The effect was clearly moving for many of the participants.  In “The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers” by Amy Hollingsworth, she writes, “If we can learn to wait through the ‘natural Silences’ of life, he liked to say, we will be surprised by what awaits us on the other side.”  In today’s busy world we seldom take the time to linger in Silence.  We crave a deeper spiritual connection but can’t squeeze in a few seconds of Silence to pause and allow Spirit to communicate with us.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask to find a way to linger in Silence as a regular practice in our life.  May we be encouraged to disconnect from our hectic activities and pause briefly in Silence in order to receive what Spirit is waiting to share with us on the other side.

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 pause and reflect in Silence?  How does it feel in my body when I recognize the importance of Silence to strengthening my connection to Spirit?  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 17, 2019

For this Sunday, November 17th, the focus for our meditation will be on Kindness.  Did you know Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers) was sickly and overweight as a child and as a result regularly bullied?  He could have taken the path of becoming a bully himself by justifying his childhood experience as having steered him in that direction.  Instead, he went on to epitomize genuine Kindness.  I read a book not too long ago about a man’s quest to find and confront his childhood bully.  The book was immensely unsatisfying as was the author’s eventual encounter with the bully who not only didn’t remember him at all but had turned out to be quite a decent individual.  It’s easy to be Kind to those we love but an entirely different matter when confronted with people we don’t like or may despise.  I suspect Fred Rogers was capable of being Kind even to bullies, for he probably realized their behavior was driven by self-loathing.  Last week I spoke about self-acceptance as the gateway to accepting others, but this week the role is reversed.  For those who do not yet know how to be Kind perhaps it takes someone else extending Kindness to them for that person to learn how to be Kind in turn.  Our world is so incredibly divided right now, and current events seem to only be polarizing us more and more.  The issues capturing our attention seem to draw out the most visceral of reactions with an emotional intensity they really don’t deserve.  To help bring more balance and grounding to our world let us ask to be gently guided how to show greater Kindness to those around us especially people from whom we feel separated because of differences.  May the light and energy of our prayers spread a rippling wave of Kindness that draws all into its fold and calm the flames of divisiveness that threaten to tear us apart.

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 overlook my differences with others and show them genuine Kindness?  How does it feel in my body when others have shown me Kindness I may have initially felt I didn’t deserve?  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 10, 2019

For this Sunday, November 10th, the focus for our meditation will be on Acceptance.  I’ve mentioned before the ancient Egyptian tradition where initiates were first admitted to the temple, and how their training would begin with the inscription above the entrance advising them to, “Know Who You Are.”  Self-knowledge, however, is only the first step.  It is vital to know our deepest character, or what I think of as the person we are when no one else is watching.  The next step that is just as critical is to then fully embrace or Accept that person, warts and all.  In “The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers,” a book authored by Amy Hollingsworth, she writes, “Fred rightly reasoned that if we Accept ourselves we are better equipped to Accept our neighbor.  So Accepting ourselves is always the starting point to something greater – a deeper maturity, a deeper walk with the Lord, and ultimately, a greater Acceptance and understanding of our neighbor.”  How can we ever even begin to try and Accept others if we haven’t first granted the gift of Acceptance to ourselves?  For those of us who seem to want to frequently be in critical review mode, replaying mistakes we have made over and over again in our head, this can be challenging.  To break that loop we want to be honest with ourselves, admit we are flawed, and show the same generous Acceptance of our inner self that we would want extended by others.  Only then can we drop the façade of pretense and critical comparison always feeling we never measure up.  It is in that moment that we are then able to open our hearts more fully and let others in, even with their flaws.  We let go of judgment and Accept who they are with love and compassion.  There is so much division in our country right now, and the only way to heal this is to begin that same healing in ourselves.  This week in our prayer and meditation time let us ask to be shown how to compassionately Accept who we truly are and through that generous spirit may we grant the same Acceptance to others, even those with whom we may have differences.  Through the light and energy of our prayers may the spirit of Acceptance spread across this nation and help us heal rather than tear us further apart.

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 not only understood who I am as a person but fully Accept myself as well?  How does it feel in my body when I am able to Accept others with compassion and understanding even if there are vast differences between us?  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