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Friday, January 21, 2011

I COOPERATION- Rainbow Moonstone 2


I have often wondered
why Cayce chose COOPERATION
for his first chapter
in his SEARCH FOR GOD books
but having worked with
so many different groups
over the years
I now know why cooperation
had to be first.
Growing up in the southeastern united states
my culture and education
taught me competition.
Good group work comes from
a sense of tribe or family
where one learns to respect
and honor another's truth.
The rainbow moonstone
I selected for this card
expresses feminine energy.
It allows men and women to be
in a receptive state
and balances yin and yang
and brings harmony.
Using Mark Thurston's
EXPERIMENTS IN A
SEARCH FOR GOD
as my jumping off place
I rethought and reworded
his experiments for
the COOPERATION chapter
and came up with:
1-1 What I am thinking
is actually creating my life.
At the end of each day
how will I review
my thought patterns?
Am I willing to journal
those I feel
are especially constructive
or helpful
and without a sense of self-condemnation
record those I feel
are not consistent
with my ideals?
This one has the feel of being
a tricky double-edged sword
for me.
While it is easy for me
to put myself in
the other's shoes/moccasins
and learn to imagine
an infinite number of possibilities
for why s/he is thinking
the way they are
it is difficult for me
to look at my own thoughts
in a nonjudgemantal way.
I learn alot about myself
when I take time to journal
both my constructive, helpful
thought patterns
and the ones that aren't very helpful
and may even be destructive.
1-2 Am I willing to learn to be sensitive
to where others are in consciousness?
Without compromising my own ideals
am I willing to speak to others
in their own language?
Can I show concern for the problems
and questions they have
in their own minds
(not so much the questions
I think they ought to be concerned about)?
Am I willing to journal the experiences
in which I am able to be helpful
to someone
by meeting that individual
at his/her own level?
How can I simply be
a good listener?
Asking questions to bring out
another's truth
instead of always rushing in
to tell my own story?
How can I be best supporting
actress/actor?
1-3 What is a habit pattern
that is especially characteristic
of my own limited ego self?
I, Susan, pray each day that
my real self wakes up
and grows
so I can let loose
of my involvement
with the patterns
that keep me limited.
How can I cultivate
an attitude of openness
to Divine/Holy healing
for each limiting part
of my life?
At the end of each day
am I willing to journal
any situations during the day
where I experienced
losing any particular
limited sense of myself?
Okay, maybe you're like
my husband Steve
and you don't want to
journal anything.
Then I think it is important
that you find at least one person
(or better yet,
because you'll have more input
and support- a small group)
to witness your encounters
with your own limited ego-self.
Sharing with that person
/those people
opens windows and doors
and expands your horizons.
They can share their own experiences
in dealing with their own limited egos.
It can nurture and nourish
your own growth
to hear their failures and successes.
Sometimes it's hard to see
our own limitations
but trusted friends
can point out directions
we might be interested in
exploring.
Journaling or sharing with others
helps make us accountable
for actually looking at the ways
we limit ourselves.
If I am stuck in limitation
it may help me
to see other possibilities.
1-4 How can I relate to others
with kindness?
I, (Susan), focus on speaking kindly
(fill in your own name
to make this up close and personal)
I journal those instances where
I am able to replace an impulse
to speak harshly or thoughtlessly
with kind words.
I journal as well,
without a sense of self-condemnation
those instances where
greater kindness than I expressed
would have been helpful.
There are THOSE sticky icky WORDS
again: without a sense of self-condemnation.
I am taking my power back;
removing the pen from St. Peter's hand
@ the pearly gates of heaven
and using it to simply tally up
when I do
and when I don't
speak kindly.
If I journal I can plainly see
when it is easy
for me to speak kindly.
Are there particular people
I find it difficult
to speak kind words to?
Are there certain situatiuons
where it is hard for me
to speak kindly?
Identifying these people
and situations
can help me make changes
remembering the Highest Truth
that the only person I can change
is me
and by changing me
I send out a ripple effect
like tossing a rock into water
that eventually affects
my whole world.
1-5 What new response-ability
can I take for helping
some other person?
Being mindful
not to try to make decisions
for that person
or do things for her/him
that s/he needs to be doing.
Can I take on
a sense of respons-ability
for loving and caring
for/about that person,
even if it may be a burden
(time-wise
energy-wise
/otherwise)?
If I am not going to be
Ms/Mr Fix It
what new ways can I find to help
other people around me?
1-6 What characteristic or ability
do I feel I have
(like playing music
/listening to others)
that is often able
to serve as a channel
for the expression of
my spiritual ideal?
How can I be sensitive
to those who may
lack this particular
characteristic or ability
and find ways of sharing
this strength
with them?
1-7 As preparation
for the period of silence
in my meditation
let me take about a minute
to recreate in my imagination
some way I have seen
love or harmony manifested
(either by myself
or by another person).
1-8 What kind of world would I like
to come into for my next incarnation?
What are some ways I would like to be
helping to build one quality
of the futuristic world
I imagine right now
even though it may not show fruits
in this lifetime?
How can I work on manifesting
those things I can be doing right now
to make the world a better place
for my children and grandchildren
and the generations to come
or even myself in my next
incarnation?
~~~
Between myself
as a conscious, physical being
and the superconscious awareness
of the oneness of all life
there exists my subconscious
or my collection of
my habitual habits of response:
my karma.
Some of the habit patterns
I have built up
are constructive
and consistent with the divine:
/good karma.
However, a lot of my subconcious
memory patterns
are limiting
and self-centered
(like my tendency to play
Poor Pitiful Pearl
Woe is me!
and feel sorry for myself
or any tendency to hold resentments.)
One of the most difficult of all patterns
is the one that says:
"I'm really pretty satisfied
with the way things are
and I don't want to risk change."
My ego clutches onto
this law of inertia
because it knows
if I am in contact
with the divine regularly
I will experience
dramatic changes
in my personality
and life direction.
My old habitual self
will have to die
in order for
my new spiritual self
to be born.
My old, habitual self
can throw up
very resistant barriers
to keep me from losing
my little self
in my big Self
/the Divine.
I COOPERATION- Rainbow Moonstone
How can I express
the Creative Force
within me
in such a way
that my thinking and doing
brings hope
peace
and understanding
into the lives of others
so they may become
channels of blessings?

Friday, January 14, 2011

I COOPERATION- Rainbow Moonstone



I COOPERATION- Rainbow Moonstone
How can I express
the Creative Force
within me
in such a way
that my thinking and doing
brings hope
peace
and understanding
into the lives of others
so they may become
channels of blessings?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

PRELUDE: Card 0- Meditation: Quartz Crystal



[Written Thursday, January 6, 2011
Posted before & after midnite]
When I was a young child
I began collecting rocks
to be memory-reminders
of places I'd been,
experiences I shared with others,
stories I heard along my way
on my path with heart.
I think whenever anyone
creates "a bowl of my being"
putting trinkets
/talismans that have meaning for them
into a bowl of sand/dirt
they should include
@ least one rock
that has significance for them.
I intuitively chose quartz crystal
to symbolize MEDITATION
and was surprised to find
so many sources that mention
quartz in relationship with meditation.
Here are just a few I found:
Humans and quartz crystals
have a similar vibration.
This is why using crystal
to MEDITATE
and keeping a crystal
helps one to know oneself.
Quartz crystals are metaphysical aids
that help the user amplify the positive
and transmute negativity.
They can assist in MEDITATION,
healing and connection with both
higher self and the universe.
A crystal can bring balance,
help one center
and increase the flow of energy
through the physical and subtle bodies.
The quartz crystal symbolizes energy
and it helps people focus on a task.
When used as a MEDITATIVE device,
quartz is believed to help energize
and focus prayers/thoughts.
[e-how contributor: Caitlin Kelly]
e-how contributor: Patricia Resnik
says you can use clear quartz
as a battery
and as a "potentiator"
for other stones
~~~
A tool for MEDITATION
and contemplation
clear quartz can help harmonize
the mental energies
that provide knowledge
and peace of mind.
Quartz (clear)- can bring the energy
of the stars into the soul.
STOP!
Let's read that again-
Quartz (clear)- can bring the energy
of the stars into the soul.
That's sheer poetry.
And if you've ever felt reverence
and respect for the ancients
and the stories they created
to find meaning in the dance
the stars do across the night sky
-grab ahold of a quartz crystal
to use during MEDITATION.
I know I told you one way
to MEDITATE is to empty your hands
and leave them open so you will be
receptive to the gifts
spirit gives to you
but another way
to connect with spirit
is to hold a crystal in your hand,
state your intention
or affirmation
and be very quiet
and listen
for what spirit has to tell you.
Stephen Richards claims quartz crystal
is the master stone,
wonderful for MEDITATION,
it invokes high states of consciousness
and spiritual awareness
and encourages service to humanity.
Now here I wanna get up
on my Cayce soapbox
and tell you
it is my belief that
unless you apply spiritual principles
in the living of your daily life
spiritual principles are just
empty words of knowledge.
Ask yourself:
What can I say and do
to be of service to humanity
this day?
Now that's a MEDITATION
worth diving in to.
~~~
Quartz rock crystal
can both draw and send energy.
Powerful clear ones for MEDITATION,
sending and receiving guidance.
Quartz facilitates growth and awareness
and opens the spirit for MEDITATION
and spiritual development.
In her book GEMS AND CRYSTALS
HEALING FOR THE BEGINNERS
Kristina Arcati says:
I find clear quartz are very helpful
in MEDITATION.
It helps the mind to focus;
it helps dispel negatives.
Even though I started cleaning
our home Audubon Place South
on Fish River yesterday
I have yet to find the books on gemstones
I've collected over the years.
I may share quotes from them
when I find them to put my hands on them
and share them with you.
Until then-
I have 2 recently bought books
I can quote from.
They are both by Judy Hall.
In CRYSTAL HEALING she states:
Clear quartz crystal is truly
a holistic healer
uniting the physical body
with the mind,
emotions and spirit.
~~~
Edgar Cayce's repeated use
of the phrase Body, Mind and Spirit
is one of the things that hooked
my attention and drew me into
the many readings he did in his lifetime.
In times like these, with the media
telling me its interpretation of the world
and essentially telling me:
"It's all going to hell in a handbasket"
if I can hold a crystal
when I meditate
and focus my attention on
the Highest Good For All
I figure I'm doing my part
to lift us up to Higher Ground.
Judy Hall names clear quartz
as the most powerful
of the master healing stones
and goes on to say:
"This vibrational healer
is an exceptional conductor
and amplifier of energy
and simply holding a quartz crystal
doubles the biomagnetic sheath."
I, for one, think I need all the strength
I can get in my biomagnetic sheath
simply to do the tasks at hand.
In her section called
EFFECT ON THE MIND
she writes: Clear quartz can be used
to remove negative thought forms
from the mind.
Call me Pollyanna but I've spent
a lot of time in my life
trying to keep from singing
Woe is me! Poor Pitiful Pearl.
In EFFECT ON THE BODY Judy says:
Clear quartz crystals reach deep into
the body to cleanse the internal organs
and restore normal energy flow.
'Go with the flow!' has been
one of the mantras I've used
to walk my path with heart.
When she says in
EFFECT ON THE EMOTIONS
that "carrying a clear quartz
can promote serenity
but also gives additional energy
to face the cause of the stress"
it makes me wanna
stuff my pockets full
so I can sneak them into
the pockets of disgruntled
/grumpy/unhappy people
and offer them to the people
I see panicked because they lost
someone they love
or their job
or their house.
In EFFECTS ON THE SPIRIT
she says this crystal raises energy
to the highest possible level,
enabling a very clear manifestation
of spiritual energy
... it filters out distractions,
it is an extremely useful crystal
to hold during MEDITATION.
~~~
Okay, so maybe it is
just a symbol.
But if I hold onto this symbol
because I believe in the things
it is symbolizing,
aren't I helping to bring
the things it symbolizes
out into the Light of Day?
If seeing is believing for some people,
isn't it my response-ability
to show them something
worth looking at?
If we stopped focusing on
what's wrong, broken or needs fixing
all of the zillion people
we have on this earth
can take their energy back
and be the perfection
we're intended to be.
~~~
Quartz crystal can purify
and harmonize- with its beneficial
EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
What if our POLITICIANS
were held responsible
for the effects they have
on our environment?
What if we held our own feet
to the fire
and asked OURSELVES:
Is what I am going to
think,
say
do
/buy/invest my time and energy into
beneficial to my environment?
In the second book I have in hand
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRYSTALS
Judy Hall waxes poetical again
when she tells us: "Native Americans
call quartz the brain cells
of Mother Earth."
In writing about various other
forms of quartz she tells us
SPIRIT QUARTZ
carries universal love
and heals the etheric blue print
and pinpoints significant
karmic connections
and the gift
or karmic justice in situations.
~~~
This is a map I want to follow.
~~~
When she writes about
the STAR HOLLANDITE QUARTZ
she says it brings
a depth to MEDITATION
that takes you into
THE ONENESS OF ALL THINGS.
Duh.
I see through the old adage:
Divide and conquer.
I want to feel connected
with others.
I know in my heart of hearts
when I do feel related, connected
I can truly live by the Golden Rule
and if we did that
we'd all be living heaven
right here on earth.
In Laura Tuan's CRYSTALS
DROPS OF COLORED LIGHT
FOR WELLNESS AND BALANCE
she writes about how quartz
has been used in different cultures
all over the world
for a long, long time.
Me?
I don't use crystals all the time.
Although a friend gave me
a beautiful rose quartz crystal
that had been given to her
upon her son's death
after my 29 year old son's death
in the summer of 2010.
I hold it sometimes when I meditate.
On Tuesday nights
passes around
a bowl of quartz crystals
for us to select one
to hold while we meditate.
I love the stories about crystals
and the way they feel in my hands.
They always give me
a good ju-ju feeling
and I like them because
they are gifts from Mother Earth.
I like the stories and pictures
of Tarot decks, too.
I can't think of the Fool
without seeing
Joanna Powell Colbert's rendition
with the Seeker beginning a journey.
You can see it @ www.GaianTarot.com
along with all of the other
beautiful paintings she made
for each card in her deck.
My CAYCE CARDS take you
on a different journey.
I ask you questions and,
in answering them,
you will be applying
spiritual principles
into your daily earthwalk.
I invite you to sit in meditation
with this first card's question:
AM I WILLING TO SIT QUIETLY
FOR A FEW MOMETS EACH DAY
TO LISTEN FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE?
Do it!
Do it now
and you will find
your own way
to your path with heart.
Once you find it
you will return
again and again
because it will nourish your
body,
mind
and spirit!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

PRELUDE: Why Do I Meditate? CONTINUED




I enter the silence
to study the forces
through meditation
and introspection
to bring my spirituality
into the experiences of my life.
In meditation
"as I open myself to the unseen forces
that surround the throne of
grace
beauty
and might
within me
I throw around me
the protection that is found in
the thought of the Divine"
/the Christ
/god/Goddess
/whomever is my Ideal.
It is when I hold right ideals
that my problems are solved
and my stumbling blocks
become stepping-stones.
As I enter in
I must have spiritual intent and purpose
a true desire to seek Spirit's will, not mine.
I let my highest principles of love
be my guide when I form my ideal,
my image, that which I raise within.
I breathe in 3X through my right nostril,
and exhale 3X through my mouth.
I breathe in 3X through my left nostril,
and exhale through my right nostril.
[When I am going to meditate
with my Love & Light Lady friends
we chant:
ah
ree
ohm
3X.]
Then either with the aid of music
or an incantation
or repeating an affirmation 3X
which carries me deeper into a sense
of oneness with the creative forces of love
I enter into the Holy of Holies.
I see through my inner eye
that which will bring me
greater understanding
in meeting every condition
I experience in my body.
I lsiten to the music that is made
as each chakra center of my body
responds to the new Creative Force
that is flowing through me.
Little by little
meditation will enable me
to renew myself
physically
mentally
and spiritually.
[When I am alone
especially when I travel
I often do Peter Van Daam's
EXERCISES:
WESTERN YOGA FOR ALL
based on Edgar Cayce's readings
- you can purchase this DVD
from the ARE Bookstore
1- Twist
2- Tilt
3- Forward & back
4- Shoulder rotation
5- Arm rotation
6- Leg rotation
JANGLE
7- Knee bends on toes
8- Hip rotation
ONE-LEGGED JANGLE
9- Touching Toes
JANGLE
10- Flat-footed squat
11- Crossover
12- Spleen/liver press
JANGLE
13- Head & neck exercises
14- Alternate breathing
prior to meditation
[When I am with the
Love & Light Ladies
we start out with
my friend Elgia Bickford
leading us through
the following
18 FORM QUI GONG:
1- Up Down
2- Expand The Breath
3- Paint The Rainbow
4- Part The Clouds
5- Circling Arms
6- Row The Boat
7- Catch The Ball
8- Shoot The Moon
9- Push Palm
10- Cloud Hands
11- Fly Like A Dove
12- Push Fist
13- Fly Like A Phoenix
14- Turning Wheels
15- Scoop The Sea
16- Push The Waves
17- Bounce The Ball
18- Smooth It Down]
I was in a bookclub
with 2 other friends
and we read the book:
YOUR HANDS CAN HEAL YOU
about prana
by Stephen Co
& Eric B. Robins
ISBN: 9780743243056
& it has exercises very similar
to Peter's Cayce ones.
The only good exercises
are the ones you choose to do.
It can be anything
from Gabrielle Roth's
5 Rhythms
flowing
staccato
chaos
lyrical
stillness
to Tai Chi.
Years ago I read
THE WEB THAT HAS NO WEAVER
by Ted Kaptchuk.
ISBN: 9780809228408.
Since then I've read
Donna Eden's
ENERGY MEDICINE
ISBN: 9781585426598
ENERGY MEDICINE FOR WOMEN
ISBN: 9781585426478
and taken courses
like THE LIFELINE TECHNIQUE
from the barefoot doctor
Dr Darren Weissman
and Body Talk I & II
with Todd Adkins
There's something
in this energy medicine
and the human body
that intrigues me.
I've read literally
thousands of books,
most of them on topics
of metaphysical interest.
My all time #1 book is
THERE IS A RIVER:
THE STORY OF EDGAR CAYCE
by Thomas Sugrue
ISBN: 9780876044483
I also like:
Kim Antieau's
CHURCH OF THE OLD MERMAIDS
ISBN: 9781440452246
SOPHIE'S WORLD:
A NOVEL ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF PHILOSOPHY
ISBN: 9780374530716
I've read everything written
by New Zealander
Barry Brailsford
& Canadian Charles deLint
& all of Russian Vladimir Megre's
ANASTASIA books
This list could go on & on
but then I wouldn't get any
reading done for my
Page & Palette Book Club book:
Abraham Verghese's
CUTTING FOR STONE
ISBN: 9780375714368
tonite.
*PLEASE POST A COMMENT
& LIST SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS.
There are websites
I'm attracted to.
Some that come to me
right off the top of my head are:
Kala Ambrose's
Caroline Myss'
SARK's
Luciano Passuello's
John & Patrice Robson's
Tony Burroughs'
& Richard Blackstone's
THE INTENDERS OF THE HIGHEST GOOD
I am sure you have sites that are meaningful for you.
Please post a comment and share your favorites.

Monday, January 3, 2011

PRELUDE: Why Do I Meditate?


NOTES FROM MY NOTEBOOKS
I meditate to find and feel
my connection with
the powers that be
in the universe.
Every breath I take,
every word I speak,
every step I take
is my prayer to God.
I do not see God
as some gradpappy
way up yonder
in the sky.
I believe s/he
is the divine spark
of being
that is in everything-
every tree,
rock,
flower,
wind,
drop of rain,
or ray of sunshine,
every being whether
winged,
four legged,
two legged,
swimming
or creepy crawly.
Some say there is a silver cord
that runs through
the 7 chakra centers
in our body
connecting us
with the Divine.
I believe it's probably
something similar
to that cord, Divine,
that weaves us each to one another.
Some say there are ley lines
or grids of energy
flowing on our earthball.
One thing I know for sure
is that each person,
plant,
animal
or thing
I meet along my path with heart
is energy
and the lines of love
drawn to connect us
help us remember
why we are here
on this earthwalk.
I take food and air into my body.
My body vibrates with energy.
I meditate to wake up
to become conscious.
I know there is a life force
that is spiritual.
Edgar Cayce said:
"The mind is the builder,
the physical the result."
Through meditation
I seek to allow my mind
to function normally
-as the powers that be
intended.
I use my will
to ask my mind
in my physical body
to cease its wanderings
and center /focus
on my ideal
-which is revealed
to my higher mind
/ bigger Self.
This ideal becomes the basis
for my activities.
These revelations
found in meditation
lift me to Higher Ground.
I live my life
by the Highest Truths I know.
You, too, can meditate
and find the revelation
of your ideal
to use to guide you
on your path with heart.
Sometimes we have to
empty our hands
so we can knock on the door
between ua and what is holy.
Then our empty hands
will be ready to receive
the abundant blessings
the Divine intends
for us to have.
We go in to find
our life's purpose
and we may come out
carrying a paintbrush
/the words to a book
we want to write
/the song we want
to sing to someone
/the work we want to do.
We walk back through
the door separating
the extraordinary
from the ordinary
full of God's love
and the powers that be
for our neighbors
and ouselves.
Edgar Cayce's book SFG says:
"It's through meditation
that we may become aware
of the existence
of the spiritual forces within,
that we unlock the door
between our physical
and spiritual bodies.
Through this door come
impulses from the soul,
seeking expression
in the physical."
I meditate to become aware of
the spiritual forces within me.
I give up the thoughts or impressions
that seek to limit my soul.
In the mystical, magical
realm of meditation
I open the way to be connected
with my soul's true purpose.
I see right relationship
with the Creator.
Because God
/the powers that be in the universe
breathed the breath of life into me
I possess the power of creation.
(see Reading 281-13)
I image the highest standard
I can imagine.
I intend to serve others.
I am able to enter into
the very presence
of the Creative Force.
I fix my attention
upon the ideal
I want to raise.
In meditation,
I become conscious
of the universal forces.
I enter the silence
to study the forces
through meditation
and introspection
to bring my spirituality
into the experiences
of my life.
In meditation
"as I open myself
to the unseen forces
that surround the throne of grace,
beauty
and might
within me
I throw around me
the protection that is found in
the thought of the Divine"
/the Christ
/God/ Goddess
/whomever is my Ideal.
It is when I hold the right ideal
that my problems are solved
and my stumbling blocks
become stepping stones.

PRELUDE: Card 0- Meditation: Quartz Crystal

Treasure Box Created by Sarah-Star and Al Weist
Oval Painting by Rosetta Miller

PRELUDE: Card O- Meditation : Quartz Crystal
AM I WILLING TO SIT QUIETLY
FOR A FEW MINUTES EACH DAY
TO LISTEN FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE?
Unless you become as a little child,
you cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven.
In traditional tarot, the fool is
often assigned the number 0
and the major arcana cards
depict his/her journey to enlightenment.
In my CAYCE CARDS:
GYPSY-SPUN DELIGHT
the 0 card symbolizes meditation
and the cards I- XXIV
each represent a chapter
in Edgar Cayce's Search For God books.
My life direction is an ideal.
Am I making conscious choices?
I can set my ideal
in spiritual principles
so that I'll have a source
of inner direction
that is stronger
than any outside influence.
I can listen
to the ideas of others
but my decisions
are based upon
a standard
that comes from within.
My ideal can become
a measuring stick
by which I am able to determine
how I want to focus
my energy and attention
physically
mentally
and emotionally.
I can journal my experiments
and make notes
of my answers to questions
(inspired by Mark Thurston's companion
Experiment books that go along with
Cayce's SFG books).
0-1: What did I think
do
or experience this day
that I feel was especially valuable?
0-2: What people in my life
do I think the least of?
What parts of myself
do I think the least of?
(Write down names of people
and parts of myself.)
How can I work each day
to treat these people
and these parts of myself
as I would treat
God/ the Divine?
I will pray for these people
and parts of myself
each day.
0-3: What one attitude,
habit
or physical condition
do I feel may be
a hindrance
in my spiritual search?
I can eliminate it
using conscious effort
by deciding on
a constructive attitude
or way of behaving
that could replace
the hindering one.
I work each day
on manifesting
that replacement attitude
or behavior
my success in manifesting
my replacement attitude
or behavior.
0-4: What forms of prayer
did I practice today?
thanksgiving
confessional
petitioning
other
0-5: What aids for attunement
or approaches to preparation
did I choose
for my daily meditation time?
exercise
incense
music
method of cleansing
/abstinence from a particular activity
0-6: At the beginning of each meditation time
I say:
I AM AWARE THAT THERE IS
CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN
EACH CELL OF MY BODY.
I INVITE MY BODY
TO JOIN MY MIND
AND MY SPIRIT
IN THIS TIME OF SEEKING.
0-7: I pray a Prayer of Protection like:
POWERS THAT BE,
AS I OPEN MYSELF
TO THE UNSEEN FORCES
THAT SURROUND THE THRONE OF
GRACE,
BEAUTY
AND MIGHT,
I ENFOLD MYSELF
IN THE PROTECTION FOUND
IN THE THOUGHT OF THE DIVINE.
(paraphrased from Reading 262-3)
0-8: I can write myself an invitation
to meditate:
I INVITE MYSELF TO MEDITATE
TIME_____________________
PLACE____________________
I can make myself a checklist
to show the times I accepted
my invitation to meditate:
Su___ Su___ Su___ Su___
M___ M___ M___ M___
Tu___ Tu___ Tu___ Tu___
W___ W___ W___ W___
Th___ Th___ Th___ Th___
F___ F___ F___ F___
Sa___ Sa___ Sa___ Sa___
(Keep a record of the first 28 times
you meditate.)


Sunday, January 2, 2011

Thoughts Upon Awakening Sunday, January 2, 2011

Snow near Huntersville, North Carolina
Christmas Day 2010

THOUGHTS UPON AWAKENING
@ home
Audubon Place South
on Fish River
in LALALand
/Love Always Land
/Lower Alabama
WHY DO I MEDITATE?
I meditate to find
the voice of God in me.
Of course, as a Human
I can talk with God
a mile a minute.
I talk to God in prayer,
almost unceasingly
but in meditation
I bind up my mouth,
get real quiet,
put my soul in a receptive state
and listen.
I am not a force pushing outward
like a pioneer trying to explore
and find the outer edges
of my limits.
It is like the part of the ebb and flow
of water
when I stand or sit
at the water's edge on a beach
and let the waters of spirit
rhythmically rush in
to meet me.
For most of my life I am landlocked
but on special occasions
I dip my toes in water
or dive right in
and go swimming
in the waters of spirit.
In meditation and prayers
that are not me-me-me lists
of what I think I want
the veils between me
and the Divine disappear.
The energies that flow
through all living things
are met.
I feel my connections to all
in a holy, sacred space of Love.
All of my fences and defenses,
the things that keep me
feeling separate
from the Force Source
are swept away.
All the crap I've accumulated
is washed away
and I stand naked
in the truth of my being.
Unencumbered
it is easier for me to see and feel
the essential core of my being.
It is here I let go of my
shoulds
coulds
and woulds
and allow myself the bliss
of being here now.
The Grace of the Divine
pours into me like honey
and I am filled with light.
It can come to me
through my crown chakra
or my heart
or in my gut.
It is in meditation
I am blessed with feeling
connected to everything.
Thich Nhat Hanh taught me
about walking meditation.
The Native Americans told me
to walk a mile in another's shoes
to end conflict
and better understand him/her.
In nature,
with nothing man or woman-made,
it is easier to feel what is me
or see how the differences
between me and others
are dissolved in the
Cosmic Ocean of all that is.
In my life I have been blessed
with many aha! experiences.
I remember the first time
I ever saw a picture
of the earth from outer space.
There were no lines drawn
separating countries or states.
It was a beautiful ball
covered with water and land,
perfect like only
a child's drawing
or the painting of an artist
can be.
In meditation I get to
breathe in spirit
and become mindful of
what I breathe out into the world.
In meditation my little self
surrenders to a Bigger Self
and I am lifted to Higher Ground.
I remember hiking with
a bunch of women
to the top of a mountain
in the Adirondacks
where I could see
only what was natural-
trees,
rocks,
dirt,
water,
sky,
birds.
There was no evidence
of anything human
and in that sacred space
I felt honor bound
to live in ways
that did not mar
or mess up
that beauty.
In meditation I find
sacred spaces
where I feel connected
to the ley lines of the earth
and I better grok/understand
my response-ability in weaving
the threads I've been
given to weave into the design,
blended in perfect harmony
with the music of the spheres.
In meditation my song becomes
the song of a bird way up high
rising above all of this
to soar in the skies above.
I become the earthworm dancing
in the earthy-earth.
In meditation my
body,
mind
and spirit
become aligned with the stars.
I get right on with
the steps I am to take
as my part of
the dance of life.