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Tag Archives: Alan Cohen

The Power of Intention

26 Saturday Oct 2019

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Alan Cohen, be free, forgiveness, free, freedom, let go, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is one of those rare Saturdays when the possibilities are endless. There are no meetings to go to, no workshops at home or elsewhere for me to attend. The hours spread out before me like “a deep breath of life.” Ironic that I pulled the book of that title off my shelf just now to find a great page for pondering. Alan Cohen always has good advice for a day of deep breathing and reflection. Here’s part of what he offered for me today, definitely worth repeating. First the reflection, second a prayer of intention and then an affirmation for release.

Have you been punishing yourself or someone else for something that happened a long time ago? Any payoff you perceive for holding a grudge is an illusion: there is no value, only a weighty price. A friend of mine in chiropractic school showed me a diagram of what happens to a human body in the throes of anger or rage. All kinds of chemicals are released into the system that exact a heavy toll on our health and vitality….

Jesus was asked, “How many times should we forgive — seven?” Jesus’s answer was clear: “Seventy times seven,” meaning just keep on letting go. We must remember that forgiveness is more of a gift to ourselves than to the person we are forgiving.

“Give me the willingness to let go. Let me perceive no value in holding hurtful thoughts. I want to be free.”

I release the past and get on with my life. (A Deep Breath of Life)

Be Your Valentine

14 Thursday Feb 2019

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, heart, love, St. Valentine, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Many people know that the genesis of the practice of sending valentine cards and gifts to show our love for one another began with an imprisoned Christian who was condemned to death as a heretic. Some of us know that St. Valentine is remembered for the cure of Julia, his prison guard’s seven year old daughter who was blind. Perhaps fewer of us have heard the story of the note he left for Julia on the day of his execution which said the following:

My dear Julia, although we shall never see each other again, know that I will always love you. You are very dear to me. I will stay unseen by your side and I will live in your heart. I believe in you. Your Valentine. 

Alan Cohen* reminded me of this legend today and added an unusual but deeply thought-provoking post script after urging inspiration for our loved ones. He says: If you are your own Valentine, remember that all the love you need is within you, just as you are, right where you are. (*A Deep Breath of Life)

What a good idea! Happy Valentine’s Day!

See For Yourself

08 Thursday Nov 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, recognize, reflection, rejection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, willingness

arejectionI just read a paragraph for this date in Alan Cohen’s book A Deep Breath of Life. It was altogether astounding to me considering the people he was talking about. But, of course, that was his point. If you’re feeling inept or less than creative today (or any day) you might want to have these words on a small paper folded in your wallet that you can pull out and read to give you confidence in yourself.

Many great people were rejected before they became celebrities. Einstein failed mathematics; Beethoven’s violin teacher called him hopeless as a composer; the sculptor Rodin failed three times to gain admission to art school; eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull before it became a sensation; Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas; several record companies rejected the Beatles before they made their first album…Remember that your destiny is determined not by chance but by choice.

An even better practice would be to spend some time in reflection on your life in conversation with God, open to the good things that God is just waiting for you to recognize about yourself. Maybe it’s the way you smile at people or the little things you notice that others might ignore – things that would make someone’s day or give them confidence and a reason to go on. Maybe it’s your willingness to do the tasks that nobody else has signed up for. Perhaps it is the loving way you treat people who need a friend. Any of those characteristics – or others that you name – would look excellent on that small piece of paper. Go on…give yourself some credit and a reason to smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imagine!

21 Sunday Oct 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, abilities, Alan Cohen, awareness, creativity, enlightened, healing, I am the way, Imagine, Jesus, joy, life, love, seeking, striving, success, support, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth, trying

aimagineHome again this morning in my own space, I first did what is my usual Sunday morning task: checking my calendar for the week to make sure nothing creeps up on me for which I’m not prepared. I was reminded that there is some creative work to be done and that is a good thing for my spirit. That task done but still in waking mode, I turned to Alan Cohen to find the perfect message for this morning. Perhaps you will find it to be so as well.

Imagine that all of your trying, seeking, and striving has been completed. Imagine that you have within you all the awareness and tools you need to live a life of joy, creativity, success and love. Imagine that you don’t have to pass any more tests or prove anything to anyone. Imagine that you don’t have to earn the love or favor of God. Imagine that you have the abilities and credentials to offer healing and support to others. These imaginings are much closer to the truth than imaginings that you are broken, wounded or needy. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” If you recognize who you are, you can make this statement with equal authority. 

Practice being enlightened. It is the truth about you.  (Alan Cohen – A Deep Breath of Life)

My Choice

18 Saturday Aug 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, abundance, Alan Cohen, create, happy, miserable, perspective, reality, seeing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

abutterflyI was jarred into wakefulness this morning by a paragraph in Alan Cohen’s book, A Deep Breath of Life, that reminded me of something I believe about perspective. I trust that I have the power to choose the way I look at life. Here’s how Cohen described it.

If I want to be happy, that’s my choice. If others want to be miserable, that’s up to them. I do not have to justify, explain, rationalize, apologize, or compromise my choice for joy. I create my own reality, just as you do. The universe is big enough to have all kinds of reality happening simultaneously, and none of us needs agreement from anyone to verify the world we choose to live in.

That doesn’t change the feelings of distress that I wrote about yesterday. It is, rather, a choice to see everything from the perspective of abundance and be thankful for what I have in life of good things – like people to love and ground under my feet (be it muddy or green)…I will need to spend the rest of today conjuring up all those good things that seem so distant when the difficulties of life show up to bring me down. As I wrote that, the song from the movie, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, arose. That’s a good place to start because, as she sings, “I ain’t down yet!”

 

 

 

 

 

The Same Theme

03 Friday Aug 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, consciousness, favorable light, Jesus, judge, look for the good, Matthew, motive, St. Vincent de Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

afacelightToday, as yesterday, the theme seems to be about the danger of making judgments without sufficient evidence. In the gospel (MT 13:54-58) Jesus is teaching in his hometown synagogue and people are questioning how he could possibly sound so wise given the fact that his father, Joseph, was a lowly carpenter and the rest of his family had no “pedigree” either. The conclusion was that “they took offense at him.” Nothing about what he said, but just whether he had a right to say it, given the lowliness of his station in life!

So as not to be repetitious, I pulled out Alan Cohen’s book, A Deep Breath of Life, to see what his subject was for this date. Cohen announces his topic with a quote for the day at the top of the page. Today’s was quite clear: Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times, in all circumstances. (St. Vincent de Paul) and in the last paragraph of the reflection I read the following;

Things are not what they appear to be. We never know the motive or consciousness behind someone’s actions. Any act can be a tool for the ego, or an avenue for the Holy Spirit. We inherit the world we build with our thoughts.

Today, it seems, will be another opportunity for me to practice because we have a weekend workshop at our Center that I am helping to facilitate. Time to clothe myself in hospitality and look for the good in everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

The Present Moment

12 Tuesday Jun 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, calendar, mindfulness, present, present moment, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, time

acashinhandWhen thinking about the necessities of life lately, the first thing on my list is my calendar. I used to be able to keep track of a month’s activities so I would be where I was supposed to be, doing what I was supposed to do, only checking my calendar rarely for exactitude. Granted, that was when I was teaching high school and living a relatively stable routine. Now my activities vary so much from day to day that I sometimes am not sure what the day will bring until I look at my calendar for a reminder and sometimes I’m looking just to see what day of the week today is! I use the excuse that my activities are much more varied these days and that there is lots more “stuff” crowding my brain. While this is true, I suppose it has something to do with the aging process as well. Today I’m considering this situation as a call to live in the present moment.

Alan Cohen has reminded me of the value of this kind of thinking in an anonymous quote for today from his book, A Deep Breath of Life. He writes: The past is a canceled check, the future is a promissory note and the present is cash in hand. So with my bankroll of 16 hours or so in my pocket before I go to sleep again, I hope to set forth mindfully and treat each moment of this sunny day as priceless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Timely Reminder

17 Thursday May 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, build, building trust, future, harmony, kingdom of heaven, love, nurture, spiritual life, Tagore, temple, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

astonemasonSince our Sophia Center Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday, I have been drawn back several times to thoughts of our future and about the best ways to help people engage in consideration of their spiritual lives. It seems less important these days to dream of large events with nationally known speakers – my fondest hope at our inception. What we have experienced as more useful is the value of deep conversation and building trust in the small groups that find meaning in the exchange of ideas. (Not that I’ve given up hope of major events, of course…) We will continue to seek input for programs and events, of course, and welcome any suggestions.

I was encouraged by the advice of Alan Cohen this morning (A Deep Breath of Life) who expanded on an adage of Tagore: While God waits for His temple to be built of love, men bring stones. Cohen offers the following thoughts.

What is it that you must build? Because we are spiritual beings, we must nurture our thoughts and attitudes above all else. If we think in harmony with truth, the outer forms will take care of themselves. “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all else shall be added unto you.”

So on we go…

 

 

 

 

 

Minus to Plus

04 Wednesday Apr 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Acts of the Apostles, Alan Cohen, Emmaus, Jesus, Luke, stay awake, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

aemmausToday’s Scripture texts – as many in the post-Easter season – tell stories of healings or extraordinary events. The book of Acts of the Apostles finds Peter and John realizing their gift of healing (3:1-10) and the gospel of the “road to Emmaus” recounts an early sighting of the resurrected Jesus (LK 24:13-35). In both cases it is an inner knowing rather than an outer event that leads to the miraculous. The moral of both stories, it seems, is “Stay awake!”

Alan Cohen offers a similar adage in a more light-hearted way this morning, “Every minus,” he says, “is half of a plus, waiting for a stroke of vertical awareness.” (A Deep Breath of Life)

Do you get it? (You may need to read the Scripture texts for help. Here’s a hint: negative turns to positive with divine intervention.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s In Your Bowl?

12 Monday Mar 2018

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, consciousness, enlightenment, fear, guilt, happiness, health, light, spiritual tradition, success, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unworthiness, wisdom

abowloflightIt seems that the theme of light is meant to continue here for at least one more day. In Alan Cohen’s book, A Deep Breath of Life, just the title for this morning’s daily reflection got me curious. “Rocks or Light?” it asked. He was talking about the Hawaiian spiritual tradition that every child born into this world is like a “bowl of light” containing the radiance of heaven. The theory is that if rocks – like fear, guilt and unworthiness – are placed into the bowl, the original brilliance is obscured. The more rocks in the bowl, the less light we shine. Cohen’s comments are very similar to yesterday’s Scripture readings. (I love it when serendipity like this happens to support my conclusions!) Here’s a little of what Cohen offers.

The game of enlightenment is not about going out and getting something we do not have or becoming something we are not. We are already enlightened; we have simply covered over our wisdom. We started out fine; then we got de-fined; now we must be re-fined.

Health, happiness and success are our birthright and we carry all we need within us to manifest all the good we seek. But first we must remove everything from our consciousness that works against the full expression of what we are.

What rocks are in your bowl?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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