Awake and Alive

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beautiful, conscious breathing, everyday activities, Fully Awake and Truly Alive, prayer, rest, Rev. Jane E. Vennard, simple, spiritual practices, summer read, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We’re starting our summer book study next week at The Sophia Center with a book called Fully Awake and Truly Alive. Each time I try to tell someone the title of the book I have to find either the book itself or the flyer announcing the topic. It’s not that complicated but I’m always concerned about remembering it correctly. “Is it Truly Awake and Fully Alive or does Fully come before Truly,” I ask myself. And then there’s Awake and Alive to deal with. Is it possible to be awake before you’re alive or is it all a question of those demanding modifiers?

Regardless of whether I ever get it right, the book is a great summer read. It offers a new look at prayer and spiritual practices in a way that gives credence to the value of everyday activities like gardening, hiking and rest. Who thinks of resting as a spiritual practice? And yet the concept of Sabbath is foundational to much of religious tradition. Pair rest with conscious breathing and silence and the foundation grows even stronger. In other words, simple is beautiful. For those of us who are driven by work and the necessity of achievement, these are good reminders. Actually, even for those less inclined to feverish activity, the reminder to stop for a moment to breathe in the day may be an inestimable gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Believe It!

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beautiful, bitterness, despair, hope, indifference, love, Macrina Wiederkehr, nonviolent, Peace, power, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transform, truth, unconditional love, violence

I read something from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, sevensacredpauses, this morning that made me smile, especially given what I wrote yesterday. I think it’s worth sharing.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is:

• I believe in my power to transform indifference into love.
• I believe I have an amazing gift to keep hope alive in the face of despair.
• I believe I have the remarkable skill of deleting bitterness from my life.
• I believe in my budding potential to live with a nonviolent heart.
• I believe in my passion to speak the truth even when it isn’t popular.
• I believe I have the strength of will to be peace in a world of violence.
• I believe in my miraculous capacity for unconditional love.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is. (p.109)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of Beauty, Courage and Hope

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Acts of the Apostle, beautiful, beauty, companion on the journey, courage, flower scents, frontiers of possibility, heart rekindled, hope, hope for the resurrection, John O'Donohue, lightness of being, springtime, sunshine

Yesterday was one of those beautiful spring days that almost everyone I encountered commented on as “perfect!” The sunshine – not too hot but just enough to give a warm feeling inside and out – the scent of flowering trees on the breeze, a beautiful sunset and the brightness of the moon at the close of our meeting…everything conspired to create sense of hope and lightness of being. And then there were the deep conversations about what is right with the world and how we might continue efforts toward unity. It’s so much easier to see possibility on spring days like that.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles this morning (Ch. 22-23), Paul is having the opposite experience before the Sanhedrin as they try to determine charges against him. The line that gave me pause has Paul crying out, “I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead!” That reminded me of the question often asked in religious education classes: “If you were on trial for your faith in God, would you tell the truth?” I mused that it would be easier to stand fast on a beautiful day like yesterday with friends around to support my beliefs. But who knows? Paul was released on that day, but lived only to be tried and eventually put to death in Rome for his preaching and his beliefs. His courage was obviously a constant companion regardless of circumstance.

You might see my thought process as a bit of a stretch from the possibilities engendered by a lovely day to Paul’s hope and courage, but an early page in John O’Donohue’s book, Beauty, makes the case, I think, for what I was trying to say. See if you agree.

When we expect and engage the Beautiful, a new fluency is set free within us and between us. The heart becomes rekindled and our lives brighten with unexpected courage. It is courage that restores hope to the heart. In our day to day lives, we often show courage without realizing it. However, it is only when we are afraid that courage becomes a question. Courage is amazing because it can tap in to the heart of fear, taking that frightened energy and turning it towards initiative, creativity, action and hope. When courage comes alive, imprisoning walls become new frontiers of possibility, difficulty becomes invitation and the heart comes into a new rhythm of trust and sureness. There are secret sources of courage inside every human heart; yet courage needs to be awakened in us. The encounter with the Beautiful can bring such awakening. Courage is a spark that can become the flame of hope, lighting new and exciting pathways in what seemed to be dead, dark landscapes.

So, on we go, finding the Beautiful in new places and people in this new day!