Inner and Outer Light

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believe, conscious living, fan the flames, gratitude, imagination, inner fire, light, light worker, meditation, possibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spiritual center

Sometimes I “talk big” and really mean what I say but find at the end of the day that I haven’t come close to accomplishing what I had decided at the beginning I would be able to achieve. Such was the interim between this moment and what I wrote on Friday about diving in with vigor and making a new start. Events intervene and change the pattern of our days sometimes so all we can do is our best – sometimes starting over the next day. The key is not to get either discouraged or lazy so that nothing ever gets done. This morning I’m ready to try again. Here’s why.

1. Yesterday morning six of us sat around a blazing fire in the living room of the Sophia House considering three themes for reflection in this new year. Our wonderfully creative tech person at Sophia, Mary Pat, walked with us on a non-stressful – peaceful even – path, stopping at directional points of inner and outer light, conscious living and gratitude. Our sharing was simple and then grew as did the fire’s warmth so that, in the end, we had a sense of that fire as an ongoing potential for this year’s journey.
2. Last evening my three Sisters and I sat in our own living room and had what turned into a long, lively exchange of ideas about moving forward with the fulfillment of certain of our proposed projects at the Spiritual Center. It was another experience of how the inner fire in each of us was caught in the circle because of all of us together.
3. This morning lying in my bed after waking I began to consider my day and to wonder what might be accomplished. Suddenly a wave of light seemed to burst within me – not a tidal wave but a flicker of determination that seemed to say, “Fan the flame. Go within to catch the spirit of those light workers who can help you in this realm and beyond. Use your imagination. Get up! Believe in possibility!” Needless to say I did not go back to sleep.
4. As I sat with my coffee to relate these events and their effect on me, a strong wind began to blow through the tallest of the trees outside my window, cheering me on. It’s still waving at me – so I need to move to my meditation mat to solidify purpose and begin the day. Blessings abound!

Joining Forces

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compassionate, conscious living, fun, Jan Phillips, laughter, light, mindfulness, mysteries, No Ordinary Time, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today at the Sophia Center for Spirituality we begin a five-part series on Mindfulness. It is an attempt to help everyone who comes find ways to go deeper in conscious living, offering practices to help them on their spiritual journey. In a section of her 6:00 Monday text in No Ordinary Time, Jan Phillips writes the following that I think is a great beginning for this effort:

When I think of people I know who are lights in the world, I think of my friends who are fun-loving, imaginative, in love with the lives they are creating day by day. They are the ones who laugh a lot, sing a lot, cry freely, hug tenderly. They talk about themselves, not others. They are spellbound at life’s mysteries. They are the ones with more questions than answers. If they are striving for anything, it is to be free of illusion, one with What Is. Their actions are connected to their values. They are their thoughts, their words, their feelings. They are the light they believe themselves to be. (p. 16)

Then Jan asks two questions that seem fitting for our search for this inner light. See if you are able to answer them for yourselves as a guide for the day: How have you learned to be compassionate with yourself so you can better love others? What new things are you discovering about who you are and why you do things? (p. 16)

If you live within range of our Center, you may want to join us to continue the exploration. If not, won’t you consider being mindful of us and in that way adding to the energy of light that we put into the world today?

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary Afternoons

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birthday, blessing, celebrate, conscious living, Mother's Day, no ordinary afternoons, One Ordinary Afternoon, tea, Terry Benczik, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I just had three brief experiences as I breathed in the morning from my rocking chair. First I felt the words, “Yesterday I began a new year of life” and felt all the good birthday moments that had occurred. Secondly I reviewed the lovely “Women’s Tea” that we sponsored yesterday afternoon for 17 women, three of whom came with their mothers to celebrate Mothers’ Day. The day was picture perfect, the food exquisite, the camaraderie delightful and the sense of well-being in the end was worth all the time and energy it took in the preparation. My third “moment” was the concluding sentence of a poem by our friend Terry Benczik entitled One Ordinary Afternoon. I had picked up her book as I sat down moments before, just wanting to step into the day with grace. What I found was the ribbon that tied up the gift of yesterday in a tidy, lovely package that I will take with me into all that comes next. The truth that Terry told me was that “There are no ordinary afternoons.” If I can remember this as I proceed I will surely live more fully, conscious that every day is a birthday and a day to celebrate some small or large moment of blessing.