Working on some spiritual practices in our lives is easier then others. It is easy to think about how to practice kindness, gratitude, joy, kindness, or even play. However thinking about practicing vision requires us to think outside the box. So I was excited when I found the writing of Angeles Arrien, in The Four-Fold Way Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary. She offers some concrete steps and things we can do to practice developing our inner visionary. So I thought this week I would share her ideas with you.
"Processes and Reminders: Important Practices to Develop the Inner Visionary
"1. Spend at least fifteen minutes each day in walking meditation. Record your experience in your journal or create a special meditation log.
"Walking Meditation
Accessing the Inner Creator
Accessing the Quality of Creativity
"Purpose
"The purpose of walking meditation is to honor sacred time. This is a time set aside for introspection, contemplation, discovery, and honoring the sacred or divine.
Read moreHands have always fascinated me. When I was younger, my grandmother used to let me play with her hands. Her skin, as I remember it was wrinkly, soft, and baggy. Baggy might seem like a strange word to describe skin, but it was. She would play this game with me. She would pinch my skin and it would go right back into place. Then she would let me pinch her skin and it would form little peaks and valleys. Her skin became like clay that I got to play with and create landscapes. Her skin had also become more translucent, you could see the veins, and they become streams of water flowing into the peaks and valleys I was creating in her hands. Her hands would fascinate me for hours as I sat and moved skin around creating ever-changing images.
Read moreOne of the things I so appreciate about our love and inspiration group is that I always leave with some sort of inspiration. This weekend we spoke about being mindful about what makes us feel welcomed. What is it that hosts do that makes us feel welcomed? What do we do to make our guests feel welcomed?
A while back I heard a story about a pastor who would stand outside her church and greet the migrant workers as they came in from the fields. She spoke to them in Spanish and they responded. And soon a bridge was forged. This rural community embraced the migrant farm workers and welcomed them. They offered them radical hospitality and in doing do they discovered that it is the recognition of our common humanity which binds us together
Read moreIn this month’s newsletter, I gave us a few things about self-worth to consider. I asked us to think about whether we knew God loved us just as we are. I suggested we think about whether we see life challenges as confining or empowering. I encouraged us to remember to periodically empty out the emotional, mental, and spiritual clutter and keep ourselves from becoming a “dumpster.” Finally, I challenged us to remember that we are of value to ourselves, others, and our community.
Sometimes it may feel like your life is not where you would like it to be. Most of us, myself included, have those moments. It is then I remember the words of Ram Dass who said, “Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!” Life is a veritable toolbox to help you achieve whatever you desire to achieve in your life. Use it!
Read moreThis morning
I was sitting on my porch and thinking about what I wanted to write about today. As I was looking at the sky and praying for
inspiration, this flock of birds flew by.
As they did, it reminded me of a story I first heard an African American
pastor, Rev. Moss, in Chicago
tell. Moss saw this slave tale as part
of his story. In some respects, however,
it is part of all our story.
It is said
that this story has been passed from mouth to ear somewhere among the sandy
palmetto dunes of South Carolina, a story passed down from West Africa to the
North Atlantic, and trickled down the generations to the coast of South
Carolina. It is the story, a unique
story, of the people who could fly. And
as stories go, with each telling the story gains a little different twist.
Read moreAs adults, sometimes what inspires us are things that are deep and reflective. Other times, it is something that brings us back to our childhood, something simple like a kid’s book. Recently, at our Pizza & Spirituality Chat Night, I read a Dr. Seuss book, Horton Hears A Who, to those who gathered to eat my first attempt at homemade pizza. If you have not read this book, do so or some of what is in my heart this morning may not make complete sense. There are a couple of things I love about this story. One is that Horton has this amazing capacity to love all of humanity. Horton believes “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” Another thing I have come to love about Horton is that he is an elephant of great faith. Horton is committed to protecting the people of who-ville, even though he cannot see them. However, protecting them is not as easy as it seems.
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