Daily Meditation:
Every day we are controlled and limited by our egos. Our egos are the filters through which we see the world and ourselves. They are influenced by what others have said to us throughout our lives, words that we have internalized and taken on as our own, until we begin to see ourselves as we think others see us, instead of getting to know our real, true selves. Sometimes these are filters of negativity and doubt that cause us not to do what we really want to do. We may say no to a new job or promotion or not start a new project because we lack confidence in ourselves and in the future. We don't take that leap of faith because we doubt it will work out or we doubt that we will be good enough. But, if we want to reach higher and go farther, without doubt and fear, we must discard our egos, even if just long enough to open our eyes to our true selves and to the real possibilities our lives have in store for us.
Body:
Discard negative filters and ideas of ego that limit what you are capable of doing today.
Heart:
Look for your best self, instead of listening to old, negative self-talk.
Mind:
Get to know your true potential and who you truly are, letting go of doubts and fears.
Soul:
As you begin to know and accept yourself more you will realize you are a work of the Spirit and you have unlimited potential.
Daily Meditation:
We are all broken vessels that have experienced pain and suffering as well as joy and serenity. Our natures as physical humans beings make it inevitable that we will experience a myriad of feelings and live through many times when we may feel alone and abandoned. But in brokenness we can connect to others and recognize them as fellow souls on this journey. In brokenness the Spirit of God will hear us most closely. When we are broken or full of despair and loneliness, with only a thought of Him, with the tiniest voice asking for help, we will find the Divine Spirit waiting to comfort us.
Body:
Whenever we are lost and alone it is time to stop, listen, and wait, for comfort and guidance.
Heart:
In our moments of deepest emotion we will be able to access the Divine.
Mind:
When we are most unsure and full of questions, answers will come to us.
Soul:
When we let go and acknowledge that we need more than ourselves we will find that the Spirit has been, and always will be, with us.
Daily Meditation:
Be in the world, but not of the world. The physical, material world we inhabit does not have to dictate to us who we are and what we are. The people who surround us and with whom we live should not dictate to us who and what we are. We may be born into a close-knit community, a rich family, or a life of poverty, but we will have to break away at some point to become who we truly were meant to be. We cannot let the world and its people rule us and control how we behave and what we do with our lives. Each of us must find his or her own way. Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to make choices, decisions, or changes that are opposed to the criteria and expectations we were raised to believe in. To break away we need to rely on guidance from the Spirit, from the Higher Power that gives us strength whenever we need it. It is time to let the Spirit of God guide us and give us comfort and confidence as we grow in independence and become who we were meant to be.
Body:
Follow your own instincts even when you know it will be hard to do so.
Heart:
Learn to love and accept the person you are meant to be.
Mind:
The wisdom to know and be who we are comes from the Spirit.
Soul:
Listen to the Spirit's voice within your soul; let it guide you in your daily lives.
Daily Meditation:
On any given day, our perceptions of the world we inhabit--our immediate surroundings and personal situations--are influenced by our belief systems, our expectations and our desires. The same sunny day may appear bleak and hopeless to one person and glorious and full of promise to another. One may feel gratitude for the abundance of life while anther may feel sadness for what is missing or out of reach. What we choose to focus on can determine which of these attitudes we have. We can change how we feel when we choose to look at our world differently. We can suddenly see the world in a new light. The world has not changed but our perspective and our feelings have because we have sought to change our perceptions.
Body:
Try looking at your life in new ways and you will start to see it with new eyes.
Heart:
Look for the positives in your life and you begin to feel differently.
Mind:
Inventory and examine your life, and your attitudes and perspectives will begin to shift.
Soul:
Become willing to receive guidance from your Higher Power and your outlook will change for the positive.
my backyard, summer 2012
Daily Meditation:
When we try to label or categorize our emotions, we are only acknowledging a small portion of who we are and what we are feeling. Our emotions are not separate components; they are interconnected, interrelated parts of our complete selves. When we feel fear, anger or excitement, the whole self is involved. Our emotions are accompanied by our physical, bodily responses. Our intellect also has its say in how we feel about situations, people and events in our lives. And
the deepest beliefs of our souls influence how we perceive these things, having an intimate connection to our emotions and our reactions.
Body:
Become aware of physical sensations and symptoms when you are trying to understand your emotions, feelings and reactions.
Heart:
Whatever emotion you are feeling at a given time is related your personal feelings about your world and your self.
Mind:
What you have learned and what you know of the world influence all of your feelings and emotions.
Soul:
Your strongest beliefs are intimately connected to your feelings and emotions.
Daily Meditation:
Who we are at this moment depends on past choices, past events, and past thoughts. It is also colored and influenced by our dreams and expectations for the future. But, our souls and our spirits do not operate in a linear fashion. Time can be turned around, reversed or relived in our inner selves. We can discard the idea of time to reenter our pasts and gain an understanding of who we are and how we came to be our present selves. We can heal when time no longer
matters. We can look at our pasts with the wisdom we have now and become able to forgive, understand, and accept that what has passed has allowed us to become who we are today. When we can step outside the present to see life in its many stages, we can come back to the present, healed and wiser.
Body:
Step off the path for a moment and see, not just where you are going, but also where you have been.
Heart:
Open your hearts to the fact that, inside, you are the person you were meant to be.
Mind:
The more we learn and understand, the more peace and acceptance we will have.
Soul:
When we let our souls relive our pasts with the insights and wisdom of today, we will heal.
Daily Meditation:
Look beyond the boundaries. They are made of perceptions, perpetually changing and mutating as we grow and change. Boundaries can separate us from others, but learning to love, understand, and forgive can break through those boundaries and allow our souls to communicate. As we grow and learn, knowledge can lessen our fears and shrink or eliminate the boundaries we may have put up between ourselves and others. As we go through life experiences and gain more compassion and empathy, we will bond with our fellows in ways that were impossible before.
Body:
We can step beyond the boundaries that previously imprisoned us.
Heart:
We can open our hearts to people and situations we used to avoid.
Mind:
We no longer have to keep the world at a distance, out of fear or ignorance.
Soul:
When we let go of our boundaries we can let the Spirit enter us at last.
Daily Meditation:
Today is not an ordinary day. It is a fresh, unlived day, full of new life and new possibilities. It is another day to laugh, to sing, to walk in the woods and hear the birds talking in the trees. It is another chance to see the sun rise, or to watch it set in a splendor of new colors. It is another glorious chance to tell others you love them and you need them. The day starts with a breath and a new consciousness. Open your eyes, your heart, and your soul to the new day and be aware of the gift you have been given.
Body:
Breathe in the world and breathe out gratitude.
Heart:
Open your heart to all you have this day.
Mind:
Remember that you have a gift to open today.
Soul:
Let your gratitude be to the Spirit who gives you your next breath.
 Photograph by Allan Cabrera
Daily Meditation:
The things of this world will bring us peace and gratitude if we just look around us. The birds sing every morning, the waves wash the beach every day, and the stars greet us again each evening. Each day we will find the Spirit in these things and in our hearts and souls if we just take the time to look. Take your attention away from your problems for a moment, for your lack or your loss. What is still there? Is the sky still blue? Do we still have air to breathe? Wondrous works are all around us. To be full of the Spirit is to see and feel and know everything that we can.
Body:
Open your eyes and look around at all that is there in every moment.
Heart:
Let your heart feel wonder and gratitude for life itself.
Mind:
There is so much that we do not see until we truly look around at this world we live in.
Soul:
To get closer to the Spirit, to see what is sacred, fill yourself with all that is around you.
Being still for just a few moments can allow us to refocus, take a breath,notice something we hadn't seen before, or hear something we need to hear. As long as we are moving, talking, doing, there is no room for new energy to enter and truly reach us. The most important part of a conversation is the listening part. Why else speak? The most important part of a dance is feeling your partner's moves. Why else dance? The most important part of people's faces are their eyes. How else will you see their soul? Our greatest gift is in receiving. Without this we are alone in the world. When we are our quietest, we will hear the whisper of other souls and we will hear the whisper of the Spirit within us and around us.
Body:
Stop for a few moments and just listen, look, feel, and receive what the world offers you.
Heart:
Open your heart up and hear the voices of those around you.
Mind:
Know that we all have a need to be heard, so we must listen to each other.
Soul:
Stillness and quiet can leave us open to others and to the voice of the Spirit.
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