Inspiration
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly
find out far one can go." (T.S. Eliot)
Practices to Consider
1. I recognize I am not separate
from all that is.2. I am satisfied with what I
have.3. I encounter all creations
with respect and dignity.4. I listen and I speak from
my heart.5. I cultivate a mind that
sees clearly.6. I unconditionally accept
what each moment offers.7. I speak what i believe to
be truth without guilt or
blame.8. I transform my suffering
into wisdom.9. I honor my life as an
instrument of peacemaking.(These words are from the ministries of
the arts and the Sisters of St Joseph, LaGrange.)
Have no fear for what tomorrow will bring.
The same loving God who cares for you
today will take care of you tomorrow and everyday.
God will either shield you from suffering
or give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, then, and put aside all
anxious thoughts and imaginations.St. Francis DeSales
Invocation
To the winds of the South Great Serpent,
help us to shed the past the way you shed your skin.
Teach us to walk with beauty and touch everyone with beauty.To the winds of the West Great Jaguar, walk among us.
Show us how to live fearlessly. Teach us the way of no
enemies in this world or the next.To the winds of the North Hummingbird,
grandmothers and grandfathers, ancient ones.
Teach us the way of stewardship that we may
serve the time to come.To the winds of the East Mother Eagle. Fly high above us.
Keep us under your wing. Teach us the way of vision and
nurturing our young.Mother Earth, Great Mother. Thank you for your breath
and your waters. To the stone people, the plant people,
The winged, the furred the finned and the feathered.
All our relations.Father Sky, grandmother moon, to all the sacred mountains
of the Earth Great Spirit, you who are know by a thousand
names, yet who are the unnamable One. Bless us in our journeys.Bring healing to our Earth. ........................Alberto Villoldo
from Gregg Braden's "Walking Between the Worlds"
attributed to a text found in the Dead Sea Scrolls
and printed in Gregg's Dedication.It is you who are asked to remember
love, compassion and trust
while living in a world that has
hated, judged and feared.You will transcend these polarities,
while still living within the polarities.from Alan Cohen "A Deep Breath of Life"
I offer my truth without attachment to results.
I offer all my gifts to You, trusting You to use
them in the highest way possible.Communication is an offering. When you tell someone your
truth, you must release your expectation of what the other
person should do with it. They may thank you profusely, love
you forever, argue with you, or ignore you. It doesn't matter.
Of course we hope the gift will be received with appreciation
and thanks. But if it isn't, we must not dictate. We've done
our part, and we must trust the Universe to do the rest.MESSAGE - what can we do?
In this I share things I have found helpful personally as well as some I have gleaned from public health messages that have come my way. Perhaps one or more of them will support you.
1. Prioritize your life.
Do those things which bring you joy and peace.
Take time to be kind.
Spend time with family and special friends.
Let those you love know that you love them.
(If you had 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, 1 day to live - what would you do?)2. Take care of yourself
Eat
Excercise
Process your feelings
Share & listen
Make more space in your life
Spend time with children and animals
Nurture yourself and your family
Maintain as normal a schedule as possible
Laugh often3. More support
Listen to music
Watch funny movies
Play silly games
Go for walks in beautiful places
Begin and end your day on a positive note, not the news
Get to know your neighbors
Make time often for Inspiration, prayer, Reiki....positive reminders
Call in all the Light Forces
Spend time in Nature
Support yourself with Reiki, massage etc.
Many physical and emotional symptoms are from stress--
Consult a physical or mental healthcare provider if needed.4. Do something concrete to take away feelings of helplessness.
Donate blood
Donate money
Create a "time capsule" with your children
Community service
Do a favor for a friend or someone less fortunate
Practice forgiveness and conflict resolution
Do random acts of kindness
Journal your feelings
Paint or put your feelings in sculpture or clay
Write a story or poem of your feelings, or mandalla
Put your house in order
Make a corner for necessities for a disaster and stock it
food
water
tents, blankets etc
gasoline
cash on hand
Inspiration: A Timely Poem
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of
the burning building we became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope,
We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought
their way into the inferno, We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss,
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss,
We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes,
We become one people.Anonymous
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
The Druid Peace Prayer
Deep within the still centre of my being
May I find peace.
Silently within the quiet of the Grove (circle)
May I share peace.
Gently within the greater circle of humankind
May I radiate peace.Prayer for Today 9-11-01
Dear God of all languages, God of all people, God of all Life....
We ask this moment for your grace for all those whose
lives are touched by the events of this day,
all those who live on Earth.We ask for your grace in the intense pain, physical, emotional,
spiritual in the aftermath of the devastation.We ask for your grace to penetrate the shock, rage, sorrow,
despair and fury that swirl around each of us today.We ask for your grace for those who must respond to these
events...that they may be blessed with wisdom and clarity
and true vision in each moment, in each decision.We ask for the grace to look within....within our souls,
within our hearts, within our country.....for the causes
of violence, not looking only outside ourselves.We ask for grace that.......in moments of such intense
darkness.....each of us may experience deeply, profoundly
the truth of Your Being in us.We ask for grace to remember You as we walk through
the darkness, into the Light.(author unknown) forwarded by Linda Chubbuck
STORY "THE WINGS OF LOVE"
An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating
picture of the wings of love.After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their
trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird
literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base
of a tree. Sickened by the eerie sight, he knowcked over the bird with a
stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their
dead mother's wings.The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her
offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings,
instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown
to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.When the blaze arrived and the heat scorched her small body, the mother
remained steadfast. Because whe had been willing to die, those under the
cover of her wings had lived.shared by Sharon Methvin (Animal Protection Institute)
The Mountain Story
"A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it."
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"-- Author Unknown
© 2001 Sheila King - Last Modified 12-12-01
