The Everyday Mystic

Thanksgiving, which we celebrated in the US yesterday, is a celebration of God’s abundance - a time to give thanks for the harvest and for the many blessings in our lives.  Today is the day after Thanksgiving, called in the popular press "Black Friday" because of the multitude of people who will descend on stores in hopes of finding a good bargain. For me, today is a day of reckoning and of anticipation. I am reckoning with the tightness of my jeans this morning, with all the leftover food in our refrigerator and the memory of spending all day in the kitchen yesterday. The words of my husband, who exclaimed last night as he was cleaning up after our extravagant feast, "This seems wasteful - why do we do this every year?" echo through my mind.

I didn’t have the words to answer my husband last night, but now I do: I reckon that for me to spend one day a year in the kitchen creating food for my family and friends is a creative and worthy endeavor.  For me, preparing an extravagant Thanksgiving feast is a labor of love.  It is a way to honor the memory of my mother, who was commander-in-chief of my birth family’s holiday feasts and celebrations.  It is a way of celebrating God’s abundance, blessings and the love that I am so fortunate to share with my amazing family. This is why we do this every year.  To do any less would seem, well, less abundantly thankful.

I am not against making Thanksgiving simpler, and I may be moved to do so in the future.  For now, this is what feels right.

Today is also a day of anticipation of the coming holiday season. Many of you have already been out in the stores, snatching up a bargain and working on that Christmas life of gifts.  For many, however, this Christmas will be a lean one, due to lay-offs, slow-downs and reduced revenues caused by an economy that seems to careen from one disaster to the next. Instead of focusing only on gift lists, Christmas cards and the business of the season, take some time today to anticipate how you will find meaning this holiday season. In addition to preparing a budget for your holiday gift spending, make a budget for participating in fulfilling holiday experiences, many of which cost no or little money.

What will bring you the most satisfaction during this holy time of Advent, Christmas, Hanukkah and the Solstice?  How will you honor the birth of the Christ child and the return of the Light within you this season?

• Will you re-commit to your personal prayer or meditation practice and be more faithful to it?
• Will you attend a retreat or special religious service that connects you with the real meaning of the season?
• Will you participate in a service project, either at your place of worship or in the community?
• Will you contribute money to the causes and charities that mean the most to you?
• Will you find some time in every day to listen for the still, small voice of God in your life?
• Will you attend a concert, ballet, play or Christmas pageant that brings joy to your heart?
• Will you bake a family recipe and deliver it to a friend?

Take some time today to reckon and anticipate.  Take a reckoning of where you are right now, in all aspects of your life.  Then, anticipate how you will celebrate the true meaning of the holiday season.

Related Articles

• Look Up and See the Stars!
• All Holy Evening and Dia de los Muertos
• Hello, and about me
• Meditation for Christmas Eve 2008
• Practicing Gratitude

Beauty feeds the soul.  It is important to recognize this and incorporate beauty into your everyday life.  Beauty can be visual, auditory or tactile.  It can be found in nature, in your home, in your leisure activities and at work.  Because our inner life is reflected in our outer life and vice versa, the environment that we attract and create around us is a mirror of the beauty inside of us.

I was reminded of the need for beauty at a symphony concert last night.  Classical music is a testimony to the highest emotions and spiritual yearnings of a human being. So much of classical music is religiously inspired or is the composer’s attempt to express his/her life’s meaning in the midst of its joys and sorrows. Listening to classical music, especially instrumental music, is the equivalent of reading a book vs. seeing a movie of the same book.  The music invokes your imagination and emotions just like a book does, but it does not proscribe the visual images that you create with it. That is up to you.

Visual art also reflects the artist’s attempt to express his/her highest self amidst human frailty.  I need to view art on a regular basis to feed my soul.  In fact, I need some in my home. Nature is another form of beauty that is vital to the nourishment of our souls.  Many people crave the sensory beauty of nature because in nature comes their most poignant connection to Source.

We need to incorporate beauty in everyday life.  To some, that may mean preparing a beautiful meal every night.  To others, it may mean wearing beautiful, stylish clothes.  Or it may mean savoring a good glass of wine or beer. Or creating a beautiful home and garden, or bringing in a flower arrangement into the home or office every week.  To some women, it may mean getting her fingernails done every other week. Thank goodness there is an endless variety of how humans can seek beauty.  This diversity of tastes and preferences results in the rich and varied world around us.

Everything that we experience in this human body is spiritual, so our quest for beauty to feed our souls is a spiritual pursuit.  Contrary to what you may have learned as a child, our whole body experience is God-given and everything about it is designed to provide joy and pleasure, and also challenges and learning opportunities. 

In pagan religions, you often hear a quote about the Goddess: "All rites of love and pleasure are mine."  In other words, enjoy beauty, enjoy bodily pleasure as long as it is loving, love lavishly and live abundantly, because to do so honors Divinity.

Where does our search for beauty become ego-based and not spiritual?  There is a fuzzy line between yearning for beauty to feed our soul and yearning for more and more things because of a need for prestige or social standing.  When does the need for beauty turn the corner into a want for more? 

Each person must examine their own values and motives in seeking beauty.  There is nothing intrinsically wrong with wanting a beautiful house, car, clothing and other accoutrements of the abundant life. If your motive, deep inside, is to acquire more for show or prestige, then that is a want or a grasping.  However, if your deepest motive is to seek beauty in order to live large and abundantly or to seek pleasure in love, then it is a pure desire.  A puritanical approach to abundance, in which you eschew pleasure or worldly possessions to be a good person in God’s eyes, serves no one, including God.  Again, God wants you to experience beauty, pleasure and abundance, because those are integral parts of the human experience - the human experience that God and your soul co-created for you.

And, because no life is without suffering, the experience of beauty provides a contrast to the experience of pain.  In the midst of pain, the most comforting moment can be the recognition of beauty and pleasure - a reminder that life is never all bad.

Related Articles

• The Value of Mental Health Breaks
• The Divine’s Gift of Nature
• Practicing Scales
• Meditation for Christmas Eve 2008
• Falling in Love Everyday

It may seem like an odd time to be discussing practicing gratitude. The economy is a mess. Thousands of employees have been or are facing the possibility of being laid-off, outsourced or cut-back. Because of the uncertainty, many families anticipate drastically reduced spending on holiday extras such as presents and vacation travel.

Now, more than ever, is the best time to practice gratitude.

Why should you be grateful when it seems like things are at their worst? According to recent research[1], the practice of gratitude and appreciation can make you happier – and who doesn’t want to be happier, especially now? There are several reasons that gratitude makes you cheerier. Gratitude directs your thoughts to the positive aspects of living, so instead of concentrating on the dismal reports you read everyday in the newspaper or hear on the news, you concentrate on good news. A daily practice of gratitude, such as keeping a gratitude journal or “counting your blessings”, helps you live more consciously because it forces you to pay attention to what happens in everyday life. Gratitude and appreciation helps you stay in the present moment, because to notice blessings you have to block out worries about the future and regrets from the past. And, although this is not scientifically proven, counting your blessings seems to increase the good things that happen to you, if only because you are more attentive to them.

Lastly, if you want to keep your job, finding a way to be happy is a good idea. In a Harvard Business Review article from June 2005, authors Tiziana Casciaro and Miguel Sousa Lobo found that managers tend to favor competent and likable people over more competent but less lovable workers. Happier people are generally more likable and more enjoyable to work with than the opposite. In deciding who to lay-off and who to keep, it may be the workers who keep a positive outlook that managers view more favorably.

Here are some ways to practice gratitude and appreciation in your life:

• Keep a gratitude journal. Noticing and writing about the blessings in your life is a great way to keep your antenna tuned to the positive. You might discipline yourself to notice something new to give thanks for everyday – not just the same old things like your family, your home and your job. In my journal, I draw a star next to each entry on my list of appreciations. The stars draw attention to the things I’m grateful for.
• Give thanks in prayer or meditation. Some people incorporate gratitude into a daily prayer or meditation practice. An elderly friend once told me, “You just get down on your knees every night – right there next to your bed - and give thanks for all your blessings.” I’ve always remembered her words.
• Notice and remember Kodak moments. Remember the commercial about capturing “Kodak moments” by photographing them? Kodak moments are those memories that make you smile; they are moments of great happiness or fleeting appreciation. You might notice moments from your family life, you might notice the color of a tree’s leaves, a hawk slowly circling in the sky or a beautiful sunset. Observe the feelings you experience in that moment. Live with your eyes and heart wide open, looking for beauty and grace everyday. Take time to savor your Kodak moments as you notice them, and then write about them later in your gratitude journal.
• Notice and remember synchronicities. Synchronicities are coincidences that are moments of grace. An example of a synchronicity is when you think about someone and then receive an email or phone call from that person. I experienced a synchronicity today – I just happened to be working on my computer early this morning (Sunday) when a reminder for an unusual morning meeting popped-up on my screen. I had totally forgotten about my commitment, and if I hadn’t been at my computer I would have missed the meeting. I wrote about it in my journal, giving thanks for being able to keep my commitment to the people I met with.
• Appreciate others. Make a habit of noticing what other people are doing, and provide them sincere appreciation when they do something well or noteworthy. If you are a manager, you might write a note to one of your employees about something they did that you appreciate. Mail it to their home address so they can share your message with their family. Another way to appreciate others is to simply say thank you and acknowledge the good job that person is doing. My husband plays in a professional orchestra and went for years without hearing any feedback from the conductor. When the maestro finally told him that he had done a good job, my husband was ecstatic that someone had finally noticed his dedication and good results. A little appreciation makes both you and the person you notice feel great!

This Thanksgiving, give thanks for all the blessings in your life, and vow to start practicing an attitude of gratitude everyday. You’ll be glad you did!

[1] “Authentic Happiness”, Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D. Dr. Seligman has conducted numerous studies on positive emotions and finds that gratitude is one practice that helps people increase happiness.

Related Articles

• Gratitude at Journey’s End
• How to Choose Love over Fear
• Mini-Peak Moments
• Mindfulness Moments: Finding Time for the Sacred in Everyday Life
• Bring Everything into Your Spiritual Practice

Today is election day, and from the news reports I’m seeing, there may be long lines at the polls.  Waiting in line doesn’t have to be a waste of time - instead, it can be an opportunity to practice meditative contemplation using a breath prayer or affirmation.  The Jesus Prayer is a breath prayer that many use, or you can try a comforting phrase, said in rhythm with your breath, such as "All is well" or "God is in this moment".  Try it - either today at the polls or the next time you are stuck in traffic, waiting in line at the post office or just waiting. Using a breath prayer brings great peace - instead of feeling all stressed out by the wait or the annoyance, you can sustain a sense of calm throughout the experience.

The Jesus prayer is a simple phrase that is prayed repeatedly, again and again.  It can be said out loud or in your mind:

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

It can be repeated in rhythm with the inhale and exhale of your breath: inhaling, say "Jesus Christ, Son of God", exhaling, say "Have mercy on me."  Many devout Christians have repeated this simple prayer throughout their days to feel a connection with God.  It is very comforting.

I have trouble with the exact wording of this phrase, as I cannot get my thinking, egoic mind around asking for mercy, as that implies that I am a bad person.  I have more than enough self-inflicted guilt for a lifetime, so that phrase doesn’t work for me. At least not yet! Instead, I revert to the language of the Catholic mass, which uses the Greek version of the Jesus prayer:

Kyrie Eleison. (say, "kereeay elayzone")

Christe Eleison. (say, "kreestay elayzone")

In English, this translates to "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy."  I find comfort in these words, which I repeat as a breath prayer: Inhaling, I say "Kyrie Eleison."  Exhaling, I say, "Christe eleison."

It’s good to have a breath prayer in your back pocket, so to speak, for times when you might get irritated, like waiting to vote. 

Speaking of voting, if you are a US citizen, please exercise your right to vote today.  Voting is a privilege that not all people on earth enjoy.  It is a spiritual duty that keeps you in right relationship with your integrity and your Highest Self.  Blessings!

Related Articles

• Passion Week - Good Friday
• Prayers for All Occasions
• Spiritually Mature Stress Management
• Passion Week Thoughts - Palm Sunday
• Message from the Angels and Spirit Guides

Yesterday was Halloween, a vastly misunderstood spiritual holiday that has been bastardized by marketing mavens and turned into a secular holiday that has little to do with its sweet spiritual origins. In earth-based spiritual traditions, Halloween was honored as new year’s eve, the time to honor your ancestors and to align yourself with wisdom from the spiritual realm.  On Halloween (All Hallow’s Evening or All Holy Evening), the veil between the two worlds (temporal and spiritual) is the thinnest. In the purest sense, it is a time of introspection and communion with All That Is.  It is a time to make yourself right with the Divine and with the spirits of your loved ones who have made their transition. 

In the Christian tradition, today is All Saints Day (November 1) and tomorrow is All Souls Day (November 2), a time to honor all saints and souls that have passed away. 

In Mexico, parts of the US Southwest and Central America, it is a time for people to honor their ancestors in Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations.  Rather than looking on death as the end, these people honor the ongoing spiritual life of the dead with flowers and food.  Dia de los Muertos celebrations extend from October 31 to November 2.

I had a session yesterday with my spiritual director, as part of the spiritual director’s training program I’m enrolled in.  Spiritual direction is like a working with a coach who is concerned about your spiritual journey.  I should have known that a session on such a holy day would be significant. Throughout the session, I cried as if I couldn’t stop and communicated often with my deceased mother, who I could hear as if she was in the room with me. I was so wrung out after the session that I went to bed for most of the remaining afternoon.  I realize now that I experienced something deeply holy in that spiritual direction session, a communion with my Mother and with God. My experience was catalyzed by the power of the day, All Hallows (All Holy) Eve.  Duh! - in retrospect, I should not have been surprised or confused by my experience.

How might you observe this powerful holiday time, when the veil between the spiritual and temporal world is the thinnest?  It’s not too late - All Saints Day and All Souls Day span the rest of the weekend!  Here are a few suggestions to enjoy the sweetness of this holy time:

• Bow in gratitude to those who have come before us.  If you can do nothing else today, take a moment and simply bow, with your palms together in front of your heart, to the miracle of life and death and to those who have preceded us. 
• Light a candle.  The act of lighting a candle for your deceased love ones, or for all decreased souls, is a simple acknowledgement of the light and love that is always stronger than darkness and hatred.
• Build an altar.  Many people enjoy building an altar at this time of the year.  You might place a picture of your departed loved one on it, next to a cross or other symbol of your faith. Flowers make it lovely. It can be simple or ornate. Build an altar that makes you smile and feel happy. 
• Set aside time for a special prayer or meditation time. Make time for a special meditation or prayer session in which you quiet yourself and listen.  See if you can hear God’s message for you, either directly or through the voice of a deceased love one. Express your gratitude for the life of your loved one. This is a good time to forgive or apologize to that deceased one, to make things right with them.  Do not underestimate the power of soul-to-soul communication.
• Visit a loved one’s grave site.  Bring flowers to honor that person. Take time to be quiet and speak to your loved one.  Notice anything you sense, whether it is physically, mentally or audibly. The dead communicate with us through any means at a spiritual being’s disposal: they might send you a soft breeze, an inner knowing, a tingle or feeling of warmth, or words that you sense or hear.  Be aware, notice and honor whatever comes to you.

Blessings to you!

Related Articles

• Life After Death
• Reckoning and Anticipating on Black Friday
• How to Discern God’s Communications to Us
• Practice Seeing the Grace of God
• Goodbye to Summertime