The Everyday Mystic

The new year is fast approaching, and now is a perfect time to take a few quiet moments to examine your life’s journey over the past year and look ahead to the promise of the coming year. I try to do some comprehensive journaling at this time of year, and find that self-examination is especially helpful as you look ahead.  I’ve created a list of questions to help you examine the past year and plan for the new one.

I am not a great fan of setting goals for a year at a time.  The reason for that is that life seems to bring changes that I can’t predict 12 months in advance.  But I am a proponent of setting over-arching themes to a year and a few specific goals, such as an overall financial goal, and then revising them every three months or so.  The tendency for life to throw curve balls at you is the reason that some corporations revise their budgets every quarter, to account for mid-course corrections. As an example of a curve ball I received, last December, I set myself a goal of making X dollars per month by September 2008 from my blogsite. I didn’t achieve that goal for several reasons that I couldn’t have anticipated a year ago, but I sure learned a lot from the experience! Interestingly, I did achieve the overall financial goal I set for this year, but in far different ways than I anticipated.  So, I recommend you set overall goals but leave room for God to fill in the specifics of how you will achieve them. Indeed, expecting divine intervention and surprises is what makes goal setting fun and exciting!

As you prepare to answer these questions, you might go back to your calendar or journal and review your activities for each month of the year to remember what you did - memories can be fleeting.

Here are the questions - my new year’s gift to you:

Looking back:

• What successes did you have this year?  What were your inner successes, such as a change in perspective, forgiving someone, letting go of old hurts, etc? What were your outer successes or tangible achievements? 
• What were the lessons learned this year, perhaps from difficult situations?  What good came from the hardships you endured? (If you are reading this, one good thing is that you survived!)  From these lessons, what can you remember and apply to the coming year’s activities to make you wiser, stronger, healthier or more prosperous?
• What were some of the Kodak moments that I want to remember from this year?  (Kodak moments are those times when you want to capture the picture or feeling of the experience forever.) It might be with your family, in nature, with friends.  It might be an awe-inspiring experience on a busy street corner.

Looking ahead to the coming year and beyond:

• What would you like to do to improve or maintain your physical body’s health and well-being?  This could include diet, exercise, medical interventions and rest.
• What steps will you take to improve or maintain your social relationships, such as those with your family?  What about the quality of your friendships? Do you have at least one person with whom you can confide some of your deepest thoughts? What can you do to improve or maintain these connections?
• What is your financial goal for next year?  What are the steps that you will take to achieve them?
• What are you tolerating in your daily life? In other words, are there minor irritants in your life that, once eliminated, could make your life flow more smoothly?  What five tolerations could you eliminate in the coming 30 days?
• How can you advance your career this year?  What steps can you take to enrich yourself or your business to take it to the next level?  Are there educational opportunities that you should take advantage of?
• What can you do to improve your spiritual life?  Are there some practices, such as prayer, meditation, reading or being in nature, that you could incorporate into your daily routine?  How can you feed your spirit this year?
• How can you be of service to others?  Can you give back to your community in a new way this year?  What would make your heart sing while serving others?
• Lastly, what one big goal do you have for your life?  What would make you happiest, most fulfilled, most purposeful in the next 10, 20, 30 or 40 years?  What is your plan to achieve it?

Happy New Year!

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Christmas Eve is magic.  Millions of people around the world are turning their thoughts to peace, hope and love tonight and the combined energy of those hearts and minds alone makes this night holy.  Ancient legend says that on Christmas Eve, animals talk to humans, sharing their wisdom. It is time to plug into the power of the soul world tonight and draw down some wisdom for you.

From my heart to yours, here is a Christmas Eve meditation. 

Mindfully light a candle, preferably white, and place it in front of you. Sit comfortably, with back straight and feet on the ground, or on a meditation cushion or bench. Soften your belly. Gently close your eyes. Take several deep, long breaths to relax your body. Quiet your mind by focusing on the breath for several moments. Let go of any tension in the body – relax your leg muscles, your stomach, your shoulders, your face.

When you feel centered and relaxed, imagine that it is night time and you are walking up a wooded path that gently slopes upward toward the top of a hill.  It is a chilly night, but the climb and your warm clothes keep you warm on the inside. You are carrying a lantern that casts a gentle but powerful light, so that you can see clearly the path in front of you and the trees that seem to hug the side of the smooth path you walk.  You can’t see where you are going but you keep on, knowing that the climb will be worthwhile and you will be richly rewarded for your efforts.  Imagine your slow but steady steps as you climb the hill. Take in the beauty of the safe, still night as you breathe deeply of the forest’s clean, crisp air.

With one more step, you erupt through the woods and arrive at the top of the hill.  There is a beautiful wooden bench there, waiting to provide you rest after your long climb.  Sit on the bench and rest for a few moments, giving thanks for the climb.  When you are ready, look up and search the night sky.  Do you see a particularly bright star in the eastern sky?  Focus on it for a moment, and appreciate its beauty.  As you gaze at the wondrous star, ask yourself the following questions and listen intently to the wisdom that comes to you, either through your knowing, your hearing, your sight or your feeling:

• What am I grateful for this Christmas Eve?  What blessings can I appreciate?
• What are my visions for myself and my loved ones?  What good do I wish to manifest in my life during the coming year?
• What are my hopes for this earth and all my sisters and brothers on it?  What are my blessings for everyone?

Linger on the hill top until you hear or know the answers, then gently pick up your lantern and slowly descend, following the beautiful and peaceful path. When you are ready, open your eyes, take a deep breath and smile. You may wish to write down the answers that you received on the hilltop.

Blessings to you on this holy Christmas Eve.

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If you’re like I am, it is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the day.  Rushing from one meeting to the next, dealing with demanding customers and employee’s concerns, putting out the latest "fire" at the office or at home, returning phone calls and wading through a knee-deep pile of emails - the din of a hectic schedule drowns out the hush of the quiet center of your true being.  The good news is your quiet center is always available and it is just waiting for you to tap in, however briefly, to its calm.

Here’s a tip for finding the stillness in the midst of a busy day.  Sit or pause quietly and turn your attention to your heart.  Focus on your heart until you can hear and feel it beating. You may need to close your eyes to block out distractions and zoom into this awareness. It sounds so simple, but when you are caught up in the day’s pseudo-emergencies, it is not easy. Rest for a moment in the strength and the love of your heart.  Plug in to its power. Once you feel the power, imagine sending love from your heart out to all those around you.

Because the heart is the body’s energetic center of love, compassion and forgiveness, this practice connects you to those higher virtues.  This mini-moment of awareness will allow you to go back to your tasks with renewed energy.  It is moments like these that help us become Everyday Mystics.

You might want to post reminders to yourself to find the stillness in your heart.  You can post sticky dots (you can find them in office supply stores) on your computer monitor, your refrigerator, your mirror and your car’s dashboard as a reminder to listen to your heart.  I get tingles on my face during the day, reminding me to go within and listen to my heart. You might take a moment before opening your email, your postal mail or before eating to focus on your heart. 

The result?  You will be happier, calmer, more connected to Source.  You will be more productive.  Others will want to be around you.

These are good things.

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In everyday life, we tend to notice only those things that are at eye level or below.  Our natural inclination is to look down - to look at our feet as we walk, to make sure we don’t trip, to see where we are going in the next step.  It takes intention and practice to look up and notice what is above our accustomed field of vision. Teach yourself to look up, because there are lights in the heavens, stars to be seen.  To look up is an act of viewing things from a higher perspective, to see not only the details of the moment but a vision of the future.  To look up is a metaphor for the ability to see opportunity in hard times, to hold fast to hope and faith, to realize that change is the only constant. 

During this holiday season, it is especially important to look up and see the big picture.  Many families are hurting from the tough economic times we face; others are grateful for whatever jobs they have and the ability to weather this storm.  Looking up will provide you a broader perspective, and the assurance of brighter things to come.

In December, many religions celebrate the looking-up themes of hope and the promise of the future. Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus; Jews light Menorah candles to remember hope and the miracle of the temple lamp oil lasting eight nights; in early December, Buddhists celebrate Rohatsu, the anniversary of the enlightenment of the Buddha and the possibility of enlightenment for all beings; earth-centered religions anticipate the coming of longer days by lighting yule logs in the fireplace. In the Christmas story, the shepherds and the wise men literally look up to see a bright star, a light in the sky, that guided them to the birthplace of Jesus and the promise of the Christ’s message of love. 

It is so easy to get caught up in darkness, whether it is the physical darkness of the winter days or the mental darkness of despair or just dull days.  We light candles and fires to remind us to figuratively look up, to see that there is hope even in darkness, that the light will return just as surely as a new day will dawn.  I derive great joy from the sweet turning and returning of this holy season. My hearts stirs with hope and faith when I observe stars in the winter night sky, Christmas lights in neighbor’s yards, and candles in the Menorah and in Christmas wreaths. I know that the days will start to lengthen and that warmth will return to our world. I give thanks that hope, love, joy and peace are celebrated at this time.

Remember, light always conquers darkness. Love and hope conquer fear. May peace reside in your heart. Look up and see the stars!

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