I say it’s a good time to be alive, because it’s a time that enlivens us to the realization that this world needs consciously aware people and…we’re IT! I write this at the start of the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I was raised in this tradition, sadly more as a cultural obligation, than a deeply felt faith tradition. Through my study of Ernest Holmes’ Science of MInd, I have come to a richer and deeper understanding of my heritage and love what I continue to learn.
For example, I discovered that this time of the Jewish New Year celebrates the birth of civilization…the origin of the world as we have come to know it and all credit of course, going to the Creator, G-D (written Hebrew style) The 10 sacred days are an invitation to introspection, to reassessing our actions during the past year and to ideally coming to some new commitments as to how to be a better person and how to contribute more value to a world in pain.
When the ram’s horn is blasted…100 times during the 10 days, anyone who has ever heard it, can now appreciate that sounding it is specifically done to ‘rouse the soul!’ Unfortunately, in our western culture, superficiality can run rampant. In other parts of the world, as tough as we may think we have it here, there is a more pronounced and drastic effort to simply stay alive, find a safe space for oneself and family and to obtain enough food to survive. Life across the seas is precarious and by relative comparison we’ve still got it pretty darn good in our United States. The realization dawns that we really are all one, connected global community and this mutuality touches our innermost nerve of compassion…where we take pause and can actually experience others’ suffering. We can then lift ourselves to the fundamental holiness that exists in ourselves and as all creation and are awakened with a message that doesn’t stop there, but rather unrelentingly asks the question, “What can I do? How can I help? Where can my unique gifts and talents be offered to my Divine family…a family inseparable from God’s Presence and Power…and where can I do this, right where I Am?”
Meticulous Self-Inquiry also carries the gift of forgiveness, of making amends, of reconciliation and renewal. Isn’t that what a ‘new year’ is really about? It’s the promise of another chance to be more visibly the ‘living Spirit almighty’ in human form. And, so I know for each and every one of you a cohesive integration first and foremost in mind, body and spirit and then the grace and ease with which this inner revelation of oneness inevitably finds its way outward into the ideal creative endeavors which bless and benefit everyone including your self.
AWARENESS CONTEMPLATION:In a most sacred manner, I meditate every morning by silent repetition of the mantra: GOD IS, I AM. I gently attune this repetition of mind and spirit to my body, by affirming GOD IS on my inhalation and I AM as I exhale. I allow this natural pattern of breath and mantra to emerge on its own and if another more harmonious rhythm of doing this is revealed, I let it be! Should my thoughts drift elsewhere, I gently return to my GOD IS (breathing in), I AM (breathing out). If meditation is new to me, I start with 5 minutes and gradually and naturally build each day until reaching 20-30 minutes. I freely let my own Being inform my progress and I give thanks for deepening my experience of Oneness with Life Itself.
AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER:I welcome my awareness that God Is, I Am into my daily prayers, which causes me to stay conscious of my oneness with the Divine. I acknowledge, release and forgive myself and others for all past infractions. This is a new day, a new opportunity to know what’s real, and a new year, in which to start fresh. I commit to daily spiritual practices of meditation, inner contemplation and affirmative prayer which provides greater peace, harmony, order, wisdom, love and richness for myself and all others. I greet my life and all life with awe, wonder and gratitude for the gifts offered and for my grateful acceptance and sharing of them. And that’s the way it really is!
* REMINDER: To explore more ideas on this topic, as they personally relate to your life, e-mail me at: revsue@verizon.net.
Abundant and loving blessings during this and all seasons!
Dr. Sue