Shirley Riga
Aug 28, 20204 min
With my head bent, my eyes low, I bow before you.
I honor the light within you.
I honor the path you walk.
I honor your life choices.
As I sit in silence, my world expands.
I am more than my body
I am more than my mind
I am aware I am.
I welcome my mind and my heart
To join together as one
Guiding me with reasoning
Guiding me with compassion.
At times my mind is inhabited with a monkey
Clanging its cymbals distracting me.
A comical crazed monkey flicking on and off the
Neon lights demanding I veer off.
Sometimes I go down the rabbit hole of despair
Losing my way into critical thoughts, and
Pointing fingers and oh poor me about
Pain and loss and life is no fair.
Each time I wander I learn.
Each time I criticize I remember
Each time I despair I find compassion
I am more than my body. I am more than my mind.
Namaste I say to the mirror
I bow to my wanderings
I bow to my despair
I bow to my fears
Namaste to my remembering
My bumblings in life are about learning
My compassion grows with each step
I surrender into the honoring.
Namaste
A blessing on one who sits (Unknown Author)
When you light your candle and sit for prayer
may you sense the millions of whom you become a part.
When you sit and position for prayer or reflection or silence
may your body pause with your mind,
your mind with your soul,
and your soul with the sky which rests in light and day
doing its job, like you, of simply being.
When you sit in the silence of your prayer-space
may the "One Who Is" comfort you when you wonder if
you are being heard, and
may you see a different light,
a different hope,
which comes only from the waiting.
May the thoughts which invade your mind
like soldiers marching on a silent city be diverted down the road
which leads out of town.
May the worries which knock at the door of your heart
find that they must wait some time at that door,
locked against such intruders on eros.
May the annoyances which have hooked you
like a fisherman's hook find their lines cut
by your willingness to let go of your captor
so that you may be caught by the Lover of Souls.
And may your breath slow,
your heart-race calm,
your chatter quiet
your body pause.
And when you have passed hearing your
monkeys chattering in your mind's trees;
and after you hear your God say what needs
to be said to you;
may you begin to overhear your voice
speaking of how very, very good and beloved you are.
Participants’ Reflections:
I was captured by the image of the fish unhooked, not necessarily by a cut line, but released from anything hauling the fish up to the surface. Aware of being under water in lake water, not necessarily clear but just sort of floating. Just a lovely spot to be.
Namaste – it’s always for me about a light within my chest and what I usually do is slowly push it out over my whole body. Sometimes it’s very difficult to get this bright, warm fabulous feeling out. This morning I just threw it out and it hit my entire body at the same time. I was abuzz in my body. I pushed it further out. I invited different members of my entire family into it.
I picked out the word cymbal. I heard symbol. It goes back to the little monkey. I was on a meditation last night and I heard how we are all connected in community. Richard Rohr, a contemplative person, talks about the level of consciousness above all our individualism. I was thinking about that. Trying to be okay with a monkey mind, be curious about what I’m feeling. I’m glad to be here.
I appreciate the namaste to everything. The day after my family leaves is always a hard day. Quiet, contemplative, sad component, glad component. Appreciative, lots of gratitude. I appreciate this space of saying hello to it all, respecting and loving it all.
I’ve been exploring the 5th dimension and, over the last few days, I have this sense of understanding the 5th dimension. In that dimension I can see the bigger me, this energy around me. Today I could feel it. My crown chakra was immense. I have been looking for a connection with everyone and I could see the connection in the 6th dimension.
We live in the 3rd dimension. We are moving and growing which is the 4th dimension. The 5th dimension is the new paradigm we are moving into which is the merging of the mind and heart.
I had a real sense yesterday as I was sitting in silence, that the Earth as a whole is in childbirth. Those who have gone through childbirth can relate, when we are so ripe and ready to pop near the end, it’s frightening to go through delivery because it’s such a huge endeavor. There is no stopping it as it is a greater force than what our minds can fathom. I feel the Earth is moving, even with all the chaos going on. We are still moving forward because there is an evolutionary process happening.
I’m frustrated today. I can’t settle my heart and my mind. I feel peaceful but I wish I could get to a different level. I guess it takes more practice.
Hang in there and be patient with yourself. The mind gets scared and wants to distract us away from the practice. If you’re veered off, that’s fine because you have the choice to pull yourself back.
Staying with the 15 minutes of silence demonstrates you’re staying with the practice through the struggle.
I have so much patience for everyone else. I need to practice patience for myself. A good affirmation is I am Patient. I am Patient enough.