You You You You As we stand here together looking at the world in the early part of this 21st century More than ever we need wisdom to guide us.
We need wisdom to light our way.
Some years ago I realized that I am not wise and that I live in a world that is not wise.
I saw in myself a habit of turning away from love,
From connection and from aliveness.
And a habit that grew almost in direct proportion to the growing internal sense of self that I was cultivating.
Cultivating in lockstep with the encouragement of our culture of individualism,
Self-will and self-love.
I made decisions based on this troublesome self and would then be surprised that the fruits of those decisions did not give me the happiness and peace that I craved.
Just as companies and countries make decisions based on this mythical selfhood and individualism,
Believing that there will be peace and happiness in a world of I am alright.
My constant prayer these days is for wisdom,
For the eyes to see reality,
For the heart to feel it and for the will to turn towards the world as it is and to love it rather than to hate it.
The wisdom to understand the interconnection of life,
To feel my tiny breath and heartbeat in the multitude and to know that my breath and my heartbeat matter in exactly the same measure that everybody's matters.
My prayer is for the wisdom to know that peace and happiness cannot be bought or traded or acquired,
That they spring from the great mystery of being fully alive in reality.
And as I struggle,
And I think will always struggle with my own lack of wisdom,
I've been delighted to find that the Greek word for wisdom is Sophia and that in ancient scripture wisdom is referred to as she,
Which is in itself an exceptional event in what was then a very male-dominated world.
And I had always assumed that wisdom is something very practical,
Some understanding of moral values or a code for living.
And of course it can be.
But as I was drawn further into the mystery of Sophia,
I found that wisdom is guidance.
It,
She,
Is an alive presence,
A gift to connect us to the mystery of life and to the vast unknowable capacity of the human heart.
Wisdom is a unique catalyst for transformation of the human person's life into one of goodness,
Truth,
And beauty.
And there had been many moments since I stumbled across this active presence of Sophia when I've been truly overwhelmed by an unnameable joy,
One that contains all of my happiness and all of my sorrows and presses tears to my eyes and a beautiful pain of love into my heart.
It's often at strange moments where the world seems so very hard and so very gray,
Some small thing,
Truly ordinary,
Perhaps a soft glance between lovers,
A light going on in a dark house on a dark night,
The smell of wood smoke in autumn,
A greeting between people filled with years of love and of care.
These small unnoticeable and overlooked moments will bring suddenly the vast beauty of the universe and the goodness of life bursting out of the grayness.
This is the presence of wisdom,
The breath of life,
The smile of Sophia.
And so this meditation is a prayer to wisdom,
A prayer to call her into our lives,
To animate our hearts,
Our minds,
And our wills with the lush desire for aliveness,
Connection,
And possibility in this time,
Which needs her guidance and presence,
Perhaps more than any other.
So close your eyes now.
And let's drop into the awareness of Sophia's presence together.
And make this a sacred time.
Where we can reflect on our need for wisdom in our blood and bones and heart and soul.
So close your eyes now.
And let's drop into the awareness of Sophia's presence together.
And make this a sacred time.
Where we can reflect on our need for wisdom in our blood and bones and heart and soul.
And make this a sacred time.
Where we can reflect on our need for wisdom in our blood and bones and heart and soul.
So close your eyes now.
And let's drop into the awareness of Sophia's presence together.
And make this a sacred time.
Where we can reflect on our need for wisdom in our blood and heart and soul.
And make this a sacred time.
Where we can reflect on our need for wisdom in our blood and heart and soul.
So close your eyes now.
Step one.
Notice.
Just notice now how you're feeling.
This is just a gentle inquiry.
Scan your mind,
Your body,
Your emotions.
Wherever you feel that the kind gaze of your attention needs to settle.
Just be here for a few moments.
Noticing how you are.
Holding that question for yourself.
How am I today?
Now let's move to step two.
Breathe.
And we bring that soft focus of our inward attention to our breath now.
And just begin to feel it.
To watch it.
Its natural rhythm.
The rise and fall of your chest.
Marvel at how this is always happening.
Whether our attention rests here or not.
And just focus on your breath.
This wondrous breath.
That animates you.
That creates your aliveness.
That is the doorway for wisdom.
And as you relax,
Just imagine your breath,
Your heart,
And your mind are softly opening.
Like flowers.
Opening in the sunlight of wisdom.
And just be here for a few moments,
Basking in that peace.
Now we move to step three.
Activate.
And we're going to be here.
Softly opening ourselves to the presence of wisdom.
And whatever there is in your life that requires the light and breath of wisdom.
Call it to mind and just place it here in your heart.
Confident that the guidance will come.
And I'm going to describe her,
This lovely Sophia wisdom.
As she is described in the book of wisdom.
And as the words come.
Allow them to weave a cloak of love around you.
Begin a conversation with this beautiful presence that seeks you.
Within her is a spirit,
Intelligent,
Holy,
Unique,
Manifold,
Subtle,
Active,
Unsullied,
Lucid,
Invulnerable,
Benevolent,
Sharp,
Irresistible.
Beneficent.
Loving to humankind.
Steadfast.
Dependable.
Unperturbed.
All my see.
All surveying.
Penetrating all intelligent,
Pure,
And most subtle spirits.
For wisdom is quicker to love than any motion.
She is so pure.
She pervades and permeates all things.
She is a breath of the power of God.
Pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty.
Hence nothing impure can find a way into her.
She is a reflection of eternal light.
Untarnished mirror of God's active power.
Image of God's goodness.
Step four.
Peace beam.
As you sit,
Just absorb this presence that is with you always,
Giving promptings to your heart and mind.
Guiding you to what is good and true and beautiful.
Pointing to your unimaginable capacity for love and for life.
Feel your heart running over with the light of Sophia.
And see that light becoming beams of wisdom to light the way for everyone in your life.
To light the ordinary and the extraordinary moments.
And to bring possibility in every breath.
May you be blessed with the presence of wisdom.
Peace.
