I'm Mary Jo Feeley.
Our news is filled every day with reports of earthquakes and unrest and civil wars,
And so do you find yourself wondering if maybe what you really want to do is go to a school and volunteer to be a reading buddy or stop at the grocery store and pick up some extra food for the food shelf?
Well my suggestion would be to do it.
In this episode I'm going to explore how is it that we stay present to the difficulties that are arising within our lives whether it is globally or in our own home or family and how do we stay present to that and what are some ways that we can continue to be able to be of service to others.
My sense is that when we are able to take care of ourselves when we are able to first and foremost have our own needs met we become much more effective and much more willing and open-hearted to be able to offer our gifts to others.
So it could be very likely that when we're hearing about these hard things arising in our world that while we may want to just not turn on the TV,
Not listen to the radio,
Not check our devices for the newest update from wherever it is that we're following,
I think what can be really helpful is for us to pause,
Recognize that there is difficulty in the world,
Do what we can through perhaps donating to a cause that we feel strongly about,
Reaching out to support those in need through prayer and meditation and loving kindness and also recognizing that showing up in our own life in our homes and in our community and making a positive difference is actually very very helpful.
So when I think of how I easily can go into kind of a tailspin when I'm hearing about all of these various unsettling issues taking place within our world,
One of the things I keep going back to is becoming aware of my physical body,
Becoming aware of my heart space and resting in that heart space in an embodied way.
And I would say that when we are experiencing a reaction or a response to a news item or some tragic event that takes place,
The most important thing is to first of all take care of ourself and figure out and really feel into what is arising for us.
If we're feeling enraged then we allow that enraged feeling to teach us how to open our heart and let those energies shift and clear.
If we're feeling despondent,
Perhaps it means reaching out to a friend,
A family member,
Perhaps a therapist or a person who is a clergy person within a tradition that you may follow.
Some kind of companion to be able to help you process through the hard stuff that's going on.
Then my sense also is that it's really important for us to bring hope into the world,
Into our community.
And so at the beginning of this episode I offered the idea of being a reading buddy.
For many years I worked within the school system,
In the school settings,
Especially in the elementary schools and there is never enough opportunity for someone to sign up to come in and spend a few minutes befriending another student,
Befriending a child who maybe just needs a few extra minutes of support to learn how to do that math problem or learn how to do that reading passage.
When we step outside of ourself we take the best part of us with us and when we show up in the world with our best aspect of ourselves shining forth,
We begin to make a difference within our life,
Within our family life,
And within our community.
When we hear of a tragic event that is halfway around the world there are some practical things that we can do.
As I mentioned we can find a charity of some kind that we feel that we can align with,
That we would like to actually provide some support and resources in an active way.
We definitely can hold the whole situation within our loving heart and when we feel discomfort,
When we feel frustration,
When we feel anger or a sense of not knowing what to do next,
We simply allow that all those doubts,
All those questionings to also sit within our heart space and allow that loving kindness,
That compassion that is within our inner being to be able to soften those situations.
And let's go out and make our neighborhoods and our community a better place.
So maybe you're at the grocery store and it's a two-for-one special and you buy one for yourself and you're want to put in the food shelf basket.
Or you get a flyer in the mail that talks about your local food shelf agency raising money especially as we're moving into the colder winter months.
That's an opportunity,
An invitation for us to just stop for a minute and think,
Hmm what can I do?
One of the things that I like to do is when I go throughout my community taking walks,
I try to always remember to take some kind of a bag that I can pick up litter and just deposit that in my trash can.
One of the ways you can do this really effectively and it feels really good to do it is consider doing it a day or the day of or the day following your neighborhood trash pickup because that's when some of this debris just flows out and around from the various collection receptacles.
So that reaching out to touch into taking care of nature is another way to extend your loving-kindness,
Extend your ability to offer your gifts into the world.
Not all of us is called to be a volunteer at a school.
Not all of us is called or has the resources to be able to buy extra items for a food pantry.
I would say though that all of us,
Each and every one of us,
Has a way to be able to touch into a way of offering ourselves as loving service to another.
So in just a minute I am going to shift us into a brief guided meditation and what I'm going to invite you to do during this meditation is to allow yourself to touch into that inner spark of that divine compassionate place within you that knows all the answers,
That helps guide you,
That place that helps you be quiet when it's appropriate to be quiet,
That place that helps you speak up courageously when it is important for you to do so as well.
So as you move through the guided meditation I'm going to offer several different ways for you to touch into how it is that you can make a difference in your own life,
In your own family,
In your own community,
And perhaps even the broader global community.
How you can do that within your own resources and your own abilities.
If for example you speak a second language maybe that's how you are being invited to reach out to be able to support others who may be in need and are hurting and confused just as we all are and to do so in a way that supports them because not everybody is able to connect with them and support them the way perhaps you can.
There is no right or wrong way to be of service to others.
What one person does is not a measuring stick for whether we did well or not.
It is about how do we make a difference and while we may have a really large idea of how that will look we always come back to just being present to what is right at the moment.
You may find that you want to write notes to people that you know are not able to be connected with verbally.
It could be that maybe you know that this is going into winter time is hard for a lot of people and so it might be that you want to give phone calls to them,
Reach out to them.
This is what I'm talking about.
It's about how do we kind of bridge our life and the lives of others in a way that's supportive and nurturing for both of us and benefits both of us.
So as we shift into this meditation I invite you to just close your eyes if you're comfortable and begin by simply bringing your awareness to your breath and allowing each breath to gently move in and move out at its own pace and simply follow the breath in and follow your breath out knowing that your breath is a beautiful way to help bring awareness to the present moment.
So when you are experiencing distress,
When you're unsettled by the news of the events taking place within the world,
Bringing yourself to your breath is a beautiful way to recenter and reconnect with present moment.
And now as your breath continues to move gently in and gently out,
Bring your awareness to your heart space.
This loving space,
This divine space that holds goodness,
Peace,
Loving-kindness,
Compassion,
Grace,
And love.
Breathe into that space.
Breathe into this beautiful heart center that connects you with your inner knowing,
Your inner wisdom.
And allow that breath that you draw in to begin to expand your heart center so that it fills your entire chest,
Creating space for all that you carry,
All of your concerns,
All of your worries,
Your anxieties and your hurts,
Your frustrations.
Space for all of it.
And within this heart space also,
Draw in all of the concerns you have for the world,
The way the difficulties and the unrest is playing out in different scenarios throughout the world.
And know that your divine heart space is big enough to hold all of those situations tenderly,
Allowing you to hold them without judgment or blame.
And within your heart space,
Call forth that inner wisdom,
That inner guidance.
And call forth an example,
An image,
A vision,
Perhaps hearing of a way that you can make a difference in your life,
In the world that is close to you within your community.
Calling forth that intention,
That a way that you can offer yourself in loving kindness and compassion and loving service to others,
That it be made clear to you as you rest in your heart space.
And allow an image or a thought or an idea and inspiration to begin to take form within your heart space.
How is it that you see yourself reaching out to others?
How is it that you are being invited to share your gifts with your community?
How is it that the uniqueness of you,
The uniqueness of you is being called to step forward courageously?
Opening your empowered and loving arms to be present to another,
Perhaps a child,
Perhaps an elder,
Perhaps to someone yet unknown to you.
Allow your inner guidance to present to you opportunities that have been planted within your mind within your heart for some time.
And they are now ready to take form to take shape.
It is now time for you to embody your gifts and your giftedness in a way to bring joy and hope and happiness and peace into the world.
And see yourself,
Allow yourself to move into what this service,
This opportunity of offering time,
Treasure,
Your talents,
Offering them to the world.
Notice,
Notice what's happening.
Notice how you feel as you see yourself moving into this new way of offering another option in a world that would call us into distress and frustration.
See your spark shining forth and see the sparks of others shining forth,
Creating a glowing,
Bright field,
A connected energy of compassion and grace and love.
Know that your heart space always holds truth.
Your heart space is always the place to go to when you seek answers,
When you seek clarity,
When you seek insight and guidance.
And know that this blessed heart center,
Your blessed inner light is always one breath away.
And now knowing that all that has been revealed to you will continue to rise into your conscious awareness.
As you move forward,
Inspiring you with new ideas,
Bringing you courage to step forward with the ideas that have been coming to the surface for some time now.
Trusting and knowing that goodness comes out of your loving service,
Your giftedness.
And now very gently begin once again to bring your awareness to your breath.
All the while breathing in,
Releasing out this beautiful inflow and release of divine connectedness that resides within you and all beings.
Taking one or two more breaths,
Begin to wiggle your toes a little bit,
Your fingers a little bit,
And feel your body as you become more present once again to your body.
Returning to present awareness.
So this meditation,
My hope is that you have found it to be a simple and effective way to pause,
To center,
To become present,
And to open up into the possibilities that await you.
As you open and surrender to your inner divine wisdom,
Your inner divine guidance,
And your inner divine blessing that you have for the world.
What you do in the world matters.
Whether it is picking up a can of tuna,
Or a bag of dal,
Or some tortillas,
Or whether it is writing a check,
Or signing up to volunteer at the community center where the seniors gather,
Or walking around with an old bag,
Picking up the litter that is blown out of trash cans.
What you do matters.
And what we do within our lives,
Within our communities,
Ripples out to the world.
And there are times when it's going to feel overwhelming.
So reach out.
Reach out to friends,
Reach out to colleagues,
Reach out perhaps to somebody within a faith or wisdom tradition that you follow that is able to offer guidance.
If you work with a therapist,
Then work with that therapist,
That counselor,
That supportive listener to be able to help you process what's arising.
It is difficult in the world.
That is for sure.
It's very disheartening.
It's very much filled with sorrow.
And we can name that and also choose to live into a way of experiencing love and laughter and joy and bringing hope into the world.
So at this time,
I wish you many blessings.
I am so grateful for the way that you are reaching out to change your corner of the world,
First by starting with you,
Polishing your own heart smear,
And then reaching out to support others as they do the same.
Many blessings.
Be well.
