I Arise Today

How can we manage to find wonder in the ordinary and the every day when we are so blinded by our familiarity with the beautiful? This reflection at the beginning of the day can help us renew our sense of amazement and awe.

Photo by joe ting. Background music Mystic Awakening by Enlightened Audio

Transcript

Dear friends,

Welcome to this wonderful new day.

I recently came upon an inspiring meditation by Luke McLeod here on InsideTimer.

Luke invited his listeners to drop anchor along the shoreline of the present moment.

I loved the imagery of that suggestion.

The words are something that we could usefully place on a notice above our computer screens or in some place where we will regularly come across the words.

So now for one minute,

Before we prepare to give thanks for the gift of yet another day,

Close your eyes.

Relax.

Let things be.

And please accept Luke's invitation to drop anchor along the shoreline of the present moment.

A one minute pause.

Welcome back.

A question for you.

How can we manage to find wonder in the ordinary and the everyday when we are so blinded by our familiarity with the beautiful and the wonderful?

How can we do this?

How can we renew our sense of amazement and awe?

We can think of our rooms as ordinary and boring until we see them in a reverse image and suddenly we realise what an interesting place is this room of ours.

And we can take for granted too the people in our lives,

People whose love for us is never in question.

Their unfailing loyalty and devotion can lead us to believe,

If we think of it at all,

That they will always be there,

Always around,

Always with us.

When we lose good people like this,

We wish we could have the gift of one more day or even one more hour in which to exchange conversation with the person.

The feeling is captured for us in a song,

Dance With My Father,

By Luther Vandross.

I'm sure you will have come across this song.

Each time I hear that song,

I think of my own father.

I lost my dad when I was 13,

An age when I didn't really understand or appreciate him.

I think how wonderful it would be if I only had one hour to exchange words with him again,

To return the hugs that he gave me,

One hour to ask questions about his life,

To discover what he believed,

What made him tick,

If only.

I'm sure you have had the same experience when you call to mind people whom you've loved and lost,

Especially in the case of a sudden death.

As we know,

We cannot undo the past,

But the lessons of the past can make for a better future,

A better approach to the future.

We are reminded to see the people in our lives and all the many benefits of our lives for the unique and wonderful and temporary gifts that they are.

One idea might be to imagine that you've been living abroad for years,

Out of touch with family and friends,

And at long last you've managed to return to the place where you are now,

The place you call home.

Just imagine that.

Imagine looking around and noticing everyone and everything good about this place.

Pay attention to everything that reminds you that this is home,

This is where you belong,

Your nest,

The sanctuary you can return to at night.

Let's have another one minute pause and after this I'd like to share a prayer with you.

As you may know from my accent,

I live in Ireland and tradition has it that Christianity was brought to Ireland by St.

Patrick around the year 432.

The saint is considered to be the author of a morning prayer,

Which is known as St.

Patrick's Breastplate.

In this prayer,

Patrick calls upon God and all the powers of heaven to take care of him in the day ahead.

We are blessed here in this community,

In Insight Timer,

To have people of many different traditions and we can all enjoy the inspiration that comes to us from hearing about traditions which are not our own.

An example might be the use of the word God.

For some people,

The word God conjures up an image of an old bearded gentleman somewhere out there.

This idea of God can be imagined as an oversized version of ourselves,

An image that's not very helpful at all,

When by his or her or its or their very nature,

God must be beyond description by our tiny minds.

So in the prayer that follows,

Feel free to accept the words God and Christ as representing whatever you consider to be ultimate and the fundamental basis for existence.

St.

Patrick's Breastplate I arise today through the strength of heaven,

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendour of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock.

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

From all who shall wish me ill,

Afar and near,

Alone and in a multitude,

Against every cruel,

Merciless power that may oppose my body and soul.

Christ be with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ to shield me,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me.

I arise today.

Let's have another one minute pause now.

Welcome back again.

So welcome to this wonderful new day.

May you never take the dawning of a new day for granted.

May you find love and happiness and many opportunities for good in this new day and in every new day.

Today may God,

Whoever you consider God to be,

Help you through the challenges and the opportunities of the day.

May your higher power keep you safe and guide you every step of your way.

May you find love,

Inspiration and renewal today and every day.

When evening comes,

May you rest with a heart full of thankfulness,

Content in the knowledge that,

Despite any failings,

You have tried today to be the best you can be.

May you enjoy restful sleep and awake tomorrow with gratitude for the gift of another new day,

A day full of the opportunities that only come to us one day at a time.

Namaste.

Namaste.

Reviews

From where I drop my anchor to the land of my Great Great grandparents the Adams of Hillsborough, County Down, Thank you! Thank you! You are a blessing!

This was simply so meaningful and well spoken, I will share with others, you are a master of speaking the words in a calming, and loving matter. Thank you 🩵🙏

As good as going to church this Sunday morning 1st November waking up 1,00 miles away from my house and home. Thank you Tony yet again for another amazing start to my day 🙏

Very beautiful, Tony. Sending gratitude and blessings to you today 🙏🏼

I am so happy to hear The Saint Patrick’s prayer which I had never heard of and it is very beautiful. I’m going to look for it in hardcopy. Thank you, Tony, always a great Way to start my day.

Tony! The prayer/poem by St Patrick moved me in a way so unexpected. A tear rolled down my cheek. I thought about what it would mean to share it with the world, especially at this time in our collective life which is difficult for so many. Wow! Thank you.❤️

Many thanks dear Tony, lovely to drop my anchor and spend time meditating with you. As always helpful reflections and a grand start to the day. Blessings to you. 🙏

Just beautiful! Perfect beginning to this glorious day! I have so much to be grateful for including this inspirational platform! Blessings to you this day Tony! 🙏🏻

Absolutely beautiful! I've never heard St.Patricks breastplate prayer before .. so powerful! I will now refer to it often in my morning practice. Thank you Tony 💖

Beautiful meditation and lovely prayer🙏🏼🕊️
Namaste Tony🧘🏻‍♀️

Wonderful, I appreciate these touching words and prayer.

Thanks for another wonderful talk. I was familiar with a different version of this prayer, but both are powerful. Thank you for enriching my mornings.

Tony, thanks for this beautiful meditation, a wonderful way to start this brand new day. I loved the poem toward the end with the image of Christ above me, below me and around me. I want to remember that thought as I go through today.

Thank you for your beautiful message , I will love to have 1 hour with my mom , ask her so many questions and rest on her lap. Thank you 🙏🏼 namaste

Beautiful! What an uplifting start to a new day. Thank you, as always. 💛🙏 xx

That was so uplifting. Loved the prayer in the middle of the meditation. 🌈👍🇮🇪💚 very good for Sunday 😃

Oh this was one of your best yet Tony! I really enjoyed this meditation this morning. Beautiful day here in California and I’m on deck seeing nothing but green trees, the family of momma deer and last years baby, as well as the blue jays that swoop all over.
Thank you for a lovely way to celebrate my day- full of opportunities that only come one day at a time.
💖🕊️🐾🪷🦋🪻🙏🏽🪶🌸🌿🌱🌻🌺🌹🦋💐🌷🌼🪴

I loved this. Thank you! First for me, to hear the St. Patrick's Breastplate prayer. I now know that prayer was the inspiration for the lyrics in the song, "Be with Me" created by a dear harpist/vocalist friend. Beautiful.

I substituted “Goodness” for Christ in this meditation. Thanks Tony.

I had just heard the Luke McLeod meditation right before finding yours this morning! What a great way to start my day! Thank you !