We Are Stardust Sharing Love

Each and every one of us evolved from stardust. What a thought to send us on our way each day. Each one of us is a product of countless co-incidences, evolution, chance encounters, accidents, and events of all kinds. What if there had been any break, any tiny break, or any difference in any one of these long sequences? We are amazing, astonishing. This gift of life which we enjoy is the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance of a lifetime of sharing love and kindness.

Transcript

Music Dear friends,

Welcome to this meditation which gives thanks for the wonder of our being.

Let's begin by bringing ourselves into the present moment.

So we close our eyes,

Relax,

Feet firmly on the floor,

Backs straight but not rigid.

Drop any tension that we might have around our face or our jaw,

And just relax.

Notice your breathing in and out.

Maybe place your hands on your chest and notice your heartbeat.

And take this moment to be still.

Wayne Doerr tells us,

Everything that's created comes out of silence.

Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence.

Your words come out of this void.

Your very essence emerged from emptiness.

All creativity requires some stillness.

So notice how good it is to be still.

Notice how good it is to be here.

And now just notice how amazing it is to be here.

I don't mean how amazing it is to be in the room that we're in,

Each of us,

And we are grateful for that,

But how amazing it is to be here at all,

That we exist.

Every day offers us a new possibility,

To see things in a new light,

To see people in a new light,

Not expecting the same response as yesterday,

Not writing people off.

So let's pause for one minute to notice the fact that we are here together,

Enjoying this space.

It's time to go.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Time to go.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Time to go.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Welcome back.

How amazing it is to be here at all.

That you and I exist.

We have to stop every now and then,

Pinch ourselves back into realisation.

And notice again something that we hardly pay attention to at all as we go about the business of the day.

That we exist.

Here I am and here you are.

And what an amazing fact that is.

And the amazing fact that anything exists instead of nothing.

Instead of utter emptiness.

But the simple fact is that the universe exists.

And in some amazing way we do too.

Here we are,

Thinking conscious beings.

The fact is that in some extraordinary way which we cannot explain,

We are here,

With our individual consciousness,

Right now.

Reflections like this help us to generate feelings of gratitude as we awake every morning to the gift of a new day.

So let's pause for one minute,

60 seconds in gratitude for this gift.

Yes.

Welcome back.

We did nothing to earn this,

Our life today,

Our place in the world.

And when you think of the odds against any of us being here,

Those odds are just staggering,

Quite beyond imagining.

Even the odds against life having emerged on this planet at all are staggering.

And then over countless millions of years this process having led to you sitting here today listening to this and to me offering it to you.

The whole idea is just incredible.

You couldn't make it up.

I mean,

Just consider for a moment the odds against the Earth having evolved from stardust,

The fallout from the Big Bang and whatever caused that,

And over countless millions of years our planet becoming suitable for the evolution of life.

And then life having come into being where there was previously only inanimate matter,

That was quite a leap from one form of existence to another even more amazing form.

And that early emergence of life leading eventually to us,

To you and to me.

When you think of it you come to realise that each and every one of us is evolved from stardust.

What a thought to send us on our way each day.

Let's pause for 60 seconds of amazement.

Welcome back.

And then each one of us is a product of countless coincidences,

Evolution,

Chance encounters,

Accidents and events of all kinds,

Life surviving through flood and fire,

Earthquake and meteor showers,

Through the land of the dinosaurs and through the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Just think of this,

If there had been any break,

Any tiny break or any difference in any one of this long sequence of events,

You would not be listening to this.

And for that matter I would not be sending you this meditation.

There would be no you,

No me,

Maybe no one at all,

Maybe not even the Earth.

We are beyond amazing in a world that is itself beyond amazing,

Simply beyond imagining.

And that leads us on to the question,

What will we do with this life of ours,

This wonderful new day,

This wonderful day,

This wonderful life that we enjoy?

Yes,

Life may have its ups and downs,

It will have both,

You can be sure.

Its highs,

Its lows,

Every life has its moments which we label good or bad.

Good moments which we love and hopefully few and far between some challenging times.

But life is life.

The challenging moments are unwelcome when they hit but we can find frequently that they cause us to grow.

For each of us this is a unique life.

A clean slate is provided as we awake to the dawn of each new day.

What use will we make of this day,

This unique once in a lifetime day that awaits us?

The writer John O'Donoghue tells us,

One of the greatest sins is the unlived life.

He was very aware of the shortness and the fragility of this life of ours.

He used the quote,

Walk around feeling like a leaf,

Know you could tumble at any second,

Then decide what to do with your time.

Such a good way to put it.

And as he died suddenly at the age of 52 these words read like a prophecy for himself.

Know you could tumble at any second,

Then decide what to do with your time.

This reminds us of what Mary Oliver said in her famous quote,

Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

We are reminded to wake up,

Not only to wake up in the morning as we do,

But to really wake up,

Open our eyes and really pay attention to the wonderful reality in which we exist.

To see the divine in the everyday,

And that will make a huge difference to our lives.

And to enter each day with the thought of making it a good day for ourselves and for the people around us.

Let's pause again for another minute,

This time to set a good intention.

Good intention.

Welcome back.

The Dalai Lama tells us we are visitors on this planet.

We are here for 100 years at the very most.

During that period we must try to do something good,

Something useful with our lives.

If you contribute to other people's happiness you will find the true meaning of life.

Words of the Dalai Lama.

So as we approach a new day,

Can we set an intention?

We know that we are going to meet people and have dealings with them as the day progresses.

Some of the situations we will face will be challenging.

Some of the people we will meet will be difficult.

They may have gotten out on the wrong side of the bed.

They may have issues and worries that we cannot even begin to imagine.

So how will we plan to meet these people and these situations?

How to prepare for this day?

In the first place,

With patience.

This is a quality frequently needed if life is to proceed reasonably comfortably.

Deciding to be patient will keep you out of a lot of trouble.

People that come from reacting to situations without stopping first to take all the circumstances and consequences into account.

But the decision to exercise patience is just one decision that you will find useful to apply in the morning.

It will help keep you out of trouble,

But to our morning mix we need to add the decision to spread a little kindness.

Won't we always you might ask,

To which the honest answer may well be,

Well not always.

We exercise kindness when we think of it or where the circumstances call out for it.

And where there is such a call we will respond favourably and generously.

But we could go a little further by deliberately trying to set up circumstances where we can exercise kindness without waiting for the circumstances to call for the kindness response.

An example.

We can decide,

Today I will perform one unexpected act of generosity.

Or today I will look out for a chance to do something for someone who will not have the opportunity to repay me.

Or something for someone who may not even know who I am.

Today I will be generous in my thanksgiving for favours received.

Because our memories of kindness can be short lived.

Our sense of entitlement can be deeply ingrained.

When we receive benefits we may not even notice them as benefits.

We are so used to being on the receiving end of love and certain supports.

And even when we do notice there is the danger that we will take the benefit for granted.

It's only when we lose someone close to us,

Or we lose something that is constantly provided,

That we realise the extent of our loss and the little extent of our gratitude.

The coronavirus is an example.

The lockdown allowed us to look around and notice so many things around us that were so regular,

So reliable as to be invisible and unappreciated.

A simple trip to the cinema.

A night at the theatre.

A drink with friends in a pub.

Not to mention the more serious loss.

Close companionship.

Hugs.

The ability to be with people in their final moments.

The ability to visit a church in prayer.

So for today let us watch out for the good things that come our way and be generous and prompt in giving thanks.

We can also surprise people who are good to us and who do a good job for us by taking note of the good deed,

The good service and months later and out of the blue delivering a word of thanks.

A reminder of thanks.

A reminder of our gratitude.

When this happens months after the event it shows sincere appreciation and it encourages the doer of the good deed to do even more.

These and other positive thoughts can get our day off to a good start.

And remember too that our lives are not made up of months and years,

So much as days and hours.

What we do today and tomorrow adds up.

It forms our character.

Over years it represents a great amount of positive energy.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk.

He is the founder of Plum Village in France.

He was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr.

For the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his book Understanding Our Mind,

50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology,

Thich Nhat Hanh tells us,

My actions are my only true belongings.

I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

My actions are the ground on which I stand.

A good reminder as we start out on each day.

Remember this is not just another new day.

It's a day full of opportunity.

A day never to be repeated.

A wonderful day with wonderful potential,

Waiting there for us to allow it to bloom.

A day offered to us as children of Stardust.

We are amazing.

We are astonishing.

The gift of life which we enjoy is the opportunity of a lifetime.

As we appear for a brief time on the stage that has formed from the dust of the stars.

Namaste.

Reviews

What a beautiful heartfelt meditation on the miracle of Life on this Planet, Tony, Thank You! You with your gentle lovely insights are such a Treasure! Thank You for quoting John O’Donohue and Mary Oliver. You are right up there with them in my Gallery of Support snd Inspiration. Bless You and keep you well and inspired always, Dear Tony. 🕯️♾️🪽🌍✨🪐

Brings to mind the Crrosby Stills and Nash song.."We are stardust , We are golden..We are billion year old carbon"... such a beautiful meditation Tony and what are the chances Im here and I got to listen to your wonderful gift...🥰

Amazing meditation session and teaching. Thank you for this wonderful moment. Merci beaucoup

One of my favorite talks by Tony, I’ll have to listen to it several times again Sometimes my mind wanders a little and I miss something . 😄 I love the quotes he sprinkles in his talks, and the one minute pauses for stillness and reflection. Thank you for doing so many tracks on here as I work my way through them every morning .

Thank you! That was the best 20 minutes I’ve spent in awhile! I appreciate you!

Tony you are always so uplifting and inspiring
Thank you

THIS is exactly what I needed this morning! Thank you so very, very much. My spirit is shiny and amazed at our very existence. Namasté

We are all stardust appearing yet for a brief moment on this plane! Such a beautiful reminder Tony! As always, thank you for sharing such wonderful and inspiring content with us on this platform! I’m eternally grateful for your contribution and so very blessed that I discovered your work here! Namaste

Thank you 🙏 Tony
A lovely vision of what we all share in this miracle of life. Tiny details can be so important. Gratitude and patience are great tools for managing our hours and days
Namaste 💗💗💗

Incredibly beautiful gratitude practice - thank you 🙏🏼

Thank you for this wonderful meditation full of golden reminders for a day and a life well lived 🙏

Words of wisdom...love the stories, imagery and quotes interwoven into this reflective practice. Thank you 🙏🌟💫

Thank you for this positive and lovely meditation. What a way to start my day. I am filled with love and gratitude and awe of this full life I lead. Thank you! Many blessings to you. ❤️

Thank you so much Tony. Very grateful for all you create, give & share. We appreciate you.

Thank you Tony for these splendid words of wisdom. This is a most affirming practice.

I have a mug that says older than dirt. Stardust. Beautiful. Thank you

How miraculous life is! And what a gift! Many thanks for this profound meditation and your, as always, kind guidance. Namaste 🤓🙏🏻

Oh what a day it will be! Love this message and you❤️

This was so amazing and beautiful. You have such a gift and I am so great full that you share that gift each day with so many and I am one of those fortunate to receive it. Thank you so much for always such a deep and wonderful meditation. You truly are a wonderfully way to start my day with. 🙏🏻

Astonishing. And very helpful, remindig us how precious is our life, advice how to live it. Thank you, Toni.