The fourth and final part of advent begins today. This is the day to take a deep breath and go back to the beginning, back to the spirit of love that brings me to this place of light and grace; back to living in the Spirit, and being Spirit.
When I observe advent well, I find that I am now mostly prepared for Christmas- my house is fairly clean, shopping is almost finished, and the cupboards are filled with delectable food. I need to complete only a few finishing touches.
I need only to keep my focus on the Spirit of Love that guides me.
I need only to keep my focus on the Spirit of Love that guides me.
Agenda:
1. Awareness Walk
2. Deliver cookies to neighbors
3. Advent wreath ceremony
4. Plan ways to give attention to Light and Love
5. Christmas Novena, day 8
1. Awareness Walk:
This past fall I enjoyed my daily Blessings Walk practice, and so this month I decided to design a similar practice, for the purpose of awareness. Each morning as I walk my dog I will give attention to these:
1. Physical Awareness: Begin my walk, and concentrate on my feet as they touch the ground, the feel of my muscles, my breathing, my surroundings, the breeze, the sky. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.
2. Heart Awareness: Turn a corner, and focus on my tender heart. Feel it soften and open. Send loving thoughts to my neighbors as I walk by their homes, to my family, to my community, to the world. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.
3. Mindfulness: Turn another corner, and pay attention to my thoughts. Make an effort to open my mind to the ambiguity of the moment, and my life. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.
4. Spiritual Awareness: Turn the last corner, and (holding on to the awareness I've raised) speak a prayer out loud as I’m moving; feel the power and energy move through me. Say “Spirit of the Universe, I am open and awake to whatever comes into my life today. I am a limitless being, accepting from a limitless source, in an infinite way. I am incredibly blessed.”
2. Deliver cookies to neighbors:
Over the years that I raised my children we had the habit of packing plates of cookies to take to our neighbors (continued from my own youth). It's a nice tradition and I try to keep it up now. Today I'll make a final batch of cookies, then take them around.
3. Advent wreath ceremony:
"We light the first candle for the earth, which sustains us. May we cherish and care for it."
"We light the second candle for all the people of the world. May we find unity and peace."
"We light the third candle for our family and the joy and love we bring each other."
"We light the fourth candle for the Spirit of God in each of us, which is our guiding light."
4. Plan ways to give attention to the Love and Light:
This week of advent my focus is the Guiding Light of the God.
My image of God is a Spirit of Love and Light that lives in all people. I try to live always awake and listening for the message of love, but I often get distracted. I want to have a more effectual connection to the Spirit, and so this week I'll practice and improve my mindfulness habits.
Things to do this week to give attention to the Spirit of God:
- Each morning as I wake, pause to take a slow breath, and center on the Light within. Stay in this gentle meditation as I get dressed and move through my morning.
- Light a candle, and sit every morning for a few minutes of silence, simply feeling a presence of Love.
- Practice my Awareness Walk, and send prayers to my loved ones, and all the people of the world.
- For this entire week I will wear a bracelet of jingle bells, and use them to wake up to Love; become aware of love as I cook, as I eat, as I talk to people, and as I work.
Seneca said: “You are a fragment of God; ... Will you not bear in mind, whenever you eat, who you are that eat, and whom you are nourishing? ... Whenever you mix in society, whenever you take physical exercise, whenever you converse, do you not know that you are nourishing God, exercising God?”
5. Christmas Novena, day 8:
From the Worldssps site:
In Communion with the Victims of Human Trafficking
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!
Human trafficking is a worldwide issue which destroys human dignity. It is God’s teaching to love others as we love ourselves. This is a big challenge that our Church faces in this current era. As prophetic women we are called to protect the rights of others especially our brothers and sisters who have no power to speak up for their rights. Facing this issue we are invited by Pope Francis to imitate the Good Samaritan who is able to take time to feel and listen to the cry of our brothers and sisters that we meet in the reality of life.
Let us unite ourselves with our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by human trafficking in our prayer.
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