Practicing Compassion and Kindness

Every time I step on my yoga mat, my wise teacher reminds the class, “Yoga is a practice.” 

I’ve learned that a “practice” means you approach whatever you are doing without expectation, taking what comes in the moment with gratitude.

It’s a simple concept but not always easy to do. My mind likes to assess the status of the body and judge whether this will be a good or bad day for yoga. But, really, is there ever a bad day for yoga? Ha!

The same could be said for compassion and kindness. It’s a practice and there really isn’t a bad day or time to practice. Regardless of what’s going on in your world, compassion and kindness, just like love, seem to improve any situation even if it’s just your experience of it.

Last year I took a class with Rev. Pattie called Living My Life Purpose. One of the practices in that class was to raise and praise people and situations in our experience. At that time, I felt like I was living in my car, driving my kids to and from three different schools and a variety of after school activities nearly daily. I decided to start raising and praising all the other drivers on the road. Out loud declaring, “I raise you and praise you!” when someone cut me off. “I raise you and praise you!” when someone didn’t stop at the intersection. “I raise you and praise you!” to the road workers causing delays. First it added humor to the situation because my kids thought it was hilarious, and second, 

it reminded me of the power I have in the moment
to invite God into any situation by means of me.

In August, we are exploring the ideas of compassion and kindness. How can you invite God into the moment by means of you through your practice of compassion and kindness? How can you make your life more vibrant and alive by practicing compassion and kindness in the moments when it's not easy?

If you are looking for some ideas, here are a bunch! Pick something and do it, then share with us on our Facebook page how you noticed your life expand.

What is Accountability for Us?

A Prayer Wall at our Center: We Go to God First

What is a culture of accountability? Do we have this culture at our Center?  My questions led to more questions.

Roger Connors in his book Fix It: Getting Accountability Right  writes: "Accountability is a personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving Key Results: See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It."

So key results in our Center would always start with God-- seeking guidance from the highest power through prayer and visioning. It is also about taking action. If you take ownership of your organization, and you see something that needs to be done, you do it. Currently there are many examples of this accountability right in our Center. For instance, we have several people who have been researching buildings for us. Whenever we have meals together, we have people stay to help clean up.

This month we have scheduled a series of visioning sessions. Visioning is a process in which one listens for direction from God, Divine Mind, Mother/Father God. We are doing these sessions so that each member and friend of our Center can contribute to the overall vision of our future. Everyone's participation adds to the practice of cultural accountability by taking part in the fulfillment and flourishing of our Center.

I will not be leading the visioning this Sunday because I have another Center commitment, but I know that the right and perfect people will attend. Lee Van Slyke will be leading it. I will be leading it again the following week. Visioning is important work for us to do for our community.

I wasn't exactly certain what culture meant in this context either. The dictionary didn't help, but Centers for Spiritual Living, founding documents, our Organization Design Model did help. I love this document and am so proud that our Center not only embraced these ideas but many of us were part of the creation process of these documents.  In Section 4, under the heading Our Organizational Culture you will find these wonderful words:

"We are a healthy, effective organization honoring and respecting each other and all of creation.

We  are known for the love that we share throughout our community and the world. 

We stand together in a shared commitment and devotion to our spiritual principles, practices and values. 

We are all in this Life together and we include everyone in our vision of a peaceful, loving world. 

We embrace the evolution and revelation of higher consciousness. 

We are prayerful and principled in our decision-making and actions. 

We practice the spiritual tools put forward by our founder, Dr. Ernest Holmes, in The Science of Mind, and by other spiritual leaders and mystics who teach and apply truth principles  for our individual lives."

Today, out of the blue, we received a note from one our our members who was writing to thank us for being who we are. This person addressed the note to her Family of Love. She said that when she walked in she felt love, acceptance and home. She went on to say that when she started attending her thinking was self-destructive but she didn't know how to stop it. She went on to say that now she knows that she is Love, Light, and Life and she is perfect, whole and complete, priceless freedom. She signed the note with gratitude for all of us.

I believe we have a demonstration that we have a culture of accountability.

Every life is Sacred Starting With Mine

When I know that every life is sacred, I act in ways that are respectful, kind and loving. I begin with myself.

Ernest Holmes is very clear that God is everywhere present. He is clear that the Absolute, indestructible Power of Life Itself resides within each one of us. Since God is taking up residence in me as me, my life is sacred. Since God is residing in every being, all beings are sacred.

It follows that we would not want to harm with words, actions or inaction any other being.

What a difference that would make in our world. If we could embrace and embody this idea, our individual lives would change. We would become transcendent. I love the phrase that we would be transparent to transcendence. It would be God AS us .

I think of my personal habits and realize that some of them that do not honor the Divine presence within me. I sometimes set an intention to change those habits... and often find myself mindlessly breaking them the very same day. Then an even more odious thing happens... I criticize and judge myself. I certainly would not be silent if someone was saying those things to a good friend. Yet, part of our spiritual practice  is to form new habits while being as kind, generous and loving as we can. I can practice self-forgiveness in honor of the Divine in me. And I can begin again. A powerful practice is to write good thoughts about your life. If you can't find any, borrow from someone like Ernest Holmes.

The twentieth Season for Non-Violence began on January 30 and will end on April 6. It is a great time to practice.

If you would like to know more, the following is a beautiful video about the purpose of non-violent communication.

True to Your Nature

What does it mean to be true to yourself? 
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Polonius gives his son, Laertes,  this beautiful advice:

 This above all: to thine ownself be true, 

And it must follow, as the night the day, 

Thou canst not then be false to any man."

A couple of weeks ago, I was almost home when I met a small skunk in my lane. I swerved to miss him and did. But he ran the same way as I swerved and he sprayed the whole underside of my car. He was being true to his nature. Unfortunately, there are not as many fixes for cars as there would be for pets or people in the same position. Immediately the next day, I went to the car wash and had my car's underside sprayed but it did not reduce the smell much. One of my neighbors suggested that I go to a garage where they have  a hoist and get them to power wash the underside. Toyota wasn't able to help me. The skunk was just being himself. I scared him and he did what skunks do. Now I will live with the consequences as best I can.

Unlike the skunk, when I am called to be true to my nature, it will never result in hurt or harm to another. My true nature, just like yours, is pure Love. 
Ernest Holmes defines love as:

"Love is the self-givingness of Spirit through the desire of Life to express Itself in terms of creation... Love is free from condemnation, even as it is free from fear. Love is a cosmic force whose sweep is irresistible."

When we take Polonius' advice to be true to ourselves, it really means to be true to our real nature, to show up as who we really are. 

This means when things happen unexpectedly, we are called to remember who we are. We are called to Love ourselves no matter what and to remember that everyone is an express of Life's divine urge for expression.

Last Sunday I had an opportunity to practice -- my microphone, which I wear on my underwear, stopped working. It actually had changed channels, probably when I was expressing love to someone through a hug. No one knew how to make it start working; all obvious ideas were tried -- new battery, check connections, etc. I was attempting to get back to the platform for the Jesus Christ Superstar presentation. During our opening song I was hoping to have it fixed but it wasn't so I used a hand held microphone for the first part of the presentation. I was hurried and appeared a little harried. Ironically, moments after all this angst, Karyn Allen sang Mary Magdalene's poignant song, "Everything's Alright."  And I heard myself saying words of truth, that we cannot manifest our good, unless we relax into the moment and allow it to happen. (Being up-tight is never one's true nature, even if it is familiar.) A replacement microphone was found and the performance went on as scheduled.

But someone lovingly reminded me that I was a better leader than this, that it makes  a difference how I handle every situation. Self-awareness is where everything starts. I can't change the past, but I can bring more awareness and love to this moment and the next. And so can you.

Affirmation: I choose love in all situations and in each and every moment.

How the Practice of Listening Gave Me Answers

San Onofre Water Blessing 

Have you ever been witness to a scene that just wouldn't leave your memory. This happened to me just this last week. It wasn't an unusual scene but there must have been something in it that I needed to think about.

My 7 year old nephew was over to play with Ella. It was about an hour before bedtime and we let them know that.

"But isn't Ella going to come and play at MY house" asked Dane. "Well no, not tonight."

Meltdown.

And then my articulate and insightful Ella said compassionately to her cousin "I know Dane. I know. Sometimes when I don't get things the way I want them I just don't want them at all."

Wow! I resemble that remark.

I recognized a little of myself in that statement. I had a brief impulse to correct this "immature" point of view but then I thought maybe I should explore this in my own thoughts before I jump to correct the children. I chose to listen.

I have been struggling with this in my own way. When political, economic, environmental injustices occur I feel angry, unheard and sometimes I rail against the world all in my own head. I want to be heard and there is also a part of me that wants to burn the house down.

I want to matter. I want to make things better. I want everyone to jump on board and say "YES YES YES." And they don't always do it. After all I have all the answers to MY perfect world worked out in my head.

But what I learned this week is that Spirit is always supporting us. Even when we feel like pouting children Spirit is there sending messages and love. It's so remarkable.

So, would you like to know what I have learned?

Maybe your "Divine Discontent" is pointing you to your work. 
When Ian Percy came to our center he brought this idea. Your passion is energy drawing you to the work you were meant to do. We all have a part to play. Strong emotions point us in the direction of our path.

Make Constructive Use of What You Have
And then a book popped into my life. A small book by Wallace Wattles entitled "How to Get What You Want" I didn't even know it existed even though I had read his more popular book "The Science of Getting Rich" till the book was worn and falling apart. This book brought a message I had not heard before.

"Do not reach out after more until you have life to spare after doing perfectly all that you have to do now."

We all have things to do. They are ours to do. We are given gifts and passions and it is up to us to express them. You want to move things forward then bring your best self forward. Look around you and get creative about how you can leverage all your blessings. You have so many. Honor them.

You and Now are the only point of transformation that you are ever going to have.

We mustn't fight amongst ourselves. We must find a way to work together in Unity.
And Wednesday night we received a message from a dear dear friend that Dr. Masaru Emoto author of "The Hidden Messages in Water" and Ruben Saufkie would be performing his beautiful Hopi Water Blessing for the waters at San Onofre.

Again, things didn't turn out quite how I had hoped as I ended up chasing my 2 year old around piles of stinking fly infested seaweed while the ceremony was taking place. But as I chased her around I heard loud and clear "We mustn't fight amongst ourselves. We must find a way to work together in Unity."

It must have been the message I needed.