Meditation for Thursday 30th September 2021
In difficult times we look for healing.
When inspiration has become hidden, when we feel ready to give up,
this is the time when healing can be found in the tenderness of pain itself.
Pema Chödrön *
As we traverse the restrictions of lockdown and face the immediate future of ‘opening-up’ we may experience fear, fear because we have never had such an experience and fear because we are unsure our expectations post-lockdown will be met.
Meditators know that being faithful to a regular practice, both formal meditation and moments of mindfulness throughout our day, insures that we live in the present moment, and in the present moment our fears melt away. This doesn’t mean that all our anxiety miraculously disappears but it does mean that when anxiety in the form of fearfulness does come that the techniques we have learnt will draw us back to being in the ‘now’ , to being in the present moment; a place of tranquillity and peace.
Time and time again I have faced my fears by meditating and/or being mindful. Simple tasks such as dusting, drying dishes, cooking, walking; anything at all, as long as I am totally present to the task at hand can give me the peace I crave. When combined with formal meditation, some in the morning and another at night, like the bookends of my day, I have all the tools necessary to come to terms with fear…… Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.
I make it seem simple but I’m very well aware that for many people this road is long and rough. What I do know is that just as the long dirt, corrugated road eventually meets the sealed road so too with perseverance we will find that our anxiety will wane even when the pain of other circumstances in our life persists..
We offer a very warm welcome to all that have joined our meditation circle tonight particularly those joining us for the first time. We’re a diverse bunch. Some have strong religious motivations for meditating and others not. All of us though are seeking a clearer path to being real, to living in the present moment, to becoming more loving towards ourselves and others.
Now let’s meditate in the way in which we feel most comfortable remembering that we meditate not just for ourselves but also for the benefit of others.
Meditate
A reminder that you may find some Zoom programs offered by the Carmelite Centre that take your fancy. Go to www.thecarmelitecentremelbourne.org
* ‘When Things fall Apart’ Pemba Chödrön, Shambhala, 2016.
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