Meditation

It is best, therefore, to let the psychological conscience alone when we are at prayer. The less we tinker with it the better. The reason why so many religious people believe they cannot meditate is that they think meditation consists in having religious emotions, thoughts, or affections of which one is, oneself, acutely aware. As soon as they start to meditate, they begin to look into the psychological conscience to find out if they are experiencing anything worthwhile. They find little or nothing. They either strain themselves to produce some interior experience, or else they give up in disgust.

(Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island, p. 32)

4 February 2016

Letters

Letters 

Letters take time to write, usually more time than talk. They require a certain level of artfulness and thoughtfulness in expression. Then they remain, to be reread, perhaps to be stored away for another day of reading, or even to be encountered at some distant time by a future, unknown eavesdropper.

All of these aspects of the letter invite soulfulness:

• rereading is a form of reflective meditation; 
• keeping letters honors memory and not only daily living; and 
• speaking to a reader not yet present in this life respects the soul's eternal nature.

(Thomas Moore, Soul Mates, p. 125)

19 November 2015

Defects

2015 Washington, DC Orchid Show

A clear light seems to fall upon us all -- when we open our eyes. Since blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step in our spiritual growth.
(As Bill Sees It, Day 10)

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I didn't do any blogging, or daily reading, this week.  I needed an attitude check. 

I'm pleased to report that I finally figured out why I couldn't make all of the songs in a Box account folder play sequentially.  They made changes in the appearance of Box and I fell behind.  It turned out to be something simple to fix.  Click on the Gear, then turn on Auto-play. There are many music files on my Box account which I can now enjoy listening to in the background while doing genealogy or while spending time on Facebook.

Dick Henthorn 

1 November 2015

Decisions

Not all large decisions can be well made by simply listing the pros and cons of a given situation, helpful and necessary as this process is. We cannot always depend on what seems to us to be logical. When there is doubt about our logic, we wait upon God and listen for the voice of intuition. If, in meditation, that voice is persistent enough, we may well gain sufficient confidence to act upon that, rather than upon logic.
(As Bill Sees It, Day 202)
21 October 2015

Meditation

Meditation is the quiet and sustained application of the mind to the contemplation of a spiritual truth. Its purpose is to deflect our minds from the problems we are experiencing, to raise our thoughts above the grievances and discontent that color our thinking.
(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 17 October)
22 April 2015

Meditation

Meditation is the quiet and sustained application of the mind to the contemplation of a "spiritual truth."  Its purpose is to "deflect" our minds from the problems we are experiencing, to raise our thoughts about the grievances and disconent that color our thinking. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 17 October) 18 October 2011

Serenity

Make an effort to open your mind to experiencing things directly before proclaiming them as true and living by them.  (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Wisdom of the Ages, p. 8)

When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings.  Then you will forget your anger.  (Epictetus in The Promise Of A New Day by Casey and Vanceburg, 11 August)

Self-examination and meditation are the tools for self-knowledge and serenity.  (Casey and Vanceburg, The Promise Of A New Day, 30 June)
8 September 2011

Meditation

Meditation is, the quiet and sustained application of the mind to the contemplation of a "spiritual truth." Its purpose is to "deflect" our minds from the problems we are experiencing, to raise our thoughts above the grievances and discontent that color our thinking. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 17 October)
19/Oct/2010 8:33

Meditation

Meditation is not what you think. (Anonymous from Indiana, As We Understood, p. 217)

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Yesterday we went out to eat lunch at Plato's the Greek restaurant in College Park. They were very busy. We sat at the counter.

In the evening we went to visit Cyndi at her apartment. She and Melva prepared our meal. Afterwards we watched some of the 4th of July show from Washington, DC and some of the show from New York City. We all liked the fireworks in New York.

Our neighbor, Jim, hung a big flag on his front porch. I went over to take three photos. I put the photos on the computer and then sent them to him in an Email attachment. He posted them to his Facebook wall and album. Neat!

Mr. Dickie
5/Jul/2010 8:44