For Sunday January 1st, 2023

Hello to all, we may not realize how much we create the spiritual paths of our lives. Sometimes we are not ready for that which may be offered, but we can handle that with choice.

Cayce says we can prepare our way by taking advantage of the opportunities which arise each day, as we use them greater opportunities are therefore given to us. Call them tests if you will, or proofs of intention and ability.

May we start the new year by being that which the world needs. May we use that which may be seen as troublesome as a spiritual stepping stone. May we set ourselves upon the path which is yet unseen.

New Year Blessings to all,

Richard

For Sunday December 25th, 2022

Hello blessed people, over two thousand years ago three wise astrologers followed what they had learned from reading the stars. Their efforts led them to a divine event – the Christ Light born on Earth.

Today the star for us to follow is in our hearts. It will shine more and more clearly as we improve our connection to the Divine.

May we sit this evening, on a day set aside for honoring that miraculous event, with the express purpose of improving our personal connection to it.

Xapis,

Richard

Re: For Sunday December 18th, 2022

Hello everyone, here's some wise advice:
"Some will tell you that what you want ain't on the menu. But cook it up yourself, then serve it to them." – Buffy Sainte-Marie

When faced with those whose perspective on humanity is deficient, bring them healing nutrition. It may be an understanding smile, a gentle nod, or a willing ear, but bring them what they need.

May we sit this Sunday for the opportunity, and the discernment, to know what is needed. May Divine healing will be done through us, for all of us, that we may walk in balance upon the Earth.

Bless you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 11th, 2022

Hello all, It is said that all seeming paradoxes become resolved when viewed from a high enough perspective. In much the same way we strive for answers beyond our current reach.

Whatever daily troubles may engage us, the truest answers are found beyond our conscious thinking, in an alert silence.

May we sit Sunday evening in that alertness, actively listening for what may come which calls us forward.

Bless you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 4th, 2022

Hello all, in many instances our job is not to make some loving end result occur but to create the opportunity for it to occur. As an example, if a child is standing at the foot of the ladder of a playground slide; our job is not to pick them up, carry them around to the bottom of the slide, then set them back down. They would end up in the correct position but we would be denying them the experience they went to the slide for.

Our job is to encourage them to climb the ladder, for their own growth and accomplishment, allowing them the full experience of the playground. It is much the same with the spiritual advancement of humanity. Our job is to create the opportunity for others to grow into the flow of the Divine, by opening doors and encouraging their climb.

May we sit Sunday evening for creating opportunities for the growth of others and for the minute guides we may be.

Thank you all,

Richard

PS Minute: my-NOOT; adjective meaning small, "My minute assistance in this world..."

For Sunday November 27th, 2022

Hello everyone, this is a true story. A couple brought their young adult son in to see Santa last year. They asked for a special gift, their son needed a kidney. Not knowing what else to do Santa promised to put his best elves on it and hugged them on their way.

They returned this year, just yesterday in fact. Their son got a new kidney two months ago. They told Santa, "You told us you'd put your best elves on it, and you did." They added, "You've got really good elves."

May we all sit this evening in gratitude for the opportunity to be 'elves' for the greater Santa.

In gratitude now,

Richard

For Sunday November 20th, 2022

Hello again to all. Your body is the house you will live in while you are on Earth. Take care of it lovingly. From birth to death, it is your vehicle for the lessons you will encounter. There will come a proper time for leaving it behind, taking your many lessons with you. Until then, listen to it. It will tell you many things about taking care of not only it but of taking care of your real self, the part which lives on afterward. Those will be the lessons of love; being honest with yourself and honest with others, treating others as you would wish to be treated when you are at your best, even treating them as if they were an extension of you.

This benefits not only you, but the entire fullness of humanity.

For this evening may we sit in appreciation for our vehicles – which teach us how to care – personally and beyond.

Thank you and Blessings to you all,

Richard

For Sunday November 13th, 2022

Hello to all, it is said that an important piece of meditation is the understanding of desire, not the overcoming of one desire by another.

You may have the desire to overcome all desire but that is merely replacement. While fully understanding desire, to fully grasp what it is and where it comes from within you, is what takes away its power to affect your life.

May we sit this Sunday to see ourselves fully and clearly, that we may go forward with Grace.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday November 6th, 2022

Hello to all, as each individual soul is a portion of the Divine, it seeks to express its divinity in the material world. At the same time that soul is housed within a human form, complete with human frailties.

By the right of free will we are allowed to choose between divinity or frailty. Frailties are known as the seven deadly sins, divinity as gifts of the spirit. Recognizing the difference - at the moment they occur within ourselves - is essential.

May we sit Sunday evening for the ability to discern those fleeting moments, and have the courage to choose beauty.

Blessings of strength to all,

Richard

For Sunday October 30th, 2022

Hello everyone, Edgar Cayce says the human soul is the greatest in all creation, because it can become one with the Divine Source. So it seems that humans, currently fraught with all manner of physical and psychological frailties, can become One with God while in physical form – as above, so below.

This calling, which so many of us attend to, is tempered by how we face our frailties. A determination to see our failings and missteps honestly, unflinchingly, is essential. By doing so we learn exactly who we are and therefore how best to move forward.

May we sit this Sunday evening for the strength and courage required to face ourselves as we are, the wisdom to follow Divine guidance, and for the Love which powers all.

Thank you all for all you do,

Richard

For Sunday October 23rd, 2022

Hello everyone, as we work our way through karma, on our way toward grace, we find our egos transforming. At our very best our egos become implements of divine will.

There can be many lessons coming from the missteps we make along the way.

Tonight may we sit for the willingness to try, the honesty to recognize, the humility to learn, and the courage to realign ourselves as needed to divine will.

Blessings on all,

Richard

PS And may it all happen in large font!  :o)

For Sunday October 16th, 2022

Hello everyone, Edgar Cayce tells us that the experiences of life are manifestations of divinity. He adds that our minds are the builders, that by choosing to follow the Creative Forces we can translate spiritual law away from karma, with its endless cycling of cause and effect, into grace – and thereby move into our higher calling.

Our job then is to discern the subtleties between our typically human, psychological reactions and what truly comes from the Creative Forces.

May we sit this coming Sunday evening for the honesty and insight to tell the difference; the courage and strength to choose wisely; and the guidance to see clearly.

Blessings upon us all,

Richard

For Sunday October 9th, 2022

Hello everyone, fifty years ago I met a young woman who nearly sat on me after entering the room I was quietly sitting in. That's when I realized she was blind. We became fast friends and have remained so all these decades.

Some months ago she had an episode of brain bleed and fell down her attic stairs. Her Apple watch called the ambulance, saving her life. Her brain however hasn't been right since.
She has been one of God's bright Lights for her entire life, and still is.

Even though her brain doesn't work right, her gentle, loving personality still shines. She will soon move into an assisted living situation with many other people. Instead of spending the rest of her life seeing her boyfriend and a few close friends, she'll be shining on many people every day.

Where do you use a flashlight? In the dark.

I desperately miss my friend with whom I could discuss anything and laugh about everything. Yet even with my personal pain, I whole-heartedly applaud her spiritual work.

It's difficult to know when our circumstances are part of a larger plan. Let's go forward in life knowing we can be useful exactly where we are. May God's will be done, and may we have the strength to fulfill our part in it.

In loving honor of Judy Joy Weidenborner,

Richard

For Sunday October 2nd, 2022

Hello again, and on time this time, whew. Those who are addicted to personal power are threatened by even a glimmer of authentic power from those whom they wish to control. This plays out as a violent forcing of adherence to ideologies or personal loyalty rather than encouraging or allowing individual growth.

The protests in Russia over conscription into an unpopular war, and in Iran with the crackdown on head scarves, are examples of clinging to external power in the face of a growing sense of personal worth.

May we sit this evening for those who feel the pull of personal worth, for their struggle. May we encourage the bits of light shining through the growing cracks in authoritarian armor. May we support those dealing with the most difficult aspects of this spiritual transition.

Thank you and bless you all,

Richard

Excuse me, please

Hello, I missed again. I've been dragging myself through the week with a head cold. I've had a great inspiration for the meditation but apparently I thought I had already sent it out so it didn't enter my foggy mind until Eileen sent me a reminder. Thank you, Eileen. I guess I need a minder to keep me on track.

Keep your fingers crossed for next week, eh?

Foggy but healing Richard

For Sunday September 18th, 2022

Hello everyone, it has been said that meditation is not for eliminating the ego, but for understanding it, for grasping it fully. With this understanding we remember that we came here for a purpose, a purpose to be fulfilled with that same ego.

The trick is between how much we let the ego run our material lives, and how well we use the ego to serve the higher purpose of our material life.

May we sit this Sunday for the continued 'enlightenment' of ourselves. May we see ourselves clearly, without judgement, but with discernment. May we use the best of ourselves for the best of all.

Blessings upon you,

Richard

PS I remembered to use the larger font!  :o)

For Sunday September 11th, 2022

Hello everyone, humanity is learning great lessons. As politics splits the nation we have the opportunity to see ourselves at our worst, or at our best. Up/down, left/right, for/against, all with complete justification, we put ourselves on display to be seen by the world. Yet it is seeing our very own selves which holds the most value.

 
Do we feel anger?
That is our lack of compassion.
Do we feel fear?
That is our lack of understanding.
Do we feel separation?
That is our lack of connection.

May we sit this Sunday to see ourselves as we are; fraught with human frailties, yet bursting with great potential.

 
May blessings be with us,

Richard

For Sunday September 4th, 2022

Hello again to all, in trying times it is well to look for strength and courage. Joseph Campbell tells us, "Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called 'the love of your fate.' Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment – not discouragement – you will find the strength is there."

The key point is not the stern stoicism of putting your head down and grinding through worldly chaos with bitterly gritted teeth – but of raising your head and lovingly taking on the challenge as your own – that's when you may be open to receiving strength and guidance.

May we sit this evening to face whatever travails may come with an open heart. May we lead ourselves with the love we find. May we lovingly enjoin with humanity's transition.

Bless you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 28th, 2022

Hello everyone, the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand shows the beauty of humanity. Over the course of nearly three weeks more than 10,000 people, from 17 different countries, came together to try and save the lives of 12 kids and their soccer coach.

 
Despite our endless wars, the distraction of political justifications, and the illusion of separation – the entire world was treated to a demonstration of compassion, and an answer to the question, "What is the value of human life?"

 
May we sit Sunday evening in gratitude for that compassion. May it uplift our lives. May our compassion lift the lives of those around us.

Thank you all,

Richard

"Thirteen Lives" a movie by Ron Howard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tham_Luang_cave_rescue 

For Sunday August 21st, 2022

Hello to all, some species of beetles have eltrya, wings that, due to circumstance, have hardened into shields. This seems to be an excellent metaphor for the human tendency to willingly reduce our flight in exchange for protection. There may well have been a time in each of our lives where we 'pulled our wings in' out of fear for our safety, emotional or otherwise.

This may have been a wise and useful choice at the time. But the beauty of releasing protections to regain flight is easily forgotten.

May we sit this Sunday in search of those moments where it is now safe to once more spread our wings. May we find what needs to be released to continue our ascent. May we support others on our way.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 14th, 2022

Hello everyone, when Tom Sawyer had his NDE he was 'blasted' into the spiritual realm. Afterward he could immediately go into the highest meditative state at will. It can be very different for those of us who've not had that launch.

However, we are encouraged in our efforts by the anonymous 14th century mystic who wrote in The Cloud of Unknowing:
"...in the beginning is it usual to feel nothing but a kind of darkness about your mind, or as it were, a 'cloud of unknowing'. You will seem to know nothing and to feel nothing except a naked intent toward God in the depths of your being. Try as you might, this darkness and this cloud will remain between you and your God. You will feel frustrated, for you mind will be unable to grasp him, and your heart will not relish the delight of his love. But learn to be at home in this darkness. Return to it as often as you can, letting your spirit cry out to him whom you love. For if, in this life, you hope to feel and see God as he is in himself it must be within this darkness and this cloud. But if you strive to fix your love on him forgetting all else, which is the work of contemplation I have urged you to begin, I am confidant that God in his goodness will bring you to a deep experience of himself."

This fits well with Tom's advice to do 'nothing' meaning to attain the Buddhist concept of the 'no thing' in your meditations.

 
May we sit this evening, and every time, for 'nothing'. It could be the greatest 'something' we've ever had.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 7th, 2022

Hello everyone, this Sunday may we focus our loving intentions upon those impacted by the flooding in:

Eastern Kentucky
Missouri
Illinois
Southwest Virginia
West Virginia
Las Vegas Valley
Phoenix
Flagstaff
Death Valley National Park
and Eastern Kentucky – again!

Thank you all for your kindness and your good hearts,

Richard

For Sunday July 31st, 2022

Hello, and a gracious good day to all of you. As we sit in meditation we may wonder what we're trying for. There are various explanations ranging from 'watch your breath' to 'don't fall asleep.' About our desire to quiet the mind J. Krishnamurti writes, "Meditation is the understanding of desire, not the overcoming of one desire by another." Food for thought right there, eh?

But an anonymous 14th century mystic explains that ordinary thoughts and earthly concepts must be buried beneath a "cloud of forgetting," while our love must rise toward a God hidden in the "cloud of unknowing." The idea that we must peer through a "cloud of unknowing" in order to more fully connect with our Source seems appropriate and relatable.

May we sit this evening with the awareness of this cloud and the need to peer through it. May our progress be well-suited to our lives. May the world benefit.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 24th, 2022

Hello all, the writer Martha Beck has mentioned the phrase 'extinction burst' in her blog <https://marthabeck.com/2022/07/outlasting-the-extinction-burst/>
It details how when previously learned behaviors no longer provide the expected rewards they can intensify before finally ending, much like a child's tantrum.

As the world moves toward the authentic power of the heart and people realize their own sacredness, as well as of the Earth, it frustrates those who seek to serve themselves through external power; financial, military, political, psychological. They may increasingly employ the old patterns of external power to achieve their goals in a classic extinction burst. Ms. Beck suggests that we have to outlast them. We do so by holding our center, being compassionate and observant.

 
May we sit this Sunday evening in our loving selves, compassionate, observant, engaged but not enraged. May we hold a steady love amongst the storm. May the future be held in all our hearts.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 17th, 2022

Hello and a gracious good day to all, we're told by many sources that we must love God with all our heart and soul. And, since God is One, everything which exists materially, from the tiniest subatomic particles to the farthest galaxies, and even our favorite belly button lint, is an expression of God. This brings up the question from the song, "What if God were one of us?"

Recognizing the heady thrill of our human tendency for judgement, can we really, even if only for a moment, love all? It could be life-changing.

May we sit this evening to drop all judgements in favor of love. May we take a look beyond ourselves – and truly see us.

Thank you all,

Richard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USR3bX_PtU4 

For Sunday July 10th, 2022

Hello to all, as we navigate the currents of life, the storms and the tides, remember to bring forth the pearls.

 
We may find ourselves easily buffeted by the political and social upheavals of our time, as well as personal trials and tribulations. But if we peer clearly into our calmer depths, we can find beauty growing amongst the weeds.

This evening may we find some calm, ask the Benevolent Universe for guidance, and see what comes into view. Perhaps it will be a thing of great value.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 3, 2022

Hello everyone, we clearly face myriad political, financial, and environmental challenges in this life. The solutions to all of these share a common facet – compassion – as in 'what is best for all concerned?'

We can't all have every solution but we can ask, "How would I live if I was exactly what was needed to heal the world?" This brings the personal responsibility for being loving right up front.

 
For this evening let us focus on that which is available to us all, being loving. May we take on the challenge of loving everyone we meet, if only for one hour, or one day. Releasing our typical judgments, we may simply love them as they are, knowing they are on their path, as we are.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday June 26th, 2022

Hello everyone, in these few days when five visible planets are aligned in the sky, science tells us that all the planets, stars, and galaxies are in their exact positions because all of the others are in their own exact positions. It is the great harmony of nature, the great balance inherent within Universal Consciousness.

Humans, having been given free will, can separate ourselves from Universal Consciousness, draw ourselves out of balance with a love of power, wealth, and the various attractions of the material world.

Yet the connection to Universal Consciousness still exists. It can be found in an appreciation of nature, the laughter of a child, and in meditation.

May we sit this evening for our own connection. May we find our internal balance. May we 'set things right' within our own hearts.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 19th, 2022

Hello and Happy Father's Day to all, J. Krishnamurti chides us that if we truly knew the depth of karma, that what we sow we will reap, we wouldn't tolerate for a single second the ugliness within our own hearts and minds. We would instantly drop it. Not practice dropping it. Not try to quit. But instantly drop it all.

 
So a fuller grasping of karma is essential.

 
May we sit this evening for total forgiveness, of others, of ourselves, even of God if needed. It is the only way forward.

Thank you and Bless you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 12th, 2022

Hello and a graciously summery good day to all. Kahlil Gibran's poem The River Cannot Go Back speaks to the human fear of death:

It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her, she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter there seems nothing more than to disappear
forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that's where the river will know
it's not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.

It also emphasizes what the ancient prophets tell us about meditation; in the deepest and most loving union, far from losing ourselves, we discover our deepest selves at the core of our being.

May we sit this evening for the 'becoming' which we are promised, finding our deepest selves, and fulfilling our journeys.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday June 5th, 2022

Hello to all and sundry, I don't know who the author of this is:

Dear God,
Let me be the pen that you use to write the beautiful stories that touch the hearts of my brothers and sisters and guide them on the path,
the brush that you use to paint the grand canvas of nature, or a flower like a rose with a scent that reminds everyone of their source,
a note in the sound of creation, a single note that will vibrate in the ears and bring to the soul memories of heaven,
a simple word, which once heard reveals Your presence and can never be forgotten,
a spark of love that will create friendship between all men and women,
a point of light somewhere in the universe that will shine for eternity and bring hope to someone in the dark,
God I release myself to Your hands to be the instrument of Your plan.

May we apply ourselves in kind.

Thank you all,

Richard

Bishop Desmond Tutu & His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Hello everyone, if you're interested, I'm hoping you'll be able to open this. It's a film of the last meeting of these two spiritual giants, inspired by the book The Book of Joy. 

Enjoy

https://www.facebook.com/missionjoyfilm/videos/796885237968544/?notif_id=1654214664928337&notif_t=live_video_schedule_viewer&ref=notif

Connection...

Hello all, this just popped up for me. It's completely out of season but speaks to the sense of connection we all need in these times. When the time is right, you might have some friends quietly hum Silent Night as you read the words out loud. 

Bless you all,

Richard

Christmas Evening, by Paul Stookey

And it came to pass on a Christmas evening
While all the doors were shuttered tight
Outside standing, a lonely boy-child
Cold and shivering in the night.

On the street every window
Save but one was gleaming bright
And to this window walked the boy-child
Peeking in saw candlelight.

Through other windows he had looked at turkeys
Ducks and geese and cherry pies
But through this window saw a gray-haired lady
Table bare and tears in her eyes.

Into his coat reached the boy-child
Knowing well there was little there
He took from his pocket his own Christmas dinner
A bit of cheese, some bread to share.

His outstretched hands held the food and they trembled
As the door it opened wide
Said he "Would you share with me Christmas dinner?"
And gently said she "Come inside."

The gray-haired lady brought forth to the table
Some glasses two and her last drop of wine
Said she "Here's a toast to everyone's Christmas,
And especially yours and mine!"

And it came to pass on that Christmas evening
While all the doors were shuttered tight
That in that town the happiest Christmas
Was shared by candlelight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLrKJH-ACas  

For Sunday May 29th, 2022

Hello all, Tom Sawyer once asked, "Where do you use a flashlight?" The answer is of course, "You use it in a place which needs more light." So here we are, stuck between the material world, that great amorphous cloud of what we know, and spirituality, that grand mysterious cloud of the unknown. Our job is to take what we do know of spirituality on one hand, and bring it into the material world on the other hand – cloud to cloud lightning so to speak.

We've been born into this time and location for exactly that purpose, willing to take on the chaotic, tumbling storm of life in hopes of bringing light.

May we be willing to accept our fears, frustrations, and frailties as the price of admission. We need only to realize the difficulties we all face and smile honestly at least, and sometimes that's the best.

 
Thank you all,

Richard

Prayer Request for May 25th, 2022

Hello and a huge, tearful hug to all of you. It's been 23 years and 554 dead children since the first school shooting in Columbine HS. How much can anyone's heart break? What might open people's hearts if not the unneeded deaths of innocent children?
Throughout all of it I've heard from my own relatives, who I know to otherwise be good decent people, the parroting of the cold, self-serving comments of some politicians. 

Nothing that has happened, nothing I've ever said, has ever gotten through. It can be so incredibly difficult to bring someone to their own heart.

But we try.

 
The world depends upon getting people out of their heads and into their hearts, and we keep being presented with opportunities, more and more horrible as we go along.
May we find some time to pray that God's will be done, for the children, for their families, for all who are lost.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 22, 2022

Hello to all, among the people we see or meet, look for the positive attributes of contentment, satisfaction, and compassion. As all healing is a matter of matching the vibrations of body and mind to those of Source, these are elemental.

 
With that, whenever we meet or assist someone else in matching those vibrations it brings us better understanding as well.

May we sit this evening to see, comprehend, and come to a fuller understanding of our distractive foibles, our desires. Once they are seen and known, they can be bypassed along our path.

Blessings to all,

Richard

For Sunday May 15th, 2022

A beautiful springtime hello to all of you. The fresh innocence of spring calls to us, reminding us that a quality of openness is essential in matters of spiritual unfoldment.

As our understanding moves from the controlling of our desires, to an understanding of desire itself, to the releasing of desire, we find we have left ourselves open. The fear of being vulnerable may then be sat with as well.

May we sit with ourselves this evening, with mature knowledge of our frailties, the courage of children learning to walk and talk, and the inner drive which calls us all forward.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday May 8th, 2022

Hello all, our individual karma can be changed from an application of penal law to that of grace and mercy by how we live our lives, by how well we listen and abide by the inner voice of the Source. As we do this we give helpful attention to our physical and mental healing as well.

Attuning our thoughts, attitudes, and actions to our spiritual heritage supports our physical structures. It may not replace medical interventions, but gives great inner assistance. 

May we sit this evening to listen within, to apply ourselves to our futures and our present. May we ask, "Thy will be done."

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday May 1st, 2022

Hello everyone, spirituality gives us opportunities to love, to have love, to express love, to be loving. It's up to us to bring it forth in this world. Sometimes these are viewed as tests, sometimes as rewards, but the opportunity is for something loving to occur.

 
With our free will we are allowed to act upon these opportunities to the extent we see fit, or as we see ourselves called to do. But it's an opportunity, the work involved is yet to be done.

May we sit this evening for the awareness of opportunities. May we act upon them as befits our lives. May we bring forth as much love as we are able.

Thank you all,

Richard 

For Sunday April 24th, 2022

Hello to all, it's understood by many that we on Earth are all involved in a remarkable spiritual transformation of humanity. Those who are actively pursuing a more spiritual lifestyle are forging a way forward, in a manner which befits them. Those who cling tightly to personal desires of lust and power are demonstrating the ultimate fruitlessness of material pursuits.

The material side sells fear, anger, etc., while the spiritual side may experience frustration. It's important to not be caught up in any of that but to see the struggle as a needed cleansing. Horrifying as it is, humanity apparently refuses to learn in any other way.

May we sit this evening as loving observers of the ultimate struggle. May our own flare-ups of anger, frustration, and such be as gusts of wind; rocking our world in the moment, but passing on unattached. May we find that inner peace which is not fought for but simply allowed to be.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 17th, 2022

Hello and a gracious Easter to all of you. As we've been told, "Be a light unto oneself. Being a light unto yourself carries a marvelous sense of freedom – because there is no shadow in that light."

In this season of resurrection, of buds on branches and chirping birds, may we rekindle the light within.

 
This Sunday, may illusions be seen through, no matter how staunch. May the shadows of sorrows and regrets lighten, withering to nill. And may distractions be released in our all-encompassing light.

Thank you all for your entire lives,

Richard

For Sunday April 10th, 2022

Hello all, love is, loving gestures are never wasted, hugs can hold forever, smiles can linger a lifetime – love is.

In this world of temporal experience love holds true – whether we are aware of it or not.

May we sit this evening with the intention to release that which blocks us. Whatever we may achieve or not, that loving self-intention will be. It will hold till we are ready, as our loving intentions upon others will hold also. The world needs our love, and at some point the time will be ripe for fruition.

 
Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 3rd, 2022

Hello everyone, E=mc2 says that at the core of all matter is the energy it was made from, just as at the core of ourselves is the energy we were made from – in His image. The releasing of matter into energy can be explosive, just as the releasing of ourselves into spiritual energy can be explosive, but it can also be incremental.

 
May we sit Sunday evening for the awareness of, and connection to, our spiritual core. May touching the Love we find there uplift us. May holding that Love uplift the world.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 27th, 2022

Hello again all, there seem to be a couple of different understandings of the word 'repent' in use today. One is to maintain an aspect of regret or remorse for past words or actions. Another is as a demand of self, or others, to cease and desist such actions. Still another is to go about publicly proclaiming the first two.

 
Yet the origin of repent is from metanoia, meaning to 'go beyond the mind' or 'go into the larger mind.' This indicates a transformation of the self (with a lower case 's') into the higher Self, as is needed for spiritual transformation.

May we sit this evening for the greater meaning of repent. May we see into the larger mind. May we raise our self into Self.

 
Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 20th, 2022

Hello everyone, the great teachers have often told us that what we need spiritually may be massively uncomfortable to endure. With all that's happening in the world right now, pandemic and horrid war, it's important that we witness – 'be with' in our hearts – those who suffer, even if it's only for 20 minutes.

 
May our energies uphold them in their trials. May we lighten their hearts, if only for a bit. May we assure that we are with them as one human family.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 13th, 2022

Hello everyone, in her book 'The Wisdom Jesus' Cynthia Bourgeault states that the heart does not perceive through differences; the differentiation of this/that, me/them, near/far, big/little, nor any of the potentially overwhelming concepts of the mind which are so common in our material world. Instead, the heart perceives its environs by means of harmony; that which is 'in tune' with itself and the divine within.

The more we learn to access this form of perception the closer we can follow Divine will.

 
May we sit this evening while listening closely to the heart. May our ability to tune into the subtle shades of energy found there grow. May the world become more heart-felt.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday March 6th, 2022

Hello again, it's difficult to ascertain if the situation in Ukraine is deteriorating or stalemating with saber-rattling. In any event there still are many who suffer the effects of war. May we offer our prayers this evening, and perhaps other options will come our way as well.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday February 27th, 2022

Hello to all, may we once more come together in spirit to pray for all those involved in the situation in Ukraine. When two or more are gathered in my name...

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday February 20th, 2022

Hello everyone, to be reverent is to have an attitude of honoring life, that all life has value. Reverence is a perception of the soul. It is engaging in a form and depth of contact with life that is well beyond the shell of form – into essence.

Those who dwell on the shell of form, the five senses of life, tend to lean toward the accumulation of external power – financial, political, military – through thoughts and actions. Those who feel the call of their hearts, authentic power, lean toward reverence. Reverence is not an emotion. Reverence is a self-created environment which brings forth patience – and nourishes the spiritual unfoldment of the individual.

May we sit this evening in reverence, in deep respect for all life. May we peek into the Oneness of life where that which is ineffable is known.

Thank you all,

Richard 

Kundun Movie

Just as a 'in case you're interested' moment, Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 1997 film Kundun, about the life of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet is available on YouTube. Apparently there was a bit of a dust-up with China about the film's release. It was shown in a few theaters back then and is available now only on YouTube.

Here is a Wikipedia article about it: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundun

And here is the YouTube address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzjme-bnbrA

Enjoy,

Richard

Peace Meditation for Ukraine

World Synchronized Meditation:
I've been told that James Twyman will travel to Ukraine for A Worldwide Synchronized Meditation, Feb. 20th at noon New York Time.
Known around the world as The Peace Troubadour, Fr. James Francis Twyman will travel to Kyiv, Ukraine to focus a major peace meditation on Sunday, February 20 at noon ET time.

Also, Eileen Lindsay has written in asking what times my friend will be holding the prayers for Ukraine on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It turns out there are no set times. Please feel free to join in as you may feel the call.

Thanks to all of you for everything you do,

Richard

For Sunday February 13th, 2022

Hello everyone, a friend will be beginning a three day prayer vigil with another group; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, focused on the situation around Ukraine. Even though we've just done so, I have offered to start him off with us sitting for that situation once again. If you'd care to, you are certainly free to continue joining them in spirit for any of those days. 

Prayer can be described as loving vibration, a power of its own and a petition to Source. The more people who join in creating that loving vibration the more powerful it is, "Whenever two or more are gathered in my name..."

Namaste`

Richard

For Sunday February 6th, 2022

Hello to all, as you may expect the truth empowers us while that which is untrue contaminates us. It doesn't matter whether we are the speaker or the listener who takes it in.

 
So, when approaching rhetoric of any kind be it political, financial, racial, societal – whatever occurs within ourselves is our clue. The contamination may take the form of anger, disgust, paranoia, or irritation.. Or we may find the fruits of the spirit bloom. It's an internal process and requires absolute honesty.

May we sit this evening for our own internal viewing. May our motivations be true and our lens be clear. May truth be knowable and well shared.

Thank you all,

Richard 

For Sunday January 30th, 2022

Hello to all, it has been said that not everything you face can be changed – but, to change anything at all, you must first face it.

That which comes to mind during the quiet of meditation is not our enemy. It is our indicator, our yardstick of acceptance – acceptance of ourselves. What comes to mind can be seen as the self-entertainment of an untrained mind. Note it and gently set it aside. When it returns, note it and again gently set it aside. It is not our goal to subdue it, fight it, or suppress it. Our goal is to simply be quiet.

 
May we sit this Sunday for the quietude which is our birthright. May our busy minds release their grip on the world. May we find that which is on the other side of activity.

 
Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday January 23rd, 2022

Hello everyone, the religions which have been built up around the words of the great prophets tell us how to love and what to love. But the great prophets themselves simply tell us to love.

All people, all the time, even ourselves, simply love. 

May we do so now, no matter how late I get this out...  :o)

Thank you all for your patience,

Richard

For Sunday January 16th, 2022

Hello to each and every one of you, it has been said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, nor is it to suffer - but that the purpose of life is to experience. 

When that experience is met with strength, courage, self-honesty, and some humor, then growth occurs – growth which can diminish suffering and bring happiness.

 
May we sit this Sunday to love ourselves by employing enough strength to be courageous, and enough self-honesty to see the humor in our growth.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday January 9th, 2022

Oh, for heavens sake, I sent this out without a subject line. Well, here it is again in case anyone is as confused as I am about what I'm doing... :o)

Hello everyone, "It's madness to hate all roses because you got scratched with one thorn, to give up all dreams because one of them didn't come true, to give up all attempts because one of them failed.
It's folly to condemn all your friends because one has betrayed you, to no longer believe in love just because someone was unfaithful or didn't love you back, to throw away all your chances to be happy because something went wrong.
There will always be another opportunity, another friend, another love, a new strength.
For every end, there is always a new beginning.....
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye."
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "The Little Prince"

He is, of course, talking about not just interpersonal romantic matters but the true work of the heart in the redemption of humanity. Our ability to honestly connect with our hearts, and to guide our lives from there in all situations, is the 'essential' that he's talking about.

May we sit once more for that astonishingly beautiful self-honesty which connects us to our hearts. May we be gentle with what we find there. May we share the best of what we find there with all.

Thank you all,

Richard 

Hello everyone, "It's madness to hate all roses because you got scratched with one thorn, to give up all dreams because one of them didn't come true, to give up all attempts because one of them failed.
It's folly to condemn all your friends because one has betrayed you, to no longer believe in love just because someone was unfaithful or didn't love you back, to throw away all your chances to be happy because something went wrong.
There will always be another opportunity, another friend, another love, a new strength.
For every end, there is always a new beginning.....
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye."
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "The Little Prince"

He is, of course, talking about not just interpersonal romantic matters but the true work of the heart in the redemption of humanity. Our ability to honestly connect with our hearts, and to guide our lives from there in all situations, is the 'essential' that he's talking about.

May we sit once more for that astonishingly beautiful self-honesty which connects us to our hearts. May we be gentle with what we find there. May we share the best of what we find there with all.

Thank you all,

Richard 

For Sunday January 2nd, 2022

Hello everyone, wow, what a treat it is to write 22 as the year we're in. Several sources claim the number 22 denotes a high spiritual vibration. We are more than ready for it.

Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman wanted to write "a lyric to honor the hardships, hurt, hope, and healing of 2021 while also harkening the potential of 2022." She titled it "New Day's Lyric", here it is:

"What was cursed, we will cure.
What was plagued, we will prove pure.
Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,
Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,
Where we weren't aware, we're now awake;
Those moments we missed
Are now these moments we make,
The moments we meet,
And our hearts, once all together beaten,
Now all together beat."

She goes on to write:
"This is such a unique New Year's Day, because even as we toast our glasses to the future, we still have our heads bowed for what has been lost," she wrote. "I think one of the most important things the new year reminds us is of that old adage: This too shall pass. You can't relive the same day twice — meaning every dawn is a new one, and every year an opportunity to step into the light."

So here we are, wisened from our past, aware of our responsibilities to the future, and ready to step into the Light. May we sit for the loving steps we will take.

Thank you all,

Richard