Underlined Excerpts - June 2021

On the very first day of June (Unity Daily Word: Adventurous) I put a big star by this affirmation:

I live my life as a continuous adventure.

"Life is meant to be lived fully even if it means taking some risks. With an adventurous spirit, I open my mind to the possibilities around me."

This is such a great way to greet each day (see my post of May 27, 2021).

June 2 - Wisdom. From 1 Kings 3:12 - I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. (This fits into next week's post on Incomparable - a teaser!) 

Several decades ago I took a workshop on spiritual gifts. Mine turned out to be discernment. This gift has helped me to understand many things over the years since then; it appears in several of my underlinings this month and I am grateful.

June 3 - Silence. "In the stillness, my soul is enfolded in peace. True silence is a destination, a place of deep, abiding peace and tranquility."

As I study Mindfulness with my book group, I turn to silence more and more often for peace and understanding.

June 4 - Prosperity. "When I open my mind and heart to the world around me, I become ever aware of how I abound in prosperity."

June 9 - Rest. "I find my deepest rest in God, where I am closest to Spirit in my mind and heart. I release what is and what will be in faith that the divine presence within is the source of my good." From Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

This is exercise 2: look for what is changing
(p.s. everything changes)

June 11 - Guidance. "To receive my inner knowing clearly, I quiet my mind to better tune in to the still, small voice, my link to my divine nature...I also can access my guidance, which I may discern as a persistent feeling or a nudge to do something. If my guidance is unclear or difficult to discern, I wait with patience until I can determine how to proceed." From Proverbs 16:9 - The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.

June 22 - Forgive. "Who I am is greater than what I have done. The same is true for all others."

This is the forgiveness quote of the month!

June 25 - Trust. "When I keep my thoughts centered on God, deep peace encircles my heart and blissful clarity permeates my mind. As I live my life from this place, my trust in my ability to discern my inner guidance becomes increasingly strong." From Psalm 143:8 - Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

My theme of this month is Mindfulness. Mindfulness comes to me from wisdom, silence, rest, forgiveness, and trust. When I am mindful I am open to what is everywhere around me: adventure, prosperity, and guidance. The illustration is from the book a friend gave me entitled "see your way to mindfulness" by David Schiller.

~ Jean

... Release the Day

Ever since I found Unity, I have heard of many ways to start and end my days. In my May 27 post I wrote about the concept of “How Will I Greet This Day?” I love that and try to consider it each morning before I get into the rest of the day.

Last Friday (June 18, 2021) the Unity Daily Word was Unwind. This meditation made me think about how to end my day. The affirmation is:

I unwind in peace and love.

The part of the meditation that I especially like is to review the day and then:

I get comfortable and begin to relax. With each breathe, I release the day.

And then as I am ready to fall asleep, the Bible verse:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul. – Psalm 131:2

As I lay in bed the last few nights, I have briefly thought about the day just past, then stretched open my arms and thought “I release the day, and all is well.”

It does not always work perfectly but often it seems to allow me to fall asleep quickly and get back to sleep if I wake up during the night. Best of all, whether I slept well or not, I find that I have let yesterday go. As I study mindfulness and other Unity principles, there does not seem a better way to let go and let God than this. It also is a great way to keep me in the present, since the past is over, and the future is yet to be. I have only today, this present moment, to be who I am meant to be.

My wish for us all is that we “unwind in peace and love.”

~ Jean

Image: Amazon.com

... Until the You Disappears

My current book group is reading Peace is Every Step. The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh. For an hour once or twice a month we spend an hour reading and discussing a section. I love it because it gives hints for how to stay present in my life. Here's a quote:

"Our senses are our windows to the world, and sometimes the wind blows through them and disturbs everything within us... We must be very careful to protect our fate and our peace. I am not suggesting that we just shut all our windows, for there are many miracles in the world we call 'outside.' We can open our windows to these miracles and look at any one of them with awareness." (from pages 13, 14)

A friend gave me this book see your way to mindfulness, Ideas and Inspiration to Open Your I by David Schiller. It has 26 exercises. The first is here:

Delaware River

sit still and look until the you disappears

Sit until you become part of the silence. Chances are a bird won't land on your shoulder, but a butterful might. Then see - or hear - what the world is like without you in it.

I did this in a park facing the Delaware River a couple days ago. It was great. The river kept flowing, the birds and bugs began flying all around me as if I weren't there and I felt part of it all without disturbing any of it.

Give it a try.

~ Jean

Underlined Excerpts - May 2021

"As I enter into a sacred time of prayer ... I commit to holding all situations in the light of Spirit. I breathe mindfully, inhaling peace. I relax, exhaling all feelings of concern or worry." From May 5.

"I am the master of my life and moods. The spiritual being that I AM guides my thoughts and feelings." From May 8.

"Today I realize that all the changes I wish to see start with me at the level of my thinking. I remain engaged with the world as it is, yet attuned to a more enduring spiritual reality. In time, I notice that my outer world is reflecting my inner state because I am creating my life from the inside out." From May 10.

"I do what is mine to do, and then I let go." From May 17.

"When I shift my focus to all that is positive in my life, my heart opens to peace and my spirit lifts." From May 27.

"...anytime I stumble as an adult, I have an inner source of comfort and reassurance. The power of divine love within me shores my spiritual resolve and eases any sadness or sorrow. Divine love gives me strength to go on." From May 29.

"At a place in consciousness sometimes called the center of my being, peace, like all qualities of God, waits for me to recognize and claim it." From May 30

"Creating my life from the inside out" is the phrase that keeps coming back to me. I took our dog to the vet and learned that separation anxiety in dogs isn't rare. Since the Covid-19 pandemic required many people to stay home and work from home, many of our pets got used to us being around and getting more attention. As life returns to a new normal, our pets are feeling the loss of our presence. I have joked that my job is my dog and that is the case. She needs lots of attention and reassurance. What's saving me is taking her to a doggie day care for about 5 hours a couple times a week. She likes it and I need that time free from her needs to either do errands or get chores done both inside and outside. I also take some of that time for me - to read or journal or to write this post. It helps me to love and appreciate her nice qualities.

Many of this month's excerpts center on inner peace. I choose peace and I do what I can to claim it every day. I wish the same for each of you.

~ Jean

Image: Portlandlibrary.com