“Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man.” – Victor Hugo
Message of the Day
Today’s meditation is about recognizing the simplicity at the core of life, and then learning to live from that place of calm simplicity to smoothly orchestrate the disparate demands and forces in our everyday existence. The simple unifying quality of awareness is related to the power of hope. When we feel the connection to our simplicity of being, we have hope as well.
CENTERING THOUGHT
I offer hope from the simplicity of my heart.
SANSKRIT MANTRA
Namah Shee Va Ya (I invoke the infinite potentiality of the universe.)
Reflection Journal Questions
- Confusion happens when things get too complicated. Write down a relationship in your life that has gotten too difficult and complex. Describe in your journal the simple feeling that matters the most to you in the relationship. Now continue writing about the various complications that have developed over time and how they have come to obscure that underlying feeling that you value. As you close your eyes, visualize this person, and say to yourself, “I will not let these complications shadow what I love in this relationship. Let the simplicity shine through.” Hold the person in your heart with simple love and appreciation. Write about how you feel now.
- A common source of complication in relationships is misunderstandings and the hurt feelings that are held afterward. Journal about a relationship you have in which there has been some longstanding resentment, distrust, or hurt feelings from a misunderstanding that has never been fully cleared up. Now write down one or two actions you can take to uncomplicate this relationship; for example offering a heartfelt apology for causing hurt, wanting to really hear their side of the story and taking it seriously, saying how much their relationship means to you, etc.
- The greatest simplicity is loving kindness. What act of kindness can you offer in a complicated relationship? Journal about some possibilities.
- Reflect further on your experience today.