This first week we learned that hope is a real and powerful force. Today we learn about how every obstacle or problem has a solution through hope. When you are aware and appreciate all that you have, it is more likely that you will have what you hope for. Gratefulness is a powerful secret to achieving what you hope for.
Expanding our awareness through meditation is like turning on the lights when you are searching for something in darkness. This meditation on Easter Day is a wonderful opportunity to give rebirth to your awareness of gratitude.
“Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm, and genuine people.” – Tena Desae
Message of the Day
“Today’s meditation is about realizing that when you expand your awareness you are shifting your orientation to the world from perspective that only sees problems to a viewpoint that only sees the solutions. When your attention is aligned with the universal intelligence of Nature, then you always find a way through your challenges and difficulties. Another way to understand this experience of unbounded awareness is to realize that everywhere you look, you find hope.”
CENTERING THOUGHT
I find a reason to hope in every situation.
SANSKRIT MANTRA
Shree Gum Namah
My limitless awareness overcomes all obstacles
Reflection Journal Questions
- Uncertainty is often objectified as the universe “out there,” but in fact, uncertainty is a state of awareness. What you experience as random, external forces is really your personal conscious interpretation. When we realize this truth, we can see that uncertainty holds hope and the possibility of solutions everywhere we look. As an exercise, write down one word that you associate with your uncertainty; maybe it’s “money.” Now take a moment to get centered, and ask, “Where in my body do I feel this uncertainty?” It could be anywhere, but most people feel it in the center of their chest. Let your attention gently and lovingly be with that sensation, breathing into it for a minute or two. Then, write down anything that comes to you: emotions, sensations, colors, shapes, insights. This is the beginning of the inner conversation toward finding a response of hope to uncertainty.
- Now to expand your conversation with the uncertain universe, ask yourself, “How would I like to deal with the uncertain universe today?” Again, take a breath and connect with your silent self, feeling the space in your body where you hold the feeling of uncertainty. Write down any response that comes to you. For example, “I want to respond to uncertainty with more gratitude, creativity, clarity, and compassion.”
- Think back to an uncertain circumstance in which you found yourself spontaneously solving a problem you didn’t expect to be yours. Perhaps it was an unexpected work project that got passed to you, and instead of complaining you found the capacity within you to effectively handle it. Or maybe two people close to you suddenly got into an intense argument, and you somehow knew what to say and do to diffuse it and resolve the conflict. Write down the particulars of your past experience and recognize that problem-solving ability is always there within you as hope.
- Reflect further on your experience today.