July 9, 2020 8:09 pm
Published by Kathleen FitzPatrick
Consider creating a circle of blessing in the sphere around you that you carry with you wherever you go. I have long practiced walking around my neighborhood, for fitness and to do my practices in motion. Noticing that there was often litter along the way, I began to carry a bag to pick it up. I saw that my neighbors often put their returnables in their blue recycling boxes, and began to collect these, turn them in and offer the money to those in need. I’m still doing all these things, and now practicing offering a silent blessing to the houses and their occupants as I pass, and also to the trees. My method is to flick a stream of energetic blessing from my fingertips, which I visualize crossing the distance to envelope the home. Samuel Lewis, also known as Murshid SAM, offered an extensive teaching entitled “The Bestowal of Blessing.” I will be sharing these insights, along with my own thoughts and offerings from other sources, in a series of posts here and on the website, www.amberlightinternational.org. Please let me know what your experiences are as we go along. Here is a quote from Murshid SAM for your contemplation: “The ‘doing better’ of the esotericist then is not tochoose to do some acts and refrain from others; it is doing acts in accordance with heart-feeling and thinking in harmony with heart feeling, so that the heart may become alive. It is this attitude which leads to broadness of vision, to a greater horizon and purer conception of self, a conception which includes something of the not-self in it. In other words, spiritual betterment is concerned with the love aspect of life and blooms in deeds of beneficence; it is greater than morality.” Creating an Atmosphere of Peace In the... View Article
June 8, 2020 4:27 pm
Published by Kathleen FitzPatrick
Whenever I can during gardening season, I try to get out to the town mulch bins. It takes some time and effort to fill up my containers and load them into the car, which gives me an opportunity to think. Today, I thought about fashion. I follow a few fashion blogs and writers, just for fun. At a certain point, I noticed some of the people I liked the best seemed not to be contributing and almost be accident I discovered that at the onset of the pandemic, they had been let go from their employment with hugely successful sites. I posted a comment on one site and discovered that there was a deluge of opinion that appeared to stop the addition of any new content for a few days. Then I discovered that another content leader was also under criticism for her workplace practices and personal behavior. Ruminating on these things, some questions came up. What am I seeking on these sites? I have always loved clothes and style. I’m a second-hand shopper and use these sites for ideas and inspiration, not as a prompt for actual purchases unless I see something similar that I like at Goodwill – which sometimes happens. It’s more about fun than aspiration; I fit neither the age nor the income target demographic. So, why did I think that these businesses were performing as I thought they appeared? Why did I imagine that the white female founders were inclusive and promoting of their content producers of color and various gender identities? Was this just my own projection of how I would expect or want them to be? But why didn’t I question and check? It’s disappointing that in a creative space owned and aimed at women, appearances were ultimately deceiving. Photos of diverse staff groups laughing and having fun together were betrayed by dismissals of staff at a... View Article
March 11, 2014 4:30 pm
Published by Kathleen FitzPatrick
Greetings and a warm welcome to all. This practice reviews some basic concepts and practices on rhythm, with perhaps the added feature of suggesting how to experiment with its practical uses in everyday life. We find it intriguing that powerful spiritual practices, experiences and even concepts are sometimes compartmentalized from most aspects of life, as if the spiritual domain is behind some impermeable membrane, divorced from our other more “worldly” and “material” aspects. This often gives rise to comments as to how some spiritual teachings may seem out of date, and not resonant with our modern life; that they need to be updated somehow. We hope that these contemplations and practices focusing on rhythm will help clarify how modern and useful these teachings are. First, some basic concepts to re-contemplate and experience. Even if these are familiar to you, please consider reviewing them to form a firm base for the coming months. Keep your intention on “rhythm” and allow yourself to re-experience old friends in a new light. 1. Rhythm – 1: a. Concept: As long as there is life, there is rhythm. All of life vibrates, and where there is vibration, there is rhythm. If you like, refer to Newton’s law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This “action-reaction” sequence is rhythm. You may not perceive it as such, it may not fit your idiosyncratic definition of “rhythm,” but it is. This sequence is the basis of the soul’s journey: from Zat, where vibration is implicit, to the Big Bang and the explosion of Sifat: the qualities of God with which we are impressed. b. Contemplation: All of life vibrates, even when I cannot perceive it. c. Exercises: (1) Awareness training: Sit. Begin to settle. Notice the gross movements of body, breath and mind settling... View Article
