During the May 2016 Philander Smith College Commencement Ceremony, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee spoke. A dynamic speaker who gave the call to "rise and serve". She spoke eloquently about our responsibility as citizens to uphold the values of equality, justice, honor, and respect for all people.
Congresswoman Lee called upon us to connect with our inner wisdom and clear thinking to rise and serve in our families, our communities, and our government. She spoke of servant leadership, of how far women and minorities have come and how far we have yet to go. Congresswoman Lee was straightforward in acknowledging the threat to human rights the current US Presidential administration plays. She reminded us that if one person suffers we all suffer.
Her call to rise and serve has stayed with me, leading me to ask "how can I serve even more? And, what do I need to do within myself to ensure I am showing up in the world from a place of peace, clarity, and groundedness?" A few insights came to me, one was to continue deepening my own practice of stillness, peace, clarity, and openness.
What can we do to create the world we wish to live in? Here are a few suggestions:
Connect With Your Intentions Daily
Our intentions, along with our motivation, drives our lives. Connecting with our intention daily, maybe through a mantra or prayer, helps orient our mind and heart. Some find it helpful to write out their intention(s) and put it somewhere they will see it every day.
What is your intention for your life? How do you wish to show up in the world? How do you wish to respond to the challenges facing all of us in the USA and across the globe? How do you wish to live your values and have your voice heard?
Meditate Daily
Meditating daily, even for 15 minutes, helps calm the nervous system, clear the mind, and align us with our intentions. And daily compassion meditation helps us to calm and open our heart, reducing anger, fear, jealousy, and pride. Daily practice also helps us improve our relationships with ourselves and with others.
Whether sitting quietly or doing a compassion meditation, daily meditation allows us to deepen our practice, to confront our own shadow, and to truly transform our pain and suffering into wisdom and compassion.
There are multiple resources on this website to support you in your practice. Visit: Learn to Meditate, Moon Meditations and A Year of Peace and Reconciliation.
Raise Your Voice
With a clear mind and open heart we can use our critical thinking to live our values through speaking out in regards to inequities in our families, our communities, our government and in our world.
If you are like me you may feel helpless or overwhelmed by what is going on in the United States and the world. You may wonder what can one person do and what to do?
Our practices are our refuge. They sustain us, ground us, and give us the fortitude to move in the world from a consciousness that is not currently being exhibited in our government and corporate entities. Where we can share our concerns and our intentions for a compassionate world.
Be The Change
Create the world you wish to live in by reaching out to your neighbors, connecting with them and building positive relationships. Make changes within yourself and in your own life - changing mental habits which fosters a more positive inner landscape, changing habits of speech to foster positive relationships with yourself and with others, change habits of consumption to align spending habits with your values. Questions such as "where do the products I buy come from, are they sustainable, who makes them and do they receive fair wages?" are helpful guides.
Connecting with our intentions, meditating daily, holding a vast vision of peace, equality, honor, and respect for all beings, as well as the planet, is a way for us to stay grounded, centered, and in a place of openness. It is a way to keep our mind clear so that we can access our deeper wisdom to be able to rise and serve, responding in constructive ways to today's challenges.
May all beings benefit from your practice.