Sunday Homily: Mindfulness

Being Aware

Mindfulness, which, among other things, is an attentive awareness of the reality of things (especially of the present moment). Living in the now and being cognizant of the events you are engaged in at this moment in time.

It’s important to take a moment throughout the day to be Mindful of what you’re thing, how you’re allowing those thoughts to impact what you’re doing and how it resonates with your soul, spiritual mission and mental outlook. Both for a state of being and for a sense of living your beliefs and putting them into practice.

The thoughts you wake up with in the morning create your day. How you think through out the day, create your week. The patterns you develop throughout the month, create your year.

How you think, creates your reality, your health and your life.
Springwolf 🐾 © 2012

It is a state of being where balance and peace within the moment, within the self and being are the center of all things. It’s not just looking at your thoughts, but your present state of attitude and how that translates into the manifestation of actions and reactions.

If you are stressed, anxious or angry, those emotions will translate through you and into your actions. If you’re at peace and mindful of your thoughts, then the energy you create and express will be calm and enlightened. Do you want to yell at the person driving next to you on the highway? Or at the store clerk who’s taking to long to ring up your items? Or is there a way you can translate your spiritual awareness into calm peace and discover why you’re being held up in the first place?

This concept of being Mindful was made popular through Buddhist teachings. But it is a concept that has been taught all over the world and throughout history. It can be found in Sanskrit, Hindu, and most of, if not all, Shamanistic teachings.We all talk about this concept of being in the now, but we use different labels or titles or descriptions to teach it.

When we remember we are part of the world around us, we can connect with the energy of the natural world, with each other and with the Divine Universe. We become aware of how we contribute to the atmosphere around us and aid or deter the positive flow of energy not only around us, but through us.

The Buddha advocated that one should establish mindfulness in one’s day-to-day life maintaining as much as possible a calm awareness of one’s body, feelings, mind, and dhammas. The practice of mindfulness supports analysis resulting in the arising of wisdom. ~ Mindfulness – Wikipedia.

Mindful Shamanism
In Shamanism, at least in my teachings of Shamanism I should say, being aware of your thoughts and actions is also a key practice in day to day living. Its result is to raise one to divine thinking and perspective in every moment of every day. “What would the GreatSpirits/Goddess/God/Jesus Do?” When you live in the moment with awareness of self, you don’t have to ask that question. You are already doing it.

When we live in the moment and pay attention to how we implement our spiritual perspectives we overcome greed, hatred, intolerance, or a desire to control. All representing a state of delusion. We align our energy and actions with higher purpose and with the mission of our soul. We work to be aware of our actions and how they promote our efforts into manifesting that spiritual mission into reality.

Sure is a lot of fancy concepts for saying something simple, don’t you think? It means Walking Your Talk ©. We all get pulled into the nitty gritty work of every day life. We watch the clock from the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to bed. When do we have to be at work, or drop the children off at school or the bus stop? What time do we take a break for lunch, or call that person about that thing? We spend so much time making sure we’re where we need to be physically, that we often forget to think about where we need to be spiritually.

That’s what Mindfulness is all about. Taking time through out the day to stop for a moment and be aware of where you are in your head and your actions. When we remember to do this we can constantly align our awareness with our higher conscious mind. We can look at the day from the spiritual perspective seeing the lessons, karmic connections (good, bad or indifferent) in all situations. We can also clearly see the solutions to issues, problems or blocks that stand in our way to achieving peace within.

Even if that means solving a problem at work, school or at home. Being focused on problems can cloud your view and get in the way of making choices and decisions. When we look at these challenges with clear thoughts and higher perspectives, we can better discover or innovate solutions that resolve the issues for the betterment of all concerned. We then release the worry and concern and find peace or contentment. When we are at peace with the individual events of the day, we can extend that peace to the world around us and into our day tomorrow and the next.

Being Mindful
Imagine if you could set up your week with peaceful positive energy that flows effortlessly through each day. You can, by being Mindful and aware. Within each moment you build the next moment of your day. That builds the next day and the entire week. Which builds up the month and eventually the year. Imagine if you could walk through each moment of your year with positive, calm peaceful awareness of why everything happens in each moment. What could you do with that understanding?

Imagine understanding what’s behind “everything happens for a reason, in its right time and place”. No doubts, no reason to be concerned, no reason to fear what’s around the next bend.

You might be able to change old negative patterns. You might be able to overcome conflicts with others in a peaceful manner. You might be able to change the negative self talk in your head to positive encouragement. You might be able to align your dreams with your conscience reality and work toward the possible instead of the delusional imagination.

Being Mindful isn’t simply a concept for Sunday mornings, or once a week for meditation, yoga or whatever spiritual activity you engage in. It’s for every day living. Putting into practice what you preach and claim to believe. All you need is a gentle reminder throughout the day to take a moment and be aware of how you’re thinking, what you’re doing with those thoughts and how those attitudes are manifesting through your actions.

It’s not as hard as you might think either. Today there are many ways to help you remember to take a moment and be aware of your thoughts and actions. Put a poster up in your office, put an image on your screen saver or something I’ve found that has been better than all those combined… There’s an app for that! (See Remembering To Be Mindful – Put Being Mindful Into Daily Practice).

It’s a little action to put your beliefs into daily practice. To live ..in the moment.. with peace and calm perspective that can and will change your life. It’s a little thing that will lead you to greater spiritual awareness and enlightenment. After all, you’re worth the effort to give it a try. What do you have to lose?