April Theme: Illuminate Truth
Om Bhaanave Namaha.
We greet and honor that which illuminates.
First Week’s Contemplation
When we must act quickly, our decision-making is often flooded with clarity. When I was eight years old, I remember watching my dad—who had spent several summers as a lifeguard in his youth—spring into action when a young child slipped out of her floating device during a family gathering at our pool. He was lightning fast. There was no hesitation, only action. The girl was safe in his arms before anyone else even knew what had happened. I remember thinking, Wow. If only every call to action could be illuminated so clearly.
Maybe they are. We just have to practice knowing the essence of illumination.
Close the eyes and contemplate this wisdom:
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." - The Talmud
What are you called to do now? Rest? Act? Surrender? Connect? Your inner illumination is already guiding you.
Second Week’s Contemplation
Close the eyes. Turn the gaze inward. Where does the inner gaze naturally want to rest? Where is it guiding you in your inner body? Perhaps to the space behind the center of the brow? Perhaps the heart? Perhaps the crown of the head? Wherever the inner gaze guides you, settle here and practice knowing and trusting inner illumination.
Third Week’s Contemplation
Sit quietly. Let the spine be lightly uplifted. Let the shoulders be soft. Place the hands on the heart, or let them rest easily in the lap. Close the eyes. Breathe gently. Turn the gaze inward and allow it to illuminate whatever is here with you right now. No need to edit or omit. Let the inner light of awareness be free, and know that everything belongs. You belong. Your truth is welcome right here, right now.
"The inhale. The exhale. The grief. The grace. The breakdown. The breakthrough. The hurt. The healing. The despair. The delight. The aloneness. The aliveness. The love. The loss. The beauty. The betrayal. The pain. The peace. The dark. The light. The coming together. The falling apart. Absolutely everything is sacred." ~anonymous
Fourth Week’s Contemplation
We are here to live our truth and live it fully. You are already perfect. Not when compared with others. Not when you scrutinize yourself with your own judgments. You are perfect and have everything you need to live this life. I know. That’s hard to hear. So, maybe try it as a “what if.” What if I am perfect and I have everything I need to live authentically? And what if, when I forget that, it’s ok to return and carry on?
"Our time in this world is so fleeting that the only thing that comforts me is knowing that I've been authentic, that I've managed to be as close to myself as possible." - Frida Khalo
Close the eyes. Place the hands on the hard, and embrace the truth you’ve been gifted. Embrace your perfection.