Manifesting inner desires of good

I told her she should create a special place where she can completely be herself. It might be a room in her house, or at a park near her home. It might even be a sidewalk table at a neighborhood tavern where she can sit and quickly sketch the faces of people as they walk by. It might also be a table at Starbucks where she can scribble uplifting thoughts. It can be the comfortable lounge chair in her parents’ living room where she can hug an overstuffed pillow.

The only criterion here is it should be a place she can experience what she is and what she might become; a place to roam her field of dreams.

I told her to think of ideal conditions that she wants to manifest in her life. It might be about a more fulfilling love life, or the financial independence she has been longing for. I urged her to begin actualizing those desires by creating detailed mental movies about them. And that she should save them in a special place in her mind for her to return to and expand upon on a regular basis.

And while engaged in such mental exercises, in case unwanted thoughts begin to disturb her consciousness, I told her to keep her eyes closed and remain focused on her breathing. She should then count the first inhale as one, the exhale as two, and so forth; return to one again after the tenth count. 

Should those negative thoughts persist, I advised her to firmly but silently utter the word, “Stop!” And to keep saying it until she regains total control of her thoughts. After which, resume her breathing exercises, but on a slower pace. I told her to do this for about 10 minutes, or for whatever length of time she is comfortable with.

When she likened it to meditation I said, “Sort of, but it’s more like setting the stage for a magical life.”  When she asked who powers this magic, with a smile I told her, “You do, because your inner desires of good are God’s desires for you.”

* * *

Sharing with Blue Monday, Our World Tuesday, 

*

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

What are the different kinds of psalms?

There are many ways to categorize the psalms. Some focus on content (trouble or trust, praise or prayer, joy or repentance). Others emphasize the use of the psalms (public ceremonies, private prayers and so on). 

Still others analyze style and technique (such as parallelism and acrostics). Here are some general categories:

(1) Hymns of praise. Many psalms were used in temple worship and some even include directions for the song leader. Many are still used as the basis for hymns and praise choruses.

(2) Complaints. Life is tough and many of the psalms reflect that fact. People turn to the psalms in times of distress because the psalms dare to be honest and meet them right where they are.

(3) Royal or Messianic. Many psalms revolved around the king and were intended to be used for public occasions in the life of the nation of Israel. Early Christian teachers, however, recognized that these psalms contained prophetic allusions to Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

(4) Occasional. Referred to as songs of ascent (Ps 120–134), these psalms were so named because they were sung by Israelite pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Other special occasions often had their own psalms as well.

(5) Wisdom. A few psalms illustrate the difference between human folly and godly wisdom, between sinful and righteous behavior.

Other categories could also be listed: historical, repentance, curse and creation.

*

Addendum:

How does a person meditate on God’s Word?

Psalm 119:15

Meditation is a combination of reviewing, repeating, reflecting, thinking, analyzing, feeling and even enjoying. It is a physical, intellectual and emotional activity—it involves our whole being.

In some ways, meditation doesn’t easily fit into Western culture. We value action and busyness more than stopping and considering. The author of this psalm was from another time and culture, one with a tradition that valued meditation. As a result, meditation came more naturally for him and others with his Middle Eastern background. We have to overcome some cultural obstacles to learn to meditate.

There are many ways to meditate on God’s Word. Some possibilities include: 

(1) Take time to read a verse or passage over and over. 

(2) Begin to memorize all or part of it. 

(3) Listen—quiet your heart to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through God’s Word. 

(4) Consider how it fits with the rest of the Bible and life in general. 

(5) Become emotionally involved—allow yourself to feel what God feels, his desires expressed through his words. (6) Move from meditation to application—connect your thoughts to action. Consider how the truth and power of the Word of God should affect your behavior.

Source: Bible Gateway

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

Art, meditation, and reverence

Malacanang Palace Museum

Resting the mind can be accomplished by meditation, and also by artwork, 
which allows the intuition to flow: the conscious mind recedes. 
Meditation and artwork at their best complement each other, 
and true things emerge. 

                                                                                Candace Loheed

Pinto Gallery, Antipolo City

In art museums and galleries, expect to see more slow looking and meditating. 

When I see it I plan to respectfully stay quiet and let it happen: I may try it myself. 

After all, for many of us, art galleries and museums are as close to church as we 

ever get. "With the eclipse of religion in the West," says David Greusel, an 

architect who specializes in the design of places where people come together, 

"the art museum has replaced the cathedral as the building type with the 

greatest architectural, social, and spiritual significance in a community."

                                      John Seed
                                                                             Professor of Art and Art History, 
                                                               Mt. San Jacinto College

Molave Abstract and Tiffany-style desk lamp

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things,

but their inward significance. 

                                                Aristotle

* * *

Sharing with Photo Art Friday

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!