The Power of Spirit

In reading the May 16 article by Father Ron Rolheiser, an Oblate father who writes for San Francisco Catholic paper, I am reminded of the power of the spirit. Fr. Rolheiser speaks of God's spirit and the spirit of those we love who pass on and how their presence is more fully felt in a different and deeper way after death. If only we can let go and let the presence of spirit fill us. In my pause of the article I became inspired that there other forms of spirit that generate from people we have met both alive currently and those who have passed into a new life. This is the spirit of love, joy, peace and compassion. We even speak in terms of the spirit of these ways of being. My sister Katie is here visiting from Texas and was not feeling good at all last night. As I prayed to God to help her, my own spirit of service and compassion was stirred as if God was moving me into helping her. My observation is that this spirit, in this case of service and compassion is really truly the visible presence of God's spirit. When we pray and are moved to action, the power of the spirit is alive in us. The power of the spirit is strengthened through action. The gifts of the Holy Spirit as referenced in Isaiah's book include: wisdom, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, understanding, piety and fear of the Lord (also referred to as wonder and awe in God). I would add to these as love, joy, kindness, compassion, service, and peace.
Remember YOU GOT SPIRIT YES YOU DO. Use it and the gates of heaven open on earth.

The Breath Breathes You

Close you eyes and become aware of your breathing. Allow yourself to become the observer of your own breath, the inhalation and the exhalation and in moments you will see the calm, quiet, stillness as you realize the breath is breathing you. As a teacher of yoga and a woman who has sought peace her whole life, I have discovered in that past several years that peace has been present all the while. It is mostly that we are not aware of it being present because we are busy with life doing, playing, resting, working and living. It is possible in all these activities of being, that we can bring awareness to the presence of peace as we quiet the mind and bring our awareness to our breathing in and our breathing out and our pauses in between. Today, allow yourself to begin the practice of noticing as the breath of life breathes YOU.