As
Christmas Approaches: The Breaths
Friends, readers, browsers: this is to be put to use
and it's free. This is nothing new, I put it to practice but am
not its originator. This is as old as Buddha and as fresh as your
own very next breath, it is for all regardless of what you call your
faith, your religion, your ecclectic sortof-sortof, or most valuably:
your highest most intimately cherished reality.
And as Christmas approaches I decided this year to put
this out there, as it has been received, and in my own manner of
presentation – if being Christian (whatever denomination or however
you define that) you take this and own it, make it yours – not
by reading and thinking about it or having an opinion about it but
only by giving it your devoted concentration and following the simple
few steps, you will be really fulfilling both the Sermon
on the Mount and the Prayer of St. Francis: by letting yourself be
made an instrument of service in the most Christian real sense there
is. Now do it and I'll shut up:
Sit up straight, whether on a chair (feet flat) or on a
mat or rug, however you best do that, back straight but relaxed, neck
also. All breathing is through the nose. What you do with your
hands is of little matter, mudra or no mudra or hands held or free –
just concentrate. Take a few shallow breaths, a few deep
ones, some strong then gentle, adjust – consciously adjust your
breathing to be long and deep, into the belly and back out, let your
focus settle in your chest, just central there, your Heart. Just
breathe. You can direct your thoughts better with any of the
following, they are only three suggestions of many: Inhale
“Toward the One” and exhale “United with All” (meaning all
the illuminated souls who are actually leading you in this as we
speak) – or, inhale “Christ in me” and exhale “United with
All” – or if you're Jewish doing this you can inhale “Ha-Shem
Echad,” and exhale “Baruch-Ha-Shem” – whatever works for you.
Now: you have adjusted your breathing and it's long and
deep, you should focus your most devoted thought on Whom or on That
which you most love – and yes, you are “worthy” of doing
this – let the feeling in the center of your chest open to that and
receive that. Let into you the presence of your greatest Trust, your
greatest Love, let yourself imbibe that, be sourrounded by that, just
as the conducting wire (you) inside a glass bulb is surrounded
by a generated current and light is produced going outward. Just
breathe this way. Let it fill you, in and around you. As this is a
Christmas Concentration I'll address it accordingly. Let Jesus abide
here, or as it says in Scripture, put on the Mind of Christ, you can
even mentally intone Jesus Jesus if it helps – now we can
begin.
Refining that breathing, refining like a bare thread
coming and going, breathe into yourself all the Love
you can draw in from the Universe, from the Cosmos, from the space
around you, from so many dimensions, and from the here-now, and
in reality. And breathe it out, out, out. Let it be with
you, let it be in the room, let it abide, in and out. Whatever else
is there with you, family or cares or worries or joys – let all
this be of no disturbance, for you are sovereign, let this all be
baptized in your breath, as you breathe in and then breathe out all
the Love you can muster.
You are a sun, can you visualize that magnificent
star up close? That is you, burning, producing such heat and such
light – do you not feel your gut loosening and expanding even as
you breathe in and out of your Heart (like I told you)? You may be
an idiot all day long the rest of the week but right here and
right now, you are Being Divine: Who loves ya? Who's with ya?
Who'dja invite over to breathe with ya? Spirit is here and real –
God's own breath is inside your breath.
Having let all the Love into you and,
going out from you, circulate and expand, now continue on by refining
still finer and drawing likewise into yourself all the Joy
you can bring in, and circulate that through and on out, just
as you've been doing. Feel it? It is yours, it is you –
yeah, you're worthy of it, you're worthy of it – it's
not about you anyway, and yet it is entirely you giving
yourself to its Doing – there's nothing theoretical here. Either
you're with it or you're not.
Let this continue for a few breaths, then refine,
refine, draw in finer still, all the Peace you can let
in to your limitless capacity – you sun of God you! – you
are the very space itself, embodied as you, just breathing! Don't
blow it by thinking – you're there, now stay there!
As this Peace which passeth understanding is real with
you, going out from you, see how all this Love, all this
Joy, all this Peace is contained as one breath of
Compassion which you allow to expand out with every
outgoing breath – it's as though you're no longer even there doing
it, just it is there doing you.
Head and Heart are not apart – you direct this
toward yourself and toward everything and everyone in
the room, and on out through that window into your neighborhood,
hovering just long enough to feel it take, and radiating and
broadcasting out to the area, the district, the city, the country,
the world, the earth, people you know and don't know, people you love
and those you don't even like (no ifs ands or buts), people you've
hurt or who've done you wrong, Nature: the forests, mountains, the
waters of the Earth, the animals and critters, let it go out to
wherever it is needed, whether to disaster areas, war zones, slums or
crime-concentrated areas – or just to any nameless faceless
individuals out there who may desperately need the witnessing touch
of your Love and your Joy and your
Peace, your Lovingkindness, your Compassion, breathing onto them and into them.
Now.
Not my words should dictate how far out this goes
or how far in – what you feel, feel it,
go with it, trust, trust, trust.
And what now? Just breathe and breathe and be with it –
feel feel feel: you are All-One but not alone.
(Just to give yourself a kick in the seat to get going
on it, here are two unmistakably suitable reads:)
(photo @ ca. one year)
(photo @ ca. age 14)
