Day 11: February 9
The thought for today is CONTEMPLATION.
Set aside every day for meditation and contemplation. There is nothing more vital to your spiritual awakening than taking part in these exercises.
Meditation is the act of emptying yourself so there is nothing left but the Presence of God. It is not prayer. It is not about going to God with a list of all that you want God to do for you or give you. It is simply about experiencing Oneness with your Source. Rid yourself of all the noise, thoughts, emotions, memories, pain, and other distractions that prevent you from the knowledge of Oneness.
Contemplation, on the other hand, is to focus on a particular word or concept and give it deep and thoughtful consideration and study; it is to open yourself to the Wisdom and guidance of the Divine Mind around a particular idea. Contemplation is the process of developing a vision of your intention as a precursor to taking action. Contemplation is the activity that starts the manifestation process.
For example, by contemplating Peace you begin to go deeper than your initial reactions to the concept. What is Peace? What do I think about Peace and how do I feel about It? Is there a difference between worldly peace and the Peace of God? Can either last? What prevents me/us from making it a permanent experience? What can we do to allow Peace to Be our individual and our common experience? Am I living with integrity to what I say I believe? How do my actions affect my brothers and sisters in the world? As you think on these things, allow Spirit to direct your thoughts and feelings. Listen intently for your answers.
The book of Proverbs says that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” In New Thought, we have a similar saying: as within, so without. Paul of Tarsus built on this when he wrote in the New Testament, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise, think on these things.” Think on these things – fill your mind and your heart with these things – and you begin the process of manifesting them in your experience of Life.
What you contemplate in the Higher Mind in thought and emotion creates belief. That belief backs up your actions, thus manifesting in your outer experience the very thing of which you were thinking.
When you contemplate Peace and Justice, Love, and Unity, you engage in the process of creating them in yourself and your community.
“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” -Aristotle
I take time today and every day to rest in the thought of what is True, honorable, right, and pure. I enter the Higher Mind within and contemplate Peace, Justice, Love, and the Unity of all in God. As I do so, I engage the Power of Creation and take the first step to their revelation in my life.
breathe Peace ~
Rev. Rebewcca
As a special gift from the Association for Global New Thought in celebration of the Season of Nonviolence, please accept this Living Peace Mandala as another way of participating in the Season. Instructions for its use are located below the mandala. Create a shortcut for your desktop so you can access it easily. And please don’t forget to come back every day to http://revrebecca.com/wordpress/ for more inspiration and daily action that you can take to move you and your world in the direction of Peace.
