It’s a beautiful new day and a new year, as well as a time of deep self-reflection.
As we’re all thinking about what worked well last year, what didn’t work so well, and how we want to move forward, I wanted to share a question that I intend to use to guide my actions in 2017 and beyond.
I was recently at a gathering for the Winter Solstice, where over 700 yogis meditated and chanted together for a week. In Snatam Kaur’s workshop on prayer and compassion, she asked:
What if your life could be an offering to the divine?
It’s an interesting question to contemplate. One that takes you out of the day-to-day grind and infuses every aspect of life with a higher purpose.
What would my life look like if I treated it as an offering to the divine?
- I’d treat my inner guidance as the precious gift that it is and trust my intuition all the time (not just when I feel like it).
- I’d also trust that everything will unfold to its highest potential, even when it may not seem like that’s the case.
- I’d stop holding back on putting some of my ideas out into the world and finish the book I feel called to write.
- I’d focus entirely on my actions (e.g. writing), instead of the desired outcomes (writing a bestseller).
- I’d be more concerned with what I can give, rather than what I can get.
- I’d treat everyone with kindness and compassion, even when I’m tired, annoyed or hungry (moments that can be especially challenging!).
- I’d have less fear because I’d realize that my actions aren’t about the impact they have on me, but about the contribution I can make to the evolution of the universe.
I’m not entirely sure yet that it’s possible to live this way 100% of the time, but it’s worth a shot, so here we go.
When I feel myself being challenged or in a moment of doubt, I’ll ask myself:
If my next action were an offering to the divine, what would it be?
And then move forward from there.
Right now, I’ll start here: I recently published a new meditation on Insight Timer. It’s called Kundalini Meditation for Love, Light & Knowing God is Within.
I’m not normally one to publish anything containing the word God, because it’s a word that took me over 30 years to understand and come to peace with myself.
But this meditation contains a beautiful vow for many things, including forgiveness. I started doing it every day in the summer and when I listened to it the day after the US election, I knew I needed to put it out into the world.
Remember the other day when I said I did something that scared me? Well, this is it. Publishing something with the word God in it is it.
And this is my latest offering to the divine.
Best wishes for 2017 and beyond!
