A Case of Mistaken Identity
You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.-Oscar Wilde |
Peaceful, Centered + Connected As I welcomed the New Year from the comfort of my couch and the sounds from fireworks grew in frequency and volume I questioned if I should venture out to celebrate. I made a phone call to a dear friend. The truth is, I knew I needed to rest. "Why do you want to go out?" she asked. "Honestly, I feel alone," I replied. "You may feel lonely, but you are not alone," she said. And I was reminded that this is the gift of contemplation. I sit in silence. This is how I hear. I sit in stillness. This is how I move. I sit in solitude. This is how I am present + aware. Spirit is always guiding. Silence. Stillness. Solitude. We have all been in a room full of people and felt alone. We have all been alone and longed for a room full of people. We all have a deep desire to be reminded of who we are and that reminder, if it is to have any sustenance, must eventually come from a place of deep inner knowing. A New Way to See the Good News A new way to see the Good News offers a short passage that may offer a fresh perspective or insight into the ancient collection of poems, letters, and stories known as the Bible. As the year begins and moves forward this section will be dedicated to exploring identity. “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. - Matthew 6:6 The Message These are Jesus' instructions on how to pray and the theological basis for the method of Centering Prayer. A meditation practice that includes silence, stillness, and solitude as a means to untangle our identity from the roles we may be tempted to play before others and reestablishes who we are as one created in the image and likeness of God. Until next time. Grace + Ease, Tia P.S. Curious about Centering Prayer or looking to deepen your practice? I'm sitting on a panel discussing Young Contemplatives and the Future of Centering Prayer on January 21st during the Centering Prayer Summit. Learn more and join here. Looking for something a little more intimate when it comes to spiritual guidance, teaching, and mentorship? Explore a session or package of sessions where we will work together in the new year as you heal, grow, and uncover the connection between your inner world and divine presence.
And if you need time to retreat you can join me in-person in Miami March 1-4 as I provide mindset support during the Water and Well Being Retreat hosted by Sarah King Creates. Learn more here. |
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News + New Good Things from Tia Norman The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words. It is beyond speech. It is beyond concept. Not that we discover a new unity, but we discover an old unity. My dear brothers and sisters, we are already one. But we imagine we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be, is what we are. -Thomas Merton Peaceful, Centered + Connected When global confusion rises I...
News + New Good Things from Tia Norman "Sometimes silence is not an absence of sound but rather a presence of understanding." - Richard Wagamese Peaceful, Centered + Connected I listened to the eclipse as closely as I watched it. I made good on a promise to my daughter that April 8th would be our eclipse party day. She stayed home from school and was in charge of snacks. The spread included dragonfruit and pomegranate because both seem mysterious and require scientific research to slice and...
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