BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

     The Thanksgiving Day festivities are over. The guests have gone, the dishes have been washed, leftovers are stashed in the refrigerator, and the table decorations packed up till next year. But, an attitude of gratitude remains, and I find myself feeling grateful for the many blessings in my life as they flow through my consciousness: a kind and loving family, lots of amazing friends, a healthy body, a beautiful home, meaningful work, and an abiding awareness of Spirit as the ground of my Being.

 

EXTENDING BLESSINGS

     While it feels good to spend time feeling thankful for these wonderful, abundant blessings, I'm also doing my best to heed Ralph Waldo Emerson's advice: "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you... And because ALL things have contributed to your advancement, you should include ALL things in your gratitude."

     The added emphasis on the word "all" is mine, because I'm doing my best to extend an attitude of gratitude to those people and circumstances that have seemed challenging and less than joyful in my life. For they, too, have contributed valuable lessons and areas of growth for which I am thankful.

 

REMEMBERING BLESSINGS

     As I revisit my list of blessings, it also includes those individuals who've helped me with my anger and control issues; the litany of aches and pains that have visited my body recently; the long list of repairs I "should" do on our house; the ways that my work has confused and confounded me; the times when I felt completely disconnected from Spirit...

     I don't need to dwell on the details of how and why these challenging blessings emerged in my life. In this moment, it is enough to embrace them in consciousness and feel thankful. I simply choose to remember that all of these people and circumstances have blessed me, whether or not they felt "good" -- or if I was even aware of them at the time. Right here and now, I see them in the light of love, and give thanks for this opportunity to embrace them ALL with gratitude. That's my prayerful blessing, and I'm sharing it with you in hopes that you, too, can embrace the wide range of blessings in your life with gratitude.

 With joy,

     Rudi

PS: I hope you can join us for our Giving Thanks potluck following this Sunday's Morning Circle from 12:15 - 1:30. Bring some food to share, a grateful heart, and a good story or joke, if you've heard one lately. Let us know if you're planning to come by contacting us at circle@celebrationcircle.org. Volunteers are also needed for set-up and clean-up, let us know if you can help!

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

LEARNING WHILE BURNING

 

     My good friends, David and Karen Hendley, live deep in the Piney Woods Forest of East Texas in a cozy, three-story home with a ceramics studio they built by hand. I'm here because David invited me to help him fire his wood-fired kiln, which has two fire pits located on opposite sides of the brick enclosure. It takes two people to feed the two blazing fires steadily for 8-10 hours, in order to gradually increase the internal temperature until it reaches the scorching 2,000-degree heat needed to fire the clay works inside the kiln without cracking them.
FEELING THE URGE
    On one hand, it seems a little crazy to be taking a full three days out of my loaded schedule to drive halfway across Texas to do this. However, in addition to having a great opportunity to spend time with my friends, this time allows me to be able to appreciate the outdoors in this relaxing forest setting, far away from the demands of my desk.
    The work turns out to be even more taxing than my buddy had implied, but gradually, my arms and back warm to the seemingly endless loop of tasks at hand as I walk out to the wood pile, stoop, lift, carry, stoop, stoke the flames while being careful not to inhale any of the heavy black smoke in the process, and then walk back to the pile once again. David gets truckloads of free scrap lumber from a nearby pallet-making facility, but unfortunately, it's full of nails and splinters that could be very dangerous to the fingers and feet of a professional guitarist, causing each step in the process to require close attention.
WORKING UP A SWEAT
    Nonetheless, this feels like fun, too, especially for a desk-jockey who seldom lifts anything heavier than a dictionary. Additionally, David is a first-rate thinker with a keen eye for human foibles, and an endless supply of wry observations to share. The morning hours fly by, and pretty soon we've both worked up a big appetite. David offers to fix lunch, and asks if I'm up to the task of keeping both sides of the fire going by myself for the next half hour. "Sure," I reply, trying my best to sound more confident than I feel, knowing that we're at a critical stage in the firing process.
    I quickly learn that doing this job without his help involves w-a-a-a-y more than twice as much work. Keeping both fire pits fueled means there a lot more distance to travel, so I'm walking much faster, with no time for breaks. The additional work that comes from not having those two additional hands available to sort through the pile of dangerous wood scraps or to allow us to take turns stoking the flames makes my arms ache. Also, not having David nearby to lift my spirits with his stories and exhortations causes a big difference in my energy level.
WORKING IT OUT
    In short, working alone is much harder and much less fun. It's only been a few minutes, but it feels like hours. I'm exhausted, and only my pride keeps me going until David returns with lunch.  While taking a break to eat, relax and clear out my lungs, it occurs to me that this experience, in reality, is a lesson about how working together applies to both spiritual work as well as physical labor.  After all, in many ways, performing inner work is even more difficult than work of the physical plane. There's a reason why people have been gathering in temples, ashrams, churches and support groups of various kinds since time out of mind, making the inner work easier. Meditating in a group helps focus the mind; praying with others present is far more effective than solitary prayer; a vision held collectively is much stronger; hymns always resonate more deeply when sung together. Suddenly, I find myself feeling deeply grateful for all the individuals who have shared their time, talent and treasures so generously with the Celebration Circle community over the years...
    Putting away my lunch plate, I head back to the woodpile to prepare another load, feeling a heart full of love and gratitude for the task at hand - and for all that lies ahead. Happy Thanks Living, indeed!
 

With gratitude and blessings,

    My good friends, David and Karen Hendley, live deep in the Piney Woods Forest of East Texas in a cozy, three-story home with a ceramics studio they built by hand. I'm here because David invited me to help him fire his wood-fired kiln, which has two fire pits located on opposite sides of the brick enclosure. It takes two people to feed the two blazing fires steadily for 8-10 hours, in order to gradually increase the internal temperature until it reaches the scorching 2,000-degree heat needed to fire the clay works inside the kiln without cracking them.

FEELING THE URGE
    On one hand, it seems a little crazy to be taking a full three days out of my loaded schedule to drive halfway across Texas to do this. However, in addition to having a great opportunity to spend time with my friends, this time allows me to be able to appreciate the outdoors in this relaxing forest setting, far away from the demands of my desk.
    The work turns out to be even more taxing than my buddy had implied, but gradually, my arms and back warm to the seemingly endless loop of tasks at hand as I walk out to the wood pile, stoop, lift, carry, stoop, stoke the flames while being careful not to inhale any of the heavy black smoke in the process, and then walk back to the pile once again. David gets truckloads of free scrap lumber from a nearby pallet-making facility, but unfortunately, it's full of nails and splinters that could be very dangerous to the fingers and feet of a professional guitarist, causing each step in the process to require close attention.

WORKING UP A SWEAT
    Nonetheless, this feels like fun, too, especially for a desk-jockey who seldom lifts anything heavier than a dictionary. Additionally, David is a first-rate thinker with a keen eye for human foibles, and an endless supply of wry observations to share. The morning hours fly by, and pretty soon we've both worked up a big appetite. David offers to fix lunch, and asks if I'm up to the task of keeping both sides of the fire going by myself for the next half hour. "Sure," I reply, trying my best to sound more confident than I feel, knowing that we're at a critical stage in the firing process.
    I quickly learn that doing this job without his help involves w-a-a-a-y more than twice as much work. Keeping both fire pits fueled means there a lot more distance to travel, so I'm walking much faster, with no time for breaks. The additional work that comes from not having those two additional hands available to sort through the pile of dangerous wood scraps or to allow us to take turns stoking the flames makes my arms ache. Also, not having David nearby to lift my spirits with his stories and exhortations causes a big difference in my energy level.

WORKING IT OUT
    In short, working alone is much harder and much less fun. It's only been a few minutes, but it feels like hours. I'm exhausted, and only my pride keeps me going until David returns with lunch.  While taking a break to eat, relax and clear out my lungs, it occurs to me that this experience, in reality, is a lesson about how working together applies to both spiritual work as well as physical labor.  After all, in many ways, performing inner work is even more difficult than work of the physical plane. There's a reason why people have been gathering in temples, ashrams, churches and support groups of various kinds since time out of mind, making the inner work easier. Meditating in a group helps focus the mind; praying with others present is far more effective than solitary prayer; a vision held collectively is much stronger; hymns always resonate more deeply when sung together. Suddenly, I find myself feeling deeply grateful for all the individuals who have shared their time, talent and treasures so generously with the Celebration Circle community over the years...
    Putting away my lunch plate, I head back to the woodpile to prepare another load, feeling a heart full of love and gratitude for the task at hand - and for all that lies ahead. Happy Thanks Living, indeed!
 

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

MAKING CHOICES

      I've heard from a number of Circle friends who are feeling shocked, saddened and/or scared by the outcome of The Election this week. But I've also spoken with several other Circle friends who are happy because Trump won. Personally, I'm doing my best to simply listen to their feelings and opinions (to say nothing of the voices rattling around inside my own head...) without adding any judgments of my own for now.

     Regardless of who they voted for (or not), most folks find it hard to know what to do with the high levels of anger, anxiety and uncertainty about our country's future, much less the widening divisions throughout the country. I don't want to be a Pollyanna, ignoring the pain and confusion around me; nor is it helpful to stick my heart in the sand and pretend that I don't have my own feelings about the aftermath of The Election.

 

ASSIGNING MEANING

     But when one friend wrote to ask: "What does this election mean?" I found myself answering, "It means whatever meaning I choose to give it. And I, for One, choose to see this election as a pointed reminder to love and accept ALL the circumstances of my life, just the way they are."

     Granted, there are many other political issues and societal consequences involved. And, yet, seen from a metaphysical perspective, it's important for me to remember that any person or situation that bothers me because I think he/she/it is too angry, ugly, dangerous, or _________ (fill in the blank with whatever qualities I find upsetting) is just a mirror reflecting some part of me that I'm uncomfortable with, and is asking to be embraced. Whether the person who I'm having trouble accepting is the President or the person standing next to me on the street, my first task is to be courageous enough to deal with my own discomfort, to come to peace with that part of me which is screaming for attention, before pointing my finger at anyone else.

 

MAKING CHANGES

     Wanting to change the other person without being willing to change myself is a surefire recipe for living a life of anger and disappointment - because the outside circumstances can never do anything but reflect my inner state.  Moreover, what I focus on expands, so why stay focused on the external circumstances and give them power to disturb me, when I am free to align with the Peace that Passes all Understanding instead?

     And, no, that doesn't mean I need to be totally passive about politics, economics, environmental action or social justice. The question is, can I work for change from an inner space of peace and power, rather than feeling embattled and powerless?

     And, yes, I know that it's much easier to state these spiritual principles than it is to put them into action, but that doesn't make them any less true or important. That's my purpose and that's my story -- and I'm sticking to it.

  

 With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE CIRCLE

     As the high-stakes, high-voltage national election rolls toward a hectic conclusion next week, I'd like to direct your attention toward a totally different kind of campaign. One in which you can elect to wield enormous power, with the potential for touching many people's lives in a positive way:  Won't you please vote FOR the Celebration Circle?

      For the past 25 years, the Circle has consistently fostered an awareness of our Oneness and sought to be a "respected model of co-creative community built on a foundation of shared prosperity, cultural diversity and inclusive spirituality." Won't you vote FOR sustaining this vital mission in 2017 and beyond by becoming a member of our Intentional Giving Circle?

      When you click on the link below and pledge your financial and spiritual support for our inter-faith community, you are casting your vote FOR a positive, creative and sustainable approach to integrating spiritual principles into your daily life. By stating your intention to support the work of the Circle community throughout the coming year, not only will you be enhancing your own life, but you'll help create a welcoming, nurturing space for countless others to feel supported in the future.

     This weekly newsletter, as well as our Daily Inspiration Circle, Sunday Morning Circle, Wednesday Meditation Circle and a variety of Celebration Circle events are offered free of charge, but they are not free of cost to produce. Please don't assume that someone else will take care of it! And don't think that your gift will be too small to make a difference. This work requires ALL of us. So...please take a moment to vote FOR sustaining the work of the Circle in 2017 and beyond by joining our Intentional Giving Circle HERE. 

      In any case, thank you for your past support, and for your consideration as we move forward as a spiritual community. It wouldn't be the same without you.

     With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.