It Starts Here
  • Home
  • Services
  • Sermons
  • Workshops
  • Music
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

Being Alive

6/27/2016

0 Comments

 

I know I can walk through the world,
along the shore or under the trees,
with my mind filled with things
of little importance, in full
self-attendance. A condition I can't really
call being alive.


- from "I Happened to Be Standing" by Mary Oliver, 2012
 
 
A Three-Step Mantra
Spiritual director Bernard Tickerhoof begins his presentations by asking participants to repeat the following mantra:
"At this moment...I am alive."
"At this moment...I am the beneficiary of a tremendous gift."
"At this moment...I am given the opportunity of responding to an overwhelming outpouring of love."

Tickerhoof calls this three-step mantra an example of primal spirituality. By primal, he means the place where everything begins. (Presence Magazine, June 2016)

 
What Does It Mean to Be Truly Alive?
When I reflect upon Oliver's poetry and Tickerhoof's three-step mantra, I am aware of how little I know how to define what it means to be truly alive. I know that I feel more fully alive when I am engaged with people who are different from me, who challenge my assumptions and values. I know that when I am plugged in to nature, I am more grateful to be alive. And I know when I am overwhelmed by circumstances far beyond my capacity to figure out, those moments of absolute panic leave me feeling in some strange way, refreshed and recharged by something I would call Life.

And when I hear Bernadette Peters sing "Being Alive," I remember that our purpose here on this earth is to help each other become more fully alive.  

 Reflection Questions
If you were to create a three-step mantra that expresses where everything begins for you, what would it say?

Consider times in your life when you have felt truly alive. What do those moments teach you about what Life is all about?

What can you do in the next 48 hours to demonstrate your intention to be more fully alive?

Copyright © 2016 It Starts here, All rights reserved.





0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Margaret Morgan Maat
    Margaret Morgan Maat is a minister, coach, organizational effectiveness consultant, musician and motivational speaker. She lives in Houston, Texas. 

    Archives

    January 2018
    November 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All
    Change
    Christmas
    Community
    Failure
    Gratitude
    Guidance
    Healing
    Mistakes
    New Year
    Pain
    Peace
    Priorities
    Questions
    Sabbath/Rest
    Self-Love
    Spiritual Growth
    Storytelling

    RSS Feed

Margaret Morgan Maat | 281-913-3328 | Houston, Texas

Visit Ignite the Change, Margaret’s website focusing on
revitalizing the institutions that shape our children’s future.
Proudly powered by Weebly