Mystical Compassion

What's on my mind this week . . .

Photo by Gene Gallin on Unsplash

I have been fangirling over the Buddhist Monks and the Walk for Peace. I eagerly look forward to tracing their route on the map and seeing the amazing reception they get each day along the way. And, of course, I am in love with Aloka, the rescue dog who has joined them on their walks since 2022.

“Be kind, for everyone you know is fighting a hard battle.” ~~Attributed to Plato

The walk carries great import at a time when we need to be reminded who we truly are. It comes as a welcome breath of fresh air amidst the smoke and mirrors of political posturing and outright deception. And with more than 2.5 million followers and growing, it is changing lives and healing minds.

The living thread winding its way towards Washington D.C. sprinkles compassion and loving kindness far and wide. There are many events in history that I can note where I easily remember where I was and what I was doing when the event occurred - the assassination of JFK, the moon landing, the assassination of RFK, the assassination of MLK, the end of the Vietnam War, the Challenger explosion, the Berlin Wall coming down, September 11, 2001 and many more right up to the present moments and events of this current decade. These events left emotional imprints on my mind and heart and shifted me in ways that strengthened the direction of my moral compass. I can now add the imprint of light and love that is the Walk for Peace.

This Wednesday I will attend their Global Loving Kindness Meditation on February 11 from 4:30-7:30 EST. It will be live-streamed from the Smith Center at George Washington University. If you want to participate you can do so on their Facebook page or website: https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/global-meditation/ I want to add my energy to that of others for the healing of the heart of the world.

I wasn’t always a compassionate person. In my younger life, I didn’t have the seasoning of life experiences to fully understand what compassion was. I believe my acceptance of self over time opened my heart in a way that enabled me to feel compassion first for myself and then for the larger global family of which I am a part.

I called my reflections this week - Mystical Compassion. To practice compassion requires the mindfulness of self-compassion. And there is something mystical about how stepping into self-compassion opens doorways to all of life. Last week, on the Snow Moon, I channeled a meditation that filled my being with sparkling white light. I became one with the beautiful light of the Snow Moon. That meditation has stayed with me and I find myself basking in that crystalline light and then expanding it out to the world, especially to where there is conflict or suffering in mind, heart and body. It has become my practice of active compassion.

I hope you’ll join me for the global meditation this week if you are able. I expect it will be one of those transformative experiences that will ripple out into the lives of all who come together committed to peace and loving kindness.

With love,,

Cathleen