The Present- Thought for the Day

A byline I saw

Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a  gift. That's why it is called the present. 

The Genius Dialog

I'm working on a clearer articulation on individual uniqueness, aura or personal magic. Let me share the process - a silent dialog on genius.
What is genius?  From Emerson's Essay Spiritual Laws--
"A man's genius, the quality that differences him from every other, the susceptibility to one class of influences, the selection of what is fit for him, the rejection of what is unfit, determines for him the character of the universe. A man is a method, a progressive arrangement; a selecting principle, gathering his like to him, wherever he goes." and in Self  Reliance --
"It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope."

Our genius is the expression we do in living or in our our work where we put our heart into the activity and have done our best. It is as a divine pressure or voltage operating through us that wants to deliver an electron flow or current of natural creativity. Genius is the pulse, the squirt of beauty, the magic that is a skill, an approach when you feel a supreme dose of 'Yes!'. In reference to Emerson, genius was the force attempting to come through you- it is unique to you. It is not a statement of an intelligence level or IQ. In the 1840's you would not say, "He is a genius!". Instead you might say, "He expresses his genius in everything he does".

An Exercise To Understand and Reveal Your Genius
Follow these steps in an exercise to explore and recognize your genius. Allow 15-20 minutes, more is fine.

• First, come to a meditative state with music, walking, breath or whatever works for you. Have a pen and pad available for any notes.
• When you feel relaxed ask the question "What is my genius?. Sit in the quiet and listen to what comes as the answer
• Write down the words or images. Ask the question again, "What is my genius?" 
• Continue with this question, "What is my emerging genius?" During our lives we are always developing our skills and recognizing our joys and passion of expression. This meditation recognizes today and allow for greater genius tomorrow.
• From the past, look for things you have expressed or created and see how your genius came through.
• Going forward, whenever you think about a new plan, a new manifestation or creation look to see if it speaks to your genius. 

The genius is a natural or inherent idea, like the spring flowing out of the ground, like the birds flying against the sun setting sky- it pours out, without effort, and in grace. When you are operating from your points of genius you and the world receive all your good. Let this exercise be a natural guidance to the genius that is you.

May I Join the Choir Invisible

 Yesterday at the Center for Spiritual Living, Morristown, NJ we celebrated the Installation of a new Staff Minister, Rev Stephen Bartlett. Rev Stephen will lead the Youth Ministries for the Center. You can see the pictures of his Installation.  The Director of the Center, Rev Frankie Timmers has been a minister and teacher for over 20 years and Stephen is just one of 8 ministers she has  guided and trained.

So as an individual, as a minister this poem by George Eliot speaks loudly.

O May I Join the Choir Invisible!

O may I join the choir invisible
Of those immortal dead who live again
In minds made better by their presence; live
In pulses stirred to generosity,
In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn
Of miserable aims that end with self,
In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars,
And with their mild persistence urge men's minds
To vaster issues.

....

 May I reach
That purest heaven--be to other souls
The cup of strength in some great agony,
Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love,
Beget the smiles that have no cruelty,
Be the sweet presence of a good diffused,
And in diffusion ever more intense!
So shall I join the choir invisible
Whose music is the gladness of the world.

~ George Eliot ~ 1895

Life as a Mission and Ministry

Each of us is here living our mission. Sometimes we're really clear on the mission and we live, we love, we create and relate aligned and with the mission. Other times the mission may not be so clear- but over a longer period, whether a decade or a lifetime I am convinced the mission is always being expressed.

You can substitute the word ministry for mission. Stream-side yesterday I began writing about my mission and then that shifted into ways that I know the Divine, share the Divine and expand my idea of the same. That was when I realized that mission equals ministry. You can choose the 'M' or 'm'. Either way it came out as a list of the way my Ministry lives in...while...when... and more.

What is on your list of M/m? Try it, fill in the phrase "My Ministry lives..."

My Ministry lives in ...
the breath and the silence
the stringing of words and thoughts that come from a place beyond my intellect
my shivers at seeing beauty
my tears
trust and faith of an infinite intelligence

My Ministry lives while ...
watching the stream flow over rocks
seeing the mind of the student shift with an insight
keeping the big idea fresh in my mind
watching vortexes in the river after a rainfall
looking into the eyes of the deer in the woods
singing a song
in my home

My Ministry lives when ...
honoring the lives of those before me
speaking a quick witted response- by itself a memorial to my father
I see stars from horizon to horizon
within any church
in prayer
intently holding the gaze
opening my mind and heart to receive
moving to greater knowing when the infinite idea feels constrained
when conversing over a set of over easy's (eggs)
exchanging viewpoints over a cup of java

and more ...
ever expanding