““Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”? Laozi

The thought for today is CONTEMPLATION.  From the Latin “to observe the sacred space”.  What a beautiful concept.  You can observe any and all areas of your life from a sacred space.  Whether it is the simple stillness of meditation, the creativity of artistic expression, the relational connection with others, activism of your favorite cause, moving through walking or dancing or engaging in a ritual of retreat or Sunday morning church.

You can bring contemplation into EVERY area of your life!  The mere act of being contemplative imbues you with a sense of peace, compassion for yourself and the world.  A perfect way to begin your practice of contemplation is by creating your own Tree of Contemplative Practices.  For a template visit Contemplative Mind.  

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”  –Aristotle 

Today take at least three minutes to relax, breathe and let your mind be fed by what is good and beautiful.  The great sacred texts tell us ‘your thoughts shape your reality.  Write down your thoughts and share them with others.

Think About It

How can contemplation help you to choose peace, compassion and abundance the next time feel in a conflict?

Take Action

Practice contemplation by sitting still and counting your out-breaths.  When you notice a thought, gentle label it “thinking” and return to counting your out-breaths.  Today try this for several minutes or longer to challenge yourself.

Major Do:  Open up an emotionally clutter-free space in your mind and allow yourself to feel and think and dream and question.

Major Don’t:  Stop thinking stillness is about focusing on nothingness, it’s about creating a clearing.  See Major Do above.

Words to Live by:

The (one) who sat on the ground in (their) tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was infusing into (their) being the true essence of civilization – Chief Luther Standing Bear