Book – endings
Here in the Open Sanctuary, we are deeply aware of the power of ritual, of marking passages of time, seasons, situations and so forth.
On a daily basis we offer a Morning and Evening Office; this is a Sacred Space in which to settle the heart and mind enabling us to hear Divine guidance.
These times in Sacred Space represent setting the Intention for the day in the morning office with the evening office being a time for Reflection on how the day has been through the eyes of the morning Intention.
This is not as scary as it sounds… in the morning office there might be a mantra, a few words or a short reading from which you notice the words that resonate and allow them to percolate through you in meditation for 10 minutes or so. You are invited back from your meditative place and invited to share your Intention for the day in a few words.
The evening office opens in silence as we enter a Reflective time in which to review the day through the lens of the Intention we set in the morning.
In this time, we honestly and gently explore all the occasions when we did not live our Intention to the best of our ability.
Then we open to exploring what quality or value might have helped us changed that.
For example, the reading might offer us some guidance about `being more patient`, so in the evening office of Reflection where we step into self –awareness, we bring to mind the times we rushed or were not patient. From the spiritual qualities we discern the most powerful tools to support our reframing our way of being more patient. This might be to `pause between situations, to breathe and to space our diaries more graciously.
So, at the end of the Reflective time when we re-gather, the words we would share with the group would be “Pause, Breathe, Space” as these are the lessons we opened to this day.
This process ensures maximum engagement with our Intention and all the Reflection offers us allowing us to go to bed with positive thoughts in mind. This helps ensure each day ends quietly, incrementally building upon the previous… a kind of win win really!
Jude, your blog post beautifully emphasises the significance of daily rituals at the Open Sanctuary. These sacred Morning and Evening contemplation sessions provide a structured framework to set intentions and reflect on how we lived up to them. It’s a gentle and transformative process, not intimidating at all. The concept of identifying values, like patience, and using them as tools for personal growth is inspiring. “Pause, Breathe, Space” serves as a meaningful mantra for self-improvement. This practice ensures each day’s end is a step towards positive growth, a true win-win approach to life.