What is Hope?
Hope is a feeling. It is also a skill.
Hope is honest. You can pretend to be happy but it’s pretty much impossible to pretend to have Hope.
Hope can be learned. How do you do this? Practice being Hopeful. Your first step is to make space in your life for Hope. This is also a good strategy for boosting your sense of well-being.
You don’t have to be positive to learn about Hope. I learned about Hope recently when I experienced some dark days. In the midst of these negative and painful feelings I discovered I felt Hopeful.
Hope just popped up and said “hi”.
When this happened, I felt I suddenly weighed several pounds less. I felt like I could smile even.
I think this happened because I refused to gloss things over. I decided I could try to change my situation. I felt strong enough to cope with the eventual outcome.
I was ready to try, anyway.
I wanted to do everything possible I could to make things better.
I was finally willing to even ask others for help.
I realized I needed to sleep and rest each day. For me, sleep and rest are holy.
One thing I was not ready to do was give up.
Once I dug my heels in, I felt inspired. I was through just sitting on the sidelines watching things go in the wrong direction.
Suddenly, Hope boosted me to take action! It was time to make things happen. Perfection was not in my situation but momentum and Hope were.
I soon learned that Hope covers many ills. I began to see what could happen because I had faith in things moving in the right direction.
Hope taught me, once again, that with a belief in the strength of a higher power and a faith in the universe, things can’t go wrong. I stumbled onto the wisdom of universally higher power.
We can all tap into universal wisdom. All we have to do is see it for what it is.
Sometimes, with Hope we have to reach out to others for help, answers, and direction.
I did this. I reached out to those around me. I didn’t stop with just one or two people. I asked everyone I could find for help, inspiration. I heated up the phone (and email) lines, as my grandmother would have said.
The result was not necessarily what I envisioned. It was, however, far better than what I saw as a good outcome. A lot of my reaching out resulted in “no” or “not now” or “I don’t know”. Even these negatives were encouraging.
All it took was Hope..
I knew what I needed to do was “go it alone”. I arrived at the TV studio with a basket from Karen filled with donations to put on the altar: stones, feathers, a singing bowl, an alter cloth, herbs, fruit, empty bottles, bread, rocks.
The first presentation of HOPE on the Road went out on Channel 23 this week. Ellen knew how to arrange the altar pieces.
You’ll find HOPE on the Road on YOUTUBE in early September.
Because I reached out to others, the outcome was beautiful.
Will you participate in HOPE on the Road?
Do you practice Reiki? Can you host your own HOPE on the Road?
You don’t practice Reiki?. That’s not a problem. Invite a Reiki practitioner to facilitate a HOPE on the Road presentation for you. Encourage people to enjoy your HOPE on the Road event.
A HOPE on the Road event includes a guided meditation opening followed by a group Reiki session. A hand blessing closes the experience. A HOPE on the Road event only takes an hour.
The Reiki practitioner is a vital link between a person experiencing a challenge and appropriate support.
Does that not seem right for you? Give me a call. Send me an email. I’m ready, willing, and able.
I’ll offer HOPE on the Road through Zoom or on the porch of a building, or in a garden somewhere. I can work with social distancing.
Don’t overlook your neighborhood library.
The important thing is that we share HOPE on the road.
What we all need now is HOPE.
Thank you for reading this blog article. Please forward this post to your preferred social media network.
Share it with your friends.
Thanks for joining HOPE on the Road!
Thurman Greco
HOPE – a Guided Meditation
Hope focuses on renewal, rebirth, and healing.
Find a place to be comfortable where you can rest undisturbed during this time.
As we experience this meditation, feel the “old” drop away and “new” opportunities present themselves.
Leave everything around you behind and bring your attention to yourself.
Relax as you go on this journey.
Get comfortable.
Breathe in from your abdomen – slowly, slowly, to the count of three.
One – Two – Three
Now – hold your breath to the count of four
One – Two – Three – Four
Now – exhale to the count of five.
One – Two – Three – Four – Five
Repeat this breathing pattern three more times.
In – one, two, three
Hold – one, two, three, four
Out – one, two, three, four, five
In – one, two, three
Hold – one, two, three, four
Out – one, two, three, four, five
In – one, two, three
Hold – one, two, three, four
Out – one, two, three, four, five
Continue to breathe deeply as you go into this relaxation.
Your relaxation becomes a blanket of warmth. Sink down into this quiet place inside yourself.
PAUSE
You are calm and peaceful now. It is time for your journey.
PAUSE
You are strolling along a path in a forest. Notice this path. How does it feel under your feet? Is this path a smooth grassy path? Are there pebbles? What kind of shoes are you wearing?
As you walk down this path, take a moment to feel the air on your skin – the sunlight shining down – gentle breezes caressing your clothes.
As you travel, notice sights, sounds, and fragrances: birds, butterflies, wind in the trees.
What is your reaction to this place? How do you feel beyond your body?
Strolling for a short time, you come to a clearing in the forest with openings to different paths.
As you look at the different paths, one attracts you.
You look down this path and see something shining in the sun off in the distance.
You’re drawn to this shining spot in the sun. What is it?
You walk along this path that you just selected. How does it feel under your feet? Is it smooth? Are there pebbles? Is it a smooth dirt path? Are there stepping stones?
As you walk toward the shiny spot ahead, you feel layers and layers of your past drop away.
The weight of the world evaporates from your shoulders.
PAUSE
You soon arrive at the end of the path where you see a bench waiting for you.
There, on this bench, you see new clothes, neatly folded.
When you look at them, you see they are more beautiful than any you’ve seen before.
You remove the clothes you are wearing and put on these new clothes. They are a perfect fit.
You walk up a slight hill toward the shining object you saw at the beginning of your walk.
As you approach the shining object, you discover it is a mirror.
You look in this mirror and see your reflection.
You see:
The person you have always known you were.
The person you have always wanted to be.
You see yourself as strong, and happy.
NOW – you can continue to explore your new “you” as you return to this room.
You know you can return to this place anytime you want.
This meditation is part of a new program I’m offering called “Hope on the Road”. I am sharing this meditation along with a reiki session and hand blessing to anyone who requests it.
This program is adaptable to zoom and in- person groups large or small. It will also be on my YouTube channel.
Thank you for participating.
Thank you for reading this meditation blog post. Please share it with your friends and forward it to your preferred social media network.
Thurman
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