Making A Morning Offering
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Making A Morning Offering
We don't have to wait for a new year. We can find renewal every day
Dear Friends,
Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. Thank you for opening into your imagination with me.
Thank you for your beautiful comments on last week’s post.
In the middle of September, we’re continuing the theme of Renewal.
What’s come up for you connected to renewal in the last two weeks? (If you’re new here this week, you can check out previous posts in the archives).
What if we imagined that some kind of renewal of our energy, our dreams, our life force was possible when we woke up each day, no matter what we’re carrying?
Poet John O’Donahue has been guiding my month of renewal, especially his poem A Morning Offering. He urges us ‘to live the life that i would love’. These words have become a mantra for me. I say them while I sip my first coffee, and consider the gift of the day ahead:
I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Waves of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.
May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.
John O'Donohue
Excerpt from, 'A Morning Offering'
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: What do the words ‘to live the life that I would love, to postpone my dream no longer’ bring up for you?
Write the details of what that life would look like, ideas about dreams you’ve had…maybe that you haven’t shared out loud yet.
What would it feel like to live that life?
What might be holding you back?
What small steps could you take towards that dream?
Deepening Practice: Take a tiny step each day to renew your spirit or energy. Reread your response to the prompt. Add to it. Take a moment to sing, dance or laugh each day. Let yourself rest a little longer. Write yourself messages of kindness and put them somewhere you’ll see them (I scribble notes to myself to leave in drawers, purses, pockets). Create your own small renewal practices and comment here with what you’re doing to inspire others.
I’d love to read your responses and encourage you to share!
Something special I’d like to share:
Alex Leff is part of my chosen family; he started babysitting for my kids when he was 14 and has had a profound influence on both of them (and on. me!). At age 30, he’s now a filmmaker and is hosting an insightful and entertaining new podcast, Human Nature Odyssey. It’s all about the history of civilization and the fate of the planet in this precarious moment—but expresses the big questions we all share with humor and playfulness! Take a listen and let me know what you think. Go Alex!
I’m really excited about my upcoming Autumn Expression Writing Circle! All sessions (October 15 & 22, November 5 & 12) are recorded so that you can participate at your own convenience.
Because you’re a Journey With The Seasons subscriber, I’m offering a discount code of $7 off when you register: EFYY8GNA
