I went to the Celtic Christmas show in Boston last night. Brian O’Donovan has been hosting this show for 20 years
and it has become a tradition to go every year. Brian was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in October. He is an amazing person.
As soon as he appeared on stage there was a standing ovation. It was a very powerful reverence!
It increases mindfulness, respect and gratefulness. It can deepen joy instantly, radiating out to others also, and so might ignite light and a sense of reverence in another kindred heart, too. Yesterday, the leader of the crew in the train had to announce again and again that the journey would take another additional half hour, another stop, another technical obstacle, but he did it with much reverence towards his fellow people in the train, expressed in his fine, humorous way of how he conveyed this difficult message, as many could not even reach their final destination that day due to the enormous delay. Still, the atmosphere was peaceful, even humorous as well in most of us and it was due to his authentic personal words directed to all of us in the train. It lifted our moods a lot in a situation which otherwise could have easily been experienced with much anger and impatience. He made this delay so much lighter to bear, and it taught me a lot. Thank you, from my heart dear one.
When a question doesn’t land for me I often turn to definitions. Merriam-Webster defines “reverence” as “honor or respect felt or shown : especially : profound adoring awed respect.” Coincidentally, this morning I read a line by poet Karen McCosker: “It seems no matter how simply we keep our lives, so much more is received than we can ever give back.” If this awareness of how much I have received is reverence, it can leave me feeling stunned by all it took for me to have coffee in my cup or make toast or take a hot shower. I think of this more as mindfulness and gratitude. And stopping there leaves out my sense of the advantages brought by the privilege I’ve experienced as a white woman, which points to the need to create a more just world. That would be a world to honor and respect, worthy of reverence.
When I think about it, I’m not a very reverential person. Especially in my daily activities. I bring gratitude to my daily activities, but I save reverence for the bigger stuff. Looking up at the night sky, being in a redwood forest, feeling the power of the surf or a river.
My daily activities all involve the earth. I have deep reverence for the soil, water, weather and the other animal beings in my care. I in turn receive great joy and learn more about gratitude, acceptance and impermanence of the earth and my life upon it.
Practicing reverence throughout the day allows me to be so thankful for what I do have and stop taking things for granted. I feel so grounded and fortunate when I pause to give thanks and sense the goodness in the ordinary.
It makes me so much more appreciative and thoughtful. I contemplated this question while drinking a cup of coffee and it made me think of the people who grew the coffee beans working so hard to make a living, and the people who work in the factory where the beans are blended and put into jars so I just had to heat a cup of water and add the instant coffee granules. Also the people who grow the oats to make the oat cream that makes my coffee so delicious while I just lie here and enjoy. What a privilege.
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Attention to appreciation and purpose and awe arises leaving behind judging and discrimination and infertile disappointment
I went to the Celtic Christmas show in Boston last night. Brian O’Donovan has been hosting this show for 20 years
and it has become a tradition to go every year. Brian was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in October. He is an amazing person.
As soon as he appeared on stage there was a standing ovation. It was a very powerful reverence!
Clean and serene I suppose
It increases mindfulness, respect and gratefulness. It can deepen joy instantly, radiating out to others also, and so might ignite light and a sense of reverence in another kindred heart, too. Yesterday, the leader of the crew in the train had to announce again and again that the journey would take another additional half hour, another stop, another technical obstacle, but he did it with much reverence towards his fellow people in the train, expressed in his fine, humorous way of how he conveyed this difficult message, as many could not even reach their final destination that day due to the enormous delay. Still, the atmosphere was peaceful, even humorous as well in most of us and it was due to his authentic personal words directed to all of us in the train. It lifted our moods a lot in a situation which otherwise could have easily been experienced with much anger and impatience. He made this delay so much lighter to bear, and it taught me a lot. Thank you, from my heart dear one.
For me reverence is focus and heightened attention. Anything I give my attention to is Grace in action.
When a question doesn’t land for me I often turn to definitions. Merriam-Webster defines “reverence” as “honor or respect felt or shown : especially : profound adoring awed respect.” Coincidentally, this morning I read a line by poet Karen McCosker: “It seems no matter how simply we keep our lives, so much more is received than we can ever give back.” If this awareness of how much I have received is reverence, it can leave me feeling stunned by all it took for me to have coffee in my cup or make toast or take a hot shower. I think of this more as mindfulness and gratitude. And stopping there leaves out my sense of the advantages brought by the privilege I’ve experienced as a white woman, which points to the need to create a more just world. That would be a world to honor and respect, worthy of reverence.
Grounding.
Good!
It creates a sacred moment, which always transforms the entire day.
When I think about it, I’m not a very reverential person. Especially in my daily activities. I bring gratitude to my daily activities, but I save reverence for the bigger stuff. Looking up at the night sky, being in a redwood forest, feeling the power of the surf or a river.
To me it feels special, sacred.
It fills me with awe and wonder, and connected to the Divine.
🇺🇦
My daily activities all involve the earth. I have deep reverence for the soil, water, weather and the other animal beings in my care. I in turn receive great joy and learn more about gratitude, acceptance and impermanence of the earth and my life upon it.
Practicing reverence throughout the day allows me to be so thankful for what I do have and stop taking things for granted. I feel so grounded and fortunate when I pause to give thanks and sense the goodness in the ordinary.
It makes me so much more appreciative and thoughtful. I contemplated this question while drinking a cup of coffee and it made me think of the people who grew the coffee beans working so hard to make a living, and the people who work in the factory where the beans are blended and put into jars so I just had to heat a cup of water and add the instant coffee granules. Also the people who grow the oats to make the oat cream that makes my coffee so delicious while I just lie here and enjoy. What a privilege.