activating grace workbook An Online Course with CAROLINE MYSS
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console, To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; It is in dying to the self that we are born to eternal life.
the first chakra TRIBE We Are All One Our first chakra plants us in the physical, visible world. There is always a tension to living in a physical body. Our mind and spirit are often at odds with each other and we struggle to balance their desires. The spirit within us has faith that our needs will always be met, but our mind perceives that there is not enough to go around. Our spirit inherently understands that we are all one with other people and our universe but our mind finds this belief difficult to maintain as we live our daily lives, coming into conflict with loved ones and colleagues. We generally can manage to remember that we are one with our spouse or partner or biological family, but it takes a very real leap in our spiritual evolution to be able to see ourselves as one with the rest of humanity and to act in accordance with that insight. Living as we usually do within that gap between our spirit s perception of truth and our mind s perception of reality, however, we learn about energy and power.
the first chakra TRIBE Examining the Heart of Your First Chakra Please take time to consider the following questions to explore how compassion and purpose manifest in your life. It is vitally important to your personal growth to become aware of your motivations for giving. The ideal as taught by the spiritual masters is to become comfortable empowered enough to give and serve unconditionally. Nonetheless, the generosity of your first chakra typically begins with visible acts of service that minister to the basic needs of survival. We begin our path of service by learning to care for our family, friends and community. The kindness and compassion we carry within us are more powerful than all the material goods we can provide. With this in mind, please ask yourself: Do you think in terms of helping your own kind as opposed to just helping others? Can you be counted on? Or do you count yourself out? Do other people think of you as generous and helpful or unapproachable? Do you see society as a fundamentally generous body of power or do you see the world as a place where only the fittest survive? Do you feel an obligation to give back to society because of your own accomplishments? Have you ever put limits on how much you are willing to help someone? What are those limits based on? Limits are often based on wisdom and experience, so please do not assume that limits are a negative. But note if the limits you set come from a fear of not having enough or adherence to other myths about power. Do you see yourself as essentially on your own or do you actively nurture your tribal, social and community support systems? Have you ever needed the support of others? In what way? Did you receive the assistance you needed? Was it more or less than you had hoped for?
THE FIRST CHAKRA TRIBE THE SERENITY PRAYER God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him. Forever in the next. Amen.
the second chakra RELATIONSHIP Honor One Another Second chakra power is involved in every exchange you make. It houses the energy of making covenants; the Christian sacrament of Communion, which represents our one-on-one relationship with God, is a spiritual symbol for this energy. Every relationship in our life has a sacred component that we are meant to honor. Every time we acknowledge the divinity in another person we re dealing with, whether he or she is a friend, family member, lover, coworker, teacher, student, neighbor, adversary or stranger, our second level of power is at work. Second chakra generosity typically means helping people financially or creatively, or providing means of healing. People who have received such help feel enormous gratitude, and people who have provided this type of assistance to others also feel grateful for the opportunity to serve.
the second chakra RELATIONSHIP Examining the Heart of Your Second Chakra The following asks you to examine your own needs and personal faith your personal theology. These are exercises in self-discovery. The second chakra is your perceptual center for relationships and for how you perceive matters of survival in terms of finances, personal control, earthly power and competition. You intuitively sense everything and everyone s energy before your conscious mind does. You are always doing intuitive readings, even when you tell yourself that your decisions are based on facts. Now, consider these questions: Upon meeting someone new, what is the first type of feedback you seek in order to establish familiarity: Finances? Occupation or lack of one? Material goods or power? A sense of whether he or she feels like a good person? Do you jump to conclusions about how people could solve their problems? Do you tend to judge someone harshly at first and then soften your opinion once you come to know him or her or do you withhold an opinion until you know that person better? Are you inclined to offer help without asking if someone needs it or not? How do you decide whether to help someone? Have you ever turned down a request for help? If so, why? Do you negatively and quickly judge another person by his or her circumstances? Are you uncomfortable around people who need help?
THE SECOND CHAKRA RELATIONSHIP Words from the Third Psalm You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.
the third chakra SELF Honor Oneself The third chakra is the energy center of you of the self. This is your ego-center, the power zone of your survival intuition. You live more from this third energy center than from all your other six chakras. Your perceptions in this energy field shift from how you belong tribal perceptions of the first chakra and the relationship exchanges of the second chakras to whom you belong to your personal, individual sense of identity. The ability to know that your perceptions are accurate has to happen without others validation. Intuition is not the result of diet, rituals or wind chimes. It s the natural consequence of having self-esteem, the greatest power you can have. With self-esteem, your life can broaden into an adventure because you know in your gut that you can handle the unknown. And you can handle helping others without fear, which is true liberation.
Examining the Heart of Your Third Chakra Hidden within any kindness that someone does for you is a new beginning for your life. Every good act, word or deed is a catalyst for a chain reaction. As we become more mindful of the power of our intuition, we will become more mindful of others. the third chakra SELF The examination of your third chakra leads you into the examination of your self and the courage that determines the choices you make. Ask yourself: As the giver, do I need recognition for what I do for others? As the giver, do I withhold approval for others deliberately because I fear they will grow in self-esteem and I will suffer as a result? As the giver, do others opinions influence what I do for myself or other people? As the receiver, do I find asking for help humiliating? As the giver, am I afraid to take a risk on behalf of another person? As the receiver, do I sometimes think that what others do for me isn t enough? As the giver, would I resent being forgotten by someone I once did a favor for? As the receiver, am I presently in a vulnerable circumstance? As the giver, is it difficult for me to encourage or empower another person?
THE THIRD CHAKRA SELF The Prayer of Thomas Merton Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. I hope I have that desire in everything I do. I hope I never persist in anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it at the time. Therefore I will trust You always, for though I may be lost and in the shadow of death I will not be afraid, because I know You will never leave me to face my troubles all alone.
the fourth chakra LOVE Love is Divine Power Heart intuition love is a greater force than survival intuition, the power of your first three chakras. At this fourth level, we move out of the physical and into spiritual territory. This fourth energy center draws you into depths of feeling, and not just personal feelings for people family, friends, colleagues already involved in your life. Love, after all, influences everything, and it expands your capacity to intuit other people s vulnerabilities and needs and be open to helping them. Love for humanity is a central motivating force behind many acts of service and gives the strength to sustain months or even years of commitment. This same sacred force draws to you those who are able to offer you that quality of service, too. Even when we can see into the heart of someone s needs, however, we are not all willing or able to help. Many people cannot give more than basic physical assistance food, shelter, money that characterizes the generosity of the first three chakras. This kind of generosity is vital, for hunger imprisons the body and the spirit and limits the freedom of the soul. Yet becoming spiritually mature means that we develop the consciousness and power to move beyond that physical comfort zone from the impersonal, although vital, actions of donating goods to acts of spiritual empowerment.
Examining the Heart of Your Fourth Chakra There is no such thing as an insignificant act of love. The power of love exists in every breath we take. Our intention transforms energy into a healing power that infuses our thoughts and deeds, from holding a door open for someone to staying up all night with someone who has lost a child. The following examination of your fourth chakra intuition asks how willing you are to open yourself to others. the fourth chakra LOVE As the giver, to what type of person or situation does your fourth chakra connect? As the giver, what are the parameters that your heart has set, to limit what you will allow yourself to give? As the giver, when have you acted on fourth chakra impulses? Were you pleased or disappointed by the outcome? As the receiver, are you presently in need of emotional support? As the giver, what scares you most about connecting to your fourth chakra intuition? As the receiver, is it difficult for you to receive love and support from others? As the giver, are you aware when you close your heart to someone? What motivates that response? As the receiver, are you in need of forgiveness or do you need to forgive another?
THE FOURTH CHAKRA LOVE A Traditional Hebrew Prayer You must love your G-d with all your heart, with every breath, with all you have. Take these words that I command you now to your heart. Teach them intently to your children, bind them as a sign upon your hand, and keep them visible before your eyes. Inscribe them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.
the fifth chakra INTENTION Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will The Sanskrit name for the fifth chakra means purified and refers to the spiritual path of becoming conscious of why we do what we do our intention. As we increase in awareness, we take responsibility for the consequences of our actions. This level of power also requires the practice of right speech, as Buddhists call it, for the fifth chakra is at throat level. Right speech involves the weighing of every thought and word, speaking honestly but with good judgment, since everything we say affects the people around us. At this fifth level of power, we are meant to act toward others in ways that transmit a great strength of spirit and conviction. It takes courage to be honest with ourselves, too. Often we don t want to face our real reasons for doing things and face up to any negative consequences of our actions. There are many kinds of courage that influence the choices we make. For example, we need great physical courage to jump into a burning building to rescue a child or push someone out of the path of a speeding car. Yet it can take a different kind of emotional courage to speak up and stand up against an injustice or to intervene in someone s personal life. The fifth chakra, then, represents acts of service that require a more conscious quality of personal courage. At this level, you face your intuitive revelations, accept them and act on them. You make tough life choices for yourself and when you extend yourself to others. Eventually, through exercising your power of choice judiciously, you learn to see how you and your actions can work in harmony with the world around you.
Examining the Heart of Your Fifth Chakra A wise decision will always feel congruent to your mind and spirit. This is true whether you are wondering how to help a friend or trying to decide whether to follow through on a hunch. Following intuitive wisdom will never leave you with a sense of betrayal or a feeling that you have been shattered, regardless of how demanding a commitment might become. the fifth chakra INTENTION There is no more powerful act than that of making a choice. Choose to seek the symbolic or spiritual presence in every moment and situation of your life. Even the smallest positive action can help someone heal. The examination of your fifth chakra takes you into the center of your intuition and decision-making processes: As the giver, how do you identify the difference between mental feedback and intuitive instructions? As the giver, are you especially intuitively clear when you are needed? As the giver, have you ever been afraid of your intuitive guidance? As the receiver, is there a choice you need to make at this time in your life that you fear? As the giver, have you ever had the experience of reading another person even though you did not want to? As the receiver, do you feel that your life is dependent more on the choices other people make than on your own? As the giver, under what conditions are you likely to become deliberately unconscious when you are around another person s problems? As the receiver, do you feel that your interior life is at a breakthrough point, but you fear moving more deeply into spiritual space?
THE FIFTH CHAKRA INTENTION A Traditional Hebrew Prayer Dear G-d, protect my tongue from evil, and my lips from telling lies. May I turn away from evil and do what is right in your sight. Let me be counted among those who seek peace. May my words of prayer and my heart s meditation be seen favorably, Beloved One, my rock and my redeemer. May the one who creates harmony above make peace for us and for all who dwell on Earth. And say: Amen.
the sixth chakra WISDOM Seek Only the Truth The maxim You create your own reality, is the backbone of human consciousness. We each choose to participate in the greater reality that the heavens have created and we each have the power to choose how to respond to every situation in which we find ourselves. How you influence and shape your reality is overseen by your sixth chakra, the center of your mental energy. In this power point, your mind and spirit come together; all of your beliefs, fears, hopes, attitudes, memories, talents and intellectual skills negotiate multiple planes of reality and perception. Life is governed by the paradox of the divine, which is that while the universe remains an impersonal, mechanistic, and mathematical operating system, each of us is somehow intimately guided. Dramatic stories of rescues are obvious examples of synchronicity, but there are other, more subtle examples. For instance, the imparting of wisdom to someone just at the right moment is every bit as divinely coordinated as is the tow truck that just happened to turn onto the street where you were stuck. Your rational mind might not perceive a solution to a crisis, but your inner wisdom and intuition might be enlisted to kick start a seemingly miraculous synchronistic event.
the sixth chakra WISDOM Examining the Heart of Your Sixth Chakra Although you do not create your own reality, you do indeed influence it. You improve your health and your life in being of service to others. While I have never told a person during an intuitive reading that his or her stress was due to an inability to help others, I now think such feedback could be useful in some cases. It is far more stressful to your physical and spiritual anatomy to hold back an impulse to reach out to someone than to act on it. If you don t believe me, check out the way you feel next time you hesitate to help. The truth is, we live in a very public universe even when we act anonymously. There aren t any secrets, cosmically speaking, and we are observed and used. Next time you find yourself in a giving role, ask yourself, How did I get here? and then just assume someone other than you took care of those details. As the giver, do you follow your own advice and wisdom? What do others value most in you? As the giver, when your mind is not occupied with a specific task, do your thoughts tend to wander into the fear zone or do you effortlessly find yourself thinking about your blessings? As a receiver, do people tend to help you more with thoughts (wisdom) or with things? As a receiver, have you ever gotten synchronistic help? As the giver, are you open to the universe directing you in terms of serving others? As a receiver, does your reality include a belief that you are looked after? List ten things you value about yourself. As a receiver, how could you change your attitude to serve your own life and health?
THE SIXTH CHAKRA WISDOM Prayer for Quiet Confidence from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer I release from my mind fears and destructive patterns of thought that do not support my health and well-being. The highest truth that comes through all spiritual masters is that love and service toward humanity serves the highest good of all, including my own life. I will see everything I do today as an act of service on behalf of others and myself. Oh God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God.
the seventh chakra FAITH Live in the Present Moment The seventh chakra is in fact the house of miracles manifestations of the purest form of the energy of grace. In the dimension of the seventh chakra, our consciousness and spirit can have a conscious rapport and personal spiritual connection with the divine. In a sense, we ourselves become embodiments of invisible acts of power when we respond naturally and automatically with love, compassion and kindness to people around us. Then we are acting from the power of the seventh chakra, the divine impulse, with which we are likely to create miracles every day. How we choose to interpret our experiences is up to us, but those choices very much influence our vision of God. Some people view their intuition as a sixth sense; others as divine guidance. Heaven appears to us in ways that we can recognize and understand. Faith s greatest power is prayer, which is the purest invisible act of power. With prayer, we invoke the divine.
Examining the Heart of Your Seventh Chakra Your seventh chakra represents that place in your life where you and the divine meet. This is your point of light, your grace reservoir, your spiritual life. Rather than closing this with questions as I have in all the other chakras, I leave you with two prayers that beautifully embody the essence of spiritual union with the divine. the seventh chakra FAITH A Seventh-Chakra Prayer May I be open and present to all guidance that directs me to be of spiritual support to others. And when I am in need of support, please direct me to those who You would select on my behalf. I remain forever grateful that You so closely and lovingly keep a mindful eye on all of us who share life on this earth. So often we do not understand why we must endure what is asked of us; in those times, grant me the grace of faith. May I always be guided to live a life of service that benefits humanity and the quality of my own spiritual journey. From the Prayer of Saint Patrick The Light of God before me. The Light of God behind me. The Light of God above me. The Light of God beside me. The Light of God within me.