Thoughts on grace & equanimity, Soul Poems, Writing Practice, Recommended Reading, and more.Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 

Devoted in these challenging times to Equanimity
TSR

Courage is grace under pressure.

Ernest Hemingway

Subscriber First Name

It has been a difficult few days. The world seems to be increasingly unhinged, and we are subjected to a daily deluge of divisive rhetoric, violence, and hate. I get a knot in my stomach each time a news digest lands in my mailbox. After calls and texts from friends showed they were experiencing the same, I reflected on what we can do to move through fear and dread.

What can we learn from these circumstances?  How can this help us move forward as spiritual beings?

As I was struggling with these thoughts, a synchronistic email from Tricycle arrived on the four core Tibetan teachings on embodied love, the first of which is equanimity. That, I realized, is the answer.

What is equanimity?

Equanimity, which we call sameness, balance, and evenness is the state of grace that exists between hating, loathing, rejection, intolerance, and grasping on one side and acceptance, clarity, ease, and simplicity on the other. But how do we arrive here without falling into indifference or apathy?

How can we attain a state of equanimity?

It starts with self-awareness, with noticing ourselves, our triggers, and our reactivity. Are we forming judgments?  Where are these coming from?  Is it pride, ego, or a sense of superior position?  Are our judgments really true?  Are we despairing? Is there truly cause for despair? Or do we continue to obscure our enlightenment in clouds of perception and projection?

If we can come back to the middle way through self-awareness, non-reactivity, of non-judgment of the self or others. We can begin to see a path to infinite, unbounded oneness.

No one said it was easy

We grow most in difficult times, so we can use these times to experience the profundity of everything, a true sense of interconnection with all that exists.

Today, this week, this month, strive to experience a moment of equanimity. Recognize if you are moving to extremes of judgment and overreaction or despair and apathy. Once you experience the middle way, you can act from a place of peace. Once you experience its grace, you will likely find yourself, over and over, coming back from the edge of division to this place of divinity.   

This month’s The Spiritual Read is dedicated to equanimity. Read on for inspirational poems, curated articles, a spiritual writing practice, recommended reading, and the last laugh. I hope brings you solace.

SlΓ‘n go foill agus beannacht

Book Love

Last month marked the 14th anniversary of my beloved’s passing, so I thought I’d share this special piece sent to me by his best friend. These words soothe my heart πŸ’™

β€œI will start by admitting I’m a little biased as the main character of this book is written about was my best friend. He passed all too suddenly when I was already out of NYC. I can’t put into words the closure and magic I was able to feel when reading this story. Karen somehow managed to transpose all her memories and essence of him into this book. I honestly had to put it down a few times as it was emotionally overwhelming at times. It felt like after all those years I was back again in NYC with him. It also made me think more about the fact that such a tour de force such that he was could not just disappear without a trace. It was reassuring that other plains exist and that if we are OPEN enough we can also play there. I miss you, my dear friend. Karen thank you for your courage and dedication to love.” β€” Artur
 PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SPIRIT SPACE 

Poem of the Month

This month, enjoy words on grace from the inspired American poet Walt Whitman. He reflects on the stages of life and how each is filled with grace should we choose to see it.

Youth, Day, Old Age and Night

Youth, large, lusty, loving-youth full of grace, force, fascination,
Do you know that Old Age may come after you with equal grace, force, fascination?
Day full-blown and splendid-day of the immense sun, action, ambition, laughter,
The Night follows close with millions of suns, and sleep and restoring darkness.

Curated Articles on Equanimity

A Perfect Balance

Gil Fronsdal and Sayadaw U Pandita

Equanimity: The Holy Grail of Calmness & Grace
Anna Katharina Schaffner, PhD

The Power Of Equanimity
Ruth King

The Uncommon Power of Grace
Peter Wehner
 SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SPIRIT SPACE 

Your Soul Poems

Please enjoy this beautiful poem from Myrielle, which she wrote during our Silver Birch Trance Mediumship course. The speaker captures a transcendent moment the the breath of life and the grace of accepting impermanence.

Through the background β€œhum” and β€œdoodling” on the page emerges a heartbeat, reminding me of the breath of life, becoming music, then a bird song carrying me up a mountain top.

From there, I see a vision of peaks and valleys and realize mine and others and everything is connected to the cosmos…a great mystery…endless…infinite. This is not here, not there, but everywhere.

What now? What next? How? Who else?

I am quite unsure, but to reach and maintain such heights, I must practice love, forgiveness, and patience made possible through grace and together with the support from this β€œI am closer than you think” being an army of others.

Next will be another lifetime, not now but soon, a point of no return where you will be happily welcomed home in the light to continue your learning.

β€” Myrielle

Writing as a Spiritual Practice

Cultivating Equanimity

Practices that can help cultivate grace and equanimity include journaling and reflection to develop awareness, acceptance, and emotional balance. Here are some ideas to help create an equanimity-focused writing practice.

  • Gratitude Journaling: Begin each writing session by listing three things you are grateful for. This helps shift your mindset towards appreciation and positivity, creating a foundation for equanimity.

  • Mindful Observation: Observe your thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Write down what you notice, acknowledging each experience with acceptance and curiosity.

  • Reflection on Impermanence: Reflect on the impermanent nature of thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Write about how everything changes and how you can learn to flow with these changes rather than resisting them.

  • Exploring Perspectives: Choose a challenging situation in your life and write about it from different perspectives. This helps cultivate understanding and empathy, fostering equanimity in the face of difficult circumstances.

  • Loving-Kindness Practice: Close your writing session by writing a few compassionate phrases directed towards yourself and others, such as "May I be at peace with what is," or "May we all find balance and acceptance."

By engaging in this writing practice regularly, you can cultivate a greater sense of equanimity, learning to embrace life's challenges and uncertainties with grace and balance.
 SHARE YOUR WRITING ON SPIRIT SPACE 

If you would like to join a contemplative writing group within our Spirit Space community. Let us know.

Recommended Reading
Self-meditation

Meditation is not just about sitting in a quiet room. With its thousands of inspirations, techniques, affirmations, and ideas drawn from a spectrum of spiritual practices, this portable lifesaver of a book shows how to incorporate the power of meditation into your life all day long, whether at home, in the office, in traffic, while travelingβ€”wherever you need to catch your breath, make your mind quieter and more open, and your heart happier and more peaceful.

In this inspiring book, Sharon Salzberg, one of America’s leading spiritual teachers, shows us how the Buddhist path of lovingkindness can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. This practice of lovingkindness is revolutionary because it has the power to radically change our lives, helping us cultivate true happiness in ourselves and genuine compassion for others.

Salzberg

The Last Laugh

Till Next Time

That’s it for this month! Check out my website for available appointments and upcoming events. Follow me on social media (links in the footer) for weekly tips and updates on impromptu gatherings.

What did you think of this month’s The Spiritual Read? What would you like to see included next month? See you next month!

 SUGGEST AN IDEA 

Deepen the Connection

Private Appointments | Private Mentoring

The Benefit of Zoom Sessions

Live Courses | Masterclasses

Spirit Space Community | Spirit Space Facebook Group

In the News | Testimonials | Gift Certificates

Buy your copy: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads | AbeBooks | Waterstones | Audible | Apple

Borrow a copy: Library of Congress | New York Public Library | Libraries Ireland | University of Oxford Library | British Library | National Library of Wales
Karen Frances McCarthy CSNU Medium Author Mentor
instagram linkedin youtube twitter facebook

@ MPH, 61 Manor St, Stoneybatter, Dublin, D07 CY53

@ BAC, 151 W 30th St, New York, NY 10001, USA

Unsubscribe