Brother Richard

Deliberately and with intention, we enter this time.

Unsettling ourselves,

we turn to the breath as the anchor that connects us always to the present moment.

Resting in the breath, we allow the breath to move through our whole being, breathing not just with mouth or nose, but with every pore of our skin.

breathing out all tension or stress, breathing in peace and quiet, calm and stillness.

As we breathe out, we can imagine our breath as a smoke or fog that leaves our body, taking with it all the stresses, all the problems, all the anxiety,

And as we breathe in, we breathe in clear, golden light.

The light of the present moment.

The light of now as it arises from divine grace and love.

And as we breathe in, we follow our breath once again to the very center of our being, to that place of perfect peace, perfect warmth.

perfect light, to that place of absolute stability at the center of the cycle of our breath.

And we rest there.

And resting there, we can check in with ourselves

we can check in with that part of ourselves that is often known as the animal soul, the part of ourselves that lives by desire, or by at least wanting the fulfillment of its desires.

We can start with the higher desires,

The desire for illumination, enlightenment, sanctification.

The desire to become the fullest version of ourselves that we can be.

The desire to cooperate with love and grace in the building of our life and of our world.

the desire for the happiness of others.

But we also know that there are other desires that sometimes motivate us.