The Expanding Minds + Hearts newsletter is a monthly email with timely spiritual lessons, musings, food for thought, and upcoming classes by Amanda Sue. Sign up below to receive one email a month!
A little spring cleaning...
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Growing up, I didn't know much about the meaning behind the season of Lent. I knew my Catholic friends got ash put on their foreheads, and for some reason that happened the day after Mardi Gras. The one year I remember participating was when I was 12 or 13, and I gave up gum for Lent. Now, that was a pretty big deal for me at the time! I don't recall feeling closer to Spirit after the experience. If anything, it left me with the impression that faith had something to do with self-denial and sacrifice. I have a different view now. Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore wrote in Keep a True Lent that there is a divine goodness within each of us. Yet, it sometimes gets buried underneath our hurt, coping mechanisms, trauma, reactions, wounds, and unforgiveness. The "law of universal balance - the equilibrium of Being" requires that these two coexisting truths be reconciled. Lent is about recognizing the areas of our life that need to be cleaned up and cleaned out to make room for more of that divine goodness to shine forth. Is it time to let go of the cycle of complaining that keeps your heart hardened? Are you being gently guided to release the idea that you are only worth what you accomplish? Do you desire to give up believing that it is only your own efforts — and not the love and grace of God — that brings goodness into your life? Spring cleaning for our hearts, minds, and physical spaceSome say that the tradition of spring cleaning our homes comes from the Christian season of Lent. As we clean up our hearts and minds, we take it a step further. Cleaning our physical space can be cathartic and relaxing. It is also an outward expression of the changes taking place internally. If the Lenten season calls me to let go of bad habits, I can do so by affirming: I release and let go of what no longer serves me, making space in my mind and heart for more love, peace, and generosity. Then I put that into action by getting rid of any items in my space that remind me or keep me holding on to that bad habit, whatever it may be. Wishing you a beautiful Spring. Love you. See you soon.
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Expanding Minds + Hearts
The Expanding Minds + Hearts newsletter is a monthly email with timely spiritual lessons, musings, food for thought, and upcoming classes by Amanda Sue. Sign up below to receive one email a month!
Once a month email from expandingmindsandhearts.com Life can become busy, and we often forget to take care of ourselves as we focus on meeting our daily demands. I recall listening to a speaker who shared the idea that we "rise to the occasion." This notion suggests that when we face a challenge, we draw on internal resources to overcome it. It's a beautiful thought, and to some extent, we do have untapped inner resources we can access when needed. However, the speaker went on to say that’s...
Our inner experience is simultaneously the most unique thing about ourselves, and yet also a complete mystery to us. Mindfulness practices are built on paying attention to this inner experience. Through quieting the mind in meditation, we learn to watch our thoughts without letting them run away with us. With grounding practices, we become aware of our direct experience of warmth, sound, taste — and do our very best to experience it without describing it or narrating it inside our heads. But...
expanding minds + hearts by amanda sue briggs By now, 99% of people have given up on their New Year Resolution. Me? I didn't set one. Here's what I do instead. January is my favorite month though (and only partly because it's my birthday month). The new year (based on the calendar or the moon) brings a feeling of fresh opportunity. Renewal. Transformation. And yet this month I have been noticing two themes in my life and the lives of my community: Conversations that don't exactly turn out how...