Taking Birth
The Hours for May 1, 2023
Good morning. Today is Monday, May 1. It is May Day, the ancient European holiday of Beltane, and the traditional beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
This is the first-ever daily edition of The Mystic’s Almanac. It is a pleasure and an honor to be read by you, and to be able to offer some structure and inspiration to your contemplative practice. Thank you for your support.
May your day be filled with the joy and promise of fresh beginnings.
Today’s edition of the Mystic’s Almanac is free for all subscribers. If you enjoy this publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Lauds
Morning Practice
Today, I recommend a Morning Practice of Being.
Preparation
An Invitatory
What is true is already so.
Owning up to it doesn't make it worse.
Not being open about it doesn't make it go away.
And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with.
Anything untrue isn't there to be lived.
People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it.
- The Litany of Gendlin, by Eugene Gendlin
A Reflection
Read any journal entries from the night before, then write one or more morning pages to clear your mind prior to practice.
A Prayer of Intention
Before beginning, I encourage you to compose and set intentions for this session based on your needs, tradition and training.
Practice
Transition
A Reflection in Stillness:
Review your practice intentions. Did your session go as you hoped? What was different? What was challenging? What went according to expectation? Make brief notes in your meditation journal.
A Vow:
As I end my practice, I vow to carry the peace and grounded strength I have cultivated here into meeting the day before me.
A Song for Today:
The Little Hours
Midmorning
A Practice of Developing
A short practice of Developing - whether the brahmaviharas, or similar habits of virtuous feeling - can be an excellent way to begin the work day.
Midday
A Practice of Recollecting
At lunch, perform a 10-15 minute practice of Recollecting to re-center your concentration.
Midafternoon
A Practice of Noticing
Toward the end of the day, energy begins to lag and it becomes difficult to remain present. I recommend a short practice of Noticing at midafternoon to help re-expand any awareness that may have subtly collapsed in the press of the afternoon.
Mealtimes
A Blessing
A centuries-old Moravian blessing of gratitude:
Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be
And bless these gifts
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care.
A Practice of Mindful Eating
As always, spend a minimum of twenty minutes eating each meal. Put away phones and other distractions and get as close to the experience of eating your food as you can. Notice the texture, taste, color and smell of your meal. Take each bite slowly and intentionally, without rushing.
Vespers
Evening Practice
The moon is in the Waxing Gibbous phase this evening. In Japan, they sometimes call this phase tachimachizuki, or the “standing and waiting moon.”
For evening practice, I recommend a daily practice of Noticing.
Preparation
An Invitatory
“The divine secret is not hidden, it is right in front of us. Whether we see it or not depends upon the attention we give to observing the details and establishing ties between them.”
- Alejandro Jodorowsky, The Way of Tarot
A Prompt for Reflection
Write at least one evening page to empty your mind of the concerns of the day.
A Prayer of Intention
I encourage you to compose and set intentions for this session based on your needs, tradition and training.
Practice
Transition
A Reflection in Stillness
Review your practice intentions and your memories of practice. Make brief notes in your meditation journal about anything that stands out.
For Gratitude
Joy, sorrow; love, hatred; destruction, renewal;
Vital health, painful illness; dismay and delight --
In their affirmation, recognition,
Lies the route, the channel to Gratitude.
Rather than sweet and sugary
Gratitude ruthlessly erodes
The sense of significant self.
The more pervasive our thankfulness
The less necessary we are to ourselves.
- From Gratitude by Gerow Reece
Compline (Bedtime Practice)
Examination of Conscience
Spend a few moments examining your days’ deeds. What went well? What are you grateful for? What are the ways in which you were blessed by the labor, kindness and faithfulness of others?
What did not go well? Where did you fail? Where did you go against yourself, or compromise your integrity? Where did you slip out of presence, and into unconscious patterns?
What can you learn from today? What lesson will you carry forward, and what will you resolve to avoid or change in the future?
Beditation
Once you are in bed and the lights are out, choose your favorite practice and spend the last few moments of the evening unwinding, relaxing into presence and awareness, and focused on the sacred.
Rest well, friend.
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