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More than three years ago now I first encountered a prayer by St. Teresa of Avila that would become a sort of anthem for my life. St. Teresa was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. Although St. Teresa of Avila lived 500 some years ago, her words as I have learned them are still quite compelling and relevant to us today. While there are different versions of this prayer available, allow me to share and reflect upon the one I am most familiar with:
Today may there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
~St. Teresa of Avila (16th Century)
Essentially there are six separate blessings within this prayer. Depending on the day or moment, one of them always seems to resonate with me. Most weeks I hear or use this prayer at least twice. First, this is because I belong to a group of women who meet weekly and always close with this prayer. In these instances I am both receiver and giver of the blessing. Second, I have come to close most gong bath meditations with this blessing for my clients. I hope you will appreciate the beauty of this prayer as much as I do.
Peace within
Today may there be peace within.
In a day and age where everything seems to have swung back into full gear and in which plenty of unrest is afoot, a blessing of peace can be a lovely gift.
It’s the idea of peace “within” that lands with me every time. When or if I don’t have that sense of peace, I always find myself allowing a nice deep inhale and exhale. A weight often lifts as these words wash over me. It’s one thing to think to oneself, “I wish to know peace” and it’s another thing entirely to have someone offer you peace, as these words do, either from the page directly or from another’s speaking them to me.
Another aspect of this first statement is that it reminds me that to be in a state of peace is acceptable, even expected. It’s not so much that I deserve peace as it is that peace already exists everywhere in all of creation, but I can become disconnected from it. So, in a way, this is a reminder to allow myself to reconnect with a peace that is always accessible within.
Finally, and just as importantly, peace within invariably radiates without, too.
Proper unfoldment
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
It’s precisely when I don’t want to be where I am that these wise words guide me from one moment to the next: “May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” The truth is, you never really know how the present moment - even if it is uncomfortable or discouraging or aggravating - serves its purpose in your life. (Let me qualify this: should I ever find myself in danger, I’d do well to remove myself from it if I could.) Having said that, this blessing has to do with trusting that what is unfolding, what is happening to you or because of you also serves its purpose. It suggests a way of being or moving through this world. My own trust in God (or Source, if you prefer) has grown significantly in recent years. And what a blessing that has been! Life unfolds with more grace and lightness when you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. I’ve written about this many times in Life Cheat Sheets!
Of course many times in life it is challenging to trust that you are where you are meant to be. Perhaps it is only with distance that you can seen the beauty or the benefit of what you had experienced. But the moment you connect the dots, the moment you utter “Aha!” this is when trust grows. And as trust grows you can let go more and more of the need to control every little thing yourself. A recent correspondence I was reading put it this way:
“What if there was no list? What if you let God be God. What if you trusted that much and let yourself be shown what’s next?”
If you aren’t in the habit of trusting then you might not even know what it can look like. Here is an example: You can “go look for a job” and spend hours and hours of time and energy on it. The whole process could feel like a huge weight that simply won’t go away. Or, you can trust that a good fit will come to you, put in effort without the worry, and recognize it when it comes along. In the end, “trusting” would leave you feeling more lucky and light than frustrated and weighed down with the whole job search process.
Infinite Possibilities
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born in yourself and others.
Do you ever get stuck in your head? Do you ever rest in that space that says: I know exactly what will happen next (to me or to you). (Often with a defeatism behind the thought.) It’s all too easy to pigeonhole ourselves or others.
I’m always like this, you’re always like that; therefore, I can already predict what will happen. Such thinking cuts you off from the infinite possibilities that are born in yourself and others. This blessing reminds us to be open to something different or brand new at any moment. The nature of the universe is that it is constantly changing. So too, we are changing and have the capacity to change. We are creative beings and have the capacity to create. What a hopeful reminder, then. Not only can we cease fencing in ourselves and others, we can allow for expansion of unknown dimensions. Really, anything becomes possible!
As an example, when I was growing up in the midwest, I only considered living and working in the midwest. I could easily have spent all my days in Wisconsin or Iowa without giving a thought to anything else. But the moment the possibility of living and working abroad entered my consciousness, my whole world expanded! Suddenly it became possible to imagine living in Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Thailand, or Korea. Low and behold, my next teaching job was in S. Korea.
Using gifts
May you use the gifts you have received. . .
Have passion. Be passionate. Be passionate about your passions and life will lead you directly toward happiness. That is a paraphrase of a lecture I heard recently. We are born with gifts to give. Realizing the scope of those gifts and then engaging with them is so important! Your whole body indicates to you when you are ignoring your gifts.
I have a good friend who has dutifully worked hard her whole life in meaningful and productive work. However, she didn’t have or take time to do something she was clearly passionate about: writing children’s books. She put it off and put it off, waiting for retirement to arrive before allowing her energy to go toward such creation. But it was interesting that the nagging feeling to write just wouldn’t go away. In fact, it knocked more loudly all the time! Thank goodness she has finally retired. Thank goodness she will use the gifts she has received, as it will no doubt benefit both herself and many children.
As for me, I’ve realized that the scope of my own gifts is vast. It ranges from how I interact with others (as a good listener, a gentle organizer, or a problem-solver) to what talents I foster and employ (from teaching to writing or gong playing). Honoring my gifts honors who I am and how I can serve the world around me. It brings joy into my life as I let my light shine.
Radiating love
. . . And pass on the love that has been given to you.
One thing I love about the statement “and pass on the love that has been given to you” is that it assumes love has been given to you. There’s no “if” included. Love from God, your community, family, pets and nature all count here. (The list could go on.) You’ve received some measure of love and that measure is to be passed on. It’s sort of like a chain letter. Certainly loving acts are always appreciated and appropriate, but don’t discount the impact You have just by being You as you radiate your love back to the world. Receive love - give love. Give love - receive love. I immediately think of the infinity sign. Love is the ultimate gift. One need not say a word to be in the vibration of love and change the world. (See “Attuning to Love”)
It is when I don’t feel “loving” that these words become necessary. I sometimes need this blessing to be reminded of all the love I have received. Then in gratitude I think of family and friends, pets, and places that have nourished and nurtured me along the way. Or sometimes I need this blessing to be reminded that the world is in need of love that I have to give. Such a reminder re-centers me on what is important and encourages me to let go of the small stuff. Who do I want to be and what is my purpose? Loving!
How do you give and receive love?
Just the way you are
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
Okay, this one is tough and beautiful at the same time. What if you are miserable, bedraggled, dissatisfied, or at your wits end? What could the statement “May you be content with yourself just the way you are” do for you? You certainly don’t want to be content with that junk!
Right. You don’t. That’s why you might have to peer beneath the surface to get the benefit. If you only perceive yourself as the self that slogs through the day to day overworked and underpaid, overwhelmed or worse, then this statement only seems like folly. Or maybe you look in the mirror and don’t like something there: those wrinkles, that extra chin, the hair growing in places it shouldn’t, the wrong skin tone, the bad teeth. Whatever it is, we so easily criticize ourselves, berate ourselves, or judge ourselves harshly.
Those are the very reasons we deserve to allow the blessing to land: May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
You are perfectly made. You are perfectly deserving of every blessing. You are an aspect of the Divine. Even with your bitterness or anger. Even with that double chin or wonky teeth. You are uniquely YOU. And who you are and what you have to offer is enough - right now. Right this moment.
Being reminded of this always lifts me up, even in the darkest moments. It’s what makes this a beautiful blessing. If I can be content with my foibles, then I can make use of them or simply accept them. If I can accept myself as I am, I become freer in so many ways.
Perhaps it’s due to age or time, but I find myself more and more content with who I am, flaws and all. And life is better because of it. But I do credit this bit of the blessing for consistently reminding me of what is already true: I am that I am. And that is enough.
May this blessing from St. Teresa of Avila find its way into your pocket or hanging from your bathroom mirror so that you come to love it as much as I do.
Post Script: Sabbatical
August 26 will mark two years since I first created Life Cheat Sheets. It has been a lovely two years of writing an article virtually weekly. In all, there are nine complete series and more than one hundred articles. I’ve already begun the work of compiling these series for print publication but will be putting all my efforts in that direction for the next few weeks or months. With any luck, the next update from me will be to announce how and where you can purchase these publications.
Thank you for supporting Life Cheat Sheets as a reader and/or subscriber. I have very much appreciated personal and public comments on my work. Because writing has always been my passion, I fully expect to return to it either here or in another venue before long. I will follow where Creativity leads! In the meantime, all the articles for Life Cheat Sheets are still available in the archives for free AND you can access previous writings about my teaching life and family travels during our decade living in Korea and Hong Kong at Oh, The Places You’ll Go located online at GreenBaytoKorea.blogspot.com.
You can find all of my series in the archives:
Adulting 101 Coupons: A Gift from your Parents
Partnering 101: A Deep Dive into Leaving Kindly
Me-Time: Self-care in the time of Covid
Reasons for Hope
From Fog to Flow
With a Grateful Heart
Lessons in Life School
Life Cheat Sheets
Riffs on Wisdom Teachings
Thanks for reading Life Cheat Sheets!
Author of Me Time: Self-care in a Challenging World. Available at https://www.bookemon.com/store/987322
Find more of my writing at GreenBaytoKorea.blogspot.com
Learn about my business at CelestialSoundGB.com
Locate me on Instagram @applebb09
All photos by © Brenda Brayko 2023 unless otherwise credited.