Cultivating Expansiveness

For the past week I have had the great delight of swimming every day in the Pacific ocean, while I’m here in Hawaii, house sitting for some friends. One day, my husband and I snorkeled around an incredible coral reef, called Two Step, where we saw sea turtles, butterflyfish, and angelfish. As we slowly moved through the water, immersed in looking at the colorful and magical world of coral and fish, we noticed the water behind us was a deep crystal blue. As I looked at the shafts of light penetrating the water, all I could see was the vast and infinite blueness of the ocean water.

My husband and I popped our heads out of the water, took off our snorkels and remarked to each other: This is intense! For a moment, I wanted to head back to shore, where I imagined I would feel safe. But at the same time, I felt drawn to the depth and immensity of the water. “This is  you, God,” I said to myself.

Could I let God become bigger, and in some ways, let go of my fear? 

As my husband and I swam in the deep water, I allowed myself to relax into this expansiveness. I find that relaxing my body and mind creates more openness and receptivity to the Divine.

Lately, I have been noticing my desire for God to become more expansive, and meeting my edges of fear as God does become bigger. I am struck, though, by the deeply personal nature of my relationship with God, along with the immensity and uncontainable nature of my experience of the Divine.

Swimming in the ocean, looking up at the sky, letting our eyes rest over a mountain range, are all ways to expand our concepts of God. Creation invites us to expand. Can you let God become bigger, and in some ways, let go of your fear?

Here is a sacred practice, I offer you: 

To experience greater expansiveness and open your heart and mind more into the great gift of living, try this sacred practice:

• Begin by taking three to five deep breaths, feeling the breath filling your chest. You may want to sit up, with your back resting against your chair or sofa
• Feel your feet on the ground and your back against the seat. Take a few moments to really feel the presence of your body.
• I invite you now to use the first lines from Psalm 150 as a springboard for praying and meditating your way into expansiveness. Let me be your guide.
• Begin by feeling your way into the depth and breadth of these sacred words:

Praise God (the Infinite) in his holy place
The sky, the ocean, the flowers, and the trees—the infinite riches of the natural world—are the holy place where you are living every day. If possible, look up at the sky—even for just a moment—and allow a sense of expansiveness to fill you. When you can, spend five minutes simply looking around you at nature and let the experience expand you.

Throughout the day (or week), find ways to become expansive with yourself. You may want to quietly meditate on these lines from the Psalm 150:

Praise God in his holy place

Praise him in his mighty heavens

Praise him for his powerful deeds

Praise his surpassing greatness

Connect with the power of praise and gratitude as a way to expand yourself and your consciousness, and notice how good it feels to connect with creation.