Good evening and welcome to Monday Group Meditation, we will be sitting from 7:30 to 10:00 PM EST. It is not necessary to sit for the entire extended time, which is set up to make it convenient for people in four North American Time Zones; sit for as long as you like and when it is most convenient for you.
Monday Group Meditation is open to everyone, believers and non-believers of all stripes who are interested in gathering in silence. If you are new to meditation and would like to try it for yourself, Mindful Nature gave a good description of one way to meditate in an earlier diary, copied and pasted below:
"It is a matter of focusing attention mostly. In many traditions, the idea is to sit and focus on the rising and falling of the breath. Not controlling it, but sitting in a relaxed fashion and merely observing experiences of breathing, sounds, etc. Be aware of your thoughts, but don't engage in them. When your mind wanders (it will, often), then return to focus on breath and repeat."
At this point in my life it's quite clear to me that I know very little, but one thing I do know for sure is taking care of my own "business" is the first step in making the world a better place. It works both ways, inward and outward, cleaning up the clutter of unfinished business always makes things better. Frequently when we clean up the dross cluttering either our minds, or our physical space, we are able to see further into the distance and find the places where we have enough influence and personal power for our actions to make a difference. We can become powerful agents of change when make room for uncluttered clarity to manifest in our lives.
Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't. - Steve Maraboli