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We have been talking about spring, a change in season, a renewal in nature and all the manifestations that come with it in the external (and internal) world as a result. We talked about letting go, making space for the sacred, moving towards spiritual success, and nurturing wellness through radical self-care over the past few weeks in #SpiritChat.
After last week’s chat, I received a couple of tweets that made me realize that the impact we have as a community goes far beyond we realize, or we can imagine. I have often said that “every tweet matters” and that “every tweet has an opportunity to influence someone positively”, even if only momentarily. We can nurture wellness in all that we do if we change this to “every thought matters” and “every thought has an opportunity to influence someone positively”. For our thoughts becomes our words, which when spoken with positive force, become our actions and our habits.
However, it takes a certain amount of change for us to adapt a thought process that is dominantly positive. In last week’s discussion, our guest host @JanetNestor shared a startling statistic ~ that 70% of our thoughts are negative, which leaves 30% for the positive. Even if this statistic does not apply to all of us, and even if it the numbers are closer to 50/50 for negative/positive thoughts, we still have a ways to go. So, what is this amount of change that will get us to shift to the positive, and stay there?
Borrowing from chemistry, the principle of activation energy comes to mind. Two chemicals will not react with each other unless a certain minimum amount of energy is supplied. A similar principle in physics is that of quantum change – once an atom is provided enough energy, it will “jump” from one state to another. I posit that our thoughts, positive and/or negative are like that too. They need enough activation energy to make a quantum jump from one state to another – hopefully from the negative to the positive.
I am convinced that this is the Renaissance that some of us are looking for. This activation energy, so we can make the jump. Where does this activation energy come from? One source of it is community – offline and online. When the offline world is not meeting our needs, we turn to online – and the opposite is true too. The other sources of energy are nature, art, music, books and meditation. Many masters have defined meditation as the simple act of sitting, observing our thoughts, like clouds moving across a blue sky. This act of slowing down is not a waste of time. It is critical to us tapping into the deep well-spring of energy that resides within us.
Yes, we need to take small steps, do small things with love, on a regular, daily basis. But occasionally, a renaissance in our spiritual lives can move us to a state which opens our heart to higher insights. As Leonardo da Vinci said:
There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
So, what we need at certain times in our lives is a renaissance of spirit, fed by activation energy, to make a quantum jump forward in our spiritual path. I invite you to come and explore this idea of renaissance ~ of revival, renewal, resurrection, reawakening, reemergence, rebirth, reappearance, resurgence, regeneration ~ with the #SpiritChat community on twitter. Sunday, March 24th at 9amEDT/1pm UK/6:30pm India.
I wish all of you great insights, and better vision. Namaste.
Kumud
Update: Transcripts for the live chat ~ A Spirit of Renaissance ~ bit.ly/sc-tr-032413 (full) and bit.ly/sc-tr-0324-qa (QnA only) ~ share and enjoy – Thank you!
Questions asked during the chat are listed below. I invite you to answer in the comments ~ note that you can share your answers in the comments in your twitter feed. Or you can click on the link at the end of each question to answer it and engage with the community. Do try it 🙂
Ready? Q1. Spirit of Renaissance. What does that phrase mean to you today? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315811988326461442
Q2. What are some activities that fuel your personal “Spirit of Renaissance”? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315813649090502656
Q3. Other than fear, what else prevents us from moving towards renaissance? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315814807007813634
Q4. Engaging in positive thinking is enough for a spiritual renaissance. Agree/disagree? Why? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315816619370745856
Q5. One meaning of renaissance is re-birth. What has to “die” within us, for re-birth to occur? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315818358589255681
Q6. Once a renaissance has begun within us, how do we sustain it over time? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315820171581341696
Q7. Renaissance is re-awakening. How do communities play a role in our re-awakening? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315821565117865984
Q8. Some personal best practices to effect a renaissance for us, our communities, are… #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315822890241097728
Bonus Q9. Who (person/project) is a role model of Renaissance spirit for you? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/315823824442650627
The #SpiritChat Community 