One Way to Prepare, by Jennifer Angelina Petro

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Jennifer

One Way to Prepare

Jennifer Angelina Petro

Exhale: Release and create,

Inhale: Gather and nourish,

Exhale: Loosen and share,

Inhale: Draw and replenish,

Exhale: Surrender and sigh,

Inhale: Unite and receive,

Exhale: Express and give,

Inhale: Assemble and hold,

Exhale: Relinquish and set free,

Inhale: Store and treasure,

Exhale: Cast and measure out,

Inhale: Claim and protect,

Exhale: Bestow and rejoice,

Inhale: Shore up and fortify,

Exhale: I am awake and ready.

In Praise of the Light

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Jennifer

In
Praise of the Light

Light in my body,
Light in my mind,

Light in each moment
and blessing I find,

Light in my heart
and Light in my hands,

Light where I’m
going and Light where I stand,

Light in each cell
and Light in each word,

Light in each deed
and all that is heard,

Light in you and Light
in me,

Light in everything
I see,

Light in my plans
and Light in my dreams,

Light in my soul
where Light does stream,

Light in my wounds
and Light in my pain,

Light in my sorrow
and springtime rain,

Light in my healing
and Light in my breath,

Light in my living
and Light in my death,

Light in forgiveness
and Light in the past,

Light in the shadows
that evening casts,

Light in my doubts
and Light in my worries,

Light in my steps
that needn’t be hurried,

Light in my doing
and Light in my knowing,

Light in my purpose
steadily growing,

Light in my
stumbling, Light in my dancing,

Light in my pausing
and Light in my chancing,

Light in the
darkness of doubt and fear,

Light in gratitude,
hope, and cheer.

Thoughts From the Heart II

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Jennifer

Thoughts
From the Heart II

A
Collection of Random Musings

And Inspirations

We are all Lightworkers. With every breath,

with every act and thought of love,

we have worked with the medium of
Light.

Walk through your doubts while breathing
in Light, and as the Light fills you,

illuminating your mind, breathe out the doubts.

In addition to exhaling anything
you want to let go of, try exhaling

as a way of sharing your love, creativity, and forgiveness.

Breathe with your whole body, and
breathe in more than just oxygen

–breathe in love, beauty,
creativity, forgiveness, the sky.

Being able to be the still point
in the storm, the hub of the wheel,

has more to do with how one
breathes than anything else.

Create yourself a wonderful day
and share it with others as you go along.

Just as we create dreams from our
minds when we sleep,

so too do we create our lives
while we’re awake.

Think positive thoughts.

When I asked for news from my
first graders, one of them said:

“My rose tree is
blooming.”

Just as the darkness gives way to
birdsong, so too your sorrow will give way to joy

as you awaken to the blessings
around and within you.

Be like the dawn and lift the veil
of darkness.

With every breath and every
movement towards your desires,

it lifts, revealing more Light.

I Am a Star: A Creative Visualization for Children of All Ages

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Jennifer

I Am a
Star:

A
Creative Visualization

For Children

Of All
Ages

I originally
wrote this for my first graders but it can easily be applied to any age
children—even grown-ups. It was
originally written as a song, which you’ll see (hear) in a minute. I am presenting the visualization here as if you
are going to do it. That way, you can
get to know it before you share it with any children in your care. Once you have learned it and want to share it
with say, children aged 5-7, you can dovetail it with a little arithmetic study
and look at the number 5 as a living thing—it’s a star (pentagon),

and it lives
in the center of an apple cut in half width-wise,

and in the form of a human
being with their arms and legs outstretched.

That said,
the visualization is short yet profound, especially for those children already
carrying the idea that they aren’t good enough, or that they’re bad, stupid, or
dumb. This little visualization, when done
regularly, will help such children (and all children) touch their innate
goodness and light.

You can do
this visualization anywhere and anytime you need to feel yourself filled with
Light. J

OK, let’s
get started.

Watch this
video beginning at 4:13 so you can learn the song. Let yourself sing it and freely move the gestures
(or make up your own). Young children
especially learn with their whole body, so definitely encourage them to do the
gestures, and you can do that best by doing the gestures first and then with
the children.

The words to
the song are as follows:

I am
star with a Light in my body,

I am a
star with a Light in my mind,

I am a
star with a Light in my heart,

I shine
my Light all of the time.

I shine
for myself and I shine for you,

I
shine my Light in all that I think, say, and do.

Find
a comfy place to sit or stand.

Close
your eyes.

Breathe
in slowly and deeply

Filling
your belly.

Hold
that breath a second or two.

Then
slowly let that breath go.

Do
that 3 or 4 times.

Now
look inside your mind.

Find
your star.

Find
the star that lives in you.

Everyone
has a star living in them.

Find
your star. See your star.

See
your star shining within you.

It’s
there, just behind your eyes,

Right
there in your mind.

You
can feel it

Shining
in your heart.

Be
with your star.

Let
its Light shine in you.

And
today

Let
your star shine

In
your thoughts.

Let
your star shine

In
your deeds.

Let
your star shine

In
the words you speak.

Let
your star shine

In
all that you do.

Hold
that star.

It
is always with you.

Forever
more.

That
star IS you.

Now
be in silence for a few moments

Seeing
your star shining within you.

Now
open your eyes.

Know
that you shine.

Know
that YOU

Are
a star.

As you go
through the day with the young children (or yourself) you’ve shared this visualization
with, you can point out times when they share star-thoughts, star-actions, and star-words. Praise your children as they shine. Praise yourself as you shine.

Have fun,
and keep shining. J

“This
little light of mine….”

Thoughts From the Heart, a Collection of Random Musings and Inspirations

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Jennifer

Thoughts
From the Heart

A
Collection of Random Musings

And
Inspirations

Sure, the razor’s edge exists. So does the edge of praise, of openness, of breathing freely,
and laughter. We choose the path we walk.

People say to trust yourself, just meditate, go inside.
What if inside is a mess? We all need mentors to help us sort things out
sometimes.

Transforming black and white thinking into the rainbow palette
of reality means opening the heart to the many shades of now–the many shades
of living an alive life.

Crying is for the soul as rain is for the flowers…Water
the garden of the heart with tears, tears of sorrow, tears of laughter.

There is so much light in the darkness. One spark from
your imagination, one note from the song of your heart is enough to create the
dawn.

Soul calls come every moment, every second; from the
Beloved, from your dreams, from the world. Answer with your whole life.

I used to believe as one
progressed on the spiritual path that it got narrower. Now I know it broadens, opens, blossoms into
more; more possibilities to praise, more opportunities for gratitude, more
discoveries of healing, more variations of expressing eternal truths, more tolerance
of others, more compassion for both myself and those around me. This is the
Yoga of the Christ, the Buddha, the Divine Mother, the One Light Shining Within
Us All. This is the Yoga of Praise. This is the Yoga of Song. This is the Yoga
of Joy.