“There is no such thing as a simple act of compassion or an inconsequential act of service. Everything we do for another person has infinite consequences.”
~ Caroline Myss
(Synonyms for compassion: tenderness, mercy, gentleness, charity, tolerance, sensitivity.)
I think I need to clarify what the word compassion is NOT when talking spiritual wisdom. Compassion is not pity or feeling sorry for another; what it IS, is inclusive of oneself and ‘the other’ and it describes a state of sensitivity very seldom achieved in its purest form when blended with love.
Compassionate love looks something like this:
- Holding love for another even when their actions disappoint you.
- Having the respect for self to say no to any violent and unacceptable actions shown towards yourself and others, while holding a space of mercy towards the perpetrator of those actions.
- Practising tolerance without offering yourself to play the role of the victim.
- When your personal freedom has been violated it is your right and an act of tenderness towards yourself to place your boundaries down clearly.
- Being charitable to those you love and have loved, even when bonds have been broken.
- Being gentle with yourself when life swipes you off course and takes you on a journey that you never planned for. That is life! Change is the only
So, as you might notice, this state of compassion requires some deep contemplation and accepting that to perfect it could take lifetimes. BUT, it is in the trying that the mastery is attained. The truth is that compassionate love is your true state of being and if you peel off the layers of fear that you have come to think of as ‘who you are’, you will feel the natural ‘high’ of being spirit having a human experience.
We are in a time of our species’ mental delusion where a lot of expectation is placed on achieving a goal and far too little importance is placed on the journey. So I invite you to take the subject of compassionate action and explore it one step at a time.
A practice to develop compassion
Place yourself in a comfortable upright seated position with you spine elongated. Make sure you will not be disturbed for 15 minutes.
Close your eyes and take your attention inwards towards your breath. Sit with the rhythm of your breath for a little while…
Now gently deepen your breath and drop down into your Solar Plexus just beneath your diaphragm. Make an intention to wash all mental worry and fear from your body by breathing into that area, into the stomach; and breathing the low energy out towards the earth, through your pelvis and your legs. Take a few of these cleansing breaths until you feel ‘lighter’ and less anxious.
Make an intimate connection with the earth, the planet you live on.
Now float your awareness to the top of your head and extend upwards until it feels comfortable to feel free of the confines of the body and the idea of expansiveness begins to feel quite natural. Can you connect to the colour GOLD? Gold represents spiritual clarity and perfection. Now breathe that golden colour down through a shaft of light to pierce the crown of your head and then breathe the light into your Pineal gland (centre of the brain) and then through the Thyroid gland in your throat and then breathe the golden light into the Thymus gland in your chest centre. Feel the whole of the endocrine system fill up with vibrant energy.
Now with every inhalation breathe the golden light into your heart; and with every exhalation wash the colour over your heart. Do this for 5 minutes. Notice how it acts like sunlight upon a flower bud and progressively opens the petals of your heart.
Come out of this space very gently when you are ready.
When your heart is open, the contemplation of compassion will feel more approachable.
Be gentle with yourself.
Written for fairdivorce.co.za by Candice Jones (Spiritual Mentor – Stellenbosch)