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Tag: inspiration

A Moment in Crimson

December 23, 2023 ~ James ~ 3 Comments

Against the grey of a cloudy day,Where shadows dance and drift away,Beside the twisted limbs of the huckleberry tree,Rough in bark, wild and free. There, in stark and vibrant red,A cardinal perched, its majesty spread.Its feathers a flame against the somber hue,A burst of life in the morning dew. I sat enamored, silent, in awe,In … Continue reading A Moment in Crimson

Inspire Me!

October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 ~ James ~ 3 Comments

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to? What organizations will get my money? The question is best answered with another question: What organization or cause inspires me? If I have money, not imaginary extra money to give away, I can be inspired to part with it. There … Continue reading Inspire Me!

Love. Relationality. Connection.

September 24, 2023 ~ James ~ 4 Comments

What things give you energy? I find that every moment is ripe with energy. I am energy, concentrated here and now. To be in the moment, fully and completely, is to receive the energy that flows there. These are some of the times when I receive energy: When I am really with a friend in … Continue reading Love. Relationality. Connection.

Joy of Being Thankful

September 1, 2023August 30, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

I find it meaningful to begin my day in gratitude. So I have a gratitude practice. Gratitude Practice (summarized) Open my journal. Close my eyes and “breathe myself here.” Open my eyes and say, “I am thankful for…” Write name by name what arises from that statement. When I reach a “stopping point,” repeat out … Continue reading Joy of Being Thankful

A Dream Last Night

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about. Awakening this morning, I was excited to remember a dream. It is rare for me to recall one at all, let alone clearly. Here is how I might summarize it: I was back at university; the grounds were very familiar from the time I was … Continue reading A Dream Last Night

Books Seem Magical

June 7, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

List three books that have had an impact on you. Why? My initial response to the question: whatever book I read next! I have long looked at the acquisition of knowledge as the key to unlock some unknown magic of self-discovery or universal wholeness or Who-God-Is. Whatever that next book, it will surely, almost certainly, … Continue reading Books Seem Magical

  • Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React
  • A Creed of Holy Mystery
  • Ripening Effort: Gentleness in What We Bring
  • A Grace-filled Creed
  • A Sabbath Creed
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You are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift you already are.

James Henry

Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React - Infinitely Precious

In week seven of the Ripening series, James Henry turns to one of the quieter but most transformative dimensions of spiritual growth: ripening awareness. Building on the series' central metaphor — that transformation is less like achievement and more like a fruit slowly receiving what it needs to become what it already is — James explores what it means to notice a reaction rising in you before it becomes your automatic response.Drawing on his own practice of Centering Prayer, James describes how sitting in twenty minutes of silence, releasing thoughts as they arise, trains the same muscle needed in everyday conversation: the ability to catch a reaction — anger, defensiveness, the urge to walk away — in the split second before it takes over. He talks candidly about the amygdala's role in this process, the evolutionary logic of fight-or-flight, and why so many of our modern reactions aren't actually about survival at all, even though they feel that way in the moment.This episode offers a gentle, practical invitation: you don't have to react to everything that rises in you. Through simple practices like breath and pause, James shows how ripening awareness creates space — not to suppress what we feel, but to choose, with more freedom and presence, what we do with it.In This Episode:Why James chose the word "ripening" over "growth" for this seriesHow Centering Prayer trains the mind to notice and releaseThe role of the amygdala in reactive, self-protective responsesThe difference between needing to react and wanting to reactA simple breathing practice for creating space before respondingHow ripening awareness deepens presence with others
  1. Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React 12:18
  2. Ripening Effort: Gentleness in What We Bring 12:53
  3. Ripening Release: Loving Without Grasping 16:02
  4. Ripening Enough-ness: I Am, and That's Enough 13:02
  5. Ripening Action: The Ripple You Never See 12:46
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