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Infinitely Precious

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Tag: love

Where the Divine Becomes Visible

March 25, 2026March 25, 2026 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

Where the Divine Becomes Visible There is a way of seeing the world that changes everything. For many, the word incarnation points to a single moment in history—a sacred expression of the divine in one person. And that matters. It always will. But what if incarnation is not only something that happened… but something that is happening? … Continue reading Where the Divine Becomes Visible

Rediscovering Spiritual Truths in Every Moment

March 8, 2024 ~ James ~ 1 Comment

I diligently pursue that which is freely given to me. This is the spiritual truth I am increasingly discovering. Raised in a world and a culture that predominantly values what is "earned," I have subtly subscribed to the notion of continual effort required to attain a place on the spiritual journey. However, I've come to … Continue reading Rediscovering Spiritual Truths in Every Moment

The Twelfth Day of Christmas: Awakening

January 6, 2024 ~ James ~ 1 Comment

Are you missing out on the simple gifts that come your way, perhaps while expecting something 'monumental'? On the twelfth day of Christmas, my True Love gifted me an awakening. During each day of the Christmas season, I prepared myself, vigilant in anticipating a gift. However, I realized that numerous small gifts come my way … Continue reading The Twelfth Day of Christmas: Awakening

Falling

November 9, 2023 ~ James ~ 2 Comments

And I fellAnd fellInto the Ocean of LoveTo which there is no bottom. May you find deep love in this and all moments.

An Examined Life

October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

What principles define how you live? Living intentionally invites me to be clear about my values. Those values as they are shape my life; these values determine my choices and daily interactions. I regularly state my values usually writing them in my journal to see how they “sit” with me; then I examine my life … Continue reading An Examined Life

Information Overload!

September 22, 2023 ~ James ~ 1 Comment

Which topics would you like to be more informed about? I have been “jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none” kind of person most of my life. Acquiring new and varying information gave me a sense of pride. If this question had been asked of me ten years ago, my answer would have been, “Why limit me to a few … Continue reading Information Overload!

Practice Being Real

September 3, 2023September 3, 2023 ~ James ~ 3 Comments

Why do you blog? Yesterday, I received the gift of my wife reading her way through my blog thus far. As we talked later, she shared that each successive post seemed to become more reflective of “me,“ the person she has come to know and love. Sometimes it is easier to hide behind words than … Continue reading Practice Being Real

Names, Stories, and Meaning

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

Where did your name come from? Names. What do they say about a person? What story do they tell? Are they pointers to identify the one about whom or to whom we are talking or something more? Birth Names. My given name, James Edward, came from my mother’s step-father (James) and her dad who died … Continue reading Names, Stories, and Meaning

Living My Mission

August 23, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

What motivates you? I suppose there are any number of ways to answer this question. As a younger person, I was motivated by fear: of failure, of being unloved and unappreciated, of not-fitting-in, of mediocrity, of dying unknown. It is amazing what an unrelenting motivator fear was; it never let up and created stress, anxiety, … Continue reading Living My Mission

Unrestricted Positive Regard

August 19, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

What positive emotion do you feel most often? Love. I most often feel a spaciousness, a deeply open space, a positive energetic flow that emerges from somewhere beyond and within me. I have come to see that Love is an energy, perhaps such a subtle one we cannot yet measure it. Perhaps we never will. … Continue reading Unrestricted Positive Regard

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Older posts
  • A Trust Creed
  • Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React
  • A Creed of Holy Mystery
  • Ripening Effort: Gentleness in What We Bring
  • A Grace-filled 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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