Hope: Focus on Possibilities
Contemplation upon hope, or hopefulness, can be a valuable resource to either soothe physical, emotional, or mental rawness or as a spark to ignite curiosity and spiritual aspiration.
Hope, for this conversation, is defined as a curious mindset that helps initiate and sustain action toward short and long-term aspirations/goals; it includes the capacities of discipline and resiliency when managing obstacles that get in the way of attaining those aspirations/goals.
Hope acts as a salve
Hope can help to soothe the rawness that arises when experiencing physical, emotional, and mental states of despair, discouragement, distrust, fatigue, fear, negligence, pain or pessimism. These types of rawness naturally occur after experiencing a loss, occasionally while moving through a life transition, or when an existential crisis arises. In any of the previously mentioned altered states, you’re perceiving your reality through a mindset or perspective which narrows choice options, promotes mental and emotional confusion or stagnation, and diminishes creativity.
To practice contemplation on hope/hopefulness, you can experiment with the following:
Intentionally pause during your day in a space and place you feel safe; if you have an outdoor space in which to do this, that would be preferred; however, an indoor space can also be conducive for this practice.
Begin with a focus on breathing with greater ease; make any physical adjustments required to feel the depth and cadence of your breath become lighter, more spacious, and more relaxed. You can stand, sit, or lie down while adjusting the breath.
Allow enough time just breathing with ease to pass and then start to recognize each new present moment. The present moment, like the breath, opens and closes and then opens and closes again and again in a never-ending flow of consciousness expressing itself.
Once you feel connected with the present moment, allow your awareness to attend to your peripheral vision. With childlike curiosity, notice if you can perceive what is available to you in a 360-degree spherical-like sense-of-awareness that is filled with aliveness.
In that expanded state of visual perceiving, awaken to your connection with your other four senses and notice all the ways life is expressing itself. Listen to the sounds, feel all the sensations on your skin, notice the vibrancy of light and spectrum of color, and ingest tastes and fragrances that form and flow in that spaciousness.
Recognize that life is continually unfolding, first arising and then falling away: recognizing this kind of continuity, the connection of minute interdependent transitions is a doorway toward connecting with hope. Life and aliveness continue, and it changes with each passing moment.
By consciously experiencing or witnessing life unfolding through your inhale and exhale while being present at a sunrise or sunset, when noticing raindrops falling, flowing, and evaporating; and flowers blooming; and petals dropping after their season, you know that life keeps unfolding. There will always be a next present moment and this is the truth that hope brings us back to. We may not know what the next present moment will bring, but we can focus on the opening space and bring our aspirations forward; we can engage our curiosity and notice what energy is available to us and how we can use it to manifest positive change/growth.
Reflections:
Which phase of the arising and falling away cycle are you personally or professionally moving through?
What are you aspiring towards, inspired by, or curious about?
What are you willing to allow, embrace, or let go of?
Feel the physical, emotional, and mental changes that have occurred through this practice, write down your insights, and act on your aspirations. Without action, you are just wishful thinking.
Hope is a pragmatic state of awareness, a place of knowing that a change is occurring, a knowing that there will be a next present moment in which a refined sense of self and an opportunity or challenge to re-imagine your future awaits you.
Hope invites and allows acceptance of some level of uncertainty as to how, or if, or when, that refined self or re-imagined dream will manifest. Hope, therefore, is a state of awareness interdependently connected with faith and trust.
Hope is moving into connection with trust, trust in self, in others and in the greater forces that animate life. Hope, faith and trust generate enthusiasm, activates confidence that awakens creative passion so you can move mountains in order to manifest whatever you are aspiring towards. Hopefulness means being willing to wrestle with the spiritual nature of self and that of others; to keep aspiring and striving without knowing if you’ll ever see the fulfillment of your desire, but striving nonetheless.
May you be connected with and empowered by hope and hopefulness so you are resilient in your quest towards improved health and well-being.