Miracles never ceace to exist

This week I took a class with my friend Olivia, and my biggest take away was the reminder that we can ask for, or summon a miracle. 

It got me thinking, what is a miracle exactly?

MIRACLES ACROSS SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS

Miracles are understood in different ways, depending on the tradition, but they all point to something profound , something that allows us to experience life more deeply.

Yoga sees miracles as freedom from ego and pure alignment with the divine

Buddhism views a miracle as a complete transformation of the mind.  

A Course in Miracles, defines a miracle a shift in perception, from fear to love

Christianity often describes miracles as divine intervention, healings, revelations, resurrections, or grace filled moments.

In AA , I’ve heard “ don’t quit before the miracle happens”, which includes a transformation at the level of mind, body and sprit.  

Spiritual but not religious might consider a miracle being a shift in consciousness.  The outer world does not change, it is how we now relate to it.

WHAT IS  A MIRACLE EXACTLY?

Dictionary definitions

Merriam-Webster: “An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”  

“An effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers.”  

So, a miracle is both a wonder that transcends and points to something greater than ourselves

Etymology

From Latin miraculum—“object of wonder”

—rooted in mirari, meaning “to marvel, to look with wonder.”   

And even deeper, Proto-Indo-European root *smei, meaning “to smile, laugh, be astonished”.

This hints at miracles as being “something so beautiful it makes you smile in wonder.”  

MIRACLES IN MY LIFE

I used to think that miracles were grand and supernatural, and while this can be true, I have  come to believe that they can be also be subtile, ordinary and deeply internal, and still powerful.

BIG MIRACLES

When I was 13, I weighed 68 pounds and was deeply unwell.

At a routine OB/GYN a doctor found some abnormal cells and suggested a hysterectomy, My mother, fittingly upset, refused, and instead turned to prayer. She gathered prayer circles across her church and beyond.

Eventually they re-ran tests. Everything came back normal. I didn’t even know it was happening, I had no resistance, no fear, just an opening for a miracle.

Years later, my niece was diagnosed with juvenile onset, rheumatoid arthritis At one point they put her on chemo therapy. After getting that news, I immediately pulling the car over I started calling everybody. I knew that would pray. I did not care what their belief system was as long as it came from love,

Today she still has RA but is healthy, vibrant and symptom-free most days.  Another miracle.

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

Moments when my heart softened when  it was once closed,

When I forgave someone I never thought I could.

When the impenetrable fog of confusion lifted, and I could see clearly.

When I used technology without having a meltdown.

These might be small, but for me, they are miracles too.

MIRACLES THROUGH PRACTICE

In my art practice, when I can surrender, time, worry, and self-criticism, painting becomes a form of communion rather than performance.

Another one of the small but powerful miracles in my art practice, is when a painting finally resolves itself after a bit of struggle, seems to suddenly come alive, and the composition comes together in a way I could not force.

In my yoga practice, I experience miracles of release, when long held tension melts away, and I can breathe more deeply. Sometimes it is simply a moment when I am fully present feeling high spirited and connected.

As a teacher, I don’t try to perform miracles, I hold space for them. 

When a student finds freedom or strength  in their body or they face an emotion without checking out, that’s a miracle. and when spontaneous joy flows out of stillness, that might be the best kind.

FINAL REFLECTION

I’m finding that the most powerful miracles may not be the ones we ask for, but are the ones we notice. The ones that open our heart, reshape our mind or help us to see clearly, even for just a moment.

MY QUESTION FOR YOU

What is your experience with miracles?