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Scent of Light Episode
by Ken Norton
Discernment
Broadcast on March 22, 2020
Mp3 Player
The audio file above is the spoken word recording
without background music provided to Radio KOWS 92.5 FM broadcast of the
Scent of Light episode for insert into the Radio Spotlight Magazine
with host Andre Marc.
In this episode on the Scent of Light I will speak on
Discernment.
The pandemic precautions have risen to policies of
encouraging if not requiring social distancing in our nation, state and
county, following the lead of other countries around the world who have
faced exponential rise in cases of infection and deaths. Business as usual
has been disrupted and the stock market is receding sharply. We are learning
individually and collectively what is essential to live facing a common
danger that crosses all borders and affects the rich and the poor.
Our traditional assumptions and behaviors that worked
before need to be reassessed in light of the need to slow the infection rate
so the disease does not overwhelm the medical systems in each country and
locality. The closing of businesses big and small is depriving the laid off
employees and their families of needed income.
For those confined to their residence this is an
opportune time to practice meditation and other mindful exercises. I begin
my morning meditation with contemplating The Ten Words to The Creative
Spirit my mentor William Hermanns composed so these Ten Words are energized
in my discernment when making choices. I treated each of these 10 words on
separate episodes on the Scent of Light and they are archived at my website
for your referral.
For those working in essential jobs it is an
important time to take just 10 minutes a day to still your mind. The body
responds with relaxation, and one learns to discern the active storytelling
mind from that which is still. This helps us be conscious of the change
required in our behavior under the threat of being infected or infecting
others including our loved ones.
Those automatic urges to shake hands or hug a loved
one or friend now need to be checked by our will informed by our new
state-of-affairs consciousness.
The media keeps us informed, but discernment of the
credibility of the news requires sourcing from trusted authorities on the
subject while recognizing partiality can exist in the presentation.
There is an interplay of knowledge gained from
meditation and that gained from our studies and practical experiences. Old
reasons give way to a reason tempered by the stillness, so that
understanding of a greater whole and compassion have a say, as well as
allowance for an element of mystery inducing humility for limitations of our
intellect.
This allowance for the mystery gives permission for
our mind to be informed by the signs appearing in synchronicity with our
purpose. We can ask for signs to set our mind’s receptive antennae to be
alert for their transmission. We can do this for information or experiences
received that need clarification, and the signs will enable us to perceive
the subject from a different position. Talking with friends and family
without the need to be right enables ideas to play with one another in
creative ways, as we discern our way together, even if physically distant.
The present crisis is occurring while we have been
facing droughts, wildfires and massive storms due to Climate Change. The
young generation has been calling for urgent action to curb the release of
industrial chemicals into the environment that is warming our planet and
creating climate havoc and perhaps more pandemics. Our response for Climate
Action can be worked on during this time of isolation. Government
representatives can be contacted with phone, postcards and emails urging
them to join in supporting the New Green Deal. Internet chat groups can
still bring our creative minds together.
We can make lemonade out of the lemons presented us.
Let’s treat the crisis as challenges and seek solutions alone and together,
practicing discernment.
.
This is Ken Norton on the Scent Of Light. You can
contact me via Ken at KennethENorton.com and I would be glad to hear from
you. The Scent of Light episodes are archived on the web at
kennethenorton.com.
Thanks for listening.
Reference:Ten Words to the
Creative Spirit is the theme of my episode on 9/9/18 and each of
the 10 Words are dealt with in succeeding episodes. See the
About the Author and Producer
Ken Norton earned his master's degree in Materials Science from Stanford
University as the Vietnam War was ending. During that time Ken served as the
personal assistant to a poet/sociologist Dr. William Hermanns as he prepared
his writings for publication, exposing Ken to not only the sciences but also
the humanities and comparative religion for making conscious and
conscionable choices.
Ken is a regular contributor to Radio Spotlight Magazine with his episodes
on the Scent of Light.
Ken Norton in practice of Tai Chi Chuan
2018 Photo by Elaine B. Holtz
I co-produce Women's Spaces Show with my loving partner and its host
Elaine B. Holtz. Take a visit. All the shows are archived on the website.
----
I am the Trustee and Archivist. Visit the website I built in honor of my
mentor.
----
Be still and know,
We're in the flow
Of Love to grow
From seeds we sow.*
Kenneth E. Norton
* stanza from his poem Intuition's Joy
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