Memory Part 1
February 11, 2025
Memory Part 1
Please join us for this week’s Daily Reflections on “Memory.”
Just think about what life would be like if we did not recognize anyone or know where we live. Without memory, we would have no concept of relationships or understandings of consequences. Essentially, we would have no identity, history, or the ability to reason. The memory is exceedingly powerful because it is a library of all we know and believe. Our ego uses our memory to support its agenda, however, our soul views our memories as opportunities for healing and wholeness.
There are different kinds of memory. We have long-term and short-term memory, and we have memory in all three centers of intelligence. Our mental memory is the cognitive storage system of our experiences. Our heart memory collects and stores all of our emotions. Our body memory holds experiences in its tissue. Thanks to the function of memory, we do not have to re-learn everything all the time. We remember people, places, things, information, and everything we experience. Yes, memories can fade, especially if they are not re-visited, but others are out of access and remain in the subconscious.
Our faith journeys would not be possible without memory. In the spiritual life, one spiritual understanding builds upon the next as we spiral upward into greater consciousness. If we forgot the spiritual insights and knowledge we learned, we would not progress spiritually.
Memories are wonderful and terrible. They give us great comfort but can also disturb us. They can even terrorize us with guilt, shame, and fear… but they can also free us if we remember instances of amazing grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love. When ruled by our traumatic memories, we lose clear vision of who we are, and all our responses to life are affected by our trauma. But memories that we treasure can heal us and remind us of the goodness and mercy that we are made of. Memories are more than recollections — they are living movies within us that can heal or destroy us. They are gateways to our soul, or slippery slopes to disintegration.
Spiritual Practice: Try recollecting a body, mind and heart memory. Relive them in your mind’s eye. Do any of these memories need to be healed? If so, journal your memory and the reactions it gives you. Write an intention that you will these reactions to be healed.
Self-inquiry: What ways do you block the emergence of memories? When you block memories, is it possible you block the good ones as well?
Dear God,
As I re-collect all that is scattered, or all that would go unremembered, bless me with a memory that restores my soul. I pray for healing of all memories that upset or disturb me. In your mercy, give me the gift of entertaining memories that restore my soul. Amen
