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The artwork I chose is from Kazimir Malevich. This artwork is filled with colour shapes that are kind of faded and are positioned in a sort of wave. This artwork reminds me of my childhood. The way the shapes are positioned reminds me of the beginning of Monsters Inc., I am unsure whether there is an actual resemblance but when viewing the artwork, it reminds me of watching the beginning as a young child. I grew up watching a lot of old TV shows such as The Brady Bunch, and seeing this arrangement of colours and shapes, reminds me of sitting in the lounge room watching them on the TV. Not only does the artwork remind me of watching the show, it reminds me of the outfits that the actors wore in the show.

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The ritual I chose to do regularly is meditation. Meditation was first recorded in 1500BCE by the Ancient Vedas of India, and around 500-600 BCE it was considered a Buddhist spiritual practise. Soon, other religions began to adopt the concept of meditation into their own lives. In saying this, it is unnecessary to have a religion in order to practise meditation as it is not about worshipping God, but about reducing stress. Meditation is a part of the day where I can relax and be content without worrying about assignments or unnecessary drama. Normally I choose to do meditation after finishing homework or before I go to sleep. When I meditate I make sure that where I am, is not overly loud, I chose to either sit down or walk around. I don’t control my breathing but rather breathe naturally. I listen to the sounds around me at that current moment, not to music from my phone or computer. Meditating allows me to relax and calm down from my day and stops me from worrying about assignments or other stressful responsibilities.

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Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

When I first read this quote I didn’t like it, but after thinking about it and reading it a couple more times understood what it meant. Having understood what it means, I realised that it is something that everyone could benefit from reading. I struggle with letting go of grudges, and this quote reminds me that it is not beneficial to hold onto anger or regret as it will only hurt you.

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"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." - Buddha quotes from BrainyQuote.com

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Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
I chose this quote from buddha as I believe it relates to my spirituality. To not focus on the future or the past, but instead in the present to be content. I find it is important to not worry about unnecessary things that we cannot change, such as the past or certain things in the future that we have no control over. When you spend all your time thinking about these things it takes away from you experiencing the present, being able to be content and happy.

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"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha quotes from BrainyQuote.com

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Oh Lord, You are my shepherd and I should not be in want,
but so often I struggle to be content and do want;
forgetting that you have graciously provided me with every spiritual blessing in Christ and everything I need for life and godliness.

Thank you for often not giving me what I want
because my desires would draw my heart from being satisfied in You.
Help me to be content in You with what You have given me
and to not be focused on what my flesh wants or the world tells me I should have.

Protect me from coveting possessions or people,
talent or influence, relationships or prestige.
Keep my heart from being anxious for what I don’t have
and make me thankful for the numerous gifts that You have already given.

According to Your Word and steadfast love,
fill me with the joy and satisfaction of contentment in Christ.
Help me learn to be content in any situation like Paul
and to quickly reject the idolatry that dwells beneath the surface of my coveting.

I chose this prayer as I believe it relates to my spirituality. In this prayer, it talks about wanting unnecessary objects and having trouble to be content and happy without worrying about or wanting materialistic things. In the prayer it also asks God to ‘Fill me with the joy and satisfaction of contentment in Christ”, this to me is asking God to help us with being content and happy even though we may not want to. When you are not worried about needing the latest model of some technology, I believe, that you can have a greater experience

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Deconstruction of Mount Alvernia College Opening Mass

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Deconstruction of Mount Alvernia College Opening Mass

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On the ninth of February, Mount Alvernia College held its opening mass, in which Father Mario came to lead us in prayer. Mass, for me, is a time of reflection where I think about past actions I have done and think about how I could make better decisions for future experiences. In this mass, the focus was giving thanks for the gift of education and having the opportunity to be a part of a community such as Mount Alvernia College.

After being greeted by Ms Tuite and saying the acknowledgement of country, Father Mario greeted us and blessed with the holy water that he flicked over us with a small branch from the olive trees at the front of the school. This was done to renew us and welcome us into the new spiritual year.

The liturgy of the word consists of many important segments, however, one sentence from the gospel which stood out to me was “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works” Matthew 5:13-16. This part radiated importance to me because it’s saying to show others who you are, what you hold close to you and how you have or can help others.

During the prayers of the Faithful a student from each year, level goes up to the front and says a prayer. I always enjoy this time as we pray for everyone specifically, the sick, community members, our school, our parents and us. We prayed for us to reach our full potential during the school year. This relates to my spirituality through the need to help others.

The liturgy of the Eucharist brings us into a very sacred and spiritual time, to which we accept the body of Christ. Being from a Catholic family, I receive the holy body of the Lord. I enjoy participating in this aspect due to the quiet time of prayer and reflection afterwards because it gives me time to pray for the people I care about as well as those in need.

As we conclude the sacred practice of mass, we receive a call to action from Father Mario to continue in our Franciscan venture of spreading joy and peace to all. Father Mario bids us to “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. I proceeded to be inspired by this call to action, which resulted in me participating in the Caritas K’s walk.

In conclusion, through participating in mass and keeping the Franciscan values of Mount Alvernia College in mind, we continue to bring kindness, helpfulness, joy and peace to those around us.

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According to the university of Minnesota, spirituality is “About seeking a meaningful connection with something bigger than yourself, which can result in positive emotions such as peace, awe, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance.”

This relates to what spirituality means to me. Spirituality is about being content, not wanting more than we already have, but being happy with what we do have. Not needing to be greedy and own or worry about the bad in our lives, but rather focus on the good. Being able to acknowledge the bad but still being able to find happiness and content within. Spirituality is not the same to the Franciscan beliefs, but instead, shares the value of simplicity. I believe spirituality is different to religion, but in order to follow your religion wholeheartedly, you need to have spirituality.

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WAKE ME UP - AVICII

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start
They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
I hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don't have any plans
I wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life's a game made for everyone
And love is the prize

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

I didn't know I was lost
I didn't know I was lost
I didn't know I was lost
I didn't know I was lost

So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

Wake me up by Avicii, is a song that was played frequently on my year 7 trip to Canberra. This trip was a big experience for me as it was the longest I had been away from my family in one go. While we were away, I became more independent as I didn’t have my parents around to go to if something went wrong. During the trip to Canberra, we visited a variety of places such as CSIRO and Art galleries. When I listen to this song it reminds me of when I was a lot younger and didn’t have the worries about school and my future as I do now. It was so much easier back then to focus on what was happening in the present, rather having to remind yourself to do so because of how much busier we are nowadays. One of the lyrics stand the most out to me, “I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands,”. This lyric reminds me of myself as I have the habit of taking on other people’s problems or volunteer to do extra work. I have to remind myself that I can only do so much to stop myself from over stressing about things I can’t change or stuff I have to do.

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REFERENCES
A Prayer for Contentment. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/prayers/a-prayer-for-contentment.html

An Overview of Meditation: Its Origins and Traditions. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meditation-modern-life/201307/overview-meditation-its-origins-and-traditions

Annunziata, B. C. (2017). . Retrieved from http://www.lurvemag.com/art/2015/8/14/dlo26un0bq7jm1vx7p4gojtsqy3lij

Buddha Quotes. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/buddha101052.html

Buddha. (2017). Buddha Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/buddha104025.html

Reachout.com. (2017). What is spirituality?. Retrieved from http://au.reachout.com/what-is-spirituality

Spiritual Healing for You. (2017). What Is Spirituality? Retrieved from http://www.spiritual-healing-for-you.com/what-is-spirituality.html

What Is Spirituality? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/purpose/spirituality/what-spirituality