Playlist

Last night's music: Deva Premal. incantation K.D Lang. Hallelujah Jan Garbarek. Officium

Movies

I recommend the movie The Way with Martin Sheen. This is the story of a grieving father walking a famous pilgrimage in Spain. On a lighter, more silly note, I enjoyed tge trip, about two English actors taking a foodie trip through tge glorious countryside of northern England. One of the greatest spiritual movies ever is The Matrix. I have seen it at least four times. In order to begin to understand this movie you have to watch it more than once. It helps to know the plot. It appears to be a sci movie, but it is really about the nature of the human mind and condition.

practice circle

Summer is a time to loose contact with our practice, especially on vacation. Do not loose heart. We all fall off the path, but sooner or later we get back on. Ever wonder what it is that takes us back to practice. Hope to see you at our weekly meditations on Monday evenings.

summer reading

I have just finished reading The Dark Night of the Soul: A psychiatrist explores the connection between darkness and spiritual growth.

I highly recommend this book. Don't let the Christian emphasis put you off. He is addressing an inevitable part of the spiritual journey. In my case this was a very long period of years with short, far too short, periods of grace and illumination. This darkness opened into an abiding grace a number of years ago. Oh sure I still deal with issues but it is all with so much ease, and the opening is only a breath away or a moment of self remembering. And the journey is not over, maybe it is never over, but I have been met by presence, by God. It would have helped me enormously to read this book. It would have given me hope when I had lost it, or so it seemed. He uses the poetry of St John of the Cross and St Teresa  of Avila. Easy read, contemporary. And he makes a clear distinction between depression and the dark night, and how they can overlap. I would also a distinction between clinical anxiety ( nervous system), and ego fear of losing control of the familiar.

Let me know what you think.

May Monday Night Meditation

Dear friends, it was lovely to see so many of you tonight. We sat for about 30 mins. I am curious to know how it was for you. Questions are welcome. As I said I will be away next week so we are canceling  the meditation on Monday May14th. We will resume the following week. There will be no meditation on Memorial Day. Warmly, Alison

May Practice Circle

Any reflections, questions?

Spirit Singing

Dear Friends, we held our third evening of spirit singing with Kath and Lori. Our circle is getting larger and the group is finding its voice!

I am so surprised how my voice now wants "to go places and sing into places" and my "job" is to simply allow, sense and listen and let go. Letting spirit sing is a kind of surrender.  In our first session my throat tightened and the superego jumped in everywhere. Phew it was tough, challenging and vulnerable. But after the three times I am sensing a trust and confidence that it is OK to let go and see what happens.

Sometimes it felt like a kind of group prayer as we moved from chanting into the silence and back into chanting.

I am curious how this was for you.