It’s now been forty minutes in an altered brain rhythm, slipping from below ordinary consciousness, even below psychic, all the way down to spiritual healing. It is a state where the ego does not completely rule words, thoughts, and actions. The shadow has quieted enough to allow the True Self to speak and be present. The answers are usually simple: a word, a phrase, or maybe even just a syllable. In this case, very simple: “Yes”. This is my life as a Reiki Practitioner.
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Tibetan Buddhist Anyen Rinpoche to Visit Rhode Island at the Westminster Unitarian Church in East Greenwich, Rhode Island
, will host the Tibetan Buddhist Tulku, Anyen Rinpoche, on Friday, April 4th, and Saturday, April 5th....
Last week, I participated in a solo, two-day meditation retreat at
Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, just north of Newport. I was grateful for the opportunity to pray, meditate, sit, and chant with the monks at Portsmouth Abbey.
Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - The Chapel
Suppose you have never visited a Benedictine Monastery before. In that case, they wake early in the morning, typically around 5:00 a.m., beginning the day with the first of seven "Offices", or times of communal prayer through chanting. As a guest, you are welcome to join them for as much or as little of their daily routine as you feel moved. I did not choose to take part in the early morning prayer time. Instead, I stayed in my room for silent prayer and meditation. I went there for silence and meditation....
I was reflecting the other morning on how we tend to think of life as a series of important events that mold and shape our world. As I sat with this thought for a while, it occurred to me that events are rarely events. They tend to be a process that has culminated with a defining experience; the “event” was just a larger experience in a longer, more defined process.
What Is An Important Event?
Let’s begin this exploration by looking at major life events like weddings, births, deaths, divorces, graduations, retirements, and birthdays. We can then see if we can discover where the process began and if it really was an actual event....
I found this
article so entertaining and well-written: Can Success and Sex Sell Mindfulness? I hope you find it as riveting as I did. She has raised some excellent questions for further reflection.
The first thing that bothered me in the article was that I actually knew what the expression "side-boob" meant. I wish I didn't but I do, enough exposure to pop culture through Facebook and online research has me more mainstream slang-friendly than I would like. The other part that caught my attention was the author's surprise that mindfulness is being promoted through "success." I thought that was something common in the last decade or so. I sense that it is probably the most common vehicle for motivating and exposing mainstream people to mindfulness....
I remember when I used to have to look around for my keys, wallet, and shoes when leaving the house daily. I used to take in the mail daily, put it on a table, move it to the kitchen counter the next day, move it to my desk, and then eventually open it. Then, finally, weeks later, I would pay the bill or reply to the inquiry. The mail was often touched five or six times before an action occurred to complete the process. Calendars were like a bible to me since I never remembered what I was doing when, with whom, or at what time. There were countless return phone calls and messages cluttering my mind day and night. Clothes were rarely where they belonged; in fact, they were typically anywhere but where they belonged. There were times it was hard to tell the clean from the dirty piles; there was so much. Clutter of mind, home, and life were constant obstacles to being present and focused in my day. I am grateful these things are rarities in my life today!...