A Taste of Soul Food for Soulfoodministry.org readers
:This workshop was originally developed as a four hour spirituality workshop for a local community college in Washington State and is now offered for Soulfoodministry.org readers. Come and learn spiritual wellness and self-improvement through rest, centering and contemplative meditation techniques with journal writing. The four sessions can be used in four concentrated hours or leisurely in a personal retreat for your spiritual empowerment and inner wellness. An evaluation is provided at the end of this document and your feedback would be greatly appreciated by the author. Thank you.
A Taste of Soul Food Outline
Hour 1: Our Bodies have a vocabulary which help or hinder our spiritual wellness
Learning Goal: Create sacred space for wellness and empowerment with the bodies we have.
Learning objective: at the end of this hour, each participant will be able to demonstrate basic spirituality postures in breathing, relaxation, movement and stillness.
Break
Hour 2: Reclaiming silence, stillness, rest for spiritual journal writing
Learning goal: For each participant to experience silence as a spiritual resource.
Learning objective: by the end of this hour, each participant will be able to schedule 2 minutes or more of quiet time into their daily calendar and differentiate between a journal and a diary for their spiritual empowerment and wholeness.
Break
Hour 3: Spiritual Self Improvement with centering words and phrases
Learning goal: To learn basic meditation skills for wholeness by cultivating inner quiet in a noisy world.
Learning objectives: By the end of this hour, each participant will demonstrate use of centering words and several simple contemplative spirituality practices.
Break
Hour 4: Using intentional movement for spirituality wholeness.
Learning goal: To learn spiritual empowerment through simple body movements.
Learning objectives: Each student will be able to design their personal spiritual walking for wholeness and health through slow walks, directional movements and prayer labyrinths.
Resources: Selected Internet spirituality resources. Locating Prayer labyrinths in WA State.
Some suggested books.
First Hour notes: Our Bodies have a vocabulary which can help or hinder our Spiritual wellness
The popularly used Greek word for body is "Soma." Soma refers to the whole human being of body, emotions, intelligence and will. Soma includes all our feelings, personalities, spirit, and physical experiences of hunger, thirst, sexual desires, fatigue, pain, pleasure and joy. Tasting, feeling, seeing, hearing and feeling are part of our Soma vocabulary. If we are feeling tired, we probably are. Exhaustion and fatigue can be the "SOS signal the body gives us before total disaster." Sleep is not only a time for healing our body, but a time for healing our spirit.
Many are surprised to learn that learning to live peacefully with our imperfect bodies can help us grow in inner wellness and personal empowerment. Often our first memories and awareness involve our bodies with feelings of pleasure, shame or other feelings. We were never meant to live as disembodied people. Our bodies can help us get grounded and centered. "Our bodies are companions to be loved and heard with passion and discernment." For better or worse, through sickness and in health, through poverty or riches, as long as we live, we are embodied beings in need of sacred space with the bodies we have.
Often we are at war with our bodies. We want a different, face, eyes, nose or body shape. We feel too fat, too thin, too old, too whatever. Our bodies carry our unhealed inner hurts and affect our emotional selves. Someone has said "Our feelings are doors to our souls. They are our friends and lead us into much larger aspects of ourselves." When we are teased, rejected, criticized, stressed and exhausted, our bodies show symptoms and reflect a spiritual concern.
How we relate to our bodies profoundly influences our inner wellness, how we relate to one another, in our spirituality and how we live. If we have contempt for even one small part of our body, it is deeply damaging to the whole.
Inner Wellness and Empowerment
We can experience grounding and empowering inner wellness with simple, symbolic body movements enjoyed over the centuries by many spirituality traditions without "being religious." Vibrant spirituality is something all of us can reclaim through the ordinary. Touching a tree, taking a walk, lying in the grass, playing with clay (or a child’s Play-Doh) and dancing can help us experience grounding. Body empowerment and wellness can be experienced through care-fully planned periods of fasting or eating. Our bodies help us be more open and available to our interior center. Attention to our bodies is integral to our spiritual lives. Posture, breath, movement, gestures, clothing and diet all affect our inner being and spirit. They help us center, focus and be more authentic and open to our inner wellness needs. Even when our bodies betray us through illness, physical suffering and aging, they can help us live grace-fully, peace-fully, joy-fully.
Stationary postures such as standing, sitting, kneeling, and lying down on a carpet or in the grass help us develop spiritual awareness. Taking off our shoes, using a corner in our homes for personal meditation and journal writing can help us center. For sustained meditation, sitting is often the best. By sitting straight, not tense, with our feet flat on the ground in a comfortable chair or meditation bench help us remain alert and attentive to our spirit. It’s helpful to sit still. Movement can be distracting. "A still body invites a still, receptive mind." Learning to sit still is an ancient and trusted contemplative practice cherished by many different traditions.
Stretching postures help us relax. We stretch for exercise, so why not for inner wellness? Simple movements such as walking with slow and deliberate steps, standing, easy deep breathing exercises are easy to do in sitting, lying, standing or walking postures. By taking several minutes in our busy days, we can center and relax our spirits by lingering and being in the moment with body awareness. If we feel a tense part of our body, stop a moment and acknowledge it. Slowly tense your muscles in that area while breathing a little slower. Relax those muscles. Tense, breathe, relax several times.
Meaningful gestures such as touching, bowing, smiling, genuflection, handshaking, lighting a candle help us center and focus. Simple hand postures assist us. Try sitting with your hands and arms open, resting your hands on your upper thighs or lap while in a sitting position. These simple movements help us unite our minds and body. They help us be holy, wholly, and hole-ly (in our humanity) be present to our interior center.
We are what we breathe.
If we are nervous and anxious, angry and fearful, we may be breathing rapid, shallow breaths. If we would slow our breathing a little with awareness and a centering word or phrase, we would become more empowered with our meditative word. This can be done with non-religious words such as "yes," "thanks," "love," "peace," "shalom" and others. If we have a religious/spiritual tradition that offers sacred names for Divine Presence/Higher Power, those sacred names can also be empowering and calming to our interior center and bring us a sense of healing, wholeness and inner peace. Ghandi used different sacred names for God as he understood God through his Hindu tradition and recommended the practice highly to his followers. Anthony De Mello writes about this practice in his book, Sadhana: A Way to God. He writes this spirituality practice is one that many devout Hindus take the trouble to learn. There are a thousand names of God in Sanskrit and each name has a full meaning and reveals some aspect of the divinity. Many recite these names lovingly in time of prayer. He suggests that we take the time and trouble to invent a thousand names for our own spiritual practice. Imagine a loving and caring Presence/Higher Power. Or if that is offensive, imagine a thousand loving names for yourself and your spirit. Use your creativity from a heart "full of love."
These breath meditations can be done anywhere. We can center ourselves and become more empowered in our cars, on the bus, as we wait in doctor’s offices, ride the elevator and commute to work, do household chores and even calm ourselves while having dental work done.
Beginning Inner Wellness and Wholeness is as Simple as our Breathing
All of us can experience vibrant spiritual wellness and healing through breathing. Contemplative people from many different religious and non-religious traditions can breathe in life with every breath. All of us can breathe slowly, breathe a little more deeply, breathe in a centering word to symbolize our desire to mediate, reflect, relax, reclaim empowerment. Each spiritual tradition has cherished centering words and phrases to enhance their soma breathing experiences.
A story is told of a spirituality seeker who sought instructions from a Hindu guru in the art of prayer. The guru said, "Concentrate on your breathing." After about five minutes, the guru said "The air you breathe is God. You are breathing God in and out. Become aware of that, and stay with that awareness." People throughout the ages have discovered their spiritual empowerment enhanced with breathing awareness. Another ancient has said God is "as close to us as our breathing, nearer than our hands and feet." Breathing is the simplest way to center, focus, become quiet and still. Breathing helps us listen to our bodies. We can breathe, feel and listen to our heartbeat. By sitting silently and quietly, in stillness, quiet breath mediations can get us in touch with our hidden, buried feelings and help us become more real and authentic. Breathing can help us come into inner healing and transformation.
Breath is a symbol of life and is fundamental to our physical being. It is real and powerful. Breathing cleanses, enlivens and calms us. The most fundamental breath exercise is simply slowing our breathing. Slowing our breath is one way to be more open to our spirits. We can become very still inside ourselves through intentional breathing.
This is very easy to do. Simply rest for a moment. Listen to your breathing. Notice the rise and fall of your chest. Perhaps you are nervous and breathing rapidly. Simply breathe normally for several minutes and accept your breathing for what it is. Now consciously alter your breathing for several breaths. Breathe a normal breath. Then slowly exhale, emptying your breath a bit more than usual. Feel the tension for a moment. Then slowly fill your lungs with air. Breathe in more than usual and feel the tension. Slowly exhale and then inhale again.
A 30 second to 2 minute breath exercise.
Listen to your body. Breathe. Sit. Feel. Listen. Relax. If you do this every day, you will experience amazing inner wellness and self improvement. Consider a small smile while breathing. Thich Nhat Hanh is a remarkable Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was recommended by the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Price years ago. He refused to take sides during the Vietnam war and worked to bring peace by teaching people how to "be peace" to all they encountered. He suggests we look at our neighbors and smile gently at one another. Smile your peace at friends and strangers while breathing gently in a relaxed manner. You’ll be tremendously empowered.
A Simple Body Meditation
There are many body and breathing meditations available to us. Martial arts, body massage movements, liturgical and non-liturgical forms of dance help us experience empowering forms of embodiment. This simple body movement can be used universally. I learned these simple movements through the Shalem institute. As you move and breathe, feel free to adapt it however you are led. It can be very helpful for centering in crisis, stress and times of inner chaos and confusion.
The body movements are simple. Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. Either stand or sit in a comfortable position. Relax and prepare yourself with simply breathing in the word "love" and breathing out "peace." Then when you are ready, gently place your hands together in a universal prayer position. Raise your arms up to the sky with all your spoken and unspoken questions and feelings. Slowly open your arms to the answers you will receive in your interior center and linger as long as you are comfortable. When you wish to move on, quietly and tenderly hug yourself in a spirit of gentleness and kindness. Quietly open your hands to be move available and attentive to your spirit. Repeat these simple body movements for wordless meditation several times. Rest. Be. Wait. Enjoy your quiet interior.
Practical applications
A Body Blessing
We represent many different spiritual traditions, yet all of us have bodies and need affirmation of them. If this hour has been helpful and enjoyable, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue may be empowering for future reflections and meditations. He offers a body blessing which I feel sums up this past hour. He writes "May your body be blessed. May you realize that your body is a faithful and beautiful friend of your soul. And may you be peaceful and joyful and recognize that your senses are sacred thresholds. May you realize holiness is mindful, gazing, feeling, hearing and touching. May your senses gather you and bring you home. May your sense always enable you to celebrate the universe and the mystery and possibilities in your presence here. May the Eros of the Earth bless you."
Hour two: Reclaiming Silence, Stillness, Solitude, Community and Rest for Spiritual Journaling
Sound and silence can help guide us into stillness and rest. Sound shapes and guides life. Symbolic sounds in religious history through drums, bells, and musical instruments have helped us meditate. Beethoven is credited with saying "music is a fuller way to God than words." Anita Robertson has said "the key to maintaining the rhythm of life is resting at the right time." The vibrations of life through sound and silence can actually help us rest and develop inner empowerment for meditation and spiritual journal writing.
We experience the power of vibrations in nature through wind, rain and the sounds of birds and animals. Many spiritual communities in both the Eastern and Western worlds use chant for meaningful and powerful experiences. Simple resonant words are especially effective in guiding us from sound into silence have "ah" and "om" sounds. Words such as shalom, om a hum, Abba, Amma, Yeshua, Adoni, holy, amen, alleluia are simple words easy to use in chant and centering meditation. There is great spiritual power experienced in centering with different names for the sacred. Ghandi was famous for using this spirituality technique and recommended it highly to his followers as he worked for justice with nonviolence principles.
The great mystery of silence can draw us deeper into reality, stillness, openness, gentleness and awareness of our inner spirit. Many of us are actually afraid of silence, so we become very noisy inside to compensate. Modern faxes, beepers, boom boxes, cellular phones and other electronic interruptions distract us from developing our still interior. Sometimes we need to intentionally leave those distractions behind us to be more available for interrupted times of silence. This requires some inner discipline and boundary setting for ourselves.
Recently I facilitated a spiritual retreat. Participants were encouraged to leave their cellular phones and electronic pagers in their cars to most fully experience the quiet times. I was astonished to see how many raced to their cars during a period of free time to see if anyone had called. Upon questioning them, none of them expected urgent or critical business. These were routine calls from friends and family members. Several of the retreat participants began to realize they had become addicted to electronic interruptions. By being so available to everyone and anyone, they were losing precious time for reflection, rest and meditation. They had traveled a great distance at some expense to get interrupted by a casual caller. Those who were able to refrain from the temptation to carry their electronic equipment during their prayer walk experienced a deeper sense of inner stillness, peacefulness and joy. They had greater focus and undisturbed inner awareness.
Much in the contemplative traditions encourages us to trust silence. Psalm 46:10 tells us to "be still" as a form of spiritual meditation. Tilden Edwards has said "being still is the purest form of listening" for the sacred in the silence.
Anthony de Mello writes about the riches of silence in his book, Sadhana. "Silence is the great revelation" said Lao-tse. Attaining silence is not easy. We must have a comfortable posture. De Mello suggests a full ten minutes of pure silence is needed to experience profound insight. Many people discover to their amazement that they are not accustomed to inner silence. No matter what we do, it is hard to still the wanderings of our mind or quiet emotional turmoil inside. Others panic. Silence can be frightening. He suggests we not be discouraged or frightened. Even our wandering thoughts are a revelation. If ten minutes was too difficult, start with two minutes and build with that foundation.
Two minutes daily of silence can help us build and grow into increased self awareness. Silence reveals our very self to us. Money cannot buy what the silence will reveal. Wisdom, serenity, joy and perhaps even a sense of the Sacred.
Silence takes intentional effort and work
Silence takes work. He suggests we close our eyes. Seek another five minutes. Don’t expect anything sensational. Don’t seek at all. Simply observe and take in everything that comes to your awareness, no matter how trite and ordinary. The important thing is to be aware. As we become accustomed to silence, the quality of our silence will improve and our silence will deepen. Revelation is a mysterious power that can transform us.
Centering Candle for Sacred Space
Many people center with the soft light of a candle. Lighting a candle is the simplest way to begin developing a sense of sacred space. Light is a universal symbol for inner light. The light is generous and available to all of us. Whether we are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or Jewish, Wiccan or other, all of us can experience spiritual awareness and centering in the light. Spiritual light is generous in all traditions. Sit in the light together. We truly represent diversity in our understanding of spirituality. Light is a gift which helps us connect with our Higher Power. However we perceive spiritual light, gathering around a candle is something we can all do without compromise or fear. Many find candle light helpful as they journal personal thoughts, feelings and reflections. Lighting a candle is a sacred ritual cherished by many. Sacred space in the soft glow enhances meditative time.
"Spiritual Geography"
Kathleen Norris writes about a sense of "spiritual geography" in her book Dakota. These are places where our souls/spirits feel at home. There is a sense of belonging where we can be real and authentic. Our spirits feel big and at one with our surroundings. Some may call it "sanctuary." Whatever we do call it, we need safe places to be for our sense of wellness and to enjoy some unhurried time for personal reflection. One of my daily calendars put it very well from an anonymous writer. "We need to have littler corners of beauty in our house and in our office…little places of tranquillity and graciousness where, when the eye touches upon them, the being experiences peace. Having a corner in your home for personal reflections and quiet time helps us find centering in life’s busyness. A comfortable chair, a prayer bench or prayer rug, a rock, a vase with a flower, all enhance our spirituality and wholeness. There is a saying that "spirituality is participation." We can participate in our spirituality awareness and inner wholeness by intentionally seeking, making and finding quiet places to breath, rest, relax, retreat and revitalize.
Jose Ortega y Gassett has said "Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are." The word geography derives from Greek words for earth and writing. Through silence, sound and stillness we can develop our inner spiritual geography that fills our souls with reverence for life and it’s possibilities. We begin to see the little things that cannot be seen as we drive 70 miles per hour. Thomas Merton has said "It is in deep solitude and silence that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brother and sister." It was also his life experience that while in solitude, he rediscovered his need and desire to contribute something in a community. Solitude without welcoming and affirming community leads to a lack of wholeness in our lives. Few of us are called to become desert recluses or isolated from the world.
Solitude and Stillness
There is a difference between solitude and loneliness. Loneliness is inner emptiness. "Solitude is inner fulfillment," suggests Richard Foster. He proposes "solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place" in his book, Celebration of Discipline. Solitude can be maintained in crowds or lack of them. It is an inner attentiveness. Foster calls this our "portable sanctuary of the heart." Many spiritual leaders in world history have had outward manifestations of this inward solitude. Jesus Christ is one. He spent days fasting and praying in the desert. Sometimes he went to the mountains and other lonely places for meditation and spiritual empowerment. He spent time with people and found quiet places for personal renewal and retreat.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer suggests we need both solitude and community for spiritual success. Both are essential. Foster adds "without silence there is no solitude." Even without speech, silence involves listening. There is an inseparable connection between inner silence and inner solitude. Thomas Merton, Thomas A Kempis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer among many other masters of the interior life write of this profound truth.
The purpose of silence and solitude is to be able to see and hear. They are powerful disciplines and help us know when to speak and when to refrain from words. There "is a time to keep silence and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).
Journal Writing Empowers Personal Wellness and Stillness
The story is told of a young girl who broke her leg. She is facing a summer in bed. Her Grandma gives her a journal and tells her this: "It’s a journal…a special place for you to put down all the special things you think or see or dream, anytime you want. When you are in a rotten mood and your brain is full of cobwebs, or when life is so marvelous you feel like you’re soaring in a balloon, you can put it all down…you can go through your own looking-glass…all kinds of things happen during the day, but sometimes you don’t notice them because you aren’t paying attention. Writing in your journal helps you see things you never thought about before…soon each day seems full of small marvels you must write down" (Journaling, A Spirit Journey, by Anne Broyles, p. 11).
Since the beginning of time, men and women have journaled to keep a record of their lives. Initially they began by scratching drawings into cave walls. As civilization developed, people have written down thoughts and experiences, their personal and community history. As we journal, we discover things about ourselves. They can help us reach life-goals, examine our feelings and see growth or lack of it. Many find journal writing rewarding.
There is a major difference between journal writing and keeping a diary. A diary keeps record of daily events in our life. A journal may begin there, but looks much deeper into how we are affected by those events. Journal writing helps us sort through feelings about daily life, our relationships and the events in the world around us. Journals help us "talk with ourselves." In ink or pencil, we see what our minds think and hearts are feeling.
Anne Broyles suggests journal writing is greatly helped with the following questions: "Who am I? What am I doing and why? How do I feel about my life, my world? In what ways am I changing or growing?"
Many find this kind of writing a spiritual discipline. Sacred writings from different religious traditions can be a powerful starting place. Others write in response to personal meditation walks or after a time of silence. We can jot down daily events and reflect more deeply. Oprah Winfrey has a moment on her television show called "Renewing Our Spirits." Many have found keeping a gratitude journal a profound life changing and empowering discipline. It can be as simple as listing several things at the end of day that we are grateful for. These can be as simple as breathing, seeing, hearing, tasting, a kind touch, a gentle breeze, a moment of rest.
Spiritual journaling is as varied as there are people. In recording the most mundane events in our lives, we may be deeply touched in our spirits. Sacred literature is another powerful tool. Some use guided meditations with their imaginations. Many have journaled their dreams to find added meaning during our waking hours. Daily reading of newspapers, magazines, books might catch out attention and our spirit. Conversations among friends, strangers, business colleagues and family may spark a journal entry. Suddenly ordinary conversations may not seem so ordinary.
Sitting with our Inner Feelings and Journal Writing About Them
Silence, stillness and rest with journal writing may often bring up forgotten feelings, memories and unresolved issues. Rather than be frightened, use these for reclaiming and working for your inner wellness. Sometimes deep feelings and emotions may rise to the surface and surprise us with their intensity. When we are in distress, sickness, adversity, betrayal, abandonment, brokenness, guilt, slander, false accusation, persecution and oppression, we have feelings with affect our inner wholeness and wellness. Life is full of emotional and physical suffering. Many prayer books in different traditions are wet with tears as people struggle with mistakes, disappointments, heartaches and feelings of revenge, justice and complaints.
We may find ourselves remembering the death of a loved one with renewed anniversary grief, the loss of a cherished job, a broken relationship, some inner pressing needs for wellness with substance abuse issues, or find new inner resolutions to stop self destructive behaviors and relationships.
Tears are part of life, as well as feelings too deep for words. Sacred literature from different traditions can be empowering to journal with. In the Judeo-Christian tradition for example, we find sacred writings full of crying. A few examples are Job 16:20, Jeremiah 9:1, Isaiah 16:9 and certainly strong voices of lament in Psalms 13, 22, 35, 88 and 130. Even Jesus wept with loud cries and tears in Hebrews 5:7 and Matthew 23:37. One of the greatest insights is "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).
We all need to cry out in times of our lives with complaints and calls for help when we feel helpless and hurting. There are times in life when we feel desperate. These feelings may be hard to understand, but understanding progresses with journal writing, talking with trusted counselors and therapists, friends and family members.
To experience inner healing, wholeness and rest, we need to acknowledge our deep feelings and give them words and self examination. We need to honestly describe our physical and emotional suffering to reach inner joy and peace. Journal writing in the stillness and silence, allowing several minutes or longer to rest from your feelings, can lead to inner empowerment and self-improvement in many of life’s most difficult circumstances. By giving words to what we feel, we begin to identify problems and joys more clearly and find answers within ourselves with what we need to do/be for wellness.
Practical Applications for these profoundly simply practices in daily life
Hour 3: Spiritual Self Improvement with Centering Words and Phrases
This hour is a practical hour of using what we have experienced and learned thus far. During this hour we will learn basic meditation skills for wholeness by cultivating inner quiet in a noisy world. By the end of this hour, each of us will be able to use centering words or a phrase or specific sound to guide ourselves into inner quiet and stillness. Chant offers us a way to expand our awareness within us. We absorb the vibrations and the selected word or phrase leads us. They can help us sit quietly, relaxing our breathing, letting go of our thoughts. They are simple to do.
Group exercises will use sound to guide us into silence. Each sound will be repeated for several minutes, followed by two to five minutes of guided quiet time for breathing, stillness, silence and inner reflection and rest. Time will be allowed for journal writing, followed with group discussion of the experiences and an opportunity to ask questions before we break.
We’ve already discussed how sound vibrations can help lead us into inner quiet. Even silence involves listening. By using prayer bowls, tuning forks, wind chimes and even different kinds of music, these vibrations can assist us into times of inner rest.
Centering Phrases for this hour
We don’t have to use religious words to help us center and focus although they can be powerful when we chose to use them. Several chants from the Shalem institute for Spiritual Formation tape Sound Faith (available through www.shalem.org) use entire phrases such as "Om A Hum; Holy, Allelu Allelu Alleluia, Holy - Holy. Breath phrases can include words such as "Changeless and calm deep mystery ever more deeply rooted in thee." "Love will be done." "I thank you God for the wonder of my being." "Bright light within us shine clear and free."
Centering phrases can come from many different spirituality traditions. The following selected phrases represent only a few of them. We can be greatly empowered through using inner wisdom from traditions different from our own.
Jewish phrases and words for centering: "Let not my thoughts trouble me…but let my rest be perfect." "Compassion." "Mercy." "Strength." "Peace." (Hebrew word) "Shalom."
An Indian prayer: "May the Wind breathe healing upon us, prolong our life-span, and fill our hearts with comfort." Indian words for the divine: "generous," "Abundance," "Friend," Bounteous One." "Shanti (Peace)-Shanti-Shanti!"
Buddhist spirituality: "Blessed One," "the perfectly enlightened. " Centering words from the Ten Perfection’s: generosity, virtue, doing without, wisdom, energy, forbearance, truthfulness, resolution, love, serenity.
A Buddhist litany for peace:
"As we sit together, praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence.
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence.
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves. Let us maintain a half-smile on our faces.
Silence.
Let us be aware of the source of being common to us all and to all living things.
Silence.
Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion-towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.
Silence.
Let us plead with ourselves to live in a way which will not deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live.
Silence.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on the earth. Amen." (from the Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn in 1976)
Practical Application Questions following centering words, sounds and phrases for self-improvement
Hour 4: Using Intentional Movement/Stillness for Spirituality Wholeness
We have much to learn from other traditions as we reclaim wholeness and self-improvement. Native American spirituality is one such example that is frequently overlooked by other cultures and offers us rich insight and strengthening. Native American sacred readings will differ from predominant North American traditional Bible readings for example. We all bring our cultural heritage with us to pages of sacred writings. People of many different faith backgrounds can teach each other as we come to different conclusions. Truly, "respect is a holy word" for spiritual diversity! The following reflection is based on an ecumenical commentary titled the New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 1, Abington Press: 1994 (pages 174-180).
Each Native American tribal community in North American had a relationship with God as Creator that was healthy and responsible long before they ever heard of Christianity. Much foreign history and religious narrative has been imposed on them. Their spiritual heritage and relationship with God as Creator is seen in stories, prayers and through their ceremonies.
Native American culture traditionally knows nothing of class distinctions that are historically relevant in Europe and North America (such as a peasant class or slavery). Their spirituality also reflects being dispossessed and oppressed by invading foreigners who craved their lands and wealth.
We bring as North Americans a sociopolitical contextual reading with us that affects how we interact with their spiritual awareness. We are affected by wealth, privilege, race and ethnicity, secularism and North American spirituality.
Native American Liturgical Basic Posture for Breathing Peace
A basic Native American liturgical posture from many tribes can help us in our intentional movement that can have a profound psychological impact on our group. By sitting in a circle and meditating, we intentionally move into a symbol for self-understanding that represents the whole of the universe and our part in it. All of us are co-equal participants in the circle, standing neither above nor below anything else in Creation. There is little to no sense of hierarchy in this cultural context. The circle has no beginning or end. It is important to realize even the forming of a group circle is a powerful method of meditation for wholeness. The meditation is for harmony and balance of creation. In some Native American ceremonies no words need to be spoken. The circle itself is meditation enough without words.
We have discussed centering words from different traditions. The Lakota and Dakota peoples have a phrase used in all their spiritual mediations that functions as an "amen" in European and American Christianity. The phrase is "Mitakuye Oyasin." It is used to end every meditation and often in itself can be a whole prayer, being the only spoken phrase. The usual translation is "for all my relations." One is offering spiritual meditation for close kin, fellow tribal members and even all Indian people. The phrase includes all human beings, the four-leggeds, the wingeds, and all the living, moving ones including trees, rocks and mountains.
The circle symbolizes interrelatedness and interdependence, reciprocity and respect for one another in ideal harmony. Life is embraced in all its forms and is especially concerned with the way we all live together. It has to do with justice and fairness in the community, and ultimately with peace. Thus, it is very difficult to pursue acts of exploitation, power imbalances or oppression of others. Competition between human communities is replaced by cooperation or at least mutual respect.
The Plains Indian culture often places two lines to form a balanced cross in their circle. This symbolizes not only the four directions, but their cultural ethics. This symbolizes the choice each person must make between the Good Road and the Road of Difficulties, the road of community wholeness versus the road of individual achievement.
All this information is simply to help us understand the importance of group spiritual movement and breathing exercises in context. We can sit in the circle and breathe our peace at each other. We can sit quietly, without stress or competition and sit peacefully in silence, stillness and rest. We can also experience community and inner wholeness through the simple symbolic movement of breathing together which can deeply enhance our journal writing and reflections. This can also be enjoyed in solitude.
Four Directional Group Movement: A North, East, South and North Exercise
This prayer is credited to Diana Neu, Co-director of WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual). It is published in Earth Prayers from around the World, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, by Harper San Francisco publishing house in 1991. Stand if you are able in each direction, as I read the four directional meditation. Turn as a group during the quiet pauses. This can be used at home in our families to resolve conflict and begin healing conversations in any cultural context. This kind of simple directional movement can also help us individually as we search and reflect for needed answers in life circumstances as we make decisions and try to make sense out of our lives. We can write our own liturgies, but this one represents a powerful Native American spiritual awareness and appreciation for life. Enjoy your meditation and movement.
(Face North. Center with a moment of silence and breathe quietly)
"Oh Great Spirit of the North
we come to you and ask for the strength and the power
to bear what is cold and harsh in life.
We come like the buffalo
ready to receive the winds that truly can be overwhelming at times.
Whatever is cold and uncertain in our life,
we ask you to give us the strength to bear it.
Do not let the winter blow us away.
Oh Spirit of Life and Spirit of the North,
we ask you for strength and for warmth."
(Silence. Slowly turn East)
"Oh Great Spirit of the East,
we turn to you where the sun comes up,
from where the power of light and refreshment come.
Everything that is born comes up in this direction-
the birth of babies, the birth of puppies,
the birth of ideas and the birth of friendship.
Let there be light.
Oh Spirit of the East,
let the color of fresh rising in our life
be glory to you."
(Silence. Slowly turn South)
"Oh Great Spirit of the South,
spirit of all that is warm and gentle and refreshing,
we ask you to give us this spirit
of growth, of fertility, of gentleness.
Caress us with a cool breeze when the days are hot.
Give us seeds that the flowers, trees and fruits of the earth may grow.
Give us the warmth of good friendships.
Oh Spirit of the South,
send the warmth and growth of your blessings."
(Silence, Slowly turn West.)
"Oh Great Spirit of the West,
where the sun goes down each day to come up the next,
we turn to you in praise of sunsets
and in thanksgiving for changes.
You are the great colored sunset of the red west
which illuminates us.
You are the powerful cycle which pulls us to transformation.
We ask for the blessings of the sunset.
Keep us open to life’s changes.
Oh Spirit of the West,
when it is time for us to go into the earth,
do not desert us, but receive us in the arms of our loved ones."
(Silence. Journal writing for several minutes in stillness.)
Spirituality of our Senses While We Sit, Stand and Walk
We have discussed earlier a spirituality of our senses. We see, touch, feel, hear and taste with our bodies. The following are prayer/meditations useful in opening our awareness to this often overlooked aspect of our spirituality and again come from Earth Prayers from Around the World.
"The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks tome. The strength of fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars" (Chief Dan George).
"Remember, remember the circle of the sky, the stars and the brown eagle, the supernatural winds, breathing night and day from the four directions. Remember, remember the great life of the sun, breathing on the earth, it lies upon the earth to bring out lift upon the earth, life covering the earth. Remember, remember the sacredness of things, running streams and dwellings, the young within the nest, a hearth for sacred fire, the holy flame of fire" (Pawnee/Osage/Omaha Indian song).
"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself" (Tecumseh).
"We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water. We return thanks to all the herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squashes, which give us life. We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air has banished diseases. We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children" (Iroquois prayer, adapted).
Our final Native American prayer is Pawnee and reads: "Earth, our mother, breathe forth life, all night sleeping, now awaking. In the east, now see the dawn. Earth our mother, breathe and waken, leaves are stirring, all things moving, new day coming, life renewing. Eagle soaring, see the morning. See the new mysterious morning, something marvelous and sacred though it happens every day. Dawn, the child of God and Darkness."
Learning Slow Walking from Thich Nhat Hahn
This Nobel Price nominee offers instruction in this most basic meditation practice-walking for the enjoyment of each step, each breath, the sky, sights and fragrances along the way. In these walking mediations, he proposes, we can regain our own peace and serenity during life’s difficult moments.
Anyone can meditation while walking. And if we are physically impaired and unable to walk, we can watch another walk and let their movements represent ours. Walk slowly, relaxed, with a "light smile" on our lips. Thich Nhat Hahn (TNH) suggests we will then step through life as the most secure people on earth. Our sorrows and anxieties will lessen. Peace and joy can fill our hearts. It only takes "a little time, a little mindfulness, and the wish to be happy."
Many of us are often lost in the past or preoccupied by the future. TNH encourages us to be mindful and deeply in touch with the present moment. This, he teaches, will help deepen our understanding of what is happening and we will begin experiencing some acceptance, joy, peace and love.
Everything depends on our steps. TNH writes "What is most important is to find peace and share it with others. To have peace, you can begin by walking peacefully." Walk mindfully, he urges us, to walk "in the direction of life, enjoying peace in each moment…and enjoy each step." We can just enjoy walking with no particular destination. With our feet, touch the ground of the present moment deeply and touch real peace and joy. Stop. Feel the earth with our feet. Breathe deeply. "Smile like a Buddha." It will help us let go of our worries and anxieties. A Buddha has a half-smile. When we smile as we practice walking mediation, it will refresh our whole being. TNH also says walk with grace and dignity, like a lion. Each step is life. Touch the earth deeply with our peace. Massage the earth with our feet and plant "seeds of joy and happiness with each step."
Yet another Breathing exercise from TNH
If previous words, centering phrases and sounds have not resonated with your spirit, try this one from TNH. Mindfulness of breathing helps us center. He writes "Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out." He urges us to count our conscious breathing through our steps. Then follow the needs of our lungs and observe our breathing and walking. Always remember to practice smiling. Fresh air, improved circulation will all help our sense of wellness.
In France, he teaches children a simple verse to practice while they walk, run and play. The words are "Oui, oui, oui," as they breathe in, and "Merci, merci, merci" as they breathe out. "Yes, yes, yes. Thanks, thanks, thanks." This he believes, will help them respond to life, society and the Earth in a positive way. It helps us remember how wonderful life is.
If these have been enjoyable exercises for you, Thich Nhat Hanh is a prolific writer and publishes both books and tapes on mindful awareness and social responsibility. His materials are found through Parallax Press publishers (P.O. Box 7355, Berkeley, California, 94707. www.parallax.org, E-mail: parapress@aol.com).
Finding and Preparing for a Prayer Labyrinth Walk
An ancient form of body movement used for centering mediations and prayers has been used for more than six thousand years in almost every culture and religious tradition. This is the prayer labyrinth. These differ from mazes, for a labyrinth has only one path to the center based on sacred geometry and it is impossibly to lose one’s way in or out of the path. Prayer labyrinths are experiencing a resurgence in popularity around the world and can be located through the internet. The URL is provided in the resource portion of our workshop. Four registered labyrinths are available in WA State. A nearby unregistered privately owned prayer labyrinth-wild flower garden is also available for our meditation. (There is no bathroom facility available at the wild-flower garden however, so be prepared for that! Directions are included in listed resources.)
Prayer labyrinths are sacred paths anyone can use to experience spiritual expression and insight. It is a model of spiritual wholeness and order. It embraces body, mind and spirit as one. They engage the heart with no decisions about directions needing to be made. Mazes, on the other hand, stimulate the need to think and problem-solve. A labyrinth helps us hear the voice of our hearts. The sacred geometry helps slow and quiet our minds. It is a quiet form of body prayer with and without words. People walk them for special events, decision making, grief resolution, conflict resolution, prayer, meditation and many other reasons.
Many walk the labyrinth with the meditation to shed, receive and take what we receive back into the world. This is a universal pattern among many faith traditions. Many will come to the labyrinth with a question or problem to be solved, a question to the Sacred, and perhaps a special need for resolution. As one walks the sacred path, everyday thoughts begin to fade and the deeper mind becomes very focused. Deep inner thoughts are able to emerge and often we find answers within ourselves.
In the center of the labyrinth is an area where we may linger as long as we need to be there. The only instruction is to keep an open mind and open heart to receive what is there for you to receive. Take all the time you need. When you are ready to leave the center, simply follow the same path out of the labyrinth.
As one walks out of the labyrinth, often we realize if there is an action to be taken, we are the ones to initiate it. We can gain inner strength with each step as we return to our lives.
Sometimes we will meet other people in the labyrinth and it is like walking on a two-way street. Be silent, polite, courteous. Do what is natural. Perhaps you will be moved to step aside and let the fellow pilgrim pass you. Or they may step aside first. Perhaps eye contact, a nod, a whisper, a blessing may be breathed. Let your pace be what is comfortable. Honor your body and spirit. Journal write. Consider talking with someone about your experience. "Do what you need to do to bring your experience to completion." As you exit the labyrinth, listen to your heart. If you feel called to re-walk the path right away, do so.
Practical Application: Where do I go from here?
Some Helpful Books for your personal reading if this touched your spirit:
Other Resources:
Selected Web sites of interest:
* * * *
A Taste of Soul Food Evaluation:
Your comments are important to us. Please email your responses to us at surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com. Let us know how this material helped your spiritual journey!1. What has been most helpful to you in terms of:
2. What would you have liked to be different?
3. Would you recommend this workshop to friends? Why or why not?
* * * *
The author of this material is "Surprised by Joy" (surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com). "Surprised by Joy" is an ordained UFMCC Christian minister who discovered that God is wonder-full to be with. It is our hope and prayer at soulfoodministry.org that all visitors will experience the tenderloving-kindness of God and receive spiritual food for their journey.
