The theme for the week remains Kabbalah and Healing with a focus on where have you been wounded at either the Soul or Spirit level.
Tonight we looked at the different levels of wounding (and therefore different levels of healing); physically, psychological and spiritual. Naturally, it was agreed that the different levels of woundings don't really occur in an isolated way so that only the physical is wounded, only the psyche or only the spirit. Woundings at any one level will have their impact on other levels.
We also started talking about "contracts", when two people "agree" to help eachother with a similar task, in which both will benefit, or where one agrees to help the other succeed in a life task. This came up out of a discussion around the wounding that results from broken contracts.
Keep in mind the theme and reflect on how you have been wounded at the Soul or Spirit levels.
AND, remember to remember each other daily at 12noon.
Blessings!!!
January 21, 2010
January 14, 2010
Theme for January 21, 2010
The theme continues to be Kabbalah and Healing with an emphasis on giving ourselves unconditional self-acceptance.
Tonight we started with the idea that giving ourselves unconditional acceptance promotes the mirroring of that acceptance by others. Which reminded us that when we practice self-acceptance we raise our own level of consciousness and by a naturally occuring phenomenon we raise the consciousness of those around us.
We were also reminded that unconditional means just that, there are no conditions, we can do nothing to earn or deserve it. And by the same token, unconditional self-acceptance does not anticipate any particular outcome. The state of being in self-acceptance is not earned and does not result in any outcome. It is simply a state of being. This also reminded us that is it a central pillar experience. It is not active, it is not passive, it simply is.
When the conversation moved toward being in a state of acceptance of others, we defined that phenomenon as being in a place of neutrality. If we are dealing with a person who is coming from a side pillar, for instance, being either overly expansive or overly contractive, it is better to be neutral, or central pillar than to come from the other extreme. Neutrality offers no judgement, blame or shame. It is acknowleging without necessarily being encouraging. It doesn't assume the other person is doing something to us, because of us, or in inspite of us. It simply accepts. And in accepting, may often diffuse what might have been a difficult situation.
Remember to remember each other at 12noon every day.
Blessing on your journey!!
Tonight we started with the idea that giving ourselves unconditional acceptance promotes the mirroring of that acceptance by others. Which reminded us that when we practice self-acceptance we raise our own level of consciousness and by a naturally occuring phenomenon we raise the consciousness of those around us.
We were also reminded that unconditional means just that, there are no conditions, we can do nothing to earn or deserve it. And by the same token, unconditional self-acceptance does not anticipate any particular outcome. The state of being in self-acceptance is not earned and does not result in any outcome. It is simply a state of being. This also reminded us that is it a central pillar experience. It is not active, it is not passive, it simply is.
When the conversation moved toward being in a state of acceptance of others, we defined that phenomenon as being in a place of neutrality. If we are dealing with a person who is coming from a side pillar, for instance, being either overly expansive or overly contractive, it is better to be neutral, or central pillar than to come from the other extreme. Neutrality offers no judgement, blame or shame. It is acknowleging without necessarily being encouraging. It doesn't assume the other person is doing something to us, because of us, or in inspite of us. It simply accepts. And in accepting, may often diffuse what might have been a difficult situation.
Remember to remember each other at 12noon every day.
Blessing on your journey!!
December 03, 2009
Theme for January 7, 2010
The theme continues to be Kabbalah and Healing with a focus on being in a state of unconditional self-acceptance.
Tonight we were led through guided meditation in which we were encouraged to return to scenes from pre-adolescence, high school, early adulthood and the present in which we had done something worthy of praise and reward, in which nothing special was happening and then in which we had done something that warranted and received some form of punishment or reprimand. In all scenes we were invited to envision receiving unconditional acceptance; in the younger scenarios from people in places of authority; parents or teachers, in the older scenes from ourselves.
The exercise was to find the unconditional quality of the acceptance, whether from another or from ourselves. Whether we had done something that would "earn" acceptance, nothing at all, or something that would normally result in punishment, we tried to imagine receiving the same unconditional acceptance. Some had trouble even imagining the unconditional acceptance coming from parents. Another realized that she has carried with her the conditional quality of her parents' acceptance of her in the inner voice that finds how she might do almost everything a little better.
We were reminded that unconditional acceptance is simply of state of being, that is constant, but does not imply a state of inertia or inactivity, as if there's no need to do any "better" since we can't "deserve" it. We looked at the metaphor of trees that loose their leaves. They are in a constant cycle, but are always in a state of unconditional acceptance, we appreciate them in every stage. Or the metaphor of the evergreen tree which doesn't reach a place of complacancy in which it just stops growing and stays the same. They continue to grow throughout their existence, becoming more and more of who they are, expressing their "Truth" more and more.
We are continuing with the exercise of unconditional self-acceptance, but we opened the door at the end of this evening to the idea of how we are unconditionally accepting of others, as well. Something to consider.
Remember to remember each other at 12noon every day.
Happy Holidays everyone. We'll see you in the New Year.
Tonight we were led through guided meditation in which we were encouraged to return to scenes from pre-adolescence, high school, early adulthood and the present in which we had done something worthy of praise and reward, in which nothing special was happening and then in which we had done something that warranted and received some form of punishment or reprimand. In all scenes we were invited to envision receiving unconditional acceptance; in the younger scenarios from people in places of authority; parents or teachers, in the older scenes from ourselves.
The exercise was to find the unconditional quality of the acceptance, whether from another or from ourselves. Whether we had done something that would "earn" acceptance, nothing at all, or something that would normally result in punishment, we tried to imagine receiving the same unconditional acceptance. Some had trouble even imagining the unconditional acceptance coming from parents. Another realized that she has carried with her the conditional quality of her parents' acceptance of her in the inner voice that finds how she might do almost everything a little better.
We were reminded that unconditional acceptance is simply of state of being, that is constant, but does not imply a state of inertia or inactivity, as if there's no need to do any "better" since we can't "deserve" it. We looked at the metaphor of trees that loose their leaves. They are in a constant cycle, but are always in a state of unconditional acceptance, we appreciate them in every stage. Or the metaphor of the evergreen tree which doesn't reach a place of complacancy in which it just stops growing and stays the same. They continue to grow throughout their existence, becoming more and more of who they are, expressing their "Truth" more and more.
We are continuing with the exercise of unconditional self-acceptance, but we opened the door at the end of this evening to the idea of how we are unconditionally accepting of others, as well. Something to consider.
Remember to remember each other at 12noon every day.
Happy Holidays everyone. We'll see you in the New Year.
November 19, 2009
Theme for December 3, 2009
We will hold with the theme of Kabbalah and Healing and giving to ourselves unconditional self-acceptance. We will of course not meet next week on Thanksgiving.
Tonight was very rich. We talked about the season of moving into Winter and the longer nights and shorter days. For most of human history this was a time of rest and introspection. The harvest has been completed, our storehouses filled and we went into our "caves" as winter overcame our lives and rested, anticipating the coming of Spring, but taking advantage of the rest. Now we live in a time when electricity overcomes the dark, life is fast-paced and the commercialization of the holidays does not allow for a moments rest. In this time we are called to give ourselves unconditional self-acceptance for not following the manic lead of the world around us and for finding ways to rest.
We were also reminded of the difference between self-love (action/right pillar) and self-acceptance (state of being/central pillar) and were challenged to think about what we would experience on the left pillar. Possibilities were self-containment, self-understanding, and self-allowance. There was no consensus, but our thoughts were stirred.
The question was also raised of Yesod's role in a positive central pillar experience. We get used to thinking of Yesod from a negative perspective, as being a weight that pulls us down out of our Truth at Tiferet or denies our Truth in a display of false humility. We were reminded that Yesod is our center of imagination and dreamtime. The this is our persona and when we are accessing Tiferet, it is our Yesod that portrays that to the world. A companion is going through the process of writing a resume and cover letter for a job application and was challenged by a friend to be more truthful about her accomplishments and accolades from her peers and community. She identified her "weak" Yesod which was not accessing the truth about her accomplishments. We agreed that the truth is just that and does not imply arrogance or inflation when stated clearly.
We were also reminded of the psychological healing of facing the truth of our station in life. Death can come at any time. We do not need to fear it and in fact can have a real freedom and psychological stability when we acknowledge that the "darkness is rising" even in the basic process of aging, but that there is peace in true consciousness of the central pillar, where we have unconditional self-acceptance.
Remember, no meeting on Thanksgiving. There will be a meditation on Dec 3 and we will not meet the rest of December. After December 3 we will not meet until January 7.
Remember to think of your companions at 12noon daily.
Tonight was very rich. We talked about the season of moving into Winter and the longer nights and shorter days. For most of human history this was a time of rest and introspection. The harvest has been completed, our storehouses filled and we went into our "caves" as winter overcame our lives and rested, anticipating the coming of Spring, but taking advantage of the rest. Now we live in a time when electricity overcomes the dark, life is fast-paced and the commercialization of the holidays does not allow for a moments rest. In this time we are called to give ourselves unconditional self-acceptance for not following the manic lead of the world around us and for finding ways to rest.
We were also reminded of the difference between self-love (action/right pillar) and self-acceptance (state of being/central pillar) and were challenged to think about what we would experience on the left pillar. Possibilities were self-containment, self-understanding, and self-allowance. There was no consensus, but our thoughts were stirred.
The question was also raised of Yesod's role in a positive central pillar experience. We get used to thinking of Yesod from a negative perspective, as being a weight that pulls us down out of our Truth at Tiferet or denies our Truth in a display of false humility. We were reminded that Yesod is our center of imagination and dreamtime. The this is our persona and when we are accessing Tiferet, it is our Yesod that portrays that to the world. A companion is going through the process of writing a resume and cover letter for a job application and was challenged by a friend to be more truthful about her accomplishments and accolades from her peers and community. She identified her "weak" Yesod which was not accessing the truth about her accomplishments. We agreed that the truth is just that and does not imply arrogance or inflation when stated clearly.
We were also reminded of the psychological healing of facing the truth of our station in life. Death can come at any time. We do not need to fear it and in fact can have a real freedom and psychological stability when we acknowledge that the "darkness is rising" even in the basic process of aging, but that there is peace in true consciousness of the central pillar, where we have unconditional self-acceptance.
Remember, no meeting on Thanksgiving. There will be a meditation on Dec 3 and we will not meet the rest of December. After December 3 we will not meet until January 7.
Remember to think of your companions at 12noon daily.
November 12, 2009
Theme for Thursday, November 19, 2009
We will continue with the theme of Kabbalah and Healing holding our focus on giving ourselves unconditional self-acceptance.
Tonight we had some excellent conversation around the whole idea of self-acceptance. We all agreed that it is not an easy assignment. Thoughts of worthiness keep coming into the mind. Internal dialogs that say, once I do this, change this about myself, overcome this bad habit, then I will be able to give myself unconditional self-acceptance. We re-visited the difference between self-acceptance and self-love, acknowledging that the biggest difference is that self-love is an act from the right pillar, self-acceptance is a state of being on the central pillar.
It seems that going into a place of self-acceptance initiates a desire to be better; not out of a desire to be more worthy, but as if the state of self-acceptance isa magnet to be more true to oneself. It feels as if the ability to give self-acceptance is an expression of our divine self since part of the human condition is to place conditions on things and self-acceptance would require alot of conditions from a human perspective.
Another block to unconditional self-acceptance can be the need to overcome a sense of guilt. When we tried to place this idea on the Tree it was agreed that guilt can be placed anywhere (we may feel guilty for our instinctive drives, Netzah, or our bodies, Malkhut, etc), but that in most cases guilt will be centered around Yesod in that we are not living up to an image that is expected of us and that these expectations come primarily from the four side triads.
We also spoke generally of healing on the left pillar, specifically on the path between Gevurah and Hod where the Hanged Man from the Tarot is placed. This card brings with it the opportunity to see things from a different perspective. So that as we move from the place of Hod, where we get clear communication and process it is perhaps a new way, we create a cleaner, healthier container for ourselves at Gevurah which may allow for a "new perspective".
We also spoke of the need for self-acceptance when acting outside our confort zone in a way that we have previously felt to be negative. This was brought out in a discussion about facing animal energy with animal energy. The distinction being an animal person with access to one's Tiferet as opposed to someone consumed by their animal energy to the point of acting outside of one's truth.
Continue to practice giving yourself unconditional self-acceptance. Practice it every day. In fact, you could add it to your exercise of remembering your companions at 12noon every day. Of course you don't have to limit yourself to just that one time a day!
Tonight we had some excellent conversation around the whole idea of self-acceptance. We all agreed that it is not an easy assignment. Thoughts of worthiness keep coming into the mind. Internal dialogs that say, once I do this, change this about myself, overcome this bad habit, then I will be able to give myself unconditional self-acceptance. We re-visited the difference between self-acceptance and self-love, acknowledging that the biggest difference is that self-love is an act from the right pillar, self-acceptance is a state of being on the central pillar.
It seems that going into a place of self-acceptance initiates a desire to be better; not out of a desire to be more worthy, but as if the state of self-acceptance isa magnet to be more true to oneself. It feels as if the ability to give self-acceptance is an expression of our divine self since part of the human condition is to place conditions on things and self-acceptance would require alot of conditions from a human perspective.
Another block to unconditional self-acceptance can be the need to overcome a sense of guilt. When we tried to place this idea on the Tree it was agreed that guilt can be placed anywhere (we may feel guilty for our instinctive drives, Netzah, or our bodies, Malkhut, etc), but that in most cases guilt will be centered around Yesod in that we are not living up to an image that is expected of us and that these expectations come primarily from the four side triads.
We also spoke generally of healing on the left pillar, specifically on the path between Gevurah and Hod where the Hanged Man from the Tarot is placed. This card brings with it the opportunity to see things from a different perspective. So that as we move from the place of Hod, where we get clear communication and process it is perhaps a new way, we create a cleaner, healthier container for ourselves at Gevurah which may allow for a "new perspective".
We also spoke of the need for self-acceptance when acting outside our confort zone in a way that we have previously felt to be negative. This was brought out in a discussion about facing animal energy with animal energy. The distinction being an animal person with access to one's Tiferet as opposed to someone consumed by their animal energy to the point of acting outside of one's truth.
Continue to practice giving yourself unconditional self-acceptance. Practice it every day. In fact, you could add it to your exercise of remembering your companions at 12noon every day. Of course you don't have to limit yourself to just that one time a day!
November 05, 2009
Theme for November 12, 2009
We continue with the theme Kabbalah and Healing with a focus on giving ourselves unconditional self-acceptance.
Tonight Megan took us through the Pilgrim's Journey meditation. We were all invited to be Pilgrims on a journey to the holy city of Jerusalem. It was interesting to observe how we each experienced the different levels as we ascended up through Jacob's Ladder to the Holy of Holies in the temple of the heavenly city. Few of us wanted to return.
Continue to remember eachother at 12noon and to give yourself unconditional self-acceptance.
Tonight Megan took us through the Pilgrim's Journey meditation. We were all invited to be Pilgrims on a journey to the holy city of Jerusalem. It was interesting to observe how we each experienced the different levels as we ascended up through Jacob's Ladder to the Holy of Holies in the temple of the heavenly city. Few of us wanted to return.
Continue to remember eachother at 12noon and to give yourself unconditional self-acceptance.
October 29, 2009
Theme for Thursday, November 5, 2009
The ongoing theme is Kabbalah and Healing. The specific focus was mis-identified last week. Rather than focusing on giving ourselves unconditional love, we are giving ourselves unconditional self-acceptance. Unconditional self-love is also a good thing, but it is not the specific task at hand for now.
The distinction is clear when we look at the Tree. Love is a Right Piller function. It was discussed and clarified that acceptance is a Central Pillar experience. Left and Right Pillar activities are actions; setting boundaries (Gevurah), communicating (Hod), following instincts (Netzah), etc. Central Pillar experiences are about states of being and being in a state of unconditional self-acceptance it about being. Accepting one's self in this way is not about living up to some inner or outer standard or about finding oneself worthy. Self-acceptance is a state of being at peace with oneself regardless or what has just happened. It is not an avoidance of responsibility, accepting oneself inspite of a known weakness or fault, just simple unconditional self-acceptance.
The question was raised, what exactly is unconditional. Part of the answer was given above; no standards and no measure of worthiness - no conditions. There is no "First this or that, then I can accept myself." It is not because of or in spite of anything, it just is.
It was brought up that there are many things that may stop us from self-acceptance, which all fly in the face of the unconditional aspect we are striving for; shame, guilt, fear were a few that came up. One companion shared how she felt a degree of shame because she was asking for something that others in her position haven't needed. Two others expressed their guilt at taking naps in the middle of the day, as if they shouldn't feel the need to do so. All expressed difficulty finding the space to give unconditional self-acceptance in the midst of these experiences.
Let's strive together to give ourselves unconditional self-acceptance in the midst of whatever is happening when we remember this important task.
Remember that next week is the first Thursday of November, so Megan will be leading us in a meditation.
Also, remember eachother at 12noon, recalling the faces of your companions and sending them love and healing.
The distinction is clear when we look at the Tree. Love is a Right Piller function. It was discussed and clarified that acceptance is a Central Pillar experience. Left and Right Pillar activities are actions; setting boundaries (Gevurah), communicating (Hod), following instincts (Netzah), etc. Central Pillar experiences are about states of being and being in a state of unconditional self-acceptance it about being. Accepting one's self in this way is not about living up to some inner or outer standard or about finding oneself worthy. Self-acceptance is a state of being at peace with oneself regardless or what has just happened. It is not an avoidance of responsibility, accepting oneself inspite of a known weakness or fault, just simple unconditional self-acceptance.
The question was raised, what exactly is unconditional. Part of the answer was given above; no standards and no measure of worthiness - no conditions. There is no "First this or that, then I can accept myself." It is not because of or in spite of anything, it just is.
It was brought up that there are many things that may stop us from self-acceptance, which all fly in the face of the unconditional aspect we are striving for; shame, guilt, fear were a few that came up. One companion shared how she felt a degree of shame because she was asking for something that others in her position haven't needed. Two others expressed their guilt at taking naps in the middle of the day, as if they shouldn't feel the need to do so. All expressed difficulty finding the space to give unconditional self-acceptance in the midst of these experiences.
Let's strive together to give ourselves unconditional self-acceptance in the midst of whatever is happening when we remember this important task.
Remember that next week is the first Thursday of November, so Megan will be leading us in a meditation.
Also, remember eachother at 12noon, recalling the faces of your companions and sending them love and healing.
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