Love, Wisdom & Mindfulness
Sharing one’s love and wisdom in the small group is key to the experience of the model. It both integrates them into one’s life, and it enriches others’ lives. Hearing another’s wisdom and love is key to the experience of the model. It gives the speaker a sense of being seen, heard and accepted. The most valuable information that can be shared is a description of the individual’s inner experience of doing the work successfully, and of missing opportunities to do the work. Reports of the lived experiences are also welcome as they can be beautiful manifestations of transformation.
Cultivating mindfulness is a key element of spiritual development and growth. Mindfulness processes are part of the experience of the gatherings. Every gathering will have one or more guided meditations, visualizations, or prayers, that give the participant an experience of the distinction between their inner and outer selves, an opportunity to acknowledge their reception of life, and a recognition that all life is connected in a grand human organism.
Transformation only happens when the participant experiences using an idea in their life which changes their view of themselves, and changes their relationships to others, to the divine, and to the earth.
During the small group gathering, and during the week between gatherings, the participants must do the work in order to have the promised experience. Every small group session will have some tasks done individually, or in 2’s or 3’s, and/or in the whole group.
Small Group Facilitations
This model of small group experiences provides an infrastructure for the spiritual development and spiritual growth of people who are able to do the necessary work, including participating in the experiences that are the heart of the model. The intention is transformation, which is distinct from recovery or skill building.
The facilitator has important information to share which is necessary for learning to happen, but they are not the teacher. The teacher is the work that each person does. The facilitator will have more to say than the other participants, but their voice is not more important.
Experiencing Real Change
We make positive spiritual and natural changes when we experience love in a secure attachment with other people. That is, when people can be vulnerable, and feel heard and seen by another. We experience actual change only when we see a new way of being, experience it, and then integrate it into our normal thinking and acting. Such change, which is our human development and our healing, does not happen by imposing conditions from the outside.
“I believe you are a person who wants to develop, spiritually and naturally. You want to be more loving. Better equipped to help others in their growth and healing. You want to continue to develop your ability to be present and accepting. You want to continue increasing your spiritual capacity for love and wisdom.”
In this model you experience wisdom by using a piece of knowledge, perhaps very small, to do a spiritual discipline. It might be journaling, a thought experiment, or a conversation. When you speak of your experience, you share the wisdom you have acquired. And when you listen to others, with an ear for their wisdom, your life is enriched. There is an experience of being connected.
“Transformation only happens when the participant experiences using an idea in their life which changes their view of themselves, and changes their relationships to others, to the divine, and to the earth.”