I like to tell students the story of a man who went to a mindfulness retreat because his therapist said he’d feel better if he learned to meditate. The retreat turned out to be a real roller coaster. Yes, there were moments of calm, but he also plunged deeply into fear, anger, and grief. TheContinue reading “What You Practice Gets Stronger – Radical Compassion Extract From Chapter 2 By Tara Brach”
Category Archives: Contemplation
What Do You Get When You Squeeze An Orange By Wayne Dyer
I love this very simple 3 minute video. It’s a powerful reminder that what comes out from me is a direct reflection of what is in me. On the final page of the Big Book (before the stories ) on page 164; we find these suggestions and observations: “Ask Him in your morning meditation whatContinue reading “What Do You Get When You Squeeze An Orange By Wayne Dyer”
An Inner Unity – The Inner Voice Of Love By Henri Nouven
I see much of what the Big Book describes as ‘causes and conditions’ (BB p.64) of my alcoholism as the inner wounds that keep me from wholeness and healing. In ‘As Bill Sees It #291, we are presented with this possibility of moving from being pain killers to become pain healers. For me, much likeContinue reading “An Inner Unity – The Inner Voice Of Love By Henri Nouven”
Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr
We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood [God], praying only for the knowledge of [God’s] will for us and the power to carry that out. The word prayer, which Bill Wilson rightly juxtaposes with the word meditation, is a code word for an entirely different way of processingContinue reading “Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr”
A Prayer That Transforms – Daily Meditations July 25th 2024 By Father Richard Rohr
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood [God], praying only for knowledge of [God’s] will for us and the power to carry that out. — Step 11 Father Richard connects prayer and meditation to a deepening acceptance of the will of God: The word prayer, which Bill W. used inContinue reading “A Prayer That Transforms – Daily Meditations July 25th 2024 By Father Richard Rohr”
Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn
In the article ‘How GUGOGS Meditation Works’, our friend Wayne S describes mindfulness as a “wise companion” that we can take with us into the realities of our everyday life. Wayne suggests our “goal is not to become a great meditator” but rather “for there to be no difference between the clarity and freedom youContinue reading “Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn”
Turning It Over and Acceptance – Buddhism And The Twelve Steps March 1st & 2nd Reflections By Kevin Griffin
March 1 “Turning it over” Step Three brings us into the heart of the program and gives us a new set of challenges. To begin, there is a question of what it means to “turn our lives over,” whether to God or anything else. What many people find when confronting this Step for the firstContinue reading “Turning It Over and Acceptance – Buddhism And The Twelve Steps March 1st & 2nd Reflections By Kevin Griffin”
The Faith To Believe In What Is – Grapevine Article July 1972 By J.W.
Faith must be structured in the bright light of truth as we see it THERE IS a joke which tells of God’s decision to grant a personal interview to one member of the world press. The duly elected representative departs, and all the luminaries of church, state, and the communications media gather to await hisContinue reading “The Faith To Believe In What Is – Grapevine Article July 1972 By J.W.”
From Loneliness To Solitude – Daily Meditations January 4 -6 By Henri Nouven
Henri Nouven, in his classic book Reaching Out, has a powerful way of describing the new ‘response ability’ we can experience ‘with God’ as we encounter our loneliness. He outlines what he describes as this movement from loneliness to solitude. These three daily meditations along with their reflection questions may be a good way toContinue reading “From Loneliness To Solitude – Daily Meditations January 4 -6 By Henri Nouven”
If You Spot It You Got It – How We Distort Reality With The ‘Blind Spot’ Of Our Projections
This article is a good follow up to a post I entitled ‘Changing The Way We See’. The articles ‘Revolutionary! How Step 10 Suggests A Novel Response Ability When We’re Disturbed’ as well as ‘Make A U-Turn As We Seek To Understand Our Part(s) In A Disturbance’ are also quite relevant to this topic ofContinue reading “If You Spot It You Got It – How We Distort Reality With The ‘Blind Spot’ Of Our Projections”