Winter Edition

Still Presence Spirituality Centre Newsletter

Vol. 2, No. 1 Winter 2010

www.s tillpres e nce.com

Winter Session 2010 The Practice of Meditation The practice of meditation is about freedom, about breaking the chains of old beliefs and fears that keep us in bondage to the illusion that we are separate from each other and from All That Is. Freedom is the destiny of every living being. We become free by waking from our dreams of fear, scarcity, blame and guilt, by taking responsibility for acting, to the best of our knowledge, with care and loving-kindness that we may kindle the light of love within and by that light see our way home and serve as beacons for others along the way. Adapted from Joan Borysenko

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The Still Presence Spirituality Centre “Still presence is where our hearts come home.”

West Island & Verdun West Island at Christ Church Beaurepaire, 455 Church St., Beaconsfield Verdun at St. Clement’s Church, 4322 Wellington, Verdun

mini-retreat

provides

an

Christ." Move down through

opportunity to deepen your

your whole body in this way

contemplative practice in an

just giving the stress away.

atmosphere

of

inspiration,

4.

innovation, and tranquility.

THIS L AST

IS

CHANCE MEDITATE!!

TO (at one of our group gatherings before the Christmas break.)

West Island Nov 23, 30, & Dec 7, 7:15 pm

Verdun Nov 26 & Dec 3, 7:00 pm

Ways

to

Reduce Stress this CHRISTMAS

1.

Attend our Advent Mini-Retreat

B

Saturday, Dec. 5

Time:

9:15 – 11:30 am

Leaders: Michael and Cedric

YOUR

4

Date:

efore the real rush of the Christmas season, this

Suggested freewill offering $10

2.

Stop and Breathe

W

Hen

your

Dissolving Stress

S

imply imagine all the stress in your body as black smoke. As you

breathe in, see this black smoke being drawn into the formless

"space"

of

your

life

heart-center.

too

about taking it in, because

much, stop, find

your center is vast enough to

becomes

Don’t

worry

a comfortable place, close

contain

your eyes, and take five deep,

breathe out, imagine the ball

calming breaths, and let go,

of smoke being blown out of

let go, let go.

you. Watch it as it dissolves

it.

Now,

as

you

completely into the clear blue

3.

Give Stress Away

L

sky of God’s infinite love and mercy. Do this nine times in

ie down on the floor

quite rapid succession.

with your arms and

the

legs

out.

picturing yourself as filled with

Then, quietly and solemnly

the light of Christ, and radiating

intone, "I give the stress of

calm peace in all directions.

stretched

my facial muscles to Christ. I give the stress of my neck to

end,

rest

a

At

while,

(Adapted from “The Direct Path” by Andrew Harvey)

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The

C all

i have heard it all my life, A voice calling a name i recognized as my own.

How much longer can you live like this? Your hungry spirit is gaunt, your heart stumbles. All this trying.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper. Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

Let yourself be one of the God-mad, faithful only to the Beauty you are.

But always it says: Wake up, my love. You are walking asleep. There's no safety in that!

Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close, dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.

Remember what you are, and let this knowing take you home to the Beloved with every breath.

Remember, there is one word you are here to say with your whole being. When it finds you, give your life to it. Don't be tight-lipped and stingy.

Hold tenderly who you are, and let a deeper knowing color the shape of your humanness.

Spend yourself completely on the saying. Be one word in this great love poem we are writing together.

There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here. Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.

Give it up!

— Oriah Mountain Dreamer

There is no waiting for something to happen, No point in the future to get to. All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now. You are wearing yourself out with all this searching. Come home and rest.

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WEST ISLAND

New Year’s Resolution:

Winter Schedule

“I Want to Live a More Centered Life in 2010.” This one-hour workshop offers the essentials of meditation in a straightforward and easily accessible way. It is ideal for beginning practioners, for experienced meditators looking for a “refresher” course, and for people who simply wish to respond to

“This is the moment of embarking.”

their “spiritual longing” as we begin a new year. Free, open to all.

“We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the journey ahead, all things are contained

• Christ Church Beaurepaire Monday, January 11 7:00 – 8:00 pm, with Michael

in this first moment: our optimism, our faith, our resolution…

“Everything is laid out for you. Your path is straight ahead of you.

In order to start,

Sometimes it’s invisible, but it’s there.

we must make a decision.

You may not know where it’s going

This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation.”

But you have to follow that path. It’s the path to the Creator. It’s the only path there is.”

– Deng Ming-Dao Chief Leon Shenandoah

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Ongoing Practice: Inviting Silence Into Our Lives Shared silence with others is a profound gift: together we grow, and come to see and know ourselves as vehicles of the Spirit. Each week, experience living fully in body, mind, and spirit. Newcomers are welcome at any time

Saturday Mini-Retreat:

and will find the sessions accessible.

Deepening Your

We invite regular participants to bring

Spiritual Practice

their friends. Suggested freewill offering $5 per session. • Christ Church Beaurepaire Mondays January 18 to June 7 7:00 – 8:00 pm (No sessions April 5 & May 24)

Alternate weeks led by Michael or Cedric Cedric: Jan 18, Feb 1 & 15, Mar 1, 15, & 2 Apr 19, May 3 & 17, Jun 7 Michael:

The time pressures of modern life are such that few of us can engage in long periods of daily prayer and meditation. Even if we have a spiritual practice, at times it becomes dry and lifeless. This 3- hour workshop will provide the inspiration and support to refresh your spiritual practice and bring it to a deeper level. Suggested freewill offering $15. • Christ Church Beaurepaire With Michael & Cedric Saturday, January 16 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Jan 11 & 25, Feb 8 & 22, Mar 8 & 29 Apr 12 & 26, May 10 & 31

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Saturday Mini-Retreat: Children of the Light In the spring, we rejoice at the return of the light. The season after Easter is a good time to realize our potential and emerge from winter with greater clarity, love and purpose.

Saturday Mini-Retreat: The Breath of Life

In this 3-hour workshop we will explore letting go of our small selves and opening up to our true selves through

Most of us have some idea about

silent meditation, journaling, reflection,

control of our body, but control of the

and time for sharing. Suggested

mind is a more difficult business.

freewill offering $15.

One of the oldest ways of controlling the mind is through the breath.

• Christ Church Beaurepaire With Michael & Cedric

This 3-hour workshop— designed for

Saturday, March 20

beginners and intermediate students—

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

explores in depth the psychology of the breath, and the relationship between breathing and spiritual healing. Suggested freewill offering $15. • Christ Church Beaurepaire With Cedric Saturday, February 20 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

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Conscious Living

Series:

The Wounded Heart of the World This 3-week workshop series will explore our wounded hearts, and our Conscious Living Series:

Following the Path with Heart This 3-week workshop series shows you how to bring your contemplative practice to flower every day of your life through gentle spiritual exercises. Especially designed for people who wish to deepen and refine their spiritual journey in the Way of Christ.

connectedness with a wounded world. We explore how through meditative practice we can have a positive impact on the world around us as we continue to explore our journey in Christ. Through specific spiritual exercises, we will learn how to become instruments of God’s peace and love. Suggested freewill offering $5. •

Christ Church Beaurepaire With Michael

Our primary resource will be Son of

Three Tuesdays

Man: The Mystical Path to Christ by

Feb. 23, Mar. 2, & 9

Andrew Harvey. Suggested freewill

7:00 – 8:00 pm

offering $5 per session. • Christ Church Beaurepaire With Cedric Three Tuesdays Jan. 26, and Feb. 2, & 9 7:00 – 8:00 pm

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THE GIFT of

VERDUN

CHANGE

Winter Schedule Conscious Living

Series:

Inner Peace and the Way of the Heart For the twelve days of Christmas, consider giving yourselves these twelve spiritual gifts. Then reflect on each one in turn during the upcoming New Year.

The darkness of winter beckons us

GIFTS

seed of peace already within our hearts.

TO

REFLECT

UPON:

inward so that we may discover the In this 3-week workshop, we practice

1. Following your own Path with Heart 2. From Forgetting Who You Are to Remembering Who You Are 3. From Negative Thinking To Positive Thinking 4. From Anxiety to At-one-ment 5. From Asking God to Change the World to Praying That God Change You 6. From Living in the Past and Future to Living in the Present 7. From Focus on Guilt

the essentials of contemplative prayer in the context of the Season of Epiphany, and bring these lessons into our everyday life. Freewill offering. • St. Clement’s, Verdun With Cedric Cobb Three Thursdays January 14, 21, & 28 7:00 – 8:00 pm

to Focus on Innocence 8. From Separation to Relationship 9. From Spiritual Death to Rebirth 10. From Your Plan to God’s Plan 11. From Who You Were to Who You are Becoming 12. Letting Go into Your True Self (Adapted from The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson

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Conscious Living

Series:

Awakening to our True Potential The theme of this 3-week series explores coming to wholeness of body, mind, and spirit as children of God.

Conscious Living

Series:

Through exercises which purify and strengthen our hearts and expand the

Letting Go of Fear

circle of love, we will open ourselves to experience the Mind of Christ and the

This 3-week Lenten series uncovers our

Easter promise of new life. Freewill

inner faith and courage through

offering.

exercises which help us to let go of our fear, and to trust in the Divine Presence.

• St. Clement’s, Verdun With Cedric Three Thursdays

Lent is the traditional season of

April 15, 22, &29

“awakening,” and we will open

7:00 – 8:00 pm

ourselves to the call of the “still small voice within.” Freewill offering. • St. Clement’s, Verdun With Cedric Three Thursdays March 4, 11, & 18 7:00 – 8:00 pm

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End Notes M EDITATION

10 1

To all those new to meditation, here are a few straightforward suggestions. To give meditation a try, sit comfortably, set a timer for 10 minutes, and explore one of the following strategies.

contact with the earth? How does the shape of the body shift with each inhalation and exhalation? How does your experience change over time? Cultivating an awareness of the present moment will foster a more serene and attentive mind, one that is able to settle into the here and now.

JUST SIT

FOLLOW

C

ommit to doing nothing more than sitting quietly and watching what happens. Don't pick up the phone, don't answer the doorbell, don't add another item to your to-do list. Just sit and observe the thoughts that arise and pass through your mind. You will likely be surprised by how difficult it is to sit quietly for 10 minutes, in the process, though, you may learn something important about the qualities of the restless mind and the ever-changing nature of life.

LISTEN

TO THE

SOUNDS

A

USE

LIFE lose your eyes and tune in to the sounds percolating both within and around you. Open your ears and adopt a receptive attitude. At first, you'll likely hear only the most obvious noises, but over time, you'll discover new layers of sounds that you had previously tuned out. Challenge yourself to observe what you hear without clinging to it or resisting it. Notice how the world feels more alive as your awareness of the present deepens.

PRACTICE BARE ATTENTION

N

otice the raw sensations of the present moment—feelings of warmth and coolness, hardness and softness, pressure and ease. Which parts of your body are in

BREATH

ttach your mind to the breath. While you're breathing in, note that you're breathing in, and while you're breathing out, focus on the exhalation. Don't manipulate the breath in any way; simply watch it with your mind's eye, just as you would follow a tennis ball bouncing from one side of the court to the other during a particularly engrossing match. When you find that your mind has strayed, as it inevitably will, gently refocus it on the breath and begin again.

OF

C

THE

A

MANTRA (PRAYER WORD)

C

hoose a favourite word, phrase, prayer, or fragment of a poem, and repeat it slowly and softly. Let its rhythm and meaning lull you into a quiet, contemplative state of ease. When you notice that your mind has wandered off to other thoughts, simply redirect it back toward the words you've chosen as your touchstone and rededicate your awareness to them.

PRACTICE KINDNESS

A

s you sit quietly, focus your inner attention on someone you know who might benefit from an extra dose of kindness and care, in your mind's eye, send this person love, happiness, and wellbeing. Soften your skin, open the Page 10 of 12.

floodgates of your heart, and let gentle goodwill pour forth. (Excerpted from Yoga Journal)

Who

We

Are

“Still Presence is where our hearts come home.”

We are a community of meditation practitioners who have found that contemplative prayer, or meditation, nurtures our Christian faith and practice.

Some Websites you might like to explore.

1. Centering Prayer: www.contemplativeoutreach.org

Through this spiritual discipline, we practice the Presence of God, experiencing the Divine in each present moment.

2. The Empty Bell: www.emptybell.org 3. Ruah Spirituality Institute: www.ruahspirit.org

7. Unitas: http://www.unitasmeditation.ca

We are committed to reclaiming meditation practice as a foundational discipline on the Christian path, and offer events and courses* which support experiential faith and contemplative living.

8. Quiet Mind Seminars:

*Still Presence Courses can be used for Lay Reader Continuing Education credit.

4. The Shalem Institute: www.shalem.org 5. Mindfulness Meditation: www.mindfulnessmeditationcentre.org

6. True North Insight: www.truenorthinsight.org

http://www.thequietmind.org

To be placed on, or taken off, our newsletter list, email: [email protected].

9. IASIS: www.iasis.ca

For a full listing of all our events, visit our Website: www.stillpresence.com.

About

Us

We welcome your articles, poems, artwork and feedback.

the Christian contemplative tradition for over twenty years.

at Christ Church Beaurepaire. His spirituality is grounded in CreationCentered Spirituality and in the interplay between western and eastern spiritual traditions.

Cedric Cobb Cedric Cobb is a retired parish priest from the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. He has practiced, and been a student of, meditation and

Michael Johnson Michael Johnson is the Incumbent

This issue comes with heartfelt Page 11 of 12.

gratitude for all our companions on the journey! SHALOM

AND

BLESSINGS,

Cedric & Fr. Michael

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