Well worded. And a lovely concept. I suggest trial it for a while. Using it thoughtfully and carefully will sort out the rhythm and highlight anything in it that needs adjusting and you/the group can adjust it as you go along as required.

Hi Justin aka Vasya,

It sounds really interesting. I have never participated in that kind of thing (I tend to avoid groups of people because I'm not very good at blocking other people's pain and thoughts) but it sounds like the beginning of a great meditation. I agree with Crossbow that you all (y'all) will tweak it as you go along to customize it to your collective group needs.

Thanks for sharing!
mj

  Hi Albert,

  I probably should have been more specific and clear in my original post.  As far as i know, these folks are not hard core with their Eastern interests and focus like maybe a lot of the folks you use to hang with were.   They are not in guru groups, or the like.  They just like and gravitate more to Eastern philosophy, beliefs, and teachers than not.

  I would say for the most part, they are a bit more exploratory in nature, though there are a couple of more very Buddhist focused folks, and unfortunately the main organizer is that way and has poo pooed some of the other's experiences.  One lady described what basically seemed like the beginning of a classic OBE, and when she told the group about it, the main organizer advised that she not pay attention to this--basically he seemed to say ignore it cause it's not important and it is a distraction to your meditation.  I said after, why not go with the flow when this happens and see where it leads you.  I hinted that she might be having such an experience for a reason.

  Yet oddly for one so into Buddhism, he is very body based.  Much of the stuff he tries out with us is very body-sense oriented and he often talks about his experiences and awareness in terms of the body.  He definitely doesn't have the view that the body is an illusion, in fact it seems to be the opposite, all that "weird", mystical, nonphysical etc. type stuff seems to him to be the illusion and a complete waste of time. He seems to believe or think that it's only the body and it's awareness which is real. 

Which is one of the reasons i'm trying to jumpstart another meditation off on the side, because i know he won't show.  Having been the main organizer for awhile--people kind of look at him as a leader type, and he has more influence on others than perhaps others and he may realize.

  Otherwise, i do not underestimate others and their capacities. 

  Recently, at one of our usual meditations, i had had a very deep, intense, and PUL attuned meditation (my buddy/Teacher showed up).  It was to the point where tears where streaming down my face (no one saw this). 

  Later on after the meditation, during the discussion part, another lady and i were discussing something relating to love, and while i was speaking, she blurted out, "You're glowing and i can see and feel it.  I've never seen this before!" 

  Experiences like these, within a group setting, may chip away at some of the Eastern dogma and approaches.  It might make others more curious about other stuff and the nonphysical.

  I think the affirmation itself, will help some to branch out a bit, and have their own experiences.

  Either way, Becky and i have been nudged in different ways to be more active in more organizing and facilitating type roles.   

  I had a reading a little while back with Bruce's friend Carolene and one of the things she (or guidance through her) emphasized was that now was the time that Becky and i get more involved with people in these kinds of ways and capacities.  Since i had been feeling this kind of urge and nudge before the reading, but also doubting and thinking, 'but i'm not ready or clear enough yet', well i decided after the reading to follow both the inner and outer advice. 

Just Me wrote on Feb 10^th, 2012 at 10:09am:


  Thank you for the reply Mj.  I understand about the sensitivity part.  When i was little, i remember being and feeling uber empathic.  It can definitely be tough to deal with. 

   But i get the very strong sense that you are a "Retriever"/helper type through and through, and it may be that you can be of some help to others in such group settings. 

  Not necessarily through words and talking, or what not, but just even sharing your vibes and being an example. 

If you open yourself up a lot to Love during a meditation (use a specific intention/prayer/affirmation for this and asking expanded guidance for help with it), this will help you with your experience of feeling others pain and woundedness, and at the same time will help innately and naturally to "lift up" the vibes and consciousness of the group. 

  One of the coolest and most helpful things that Bruce Moen teaches in his work, and which has personally helped me is the "remembering the feeling of Love" technique. 

The concept is simple--just remember a time, a moment wherein you felt a lot of love, warmth, positive feelings, etc.   It could be anything, child, pet, other adult, etc related.  Just in bringing up that memory, tends to bring up the feeling. 

   Once you got that memory and feeling going, let the feeling expand within and wash over you.   

  Or like i said before, ask expanded guidance also with help in opening more fully to Love in the pure, unconditional sense. 

  This world needs all the retrievers/helpers it can get--we're at a critical point in our time and history, and the more we as individuals open to Love and try to lift up others through that, the better things will be for all.   One way to do this more concretely, is via group settings. 

  Perhaps you can try this a bit more remotely at first?  Look up www.meetup.com or other sites like this, and look up meditation groups in your area.  Find out what times they meditate at, and meditate with them in your own home with the intention of opening to Love and sharing those vibes with that group.  You don't have to physically be there to help, just the stated intention and desire is enough. 

  Might be a good way to acclimate yourself to group interaction and energies, especially to a particular group?

 

  Hi Mj,

  Failure!!!!???   What, as the world judges it?  What the world and most individuals judge as failure, is totally different than what Source and Beings of Light intune with same judge it as. 

   You are far, far, far from failure in where it actually counts.  You've managed to keep an open and loving heart and mind despite having gone through much difficulty, challenge, and testing. 

   That is the most important kind of success there is, and we're all here to remember and re-learn this way of being and treating others.  There is truly nothing else that matters as compared to this.  I'm not saying you've perfected this process, but you're further along than many.

  Don't view yourself through the eyes of the world and of others who are skewed, but as the Radiant being and Light you truly are. 

  But i'm 'hearing' pretty strongly that you need to become more active with others, and forget self in service, if you are to get to the next level so to speak.  You are ready for this, and this is where your healing will come through.  Part of you knows this already. 

   Just take it day by day, step by step, moment by moment.  It is not builded in some great endeavor or undertaking--you don't have to 'save the world', but in the little things we do daily.  And when we are involved with the healing and helping of others, we heal and complete self at the same time.   

  It will take some effort, but if you make a consistent practice of mindfully opening yourself to the feeling and remembrance of love and/or gratitude, you will gain MUCH strength and centedness in that.  Then you will be able to give out much of that within self to others. 

Quote:


Hi Justin,

Thanks for your message. I have been involved in volunteerism most of my life. The last experience involved the ministry that helped people in the community through various programs. I helped to develop some of the programs and coached through the process of grant-writing. They were able to get a few million dollars and some other significant contributions to help their cause.

Prior to that, I was involved in a national organization and helped them obtain a multi-million dollar property for their project. Prior to that, I helped an organization gain the resources they needed to help build their gift-giving for children and families during the holidays and birthdays.

While I enjoyed volunteering and helping these organizations, all of the experiences (and others I didn't list) ended up with me being "discarded" once they achieved their goal. In the second instance, I found out my name was removed from the proposal paperwork and someone else was sent in my place. The person who did that was a friend, I thought, and I had shared some information to help protect him when the Director changed in his company. Yet, that didn't matter to him when it came time to stab me in the back.

In the other, I was given a promise of assistance in getting on my feet and starting over after losing my job (the one where my supervisor assaulted me).

I saved the last example for last because it's a good example of where I'm "stuck" in bridging the gap between what I can sense/feel and what is happening for others in that same instance. In that particular role they asked me to come visit their facility and make recommendations for changes to create a more efficiently run program.

One day, after visiting the facility and meeting some of the other volunteers and a few Board members, the founder took me out to lunch so we could talk about events of that morning. At that time, I was not really aware that I sense things others couldn't, so things seemed obvious to me while they weren't to her. I mentioned a woman I was introduced to back at the facility because I was concerned she was unhappy in her role and would soon quit, leaving the organization in a bind right before the holidays. The owner laughed out loud and told me I was mistaken. She continued that this woman was her "best" volunteer and had been with the organization for several years. I did not press the issue, but all of my other recommendations were centered around this woman leaving with no notice and the how that gap could be filled with specific actions now (at that time, of course). I guess the founder just thought I was nuts and the offer to join the Board was rescinded when I returned home.

Fast forward a few months. I received a phone call from the founder of the organization telling me the person, in question, quit the previous day with no notice or explanation. She wanted to know how I knew that would happen to which I didn't have a response. The only thing I "saw" was that the person was unhappy there and had been pondering the idea of leaving. She didn't tell me that, of course and I didn't ask her. It was just something I felt while in her presence and I have no idea how (or why) it happened since my gentle warning did no good and the organization was unable to meet the demand for gifts that year.

Justin, I enjoy helping people and I like being part of the creative process that helps a plan come to fruition. I can "think outside the box" and find ways to implement solutions that help others and I enjoy doing so. What I do not like and what is draining me is being used and sucked dry. Although it's lonely, it's easier for me to insulate myself from the world and try to figure this out from the safety of my own home. I don't have to worry about someone wanting to be my friend because I have something they want (I won't even bore you with the details of all that nonsense). I don't have to worry about people thinking negative thoughts toward me or about me because they resent that I am willing to give from my heart. I don't have to worry about being hospitalized because my body is just exhausted from years of caring for others (I ended up in the hospital with double-pneumonia and was very sick for about 4 months. My body has still never fully recovered). And, the funniest part of that is the women involved in the support group I managed turned on me and deemed me "selfish" because my spouse demanded that I stop taking phone calls and emails at all hours of the night trying to help. Not one of them even bothered to say "Get well soon" and that infuriated him.

I do miss being involved in helping. I miss giving back to my community in a hands-on way, but I still give to food shelters and clothing shelters and donate to various causes. I know it's not the same as being there on the front line, but I'm not sure I could survive another full-on betrayal again. Right now, I really just need a breather. I've been going and going and taking care of other people for so long that I have no reserves left. It doesn't mean I will never do that again. I have a heart for reaching out and I do it, in smaller ways, all the time. I will get there. Right now, though, I need to just stop and regroup and recharge and just be.

Does that make sense at all?

Kind regards,
mj

P.S. Didn't mean to hi-jack your thread.

Hi Justin,

I understand. The issue is I struggle with stopping myself from filling the gap, so even if I was involved in an online group (one of the positions I mentioned earlier started out as a stay-at-home helping kind of thing) I would sense a need, if one existed and others would sense I am capable of filling that gap (I never told those other people I knew grant-writing).

I am also a bit confused because I've looked into various spritual groups throughout the years. I don't know the actual numbers, but none of the coordinators/leaders have ever responded to my initial inquiries about their groups. After awhile, I wondered if that meant I was going down the wrong path (not wrong like bad or evil, but wrong like it's not where I'm supposed to be focusing my energies). I just don't know how to interpret it.

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Kind regards,
mj