Wednesday, January 30

What a night we had together last night at Yoga Roots! Celtic theologian and philosopher John O'Donohue led us through his reflections on loneliness, stillness, and solitude. For O'Donohue, stillness is absolutely vital to one's soul and offers itself to us as a life companion. In stillness, we are made ripe to meet and get to know ourselves. As Pascal once put it, "many of the major problems we have result from our inability to sit quietly with ourselves."

O'Donohue believes that the older we get, the more opportunity we have to be still and quiet with ourselves and to use that stillness as a space for solitude and self-knowledge. The problem, however, is that such stillness and quiet can make us feel lonely and vulnerable. So often we tend to run from that initial experience of loneliness and isolation. I know that I do.

O'Donohue shared a powerful story of a time during his student years in Tubingen when he felt horribly lonely, but he decided that rather than running from it, he would actually sit in a chair and "let loneliness in, let it have its way with me. I allowed myself to feel like the loneliest, most forsaken orphan in the world. I cried and I cried and I cried...But something amazing and unexpected happened. Once I decided to feel my loneliness, I wasn't so lonely anymore. Once I engaged and sat with my own loneliness, I befriended it until it became a natural part of my life, a companion." As one of O'Donohue's Gaelic friends put it, "Loneliness is a black, burned hole. But if you close it up, you close out so much that can be so beautiful for you as well."

This was the focus and essence of our meditation last night. We used the half hour of silence to engage our own loneliness, to let it have its way with us, to befriend us. We found, as O'Donohue suggests, that we need not be so afraid of our own loneliness. For if we engage it, it can do lovely things for us.

Join us next week, Tuesday, Feb 5, when we'll hear O'Donohue's reflections on the negativity in our lives, where it comes from and how we can transform it. All are welcome - 7:30-8:30 at Yoga Roots. 444 E. Mitchell St. in Petoskey. Contact tobyjones48@gmail.com for more information.

Peace

Our January Tuesday nights have continued to illuminate our souls and refresh our spirits. The writings and teachings of John O'Donohue, Celtic theologian and poet, are profound to say the least. Listen to this Celtic benediction he laid on us last night...

"May you recognize in your life the presence and power and light of your soul;
 May you realize that you are never alone, but that your soul in its brightness and belonging
   connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe;
 May you have respect for your own individuality and difference;
 And may you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny
    here, and that behind the facade of your life, there is something beautiful and good and
    eternal happening in you;
 May you learn to see yourself with the same delight and pride and happiness with
   which God sees you in every moment."

Wow! We spent time contemplating the implications of this in silence and candlelight and then shared some of the fruits of our individual and collective reflection.

On Tuesday, January 22, we will listen to O'Donohue's teaching on the mind and on ways of shifting our often limited perspective. Hope you will join us at Yoga Roots, 444 E. Mitchell St. from 7:30-8:30. ALL are welcome, regardless of religious perspective. We choose to practice together rather than to debate.

Welcome to Living Vision 2013! Our small, intimate spiritual community continues to offer a unique alternative to those seeking authentic connection to the Divine. During the Tuesday nights of January, we are exploring Celtic Spirituality with the great John O'Donohue as our guide. O'Donohue is an extraordinary Irish poet and theologian, and we're beginning each Tuesday night with 10-15 minutes of his CD series "Anam Cara."

Tonight, January 8, we used O'Donohue's teaching on Solitude vs. Loneliness as our contemplative focus. His image of the hearth that is deep in each person's heart/soul is a powerful metaphor of the profound welcome and grace that awaits all who plumb the depths of our soul in and through the silent practices. We pondered and discussed the notion that "we will never find outside ourselves that which we most need." We also considered his contention that "solitude allows us to rediscover our own beauty...a coming home to our own deepest belonging." Finally, we wrestled with the almost unfathomable notion that "in solitude we can be more at the heart of our true belonging than in any social situation or in any relationship."

Our twenty minute silent contemplation was, as always, a deep gift to each of us. Being silent together is radically different and infinitely more powerful than tackling this discipline on one's own. We invite you to join us as we continue our exploration and experience of Celtic spiritual teaching next Tuesday, Jan 15 and on each of the Tuesdays in January. EVERYONE is welcome at our Tuesday evening spiritual practice sessions, regardless of religious background or theological perspective. We meet at Yoga Roots at 444 E. Mitchell St. in Petoskey. For more information contact tobyjones48@gmail.com.

Grace & Peace - Toby