Alan Heeks: Spiritual roots in stormy times
Session 1: The Spiritual Gift in Climate Change
Session 2: Reinventing the monastery
Click Here for Alan Heeks’ Briefing for this event
Video recording of Cana Conscious Conversations (CCC)
Saturday 14th September 2024
https://youtu.be/0P21C1AQbCM
1 Hour 13 mins
“Working through both The Way and The Ordination Course has been quite an adventure. When I joined, I had no idea how deep it would take me. If you want to go on a real journey of self exploration and learn about your own spiritual, personal and moral alignment, then I highly recommend this course. It has helped me to determine a clarity of focus, pushed me to the dusty corners of my soul and afforded me many amazing friendships. Life changing, certainly. And in the best way.”
Best wishes
Rachel Cheer
Independent Celebrant
Book – endings
Here in the Open Sanctuary, we are deeply aware of the power of ritual, of marking passages of time, seasons, situations and so forth.
On a daily basis we offer a Morning and Evening Office; this is a Sacred Space in which to settle the heart and mind enabling us to hear Divine guidance.
These times in Sacred Space represent setting the Intention for the day in the morning office with the evening office being a time for Reflection on how the day has been through the eyes of the morning Intention.
This is not as scary as it sounds… in the morning office there might be a mantra, a few words or a short reading from which you notice the words that resonate and allow them to percolate through you in meditation for 10 minutes or so. You are invited back from your meditative place and invited to share your Intention for the day in a few words.
The evening office opens in silence as we enter a Reflective time in which to review the day through the lens of the Intention we set in the morning.
In this time, we honestly and gently explore all the occasions when we did not live our Intention to the best of our ability.
Then we open to exploring what quality or value might have helped us changed that.
For example, the reading might offer us some guidance about `being more patient`, so in the evening office of Reflection where we step into self –awareness, we bring to mind the times we rushed or were not patient. From the spiritual qualities we discern the most powerful tools to support our reframing our way of being more patient. This might be to `pause between situations, to breathe and to space our diaries more graciously.
So, at the end of the Reflective time when we re-gather, the words we would share with the group would be “Pause, Breathe, Space” as these are the lessons we opened to this day.
This process ensures maximum engagement with our Intention and all the Reflection offers us allowing us to go to bed with positive thoughts in mind. This helps ensure each day ends quietly, incrementally building upon the previous… a kind of win win really!
The Open Sanctuary have just had their AGM.
The perfect opportunity to experience beginnings and endings.
What has been resisted, learned from and offered to another in the previous year.
It is a natural point of review, reflection, renewal and growth.
From the previous year what informs the coming year and what can we now offer from that acquired wisdom?
Sometimes it takes courage to step into a new version of ourselves as it is often untried and untested. It takes courage to be willing to put oneself forward in a role that may be new to us.
Here the generosity of those in the Open Sanctuary mirrors their core beliefs, one of which is:
“Our purpose is healing through union”.
How reassuring it is to have role bearers offering to shadow and support the incoming office bearers as they take up their new roles.
Such an opportunity to deepen connections with another, all of which is part of the healing dynamic, moving duality into non duality.
Such a gift to see people model their beliefs.
An ending blessing tomorrow.
Jude
In my three heartfelt encounters with Donald before his passing, I was struck by his gracious and humble spirit. Together, we meticulously planned his funeral service, from newspaper announcement, music to the eulogy.
His legacy was simple yet profound—to be a good man. Donald’s contentment in recounting his happy life served as a testament to the depth of his character.
In his quiet way, he reminded us of all that a life lived with kindness and humility leaves a lasting impact, far greater than any accolades or possessions.
Donald’s memory continues to inspire us to be better, to be good people, just as he was.