Coming Home to God

"What we commonly call man--the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not--as we know him-represent himself, but misrepresents himself. Him we do not respect. But the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his action would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his in-intellect, it is genius. When it breathes through his will, it is virtue. When it flows through his affection, it is love." Walt Whitman

"We don't receive wisdom, we must discover it for our­selves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." Marcel Proust

"In our lives we are faced with a set of core issues that resurface again and again in different settings, with different people, at different times. These issues involve our relationship with the world, with ourselves, with our Higher Power. These are our life lessons. Stephanie Covington and Liana Beckett

Several times I have realized that concerts of any type are the largest groups of people joined together in a spiritual experience. Most people don't recognize spiritual feelings. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness. The fruits are from the Bible in several passages: Romans 5:3-5, I Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 3:10, and 2 Peter 1:5-7.

We each have a soul that needs to be directed toward goodness and away from negativity and sin in order to find peace and joy during our earthly life. We don't have to die to find Heaven on earth.

U2 with Bono have lyrics that reflect Bono's deep spiritual concerns and active humanitarian concerns. A group of young people in Great Britian have organized a church around those lyrics. He continues to speak out about the corruption of African nations in diverting the world's donations to the African AIDS and extreme poverty.

Singer Songwriter Kem (Kem Owens) writes songs because he wants to get his message to everyone including the people who may not go to church. He says: "All of my success and every good thing that happens in my life are due to God's grace."

Much positive energy often happens at rock concerts. An example of this is on Russell Hawkins's blog "The Original Mud Puppy". He was positively influenced by a group called Third Day. As Russell writes, "Third Day and their music and their inspiring lyrics were the catalyst to pushing my life off the sidelines and into the game."

My favorite music is from the 1970's Motown musicians. So many songs from that era reflect that many of the singers grew up in gospel singing. I do my morning walking to Motown greats (Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye as well as others); the Eagles; Basia; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Abba; Norah Jones; and Sergio Mendez (Brasil '66). Believe me they all can perk up the saddest day and turn it around to a praiseful celebration. Yes, I love my IPOD shuffle.

The spiritual practices I've chosen to include in this lens are forgiveness, deep breathing, becoming centered, mindfulness, and serenity. I learned most of these principles through daily meditation.

Early in my recovery which began in 1976, I was deeply influenced by a 13th century monk, Brother Lawrence. His book is titled "Practice in the Presence of God". I loved the concept of practicing in the presence which told me that I never had to worry about being perfect. That,in fact, I would never graduate on this earth from the practice. What a wonderful gift this 13th century monk gave me. Thank you, Brother Lawrence

If you, the reader, has other spiritual practices you would like to see included--write your own lenses. You will love the experience and feel a deep sense of joy to be sharing yourself with the world.

To introduce each of the spiritual practices I have chosen, I will be using definitions for each of the spiritual practices from one my favorite amazing resource, Wikipedia.

The following definition is from Wikipedia--

"Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep breathing is the act of breathing deep into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly by flexing your rib cage.

This deep breathing is marked by expansion of the stomach (abdomen) rather than the chest when breathing. It is generally considered a healthier and fuller way to ingest oxygen, and is often used as a therapy for hyperventilation and anxiety disorders.

Performing diaphragmatic breathing can be therapeutic, and with enough practice, can become your standard way of breathing.

To breathe diaphragmatically, or with the diaphragm, one must draw air into the lungs in a way which will expand the stomach and not the chest. It is best to perform these breaths as long, slow intakes of air - allowing the body to absorb all of the inhaled oxygen while simultaneously relaxing the breather. To do this comfortably, it is often best to loosen tight-fitting pants/belts/skirts as these can interfere with the body's ability to intake air.

While at first one may not feel comfortable not expanding the chest during breathing, diaphragmatic breathing actually fills up the majority of the lungs with oxygen, much more than chest-breathing or shallow breathing.

According to http://www.swamij.com/diaphragmatic-breathing.htm, in diaphragmatic breathing abdomen does NOT move."

The following is a definition about focusing from Wikipedia--

"Focusing is a psychotherapeutic process or technique developed by psychotherapist and philosopher Eugene Gendlin after 15 years of research, beginning in 1953 at the University of Chicago, analyzing what made psychotherapy either successful or unsuccessful. The conclusion was that it is not the therapist's technique that determines the success of psychotherapy, but rather the way the patient behaves, and what the patient does inside during the therapy sessions.

Gendlin found that, without exception, successful patients intuitively focuses inside themselves on a very subtle and vague internal bodily awareness - or "felt sense" - which contains information that, if attended to or focused on, holds the key to the resolution of the problems the patient is experiencing.

"Focusing" as a process and learnable skill developed when Gendlin determined to observe this successful-patient behavior more closely, and then teach it to other patients - that is, when he determined to be able to teach it to anyone. The simple, learnable technique/process is detailed in Focusing, a small book, written in conversational terms and meant for the layperson, which describes the six steps of focusing and how to do them.

One can learn the focusing technique from the Focusing book or from a focusing trainer or practitioner. Focusing is easiest to sense and do in the presence of a "listener" - either a focusing trainer, a therapist, or a layperson trained in Focusing.

Focusing is now practiced all over the world by thousands of people (who need have no professional training in psychology or psychotherapy) - both in professional settings with focusing trainers, and informally between laypeople. As a stand-alone process, a focusing session can last from approximately 30 minutes to an hour, on average - with the "focuser" being listened to, and his verbalized thoughts and feelings being reflected back, by the "listener." Generally speaking, the focuser has their eyes closed, in order to more accurately focus inwardly on their "felt sense"."

The following definition of mindfulness is taken from Wikipedia:

Mindfulness is a technique in which a person becomes intentionally aware of his or her thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally. It plays a central role in Buddhism, with Right Mindfulness being the seventh element of Noble Eightfold Path, the practice of which is considered a prerequisite for developing insight and wisdom. In a secular context, mindfulness is attracting increasing interest among western psychiatrists as a non-pharmacological means of dealing with anxiety and depressive mood states.

Right mindfulness (often also termed Right Meditation) comes in a variety of forms. One example of mindfulness is to mentally give a verbal label to each inbreath and outbreath during sitting meditation. So, each time one breathes in, one thinks "rising", and each time one breathes out, one thinks "falling". In this type of meditation, the breath serves as a tether that the practitioner uses to bring his or her awareness back to the present moment.

By residing more frequently in the present moment, practitioners begin to see both the inner and outer aspects of reality. Inner reality may unfold as one sees that the mind is continually chattering with commentary or judgment. By noticing that the mind is continually making commentary, one has the ability to carefully notice those thoughts - and decide if those thoughts have value.

Most often, mindful people realize that "thoughts are just thoughts" - the thoughts themselves have no weight. People are free to release a thought ("let it go") when they realize that the thought is not concrete reality. They are free to observe life without getting caught in the commentary.

As one more closely observes inner reality, one finds that happiness is not a quality brought about by a change in outer circumstances, but rather by realizing happiness starts with releasing attachment to thoughts; thereby releasing "automatic" reactions toward pleasant and unpleasant situations or feelings.

The following definition of forgiveness if from Wikipedia--

"Forgiveness is the mental, emotional and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution[[:Template:American Psychological Association. September, 2006]].

Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, it may be granted without any expectation of compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgement, apology, and/or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive. [[:Template:American Psychological Association. Italic textForgiveness: A Sampling of Research ResultsItalic text. September, 2006]]

Most world religions include teachings on the nature of forgiveness, and many of these teachings provide an underlying basis for many varying modern day traditions and practices of forgiveness. However, throughout the ages, philosophers have studied forgiveness apart from religion. In addition, as in other areas of human inquiry, science is beginning to question religious concepts of forgiveness. Psychology, sociology and medicine are among the scientific disciplines researching forgiveness or aspects of forgiveness.

Instances of teachings on forgiveness such as the parable of the Prodigal Son[1] and Mahatma Gandhi's forgiveness of his assassin as he lay dying, are well known instances of such teachings and practices of forgiveness. Some religious doctrines or philosophies place greater emphasis on the need for humans to find some sort of divine forgiveness for their own shortcomings, others place greater emphasis on the need for humans to practice forgiveness between one another, yet others make little or no distinction between human and/or divine forgiveness."

The following definition of serenity is taken from Wikipedia--

"The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer written by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930s or early 1940s.

Niebuhr seems to have written the prayer for use in a sermon, perhaps as early as 1934 (the date given in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 16th edn., ed. Justin Kaplan, 1992, p. 684), perhaps in the early 1940s.

Elisabeth Sifton's book The Serenity Prayer (2003) quotes this version as the authentic original:

"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."

The earliest verifiable printed texts so far discovered are an approximate version (apparently quoted from memory) in a query in the "Queries and Answers" column in The New York Times Book Review, July 12, 1942, p. 23, which asks for the author of the quotation; and a reply in the same column in the issue for August 2, 1942, p. 19, where the quotation is attributed to Niebuhr and an unidentified printed text is quoted as follows:

"O God and Heavenly Father,
Grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed; the courage to change that which can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

The prayer became widely known when it was adopted in modified form by Alcoholics Anonymous; an AA magazine, The AA Grapevine, identified Niebuhr as the author (January 1950, pp. 6-7), and the AA web site continues to identify Niebuhr as the author."

Welcome to Changemaker Family of Blogs. Changemaker is committed to the basic belief that each person has the opportunity for self-discovery and the potential for self-healing. As individuals, we sometimes choose paths that may be harmful to us. To get off that path and onto a new road takes exploration and experimentation.

The Changemaker Test offers education for self-discovery as we believe that the change within a person involves the courage to see (insight) and the courage to act (action). The test will teach anyone 10 or more labels about themselves.

Therefore, by using the labels to change themselves, the changemaker is the person who decides to learn and make the change happen.

In advocating the self-discovery model for understanding ourselves and others, Changemaker believes that the Changemaker Test can be used to help groups of persons interested in learning about themselves.

Healing begins when, in spite of all the negative self-talk going on inside a person, that person feels someone caring and loving them for no apparent reason. This unconditional love comes in spite of attempts to search for a motive.

The Changemaker Family of Blogs includes five blogs that each includes one of the basic topics from our main site, kathyberman.com.

1) answersbyemail.com -I wrote the Changemaker Test in 1990 and have only recently included it in my work. As a counselor and teacher, I realized that most of the self-discovery labels were only known by counselors. So I took the 5 major personality indicators and arranged a "test" that anyone can use to find 10 of his/her labels.

Therapy is the study of personality but it has been high-jacked by the mental health field to define mental illness. I say high jacked because most people need information/education and not therapy. I don't believe you can help anyone negatively. I have always pictured a person in denial as sitting out in the cold wrapped up in a thin blanket called denial. Many times people want to "help" by yanking off the blanket. How does that help anyone except the "helper's ego"?

2) changemakergroups.com - Changemaker Groups provide short-term specialized direction and solutions to help others to better understand themselves and us. With this direction and self-knowledge others will learn to implement techniques designed to lead to greater self-mastery. These groups are started by lay persons interested in self-discovery and helping others. Anyone with compassion for others and the humility to know that he/she doesn't have the answers for anyone's life except his/her own life.

Groups are the recognized best method for people to gain information and acceptance from others. One of the main underpinnings of AA is that all members are peers. Anyone has the opportunity to share and to be heard. The Changemaker Groups can be started at several free online community sites and/or in person.

3) cmlibrary.com -In 2005, I began selecting and defining the books I felt were the best for ten main topics developed in Changemaker. The topics are core (basic selection of 4 books that could be the foundation for life change), creativity, exercise, food, health, meditation, peace of mind, personal development, spiritual direction, and stress reduction. The core books are comprehensive and may be all the books someone needs. I have included several books I've used as my "textbooks" for my personal growth.

4) healingforyou.com -This blog will include all the topics needed for healing mentally, physically and emotionally. It also includes many links to tools to help you in your spiritual journey. I believe that each of us has a soul and our main life quest is the discovery and growth of our soul. I also believe that our soul is awakened by our creativity and that maturity is becoming that joyful, playful child that God created in us.

5) highenergygoals.com-I quit drinking alcohol in 1976, smoking in 1988, but I had gained weight. For over 10 years, I tried eating different ways with no weight loss. Then in 2006, I developed my basic weight loss plan. I lost 20 pounds which I have kept over for over a year. I am now beginning my Phase 2-20 more pounds. The High Energy plan includes food suggestions, exercise suggestions, and emotional and mental techniques needed for stress reduction. The plan is created by you to include the food, exercise, and techniques that you most enjoy. I know that a total life plan has to be enjoyable to be used.