Week 7: The Power of Center

Well these past seven weeks have gone quickly.

Many reminders and opportunites have arisen to see how far we have come provide markers along the way, now and in going forward.

And now, for Week 7 You are invited to

* Read Ch. 10 & 11, The I of the Storm by Gary Simmons
* Journal on the questions at the end of each chapter (Aware-apy)
* Review the weekly discussion questions and post your comments as you feel so guided.
* Post your Affirmation.
* Repeat your weekly affirmation daily.
* Commit to participating in our virtual study Group.

I trust you have received great insights from this experience both from this virtual discussion "blogroom" and in you everyday livingness. And may this "I of the Storm" virtual experience to bless you as you continue on your journey.

For your convenience, this blog will be available for your review/refresher until the next Book Study Discussion Group experience. Feel free to stop back, review the information and post your thoughts as you feel so guided.

Thank You for the opportunity, pleasure and privilege to share this experience with you.

Namaste,

Antoinette

Week 7: The Power of Center ~ Quotes

Quotes from our Text

“All centers have a single common property. They are never in conflict with any other center. Your center and my center can never oppose each other. This can be explained through the application of quantum theory. In quantum reality there is only one center. Every point in the universe can exhibit properties of the center. What this means is that your center and my center and the center of the universe are the same.”

Week 7: The Power of Center ~ Wisdom and Insights

Wisdom and Insights

“When we find ourselves in conflict, the details of the conflict might not be real. Much of what we perceive is based on our past experiences, and the way those experiences felt at the time. Any current feelings of fear, hurt, and anger come from what we did not get at the time, the needs that were not met. We came to believe that when those needs were not met, someone or something was against us. When we are present, we accept and release those conditioned feelings so that we are no longer motivated by them. We suspend our belief in a false reality that was based on the past. Released from the limits of our past, infinite possibilities are now accessible.”

-Larry Watson

Week 7: The Power of Center ~ Questions

Questions to Guide Our Group Discussion

* In our relationships, we can either be connected and extending our energy, or be separate and withdrawing our energy. When you withdraw your energy from the relationship, what direct effect does that have on the other person? Do they feel safe? Are they likely to be acting from their center?

*What happens in relationship when we consciously extend our energy? What direct effect does that have on other people?

* Your beliefs are simply strategies to protect or explain yourself. They are not who you really are. If this is true, who are you?

* We are to ask ourselves “What does my center want to do in this situation?” How does this question allow you to discover authentic action?

* In the midst of conflict, we can sense fear and insecurity welling up and dominating our attention. How do you “transcend” those fears and insecurities?

* Simmons says that peacemaking “is dynamic neutrality in the face of competing tensions or mutually exclusive positions.” Yet it is neither passive or aggressive. Explore this paradox.

* How do you create dynamic neutrality? What does that look like? What does that mean to you?

* What connections can you see between being a Peacemaker and the Season For Nonviolence?

Week 7: The Power of Center ~ Affirmation

The Power of Center

My center is where there is perfect equilibrium and perfect harmony.
I become the avenue through which God blesses this moment.
I, _________ , am living from my center of Principle.

Week Six: Nonresistance

Well time is certainly moving quickly. We are entering our sixth week of exploration. It is interesting the synchronicities between our readings, quote, insights, discussion questions and what shows up in our everyday livingness.

For Week 6 You are invited to

· Read Ch. 9, The I of the Storm by Gary Simmons

· Journal on the questions at the end of the chapter (Aware-apy)

· Review the weekly discussion questions and share your thoughts on any or all of them in the comments section.

· Post your Affirmation.

· Repeat your weekly affirmation daily.

· Commit to participating in your study Group.

Here's to another insightful week.

Namaste,

Antoinette

Week Six: Nonresistance ~ Quotes

Quotes from our Text

“Nonresistance is the I of the storm of defensiveness. It is the seat of wholeness and the contact point between heaven and earth—between the field of infinite possibilities and the needs of the particular situation.”

“Nonresistance and Communion are overlapping attributes in that being present to life without conditions means being connected to our experience—to whatever is happening in the moment without pushing it way, without any ifs, ands, or buts.”

“Being present to life means letting your center, your spiritual nature, move you instead of letting your fears or insecurities do it.”