Conflict as a Spiritual Process

with Laura Chapman

May 12, 2009
 

Laura began her presentation with the Latin origin of the word “Conflict” which is “the act of striking together.” Hence, its definitions today as an actual armed battle or personal opposition of interests (external and internal). She suggested that personal conflict is “the complete entrance into our spiritual life” since it is an ongoing process of the human spirit which always has a lot “aliveness and life-force.” For sure, conflict creates cognitive dissonance. But this situation may remain especially painful only if we focus on identifying with one side, e.g. being “In the Light.” What if we don’t identify with either side, but “stand in the middle;” then continue “slow by slow.”

Around that point in her presentation, Vic Leanza asked Laura, “Did anyone tell you about Shadybrook?” Many readers may know of, or were participants in, a recent series of “conflict resolution” programs available to the Board of Trustees and interested members. I attended half of them, so I laughed. I also wrote a script about Shadybrook’s history for our 50th Anniversary program in 2005. So, I know well that Shadybrook is still a thriving organization because it has continued to acknowledge and explore the theme of “conflict as possibility and transformation.”

Laura asked the group, “What is your personal story about change? And, what is the statement behind the question? Discomfort? Loss?” She suggested we practice not holding onto our beliefs about “the other” even though we feel compelled to support our own “who I am” structure.
We each made a list of the behaviors or qualities we disliked in other people and she listed them on the board. She then challenged us to re-imagine each one as “positive.” For example, “opinionated” can be construed as “forthright and self-confident.”

Often we hold the tension of opposition below a level of consciousness or try to disown the “shadow energy.” Jung’s description of the holding is the two serpents winding together; he felt this opposition is the dilemma of being human. To activate the psychic energy that conflict releases, we need to sit with it and incubate or percolate with it and have a willingness to be inside ourselves as an “entrance to our humanness.” Laura’s advice: Stay with the heart if you want transformation. When you encounter a conflict with another as unacceptable or uneasy, try to meet it and stay open. Hold the notion that this conflict may be an opening to your unrealized potential.

I was reminded of the analogy Jan Phillips uses about personal conflict in her book The Art of Original Thinking: The Making of a Thought Leader (Ed. note: see below.) In a car battery, positive and negative charges are in opposition. But, their juxtaposition creates a transformation to a new form, a spark.

Laura also shared some adventures that she had in Tibet and India helping set up and operate a dispensary. As a traveler who was in India and Nepal in the 70’s, I was really intrigued by them and I wanted to hear more of those stories. Perhaps that could be another program.

Review by Linda Durnbaugh
 

Book Group

May/June, 2009
 

Although the book has plenty of resources for further exploration, we also shared ideas and resources for further study which were compiled into a list. Contact Carla or Linda Durnbaugh, facilitators of the group, if interested in a copy of the list.
The book is also full of great relevant quotes which we took time to relate to. One of the quotes that was particularly favored was: What we ask of the tellers of the new story is their voice and their courage. We do not need them to create a massive training program, a global approach, a dramatic style. We only need them to break their silence and share their ideas of the world as they have come to know it (Margaret Wheatley, p. 70).
Jan encourages us to create groups where we can share our stories “in community.” Thank you Shadybrook for allowing us the format to do just that! And thank you, Jan, for donating the books, so everyone who wanted one could read it!
A few more books may be available. If you are interested in reading a thoughtful and positive book about action we can take now for the future, ask Beth Bracale for a copy.

Review by Carla Durnbaugh
 

Sacred Sites and World Healing

with Ken Harsh

April 14, 2009
 

 He also shared information about leylines, chakras, arches as doorways, and prophecies as guidelines. This information can help us humans assist in the creation of planetary balance so the sacred sites, as places of power and peace, can co-create with us transformation. I had previously only experienced Ken’s programs and workshops which were focused on stones and gems where he begins his presentation by throwing significant stones to each person in the audience. For this particular Shadybrook program, he threw at our audience a rapid-fire delivery of information and stories which accompanied his slides, even as he suggested that we “listen to voices in our mind’s eye.”
  In addition to recommending the website www.sacredsites.com created by Martin Grey, Ken distributed handouts with maps of leylines, Egyptian sculpture, and his schedule of upcoming events and tours. September 11-13, he will be at the Journey Expo at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland and his upcoming tours for the rest of 2009 through 2011 include adventures to some Ohio mounds, Tucson, Sandusky, Iowa, Canada, Egypt, Belize, the Yucatan, and China. Interested in joining him? You can contact Ken at KarmaKenHa @aol.com.

Review by Linda Durnbaugh
 

Luminous Relationships

with Ron Bracale

March, 10 2009
 

Part of Ron Bracale’s program reminded me of this quote from Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751):
   Come, not to study the map of spiritual terrain,
   but to possess it for yourself;
   to walk about in it without fear of going astray.
   Why learn the theory of Divine Grace,
   and what it has been doing throughout history,
   when you can become the very instrument of its operation?

Bracale asserted that spouting spiritual principles is not helpful unless the theories are practical for everyday use, aiding people in improving their lives. He then described various spiritual paths, among them montheism, as opposed to monotheism (where there is God and that which is not God) or polytheism (many gods). Bracale stated that he believes we are whole unto ourselves and in relationship as aspects of the One, although the mind wants to divide us into separate beings in order to function in the world. We want and need to use the mind to reach infinite reality and yet the mind really can not touch infinite unified reality, only our luminous spirits can. He asserted that the microcosm is as the macrocosm through loving relationship. Thus, each of us is a universe, parallel to all others, with our own beliefs, our own perceivers, sensing the universe around us and within us as well as perceiving ourselves, our actions and thoughts, the observers of our daily lives.

Bracale described the various levels between the infinity of concrete Earth and Infinite Sky, including the fact that the body is designed to connect to the earth, such as when we lie on the earth to enable us to heal. The middle place within this continuum is the place of freedom.

He suggested an interesting view of the chakra system, but the view is well worth a look and is described in full on one of his websites, www.SpiritinService.com. His chakra connections, taught to him long ago, are quite possibly different from your own system. The luminous light strands, creating the luminous relationships we have, connect through energy wheels or the seven main and many other chakras of the light body system within the human and thus, through the luminous system, we are within one another through the light body or energy system. This is most obvious in relationships with loved ones.

If we choose to work within the luminous space, we can go into the luminosity to let go of hurts, and to pursue soul retrieval to reconnect our bits and pieces of Self, some of which were left behind in the past. While we have a fluid consciousness, a lot of consciousness is trapped in the past so that we have difficulty being fully in the present with each other. Choosing to release the past and connect our parts increases our availability in the present to our various luminous relationships.

Bracale also brought some of his photography, fractal art, and music CD’s to share with the group. To find more on Bracale’s spiritual work you can visit (www.spiritinservice.com); for his art (www.bracaleart.com); or for Ridge Haven Farm where he and his wife Beth live and work (www.ourridgehaven.com).

Review by Barbara E.T. Douglass
 

The Return of Light:
The Ever-Present Opportunity of Hope

December 9, 2008

Winter Solstice Celebration
with Laura Christian Imbornoni

Past Life Regression Therapy

with Norma Joseph

January 13, 2009

Humanity continues to wonder about regression, past lives, death and rebirth. Norma, a psychotherapist, certified hypnotherapist, and licensed chemical dependency counselor, has studied with Dr. Brian Weiss, a well-known psychiatrist and author of Many Lives, Many Masters. These studies have led her to believe that people can rid themselves of “hangs-ups” or phobias through the process of past live regression. Past life regression is done through hypnosis with the intention of finding out about a former life. We watched a video with Dr. Weiss doing past life regression. Also, two Shadybrookers, Beth and Ron Bracale, shared their past life regression experiences that Norma guided them through. They discovered that their personality traits and attitudes in their current life might have a past life connection.
 

I am a friendly scientist who is best at reporting on “nothing but the facts, Ma’am.” But, Norma’s presentation reminded me that the “facts” are indeed a “fire” behind the “smoke” of controversy. For myself, I remember my mother, who lived in Switzerland and studied with Carl Jung, writing to me about dreams and images people reported to her and Jung—enough to make people wonder about past life regression, death, and rebirth. Carl Jung was particularly interested in clients whose past life experiences had incidents and occurrences that paralleled their current life.

As I prepared this review, I found many more questions than answers. In the past I knew of Shadybrook groups studying Edgar Casey’s writings. Perhaps we may find enough interest to get a group to tackle a subject such as reincarnation in history.

Submitted by Baldwin Sawyer
 

Engaging Change:
4 Stages to Making the Shift You Desire

With Diana Repko

February 10, 2009

Diana enthusiastically engaged us in the idea of making a change in our lives. “Change is constant,” she reminded us, “it is a part of life.” Her model for engaging change is designed to help people recognize and adjust to change. Diana’s knowledge and real –life examples guided us through the 4 identified Stages. Stage 1: Deciding What Needs to Change; Stage 2: Preparing for Change; Stage 3: Engaging Change; Stage 4: Living Change.

With the aid of Diana’s helpful worksheets, we were able to spend some time exploring personal change. For instance, in Stage 1, we were looking for an area of our life that was out of balance. Was it in our relationship with self, relationship with others, relationship with work, or relationship with the world? In Stage 2 we made decisions about how to make the shift. Would our Stage 1 choice be manifested by creating space for the change, “purging gunk” within ourselves, figuring out what we could control in our lives, or would we have a redefinition of

ourselves by recognizing changes within ourselves? Her helpful pamphlet of worksheets gave us an idea of how to continue to pursue a personal change through Stage 3 and 4.

It is clear that Diana lives what she speaks. She loves change! In fact, as she prepared for this presentation she changed the structure of her model from 7 Steps to 4 Stages and told us how much fun she had making the change.

Diana ended our evening with a guided meditation that tied all of the Stages together. She advised us to, “stand more securely in the truth that is you,” by implementing change in our lives.

Her training in teaching, ministry, and Life Coaching have come together to make her presentation unique and inspiring. I would encourage anyone to check out her website: www.dichristicoaching.com. Thanks for a wonderful presentation and great worksheets to continue the journey.

Submitted by Carla Durnbaugh