When I first encountered the teachings of Meher Baba in the late 60’s I latched right onto his teaching that “selfless service” is the ultimate path to enlightenment. For me it was a great relief to not focus on what is or is not coming back. Commercialism was out and free love in. I still long for a kinder gentler world, a world where everyone is cared for. A world where we can each do what we love and celebrate an abundance of all we need. At the same time I’m not willing to assign a value, an exchange rate, a dollar figure to these. They should just come floating down from on high.

How much of this unwillingness is an attempt to avoid the grief and heartbreak, and under them the rage, over apparent inequities. Oh my God! Not my rage! Over an illusion! To quote Joanna Macy (p4) “for our heart, when it breaks open, can hold the whole universe.” As I travel through various stages of employment and unemployment and plunge into politics, interfaith work, a marketing plan, city governance, and child advocacy can I stay open to grief work, the heartbreak, the whole universe?” Trusting Spirit I can!

Blessings,  Love, Paul

Holotropic Breathwork

[Not for those in poor physical or mental health.]

Over the past 25 years I have experienced a variety of Breathwork sessions. For a year or so they were weekly events and at times I have gone as much as a year without a session. At first I needed a well trained and fearless therapist to guide me through the process. At this point I just do it. A brief description:

Bring a mat to lay on, a blanket in case you get cold, a bottle of water, a notebook and art supplies if you are so inclined. Holotropic Breathwork utilizes loud music with a beat. Other styles do not use music. The facilitator has the darkened room set up. The process begins with a check in: Is there anything going on that we need to know about or that would keep you from being fully present to this process?

The facilitator coaches the breath. The breath can vary from intentional hyperventilation, any number of energizing yogic breaths, to deep relaxation. All are full round breaths filling from the pelvic floor to the collar bones without holds. “Without holds” is the intention, all of us have places in our breath cycle where the breath catches, where the energy in our psycho-emotional-physiological system gets stuck. We want to breathe through this. In the process we release blockages and come to a new level of flow, energy, inspiration, oneness, power, love. This is our natural state, where we would live if we were not holding our grief at bay.

Take your time drawing/writing and debrief if you want. Usually you want two to three hours available.

Vision: Through Unity Circle we explore the cutting edge of consciousness and facilitate breakthrough experiences in authentic sustainable spiritual community.

Mission: Unity Circle facilitates interdependent

healing and growth through specialized services and guided group

processes.

Reevaluation

Unity Circle offers: A skill set. We facilitate community building processes that help clients discover their strengths and use them to change counterproductive patterns of relationship into productive patterns.

The market: These processes are especially appropriate for small businesses and family owned businesses that are less productive or less harmonious than they could be.

The unique value: Our perspective includes the spiritual, emotional, and systemic aspects of relationships.

The method: We begin by cataloguing the strengths of the individuals and the organization as a whole. We will use instruments such as the Myers – Briggs only when necessary. We then work with individuals to clarify their personal vision and mission. With these in hand we spend some time with personal and organizational histories. Together we look for patterns, connections, and gaps. Only after these processes do we begin looking at corporate vision and mission and the action steps necessary to move forward. We follow up with two sessions with each individual and one group session.

We prefer scheduling a minimum of six two hour sessions every two weeks over twelve weeks.

The madness: All too often we think we can separate work from home and from play. Try as we might our Grandparents come to work with us in the form of a myriad of family patterns that play out on the job. Our descendants come to work in our aspirations and dreams. When we know some of these things about each other we can effectively support each other and play together. The old saying goes: If we can’t laugh with each other we will be crying alone.

Despair and Empowerment Work   http://www.joannamacy.net

Theory. Many of us are paralyzed by fear and powerlessness in the face of the threat of nuclear war or terrorism or peak oil. Despair and empowerment work was innovated by Buddhist scholar and deep ecology practitioner Joanna Macey to get through the denial that disempowers us. “Fully confronting the issue might come as something of a relief, a revelation even, as long as we can also see how to change, to imagine some practical projects we can embark on. Macy's techniques have found widespread use across several continents and contexts.” (Fenderson)

Application. Macy has used this work to help people deal with the cold war, the nuclear threat, the aftermath of Chernobyl, the decimation of forests, and peak oil.

Resources.  This one day or more workshop requires facilitators trained in psychotherapy and a location that would encourage emoting.

Process.  John Steiner of Boulder CO uses the following process:

First, before a meeting, people read some shared written material and/or watch a video and/or listen to a tape, etc., about one or more major threats. Then a series of actions are done -- in one or more sessions -- as follows:
l.) Everyone lists all the possible assaults they can think of on the environment and life as we know it, including the threat featured in the introductory material.
2.) They are asked: What are your greatest fears about these threats? They go around the circle at least once -- and more if required.
3.) They are led through a guided visualization designed to evoke their dreams and hopes.
4.) They explore "What is your life purpose?"
At that point, most people are ready to move into operational mode. (Atlee)

Results.  International social justice activist Ruth Rosenhek said: “Despair and Empowerment work affirms that our feelings matter and it allows our natural intelligence to flow. We then remember that intuitive feelings have been around a lot longer than the thinking typified by strategic planning. Intuition and feelings helped our ancestors to survive for millions of years. If we acknowledge our intuition and feelings, we are better able to find solutions and act in positive ways.” (Rosenhek)

The Greatest Danger by  Macy, Joanna. (2008 Spring). Yes (45). 53-54

How do we live with the fact that we are destroying our world? … Because of social taboos, despair at the state of our world and fear for our future are rarely acknowledged. The suppression of despair, like that of any deep recurring response, contributes to the numbing of the psyche. Expressions of anguish or outrage are muted, deadened as if a nerve, had been cut. This refusal to feel impoverishes our emotional and sensory life. Flowers are dimmer and less fragrant, our loves less ecstatic. We create diversions for ourselves as individuals and as nations, in the fights we pick, the aims we pursue, and the stuff we buy.

Of all the dangers we face, from climate chaos to permanent war, none is so great as this deadening of our response. For psychic numbing impedes our capacity to process and respond to information. … When we open our eyes to what is happening, even when it breaks our hearts, we discover our true size; for our heart, when it breaks open, can hold the whole universe. We discover how speaking the truth of our anguish for the world brings down the walls between us, drawing us into deep solidarity. That solidarity, with our neighbors and all that lives, is all the more real for the uncertainty we face.

When we stop distracting ourselves by trying to figure the chances of success or failure, our minds and hearts are liberated into the present moment. This moment then becomes alive, charged with possibilities, as we realize how lucky we are to be alive now, to take part in this planetary adventure. (Macy. 2008)

Pilgrimage of Abraham

Our mission is to: Provide engaging opportunities in the Twin Cities to heal the ancient wounds that separate Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions so people of all Faiths can Live together without Fear.

We accomplish this mission when we create an environment in which we can safely share our beliefs, history, hopes and fears. Coming together in a circle we listen deeply and speak from the heart. We will use the first two meetings to establish the circle. We will bring Muslim, Jewish and Christian points of view on Abraham as our common ancestor to this circle.  We will have time to share our thoughts and feelings, our faith and hope.

Weddings, Blessings, Counseling

Pastor Paul would love to officiate at your wedding and is available to bless homes, children and pets.  Life changes can be more productively embraced in community with friends and family using ritual designed to acknowledge the presence of Spirit in the process. Paul is also available for pastoral counseling. Paul is trained in the use of the Prepare Enrich inventory which is an excellent tool in relationship counseling.