moment. You are not welcoming causative factors, or condoning untenable actions or events. For example, if your car is stolen, you are not welcoming burglary, but rather the emotions you feel as a result of having your car stolen. So you would not be saying, “Welcome stealing” but rather “Welcome anger” or whatever other emo- tion you might be feeling.
3. Let go Do not rush to this step too soon. Most
of the heavy lifting of this process occurs in the first two steps. Give yourself plenty of time to go back and forth between steps one and two as many times as needed. Wait until you begin to feel a physiological shifting before you try to let go. Also, re- member that you are only letting go for this moment, not for all time. When you are ready to let go, you can
make up your own short statement of let- ting go, such as “I let go of fear” or “I re- lease worry now,” or you can use a litany developed by the creator of the Welcome Practice, Mary Mrozowski. It goes some- thing like this:
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for esteem and affection.
I let go of my desire for security and approval.
I let go of my desire to change the situation.
And so now you know the Welcome
Practice! If something happens to push your buttons this holiday season, I hope you will try it. With the Welcome Practice, the real proof is in the pudding. The only way to experience its remarkable power to set you free from your “small self” and align you with your “big self" is to try it when you are in need. While this practice is a relative new-
comer, having only been practiced for less than twenty years, recognition of the transformative power of welcoming is very old. I would like to close by sharing this poem with you which was written by a Muslim poet named Rumi, who was born in Afghanistan in the thirteenth century.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house, every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent As a guide from beyond. ---Rumi
The Welcome Practice in the article is my own slightly modified version of a practice originally created by Mary Mrozowski a close friend and associate of Fr. Thomas Keating, I would like to give special thanks to Mary for brilliantly developing this prac- tice, to Cynthia Bourgeault for writing and teaching about it so profoundly in her books and in person, and to Contemplative Out- reach for its fine educational materials about the Welcome Practice. For more information about the Welcome Practice you can go to
www.contemplativeoutreach.org
Sandy Seeber is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Associate Healing Tao In- structor. She is a certified practitioner of Energy Psychology, Body Mind Psycho- therapy, and Healing Touch, as well as being a certified Enneagram Trainer and Labyrinth Facilitator. She is in private prac- tice at 112 South Spruce Street in Winston- Salem and teaches Tai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung) with her Three Treasures Tai Chi partners Alan Graham, Beverly Isley Lan- dreth, and David Harold. For more infor- mation about how to TAP AWAY HOLIDAY STRESS on December 5th as well as other workshops, classes, or private sessions please see the NEWS BRIEFS and CALEN- DAR. To contact Sandy, you can go to
www.sandyseeber.com and/or www.
threetreasures.org ; call 336.724.1822; or send an email to
sandy@sandyseeber.com. See ad on page 25.
Natural Triad Magazine DECEMBER 2011 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52