The Body of Christ: Pillars of Spirituality

This is a spiritual fitness workshop. Spiritual growth occurs both from the outside in, with actions inducing shifts in consciousness, and from inside out, with experience and insight inducing changes in behavior. The workshop objective is that each person learn more about their own spiritual gifts and learn both individual and corporate practices for developing them. As well, the exercise practices we will do have the potential to improve each person's ability to recognize opportunities (nudges and calls) for using their gifts in loving service to others and to their community, and for growing into the trust in the inner teacher required for faithfulness.
In the recognition that each person has their own spiritual content, we will focus first on self-assessment, including the loci of awareness where each aspect is centered within our bodies, before moving into detailed work on each aspect in the context of the whole.
I will ask each participant to bring to Gathering an object (or a photograph, if the object is a large one) that plays an important role in the development of their spirituality.

Tentative Schedule: There will be a brief centering worship before the activities listed below for each session, and a brief open worship at the end of each. Readings for contemplation are read aloud. Various individual and group contemplative practices will be used on each day, including visioning meditation, worship sharing and lectio divina.
Meeting One. Introduction
a. Reading for Contemplation: 1 Corinthians 12
b. What are the four pillars/domains/aspects of spirituality? Descriptive content of this taxonomy and its holographic nature
c. What is each participant’s perspective or experience of each of these aspects?
d. Introduction of chants, mudras (hand postures) and other postures to clear or enhance activity of body regions where each aspect is centered.
e. Exercise for assessing current profile for each participant
Meeting Two. Community
a. Reading for Contemplation: Penington’s letter from Aylesbury (1667)
b. Triads and whole group exercises around being "members of one another." What is the place of spiritual community in your life? What are your spiritual gifts? What corporate practices might assist your growing into your gifts of ministry for your community?
c. Individual practice for enhancing function of root and crown chakras and their relationship.
d. Sharing of experience around this practice.
Meeting Three. Belief (“This can I say”)
a. The Word and The Embodiment. How to talk about our beliefs about divinity/transcendence/wholeness without creating a Tower of Babel: group exercise
b. Writing a creation myth and sharing it with the group
c. Individual practice for enhancing function of second and sixth chakras and the counterpoint between them
d. Sharing of experience around this practice.
Meeting Four. Mystery
a. Reading for Contemplation: 1 Corinthians 13
b. Experiment in Giving and Receiving
c. Individual practice for enhancing function of the heart chakra
d. Sharing of experience around this practice.
Meeting Five. Activism
a. Reading for Contemplation. From John Woolman’s Journal.
b. How to avoid turning an action into an attempt to control: The Activist’s Galliard
c. Exercise around Trust.
d. Individual practice for enhancing function of the third and fifth chakras and the collaboration between them
e. Sharing of experience around this practice.

N.B. All of the hand and body postures I will use are gentle enough for anyone with the level of physical ability that allows them to be at Gathering and can be done seated in a normal chair. However, if some participants desire the freedom of movement a mat and pillow can afford.they should bring their own with them.

About the leader :
I will be facilitating one of the six two-hour sessions (“Worship”—6 October 2012) on Quaker Topics being offered by Green Street Meeting to its community this fall. I have led workshops at Gatherings 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012. I developed this series in consultation with other members of Green Street’s Worship and Ministry Committee.
I taught a term-long course at Pendle Hill, spring 2011, “Writing Our Lives”
I co-led the Inquirers Weekend Workshop November 2010 at Pendle Hill.
I co-facilitated the A&O Outreach Hour-and-One-Half with Jane Berger at 2007 Gathering
I facilitated a two-part (one-and-one-half hours each part) workshop on our NYM Sessions theme, Building Spiritual Bridges. (2007 NYM Sessions)
I facilitated an afternoon workshop on responsibility and co-creation at our NYM regional meeting (2003 Milwaukee)