Category Archives: Compassion

Breaking Destructive Cycles

Life is full of cycles.  Yearly cycles of seasons, seasonal holidays and cycles of learning and growth, graduation, and then beginning again to learn more.  And there are monthly cycles of bills to pay, full moons, and fertility.

blossom-918453_960_720While some cycles are natural and can be comforting and even inspiring, other cycles can be painful and destructive.  Cycles of anger, codependency, depression, and addiction for example.

All destructive cycles have certain characterizing words in common, words like triggers, breaking points, regret, so called “honeymoon periods,” and periods where emotions builds again.  Some destructive cycles can be very short, repeating weekly or even daily, and some can be much longer, repeating monthly or even longer.

Consider anger for example, and its partner codependency.  In the anger cycle, tensionsurreal-402830_960_720 builds, a trigger causes a break when yelling and breaking of things may occur, followed by regret and a period of calm.  Meanwhile,  a more passive or passive aggressive partner might try to be “nice” for awhile, but eventually attempts to exercise some form of rebellion or self care, which changes a usual routine.  This break from routine may “trigger” an argument or angry outburst, and the cycle repeats.

Even depression can have an identifiable cycle, moving from self care, to self isolation, and self neglect.

Every close relationship experiences disagreements, everyone gets angry or unhappy at one time or another, and many people have occasional alcoholic beverages without embarrassing or hurting themselves or others.  How can people recognized they are getting “trapped” in a cycle?

1338259321When life or livelihood gets interrupted, especially on a routine basis, it is time to consider making some meaningful changes before someone gets hurt.  The monthly arguments that always escalate into loud conflict, damaged property, or bruises, the occasional drinking or prescription drug use that turns into every weekend and eventually creeps into the work week, the mood swings that lead to either avoiding friends and family or erupt in conflict with coworkers or customers.

The good news is that recognizing these cycle traps is the beginning of healing.  Developing self awareness about triggers, addiction, anger, general anxiety and depression levels, and codependent complacency behaviors can help us to break out of cycle traps before they reach a critical “blow up” or “melt down” stage.

How do we develop self awareness?  Tools like journaling, taking note of our state of mind, recognizing the repeated events that lead up to “breaking points”, becoming aware of words or events that trigger impulsive outbursts or depression or drinking or drug use can be of great help.

Coupled with developing self awareness are development of tools for altering thinking or feet-538245__180behavior patterns.  Techniques like deep breathing, grounding, calling a friend or sponsor, or just walking away can be helpful.

This is where taking part in therapeutic groups dedicated to emotions, alcoholics, narcotics, or codependency, can be helpful.  Engagement in one on one counseling with a trusted professional can be helpful also.

Meditation practices are a natural form of self care.  Meditation can lead to increased awareness and compassion for self and others, while the relaxation and breathing associated with meditation can be a helpful tool in letting go of the some of the thoughts and feelings that feed the cyclical traps.

With this in mind, Sunrise Meditation and Counseling  are happy to announce another “Meditation Day Retreat”  in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains on Saturday April 30th.  Our location is in Sautee Georgia which is near Helen Georgia, about an hour from Gwinnett and about 1.5 hours from Metro Atlanta.

logolargerPeople who attend our classes learn skills for developing self awareness, dealing with stress, and increasing enjoyment of life and personal freedom through letting go of negative thoughts and emotions.  More advanced classes explore increasing Spirituality through Divine Communion practice, and exercising Compassion with healthy boundaries for self and others.  People who are new to meditation and people who are experienced with meditation find our classes helpful.

Our Saturday morning class from 10:00-11:30 teaches basic meditation skills including breath centered mind stabilization and mindfulness.  Our afternoon class from 1:00-2:30 explores more advanced skills designed to Open our Consciousness.  Our classes generally include about 20-30 minutes of instruction and discussion, and 20-30 minutes of meditation skill practice.

To register, visit our Workshops page and sign up on line, or call 678-358-8775.  Our rates are very reasonable, 25.00 for a class or 40.00 for signing up for two classes or bringing a friend.

Christmas Meditation Prayer Gift

This Holiday Season, we are grateful to be blessed with friends who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Athiest-Humanist, Gay, Straight, and from many continents and many walks of life.

We were recently reminded that Jesus the Christ was born a Middle Eastern Jewish child who was raised speaking Aramaic, which was an early form of present day Arabic.  May we come full circle in recognizing that we are all God’s Children, all Beloved, and all Brothers and Sisters.

Meditation can be described and used as a form of listening prayer.  As a gift to all who read this blog, we have condensed the entire Christian Tantric Meditation process into prayer form.  We hope this prayer inspires healing, peace, and gratitude in a world that sorely needs hope.

Gracious God, Merciful Allah, Bountiful Universe,

Please receive this offering of the desires of my mind, that my mind might be clear to discern your Holy Presence.

Please receive this offering of the resentments and attachments in my heart, that my heart might be open to receive your Unconditional Love.

Please receive this offering of the fears and burdens in my core, that my core might be empty to receive your Boundless Strength.

Gracious God, Merciful Allah, Bountiful Universe,

Please fill my mind with your Infinite Awareness, that I may fully experience your Bountiful gift of Life

Please fill my heart with your healing Grace, that my heart may overflow with your Love.

Please fill my Core with your Strength and Wisdom, that I may be filled with your Peace

Gracious God, Merciful Allah, Bountiful Universe,

Please open my mind to the suffering of others, that I may be moved to Compassion, even as you are Compassionate.

Please open my heart to the brokenness of others, that I may be a Hopeful Healing Presence, even as you are a Hopeful Healing Presence

Please open my core to the fears of others, that I may be Merciful towards others, even as you are Merciful.

Atlanta Area North Georgia Mountain Meditation Classes

Just one week left to register for our next set of introductory meditation classes in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains.  Our location is in Sautee Georgia which is near Helen Georgia, about an hour from Gwinnett and about 1.5 hours from Metro Atlanta.

People who attend our classes learn skills for dealing with stress and increasing enjoyment of life and personal feedom through letting go of negative thoughts and emotions.  More advanced classes explore increasing Spirituality through Divine Communion practice, and exercising Compassion with healthy boundaries for self and others.  People who are new to meditation and people who are experienced with meditation find our classes helpful.

Our Saturday morning class from 10:00-11:30 teaches basic meditation skills including breath centered mind stabilization and mindfulness.  Our afternoon class from 1:00-2:30 explores more advanced skills designed to Open our Consciousness.  Our classes generally include about one hour of instruction and discussion, and 20-30 minutes of meditation skill practice.

Registration is easy, just visit our Workshops page and sign up on line or call 678-358-8775.  Our rates are very reasonable, 25.00 for a class or 40.00 for signing up for two classes or bringing a friend.

Blessings!

Unlocking Human Potential

“Unlocking Human Potential” is an overused phrase. Its used to sell drugs, food products, cosmetic products, gym memberships, yoga, Martial Arts, Meditation, and all manner of self help programs.

As over used and commercialized as the phrase is, unlocking the full potential of every human being on this planet is perhaps the most important task before us, not only for humanity to thrive, but for humanity to survive.

Human potential is incredible. Human potential brought us Einstein, Mozart, and Madame Curie. Human potential also brought us Jesus the Christ, Buddha, and Ghandi.  We are capable of so much creativity, innovation, and beauty.

Many people believe that our potential for great and wonderful things is a Divine Gift. Divinity, Spirituality, and Humanity are all part of who we were created to be, made in the Image of God.  Whether our faith is in God, Karma, or Human Potential alone, we can all agree that we are capable of great and wonderful things.

Humanity has achieved a great deal, but there is so much left to do. Understanding the quantum building blocks of our universe has the potential of unleashing unlimited energy and synthesis of new and amazing materials. Understanding the building blocks of life has the potential of creating  cures for devastating diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

There are symphonies to write, artworks to create, people to heal, and love to share. There are bridges to build, roads to repair, and buildings to renovate. There are forces of nature to understand and tame, like earthquakes and hurricanes. There are oceans and streams and forests to clean up, and fellow living creatures to help flourish.

There is much to do, and human beings have been given the gifts, the rights, and the responsibilities to do these things. We have the potential.

But we are held back from realizing our potential. Too many people are held back for lack of access to clean water, healthy food, healthcare, and education. Too many hard working people are held back from achieving their potential due to hard economic conditions, prejudice, lack of encouragement, and a sense of powerlesseness.

Along with the external conditions that hold us back, there are also internal conditions that hold us back. Fear, anxiety, and depression. Addiction, codependency, and resentments. Even over-confidence and lack of listening skills and empathy can hold us back.  Many of us live a balancing act, dealing with our “issues” while we limp along in our jobs and careers, our families, and our faiths, making due but also holding back, being held back, from realizing our true potential.

Our true potential includes great love and compassion, and helping and sharing hope with others. By holding ourselves back, we hold everyone back.

How can we move closer to realizing our potential? It seems like common sense that we need to let go of the burdens and blocks in life that hold us back. Only by letting go of our burdens and blocks can we move forward to accept the Divine gifts that we are all blessed with.

For many people, laying our burdens down, and surrendering them to a Higher Power can be very liberating. For most of us, it takes more than a simple act of will to let go of burdens and blocks that have taken a lifetime to build. Most of us are like the seed that falls in shallow ground, our faith sprouts, but the cares of the world prevent us from realizing our true potential.

To build up mental, emotional, and physical strength and endurance requires exercise and attention to our environments. But most of all, it requires a healthy attitude, a new way of thinking, accepting hopefulness and healthiness as a way of life, more than just a desire to change. In order for our seeds of faith and hope to flourish, we need to cultivate the ground, our inner selves, our minds, hearts, and cores.

Christian Tantric Meditation offers a method for tilling our inner ground, breaking up the clumps of clay and rock that prevent our potential from flourishing. In our four part / eight class program, we teach basic meditation skills, letting go of the inner turmoil that holds us back, accepting the Divine Grace that provides nourishment and growth, and finally, healthy relationships and compassion for others.

We offer Meditation training classes in our Sautee Georgia studio in the beautiful north Georgia mountains, just 1.5 hours from Atlanta.  Our costs are very reasonable, 25.00 for a 1.5 hour class, or 20.00 if you register for two classes or bring a friend.

Our next introductory classes are opening Saturday October 17th.  Please visit our Contact and Registration page to register online, or give us a call at 678-358-8775.  We’re looking forward to helping you to realize your full potential.

The Christian Tantric Meditation methods are also available in book form through Amazon.com and some local booksellers.  Visit our publications page for more information about the book.

Have a Blessed Day!

 

 

Post Election Compassion

In counseling we teach that we cannot change others, but we can improve our relations by changing ourselves. This is usually expressed in terms of building healthy boundaries, but I believe we can cultivate compassionate relationships by exercising compassion AND healthy boundaries. 20140704_181100_1

It gets complicated when we want others to be more “like us.” In counseling we call that triangulation – bringing in a third party rather than dealing directly with another person. That creates difficulties when conservative factions triangulate to what they consider “principles” (You should have more principles!) and liberal factions triangulate to what they consider “caring for others”  (You should have more empathy!)

Maybe when we triangulate we are expressing frustration with our own limitations as human beings. “I’m not good enough on my own – you should be good too, then maybe things will get better!” “I’m not helpful enough on my own – you should contribute more, then maybe things will get better!”

As a counselor, my advice to both parties would probably be to work on building and maintaining healthy boundaries. By over-identifying with “principle” a person can feel burdened by the sin of their own inherent humanity – unrighteousness. And by over-identifying with “caring for others”, a person can become burdened by the sin of own inherent humanity – vulnerability and need to care for self.

So the question remains – can we forgive and have compassion for each other? Can we recognize and have compassion for “those who suffer for righteousness sake”, even when they triangulate their frustrations toward others? Can we recognize and have compassion for “those who suffer on behalf of others”, even when they triangulate their frustrations toward others?

This is the root of compassion – appreciating the suffering that the other endures. And it is easy, very easy, to recognize suffering, because for the most part the sources of suffering are projected onto others. In the US, just watch Fox or MSNBC news for a few minutes, and every time someone says “should”, translate the phrase into “I wish I could”.  “Obama should build a wall to protect us” turns into “I wish I could build a wall.”  “Boehner should help undocumented workers” turns into “I wish I could help undocumented workers.”  Every time someone says “should” they express their own suffering, which presents an opportunity to increase compassion.

Of course, compassion and safe boundaries need to go hand in hand. This is part of what is unique about the compassion meditation process described in the book “Christian Tantric Meditation Guide.” In some   compassion meditation protocols questions about abuse are greeted with either silence or “just be more compassionate.” If we are going to practice compassion for our enemies, we need to do so from a safe distance.

What are the benefits of compassion?  When we develop self awareness and compassion – toward ourselves, our loved ones, our enemies, and universally, when someone looks us in the eye and says “you’re not good enough!” which we may interpret in each our own way – instead of being defensive and resentful, from a safe and respectful distance we can smile back and say “I’m human, and that’s OK. Have a blessed day!”