"Are You a God?" they asked the Buddha.
"No," he replied.
"Are you an angel then?' "No."
"A Saint?" "No."
"Then what are you?"
Replied the Buddha, "I am awake."
-Houston Smith
We know there is a light inside of us, sometimes we just can't
find the switch. At times we might hear someone speak of their troubles
and insights and automatically the "answer" light switches on inside
our selves. Sometimes it's even better than the answer we were looking
for. That is the power of spirit in community. The same is true as
we learn to tune in to the felt senses of our body and make room for
whatever is present. When we give those "sensations" respect and space
to "be" without judgment, an inner transformation of energy occurs
and brings forth our spiritual light. That is the power of spirit
within.
Spirituality is the most beautiful part of the journey to complete
recovery or wholeness; whatever form that spirituality might take. It is also
the part of the journey that keeps unfolding, even after we have "completely recovered"
our authentic self. No one can tell you what that is, or define it for you. You
will discover it in the scriptures of your own heart and the light within your
body.
Spirit Blossoms in Community
First and foremost, in Authentic Process Healing when we say community
we simply and clearly mean two or more people being real (or authentic)
with each other. This can mean two good friends or a health practitioner
and client. While we do not deny that one can have exquisite spiritual
experiences in isolation or with nature, spirit truly blossoms and
grounds itself in community.
There is a collective power in community-based healing that helps
spirituality flourish. (See this website's "doorway" on Community for a demonstration
of this.) An unexplainable magic occurs when people join together with a shared
intention to heal. When they let down their masks of composure in the safety
of a ritually rich, structured format, and they nonjudgmentally share struggles, joys
and sorrow, an indescribable healing takes place. There are so many ways to find
and heal your spirit in community today. Seize the moment! Some possibilities
are 12-Step Groups, The Foundation for Community Encouragement, The Institute
for Staged Recovery, The Institute for Noetic Sciences, and many more in our extensive
links list and geographical map. People are also creating communities on their
own using Wisdom Circles: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Community Building
in Small Groups by Garfield, Spring & Cahill. It is a magnificent tool. Others
are building community in cyberspace, similar to what we are doing here.
You make the choices for your community involvement. You are always
the empowered one in APH. Just remember the words: Spirit blooms in community.
The rest is up to you. May you find just the right resources throughout this website.
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