Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
… And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
– Mark 8: 27, 29
Today, you are invited to simply pause and reflect, breathe in and out: What have you heard? What has spoken to your heart? What do you wish to carry forward?
A Meditation
“Our true nature is stillness,
The Source from which we come.
It manifests itself within us
As a rising tide of silence,
A flowing stream of peacefulness,
A limitless ocean of calm,
Or just sheer stillness.
The deep listening of pure contemplation
Is the path to stillness.
All words disappear into It,
And all creation awakens to the delight of
Just Being.”
– Thomas Keating, “Stillness,” The Secret Embrace
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“And so, the question: What is a human being? Or, more specifically ‘Who are you?’ begins to emerge into prominent light and each one of these realities requires our consent to open to the next possibility. … God is trying to bring us to a new place – an extraordinary place and it requires effort and yet it’s the place where we were originally created according to the insight of the Book of Genesis; namely, we’re made in the image and likeness of God.”
– Thomas Keating, “Human Evolution” video segment from Session 16
To Practice
- Reflect on what you have experiencing since beginning this course offering. You are invited to review your original intention. These teachings, along with a Centering Prayer practice, have been transformative in the lives of many people. What movements are occurring within you? Have you experienced a change in your sense of self?
- A powerful way of embodying a truth is by affirmation. After reflection, deep listening and pondering these offerings, you might choose a phrase as an affirmation and carry it forth with you into the next part of journey.
