Sunday

Tags

George Herbert, Jesus, photography, Poetry

O day most calm, most bright
The fruit of this, the next world’s bud,
Th’endorsement of supreme delight,
Writ by a friend, and with his blood;
The couch of time; care’s balm and bay:
The week were dark, but for thy light:
Thy torch doth show the way.

The other days and thou
Make up one man; whose face thou art,
Knocking at heaven with thy brow:
The worky-days are the back-part;
The burden of the week lies there,
Making the whole to stoop and bow,
Till thy release appear.

Man had straight forward gone
To endless death: but thou dost pull
And turn us round to look on one,
Whom, if we were not very dull,
We could not choose to look on still;
Since there is no place so alone,
The which he doth not fill.

Sundays the pillars are,
On which heav’n’s palace arched lies:
The other days fill up the spare
And hollow room with vanities.
They are the fruitful beds and borders
In God’s rich garden: that is bare,
Which parts their ranks and orders.

The Sundays of man’s life,
Threaded together on time’s string,
Make bracelets to adorn the wife
Of the eternal glorious King.
On Sunday heaven’s gate stands ope;
Blessings are plentiful and rife,
More plentiful than hope.

This day my Saviour rose,
And did enclose this light for his:
That, as each beast his manger knows,
Man might not of his fodder miss.
Christ hath took in this piece of ground,
And made a garden there for those
Who want herbs for their wound.

The rest of our Creation
Our great Redeemer did remove
With the same shake, which at his passion
Did th’earth and all things with it move.
As Samson bore the doors away,
Christ’s hands, though nail’d, wrought our salvation,
And did unhinge that day.

The brightness of that day
We sullied by our foul offence:
Wherefore that robe we cast away,
Having a new at his expense,
Whose drops of bloud paid the full price,
That was requir’d to make us gay,
And fit for Paradise.

Thou art a day of mirth:
And where the weekdays trail on ground,
Thy flight is higher, as thy birth.
O let me take thee at the bound,
Leaping with thee from sev’n to sev’n,
Till that we both, being toss’d from earth,
Fly hand in hand to heav’n!

~~George Herbert

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A Macro Moment

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Flowers, photography

Not sure what flower this is–but I love the purple and yellow.

I recently invested in a new macro lens from Moment for my iPhone, and tried it out on a few of the plants in my front yard:

I bought this Bougainvillea because I loved the salmon color of its flowers.

My Poinsettia is still blooming.

I rescued this Polka Dot plant from an alley several years ago.

 

The Paschal Homily of Saint John Chrysostomos

Tags

Easter, photography

This sermon is read at the Paschal Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Resurrection in Orthodox churches throughout the world. It was written circa 400 AD

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?

Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary from fasting? Let them now receive their due!

If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their reward. If any have come after the third hour, let them with gratitude join in the feast! Those who arrived after the sixth hour, let them not doubt; for they shall not be shortchanged. Those who have tarried until the ninth hour, let them not hesitate; but let them come too. And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let them not be afraid by reason of their delay. For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour, even as to those who toiled from the beginning.

To one and all the Lord gives generously. The Lord accepts the offering of every work. The Lord honors every deed and commends their intention. Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike, receive your reward. Rich and poor, rejoice together! Conscientious and lazy, celebrate the day!

You who have kept the fast, and you who have not, rejoice, this day, for the table is bountifully spread! Feast royally, for the calf is fatted. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the banquet of faith.

Enjoy the bounty of the Lord’s goodness!

Let no one grieve being poor, for the universal reign has been revealed.

Let no one lament persistent failings, for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free.

The Lord has destroyed death by enduring it.
The Lord has vanquished hell when he descended into it.

The Lord put hell in turmoil even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he said, “You, O Hell, were placed in turmoil when he encountering you below.”

Hell was in turmoil having been eclipsed.
Hell was in turmoil having been mocked.
Hell was in turmoil having been destroyed. Hell was in turmoil having been abolished. Hell was in turmoil having been made captive. Hell grasped a corpse, and met God.

Hell seized earth, and encountered heaven.
Hell took what it saw, and was overcome by what it could not see.

O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are cast down!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life is set free!
Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead.

Shadow Work: Dream Groups

Tags

Carl Jung, Dream, Dream Groups, Dreamwork, Shadow Work

I will have to admit that even with all these methods for interpreting your own dreams, sometimes it can still be difficult to find what seems like the correct meaning.

If you continually have problems interpreting your dreams, you might want to look into joining or forming a Dream Group. Dream Groups should never be larger than 10 people or they get unwieldy.

If you can’t find a local dream group, here are some guidelines for forming your own:

1) All participants should have some previous exposure to dreams whether it is extensive reading or a period of recording their own dreams or an introductory course or conference or individual meetings with someone on dreams.

2) No one should be coerced into joining the group. Everyone should feel comfortable and safe being there. If your psyche is telling you that now is not the time, listen to it. If you are seeing a therapist, you might want to consult them about joining or beginning a group.

3) It is best to have someone in leadership of the group who is well versed in dream work and the group process. If not, use a rotating convener who sees that the group sticks to its rules for its own safety.

4) Every gathering of the group should begin with silence, the ringing of a bell, the lighting of a candle, saying the Jesus Prayer, or some other ritual that will help the group to center itself and invoke God’s spirit.

5) Once centered, the group can spend about 20 minutes or so checking in with each other. It is important to share something of your life and any relevant information or feelings. This will help the trust and connections between your life and your dreams.

6) Then, whoever is convening or leading the group, should give a short (about 10-15 minutes) presentation on the wisdom of the dream or related material. This can come from ancient or modern sources. It can be something from Jungian psychology, mythology, Scripture, or a book, CD or DVD on the subject matter. This should be followed by a short period of reaction and discussion. This, along with the opening prayer, calls forth the Self, and brings wisdom and learning to the group as well as promoting the health, healing and safety within the group.

7) Everyone who wishes, may now share a dream. There is no discussion or interpretation, just the sharing of an actual dream.

8) The convener or leader then asks for a volunteer to share their dream for group work. Preference should be given to those who have yet to share a dream. The procedure for group dream work should be done strictly, as follows:

A) The person shares the dream with any pertinent information (not their Interpretation).

B) The group asks questions of clarification (not Interpretation).

C) The leader now asks the dream presenter to give the dream to the group.

D) The group now talks with each other without looking at the dreamer. The dreamer ONLY listens. The group now projects onto the dream using words such as, “if it were my dream, I . . .”. It is important to the process that the group adheres to both of these rules.

E) After sufficient discussion, give the dream back to the dreamer for any comments. Thank him/her for sharing and tell him/her that it is important to track their dreams in the next few days because future dreams will repeat the message if we did not interpret the correct meaning the first time.

9) Each gathering should end with a “feeling check” and the participants in a circle holding hands sharing an extemporaneous prayer time, saying the Lord’s Prayer, or something else that will gather everything you have done together in your meeting time to remind people of God’s grace and they are accepted regardless of where they are on their journey.

It is important to agree to maintain confidentiality outside the group should a dreamer ask for it. Otherwise, it is acceptable for members of the group to discuss dreams outside the group as long as anonymity is maintained.

 

Shadow Work: Active Imagination

Tags

Active Imagination, Carl Jung, Dreamwork, Robert A. Johnson, Shadow Work

Cupid at Bonaventure

In his book, Inner Work, Robert Johnson goes into much greater detail on the technique of Active Imagination, but I will give a quick introduction to the process here. Basically, Active Imagination is a meditative dialogue between the Ego and a personified aspect from the unconscious (dream character, dream object, personified emotion or mood, etc.). The dialogue is most helpful when the dreamer writes it down or speaks it to another person or into a tape recorder. Write quickly, without censoring, while in a deep state of meditation.

NOTE: It is best NOT to do meditative dialogue with a dream figure that is an actual person you know and interact with in your waking life as the danger for projection and introjection is too great. Instead, do basic symbol association work.

Step 1) Choose a figure from a dream or personify an emotion or a mood that carries compelling energy. With your journal and pen, get comfortable in a place where you will not be interrupted for at least half an hour.

Step 2) Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus on your breath. Using whatever mantra works for you (for example, you can inhale cleansing energy, exhale tension, fatigue, fear, or whatever you need to let go of or focus on a single word), and sink as deeply as you can into a relaxed and tension-free place in which you are balanced and focused, open and receptive. Once you’ve reached this state, you will be open to the source of the dream.

Step 3) Into this space, invite the figure with whom you want to dialogue. Try to encounter this figure with all your senses–seeing, hearing, feeling, even smelling and tasting, if that is possible. Allow the sensations to impact your body. Now, note the places in your body that are responding. What memories or emotions are stirring? Like a camera, zoom in and experience your companion in close proximity. Feel the energy. Feel your emotions. This symbol before you holds the wisdom to help you grow and heal. Now your companion wants to speak. As you open yourself to receive your companion’s wisdom, ask questions respectfully, listen intently and continue to stay deeply relaxed. Pick up your pen and record the dialogue (or turn on the tape recorder or let the person your sharing the process with record it for you).

Questions you might want to ask:

*What is your name? Who are you and what is your purpose?

*What do you like about who you are and what you do?

*What do you dislike about who you are and what you do?

*What do you hate or fear the most? What do you desire or want the most?

*Why are you hear? What do you want of me? What do you want to teach me?

*What gifts can we give to one another?

Step 4) Allow the dialogue to continue for as long as it seems fruitful. Close by expressing gratitude to your companion. Then quickly record the experience in your dream journal. Slowly return to ordinary consciousness. Later, you can reflect on the dialogue and continue to work with the experience.

Next Week: Forming a Dream Group