What is a contemplative practice?

It is a practice that can be active or still, religious or not, that brings you to the present moment, stills your mind chatter and helps you to focus, center and reconnect with yourself and the Divine.

Contemplative practices have many varied benefits, but in general, they tend to focus the mind and instill a deep sense of calm, peace and awareness. Every religion has some form of a contemplative practice within its arsenal of practices. Some of them include movement, such as the Sufi whirling dervishes or yoga; and some are much more still…such as meditation.

The benefits of incorporating a contemplative practice into your life include:

• Quiet the mind
• Develop Compassion
• Awaken consciousness
• Become aware of interconnectedness and unity
• Reduce Stress
• Enhance creativity and creative problem-solving
• Develop the ability to live proactively rather than reactively
• Ability to deal with the complexities of life

Some examples of Contemplative practices include:

Centering Prayer – this method has its roots in Christianity and the guidelines are as follows (taken from Wikipedia – according to Basil Pennington):
1.    Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
2.    Choose a sacred word that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord’s presence and open to His divine action within you (i.e. “Jesus”, “Lord,” “God,” “Savior,” “Abba,” “Divine,” “Shalom,” “Spirit,” “Love,” etc.).
3.    Let that word be gently present as your symbol of your sincere intention to be in the Lord’s presence and open to His divine action within you.
4.    Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your sacred word, your anchor.

Remembrance – this is the standard practice of Sufism and is similar to Centering prayer in that a word (in this case, the name of God, Allah) is repeated over and over again, often done aloud. The focus is on the heart.  This technique is aimed to gently open the ear of the heart, to listen with the heart. With the ear of the heart you can hear the whispers of love from the divine.  The Ah sound opens the heart opens the crown chakra and the divine vibration flows in. The “La” sound, and the La sound splashes the love into our hearts, scooping it up and drawing the love into our center.  After several minutes the floodgates open and the heart is filled with divine love and mercy.   Old wounds are healed, old grudges are forgiven, fears melt away, and the heart leaps with gratitude before the awesome mercy of God.

Walking a Labyrinth
A labyrinth (unlike a maze) has only one path leading to the center and back out again. There are no dead ends.
When you walk a labyrinth, you meander back and forth, turning 180 degrees each time you enter a different circuit. As you shift your direction you also shift your awareness from right brain to left brain. This is one of the reasons the labyrinth can induce receptive states of consciousness. It can also help to balance the chakras.
Each person’s walk is a personal experience. How one walks and what one receives differs with each walk. Some people use the walk for clearing the mind and centering. Others enter with a question or concern. T

Prayer Beads these can include Catholic rosaries, Hindu/Sikh “mala” beads, Islamic “tasbih” beads, etc. The repetitive nature of the prayers associated with each bead tend to help you clear the mind and focus on the heart.

Some other practices I haven’t included her are yoga, tai chi, rituals and ceremonies, mindful walking…What kind of contemplative practices are part of your life now? If you have none, think about one or two that you’re willing to try. Even something as simple as a hot bath with scented candles once a week can do wonders for the soul!

Dreams: Your Connection to Source

In this three day workshop you will:

• Understand how to recall dreams
• Discover what you can use to aid the dream state, such as special stones, essential oils, herbs, bells, and symbols
• Develop the skill of astral travel and lucid dreaming
• Use dreams to connect with your angels, animal totems, and master guides
• Connect with loved ones who have passed on
• Gain mystical messages
• Activate your Dream Shield and meet your Dream Guide
• Learn the most common dreams and their meanings.

You will also discover how to incubate and program dreams for:

• Past-life exploration
• Far-viewing
• Manifesting your desires
• Earth healing
• Chakra balancing
• Finding a soul mate in your dream state before meeting in person

I will teach you how to decipher the meanings
of dreams with several tools. You’ll learn:

• The mystical use of a dream journal
• The art of gestalting a dream
• The power of “drawing” the dream
• Ways to create and use a dream dictionary
• Free association
• The Replay Method
• Moon cycles and seasons and their impact on dreams
• The special meanings of colors
• The meaning of numbers
• Ancient Chinese Clock Dream Interpretation.

3 Sundays, January 16, 23 30, 2011

NiaMoves, Houston

$75 or $60 if paid before January 10, 2011

There will also be a follow-up phone session with me and the opportunity to join a dream group for analyzing dreams.

12-Week Program (begins February 2010)

1)    Soular Blueprint

Receive a copy of your astrological chart to determine which sign governs each area of your life. This will be used as we progress through the program to determine the potential and theme for each area of your life. You will need your birth date, time and location.

2)    Weekly Astrology Call going through each part of your life (1 part each week)

• Body, House
• Personal Finance, Material Possessions, Resources
• Community, Neighbors, Siblings, short-term travel, Education
• Parents, House and Land, Real Estate, Ancestors
• Hobbies, Romance, Children, Play
• Job, Tasks, Health, Service
• Business Partnership, Marriage
• Taxes, Inheritance, Death
• Higher Education, Foreign travel and relations, Religion/Belief Systems
• Career, Social position
• Groups, Friends, Associations
• Transcendence, Hidden Information, Loss

3)    Monthly Q&A Call

• Get your life purpose and healing questions answered
• Get clarification on the astrological significance of that house of your chart

4)    Monthly Energy Healing Call

• Call in for group and individual distance energy healing sessions
• Your chance to have 10 minutes of personal time with me for spiritual coaching, direction and healing.

5)    Recordings of all calls to listen to forever

6)    20% Discount on all other products and services

Regularly $367 Pay in full      OR            3 monthly payments of $133/month

Pay in Full

3-Payment Plan

Last night I held my first Sacred Women’s Circle. An amazing group of women gathered in a cozy office away from the heat, humidity and traffic of the city. We gathered this month to talk about Creativity. We lit a candle, went over groundrules, played some appropriate music and got started!

We talked about creativity, our beliefs about it, and our own insecurities about our own creativity. I believe everyone is creative, but often we are taught in the standard education system not to be. I brought up some stories from a book I had been reading called: A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative. In this book, Roger Von Oech describe 10 “locks” that lock us out of our innate creativity. These locks range from the belief that there is only one right answer, the idea that we can’t break the rules to it’s not OK to be foolish or make mistakes. Do you relate to any of these? Probably most of us do!

I had set out an assortment unrelated items and everyone picked one. The assignment was to list what it could be used for other than its normal use or write a poem or story about it. Wow, once we got over the hump, the juices were flowing! We had a closing reading from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. We then finished with tea, cookies and chit-chat!

I think it is so important for women to be able to gather together away from children, husbands, jobs, etc. and be with each other. We can let our defenses down, be ourselves and share joys and pain. If you don’t have a place to do this, I strongly suggest you find one or create your own. You won’t be disappointed!

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Tricia

August 25, 2010 7 PM Central

Location: Spectrum Center, Houston, TX

Cost: $20

This is a women’s circle that meets once a month. It is for women of all faiths and spiritual paths and we focus on a different theme each month.

Often we think of creativity as pertaining to the arts – painting, Music, sculpture and dance; and if we do not have active talent in one of these areas, we claim, “O am not creative!”

This month we will discuss what creativity really means to us and share our insights. We will discover our own special brand of Creativity and share it with this new sisterhood we are creating.

Come and join us for a fun evening with supportive women to honor each other and our feminine energy!

Please feel free to bring a friend and something to share afterward if you like. We will begin sharply at 7 PM and the circle will go for approximately an hour and a half. Afterward, we will drink tea and eat light snacks in community.

While you can show up that evening, it is preferable that you RSVP since it helps me to prepare. If you are planning on attending, please send me an email at: patricia@theblissfulsoul.com.