The Beginning - 2020 marks the start, albeit already partway through, of my One Spirit training

So I should have started this journal back in October. I didn't. I did start it yesterday but on a different site which promptly failed to save my ramblings. No matter.
At the First Gateway we explored faith paths - worldview, creation, the vision of our inquiry into faith paths, including shadow work. 
We looked at the foundations of ceremony, life as ceremony, biography as oracle, including later life identity, and lifelines. But what IS biography as oracle? And if we did explore later life identity why can't I remember anything about it?!
We began Spiritual Counselling Foundation Skills by looking at spiritual practice, general overview and philosophy of OneSpirit's approach - "choice" at the centre; creating sacred space; contracting.
But that's all according to the written programme. What I actually recall us doing is being introduced to Steiner's Subsidiary Exercises, renamed "Power Seeds" by Christopher, practising meditating on inanimate objects, sitting in pairs (but not sitting any old way! We had to place our chairs with the front right leg of each chair touching so that we were "facing" but not facing one another...), sharing our life stories which we had sketched out on Flipchart paper (some participants had done amazingly artistic illustrations whereas I had really struggled to use anything other than black and red pen and had then dissolved into tears. Anyway here are some of the notes I took:
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Examples:

• forgiveness
• meditation
• fasting
• gratitude
• spiritual direction
• prayer
• dance, such as Biodanza and Five Rhythms
• listening
• journalling

Ways in which we describe what we are doing:

• plugging in
• repairing the world - care for Nature, Mother Earth, Gaia
• marking time - with a ritual or habit; rhythm
• showing up; connecting with the Divine; being present
• elevating the mundane

SPIRITUAL HYGIENE

There are three elements - content, ideas, and action. We need to open up possibilities - there will be mistakes, stumbling blocks.

Can I do it as I intend to, for as long as, and in the way in which, I choose

Need to make it manageable - what, when, and how;

Need to take personal responsibility;

Aim for 30 minutes daily - perhaps broken down into 3 x 10 minutes

WHOLARCHY

The main world religions are hierarchical in structure and in behaviour. God is at the pinnacle, then there are angels/spirits/guides, then there are priests, then people, then animals, and finally plants. But there is another way of approaching religion/spirituality and that is with an understanding that we are all part of God, that God is part of everything. Wholism seeks the integration of body, mind, and spirit, regarding all that is sacred as ordinary, and all that is ordinary sacred.

There are three elements:

1. AWAKENING TO GOD - into something deeper
2. ONENESS IN GOD - healing, "God-ing"
3. SERVICE WITH GOD  - heart space, being present and available

Learn your theories as best you can yet put them to one side when you see the beauty of the human should (Carl Jung)

SACRED CONVERSATION 

This is the chosen term within our tribe to be used instead of "spiritual counselling" as several participants have no experience of counselling (either giving or receiving) and also we all wanted to keep it on an even footing since we will be providing this support for one another.

What is it?

It is taking tea with grace! It is pouring light into, opening up, HEART SPACE, bringing it upwards. It is done with unconditional love, it is reciprocal, non-judgmental, and it honours, offers humility, compassion, forgiveness(?), generosity, calm, and soothing.

I need to set the parameters in my daily life that allow me to move into the space for sacred conversation. Elements required:

• SPACE - room, candle, incense
• TIME - be clear with others that I am not available
• WHAT DO WE EACH NEED? Silence, reading, music...
• Perhaps also need to include time for checking in, chatting - ensure clearly framed