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Burning Bowl Ceremony

January 6, 2012 at 7:30pm

Cleanse the heart and mind from negative thoughts and feelings. Guided meditations, special music, releasing of limiting ideas, and setting intentions for the new year.

It is a time to relinquish anything that burdens your mind and at the same time identify those things in your life that you wish to occur in the coming year.

The ceremony is a way of letting go of what no longer works for us. We will write on paper, things, ideas and situations, that we no longer wish to have power in our lives, that we want to release in the coming year, and symbolically "burn" the list and get rid of them. The second part of the service allows us to ask for what we wish to bring into our lives to create a clean, fresh start of our hopes and desires in the new year.

New UNITY Meditation Circle

First Sunday of Each Month starting July 3rd from 12:00pm-1:00pm

Beginners welcome!

Facilitator: Reverend Linda Vincent

Rev. Linda is an ordained and licensed Unity Minister. She graduated from Unity Institute, Unity Village MO., in June 2010. Rev. Linda's vision is to empower people to know the truth of who they are as divine beings through workshops, teaching classes, guest speaking, and spiritual counseling. Rev. Linda has a ministry called Peaceful Presence Ministries and officiates at weddings, memorials, celebration of life ceremonies and other ceremonies. Her website is: PeacefulPresenceMinistries.com

Co-Facilitator: Gwen Earle

Gwen Earle is a writer, speaker, facilitator and business professional who has been practicing meditation for the past 15 years. She is the author of How to Turn Stress into Success and created and narrated a CD entitled Meditation for Focused Concentration. Gwen and Reverend Linda Vincent will be facilitating an 8 week course on Meditation Practices here at Unity of Laguna Hills.

Purpose

Unity's purpose for meditation is to strengthen the awareness of Oneness. Unity also recognizes that there are health and wellness benefits, realizing that meditation releases stress from the physical body. A regular practice of meditation can provide a life that is calm, peaceful, happy and relaxed.

Source

Heart Centered Metaphysics: Chapter Six- The Silence & Chapter Seven - Meditation

 

Technique

Secular - Centering Prayer – Entering the Silence

In Unity, meditation and prayer are intertwined and used interchangeably.  It is a form of meditation that is a gentle process of concentration on a work or phrase of Spiritual Truth.  It is a gentle focusing of one's thoughts to create the opportunity to enter the Silence.  This is the point of stillness that is a state of no time, no space, no thought, no sensation or no awareness.  The Silence is the matrix out which comes guidance, inspiration and realization from our Higher Self.  Guidance, inspiration and realization are the effects of having been in the Silence. 

Meditation - 60 minutes

• Introduction – state purpose, format, heart-centered ground rules – 3 minutes
• Opening Prayer – 2 minutes
• Inspirational thoughts – 3 minutes
• Sharing and Setting Intention – 20 minutes
• Meditation entering into the Silence – 30 minutes
• Give thanks – at end of time in Silence, feel gratitude for being able to dwell in the awareness of Oneness. – 2 minutes
• Depart in the Silence

Meditation – Centering Prayer, entering into the Silence

1. Relax: Sit comfortably. This could mean sitting with the legs crossed; for others it might mean sitting with the feet on the floor, hands resting in the lap and eyes closed. (Some teach that crossing the legs blocks the energy flow. Since energy blockage from this practice has not been proven true, we leave it to the comfort of the individual).
2. Turn you awareness to "Within Consciousness": Turn your attention from the outer world of the senses to the inner world of Oneness. We know by faith and experience that this Presence, or Oneness, is within Consciousness. In fact, "we" are it. In love, turn yourself over to your Beingness, Christ. This time is a pure gift to yourself of resting in the awareness of Oneness, Christ.
3. Concentrate: To abide in the Oneness quietly and attentively, use a simple word (or short phrase) that expresses your heart's desire to be aware of the Presence that you are. Simply allow that word to be there in your mind, and silently repeat it. It may be Jesus, Father, Love, Peace, One or Om. Other examples of sacred word that can be used for centering prayer are Adonai, Elohim, Yahweh, El Shaddai, Rabboni, Abba, Emmanuel, Marantha. Use whatever is personally meaningful. If you elect to use a phrase, keep it short, not to exceed seven words. Also, this is a perfect opportunity to use an affirmation such as I am love or I am Christ.

• Remember this is not a process of actively trying to clear your mind of thoughts, which is counterproductive. This process works with the mind's desire to think. Thinking is what the mind does. When you become aware of thoughts other than your word or phrase, gently return your mind to it. Do this by simply allowing the work or phrase to easily bubble up into your awareness.

  Allow your "mantra" to come naturally and easily to mind like any other thought would arise in your mind. You simply and gently repeat it. As soon as you become aware that you are again thinking about something else, return to it again. This process of moving back and forth from your mantra to extraneous thoughts ("monkey-mind" thoughts) allows the Silence to arise. During this time, you do not seek anything for yourself or others; this is a time of simply being.

  All your attention is gently aware of repeating your mantra or being aware of other thoughts and then gently moving back to your word or phrase. This process will allow the Silence (a state of total no awareness) to begin. Ironically, the process of working with your thoughts, a kind of thinking, is what stills the mind. It is outside this time of meditation (centering prayer) that you will discern the difference in your life – the love, peace, joy, and kindness that will begin to flourish.

• It is during the concentration process that entering the Silence will occur. The process creates the container in which the Silence will occur. The process creates the container in which the Silence may begin, just like the parts of a box create the space in which something may be placed. In a sense, it is the process of concentration that creates the opportunity to slip into the Silence. There is no forcing one's way into the Silence; one merely slips into it while concentrating. It is almost as if one slips and dwells in the gap between the words as well as the gap between thoughts.
4. Give Thanks: At the end of the time in Silence, feel gratitude for being able to dwell in the awareness of Oneness. Remember, that we are not being grateful for God or to God; we are simply grateful. Whatever we praise and are grateful for increases. "The purpose of praise is to awaken in ourselves a higher realization of the omnipresence and power of God." (The Revealing Word, pg. 152)
5. Gently Conclude: Depart in the Silence