"What sounds, words, music i heard with my ears caught my attention and affected me inside?"

Shalom!

Last June 8th, 2010 at the Tuesday Inner Work Circle 12 participants-- several of them new ones-- gathered around for an evening of sharing thoughts, feelings, silence, and conversations...

We talked about our sense of hearing (last time it was our sense of sight) and we reflected on what sounds, words, music, etc. we heard with our ears lately caught our attention and has affected us inside...

The first sharing was about the contrast of silence & noise one participant usually hears nowadays at her home which is being renovated for the first time after almost 20 years or so. She related that while during the day the cacophony of hammers & saws filled the house, silence would settle in once again in the evening to restore peace and serenity among its residents.

Several shared mostly about different kinds of music they have heard recently. Pop music (with English lyrics to help one participant learn the language more), Classical symphony orchestra music (that accompanied a meditative presentation), cultural music (that moves the body to dance but that also brought back memories of political oppression)...

Some shared about more spiritual sounds like the chanting of sacred mantras from particular faith traditions which are believed to emanate positive vibrations; as well as, what was described as non-physical or mystical sounds which are heard only in deep meditation or while the ears are shut (differentiated from the ringing sound heard by those suffering from Tinnitus).

Our Muslim participant shared that what's most important for him is listening to the words of God from the sacred scripture (Qur'an) that continuously nourishes him spiritually. I remember the experience of listening to sacred prayers and chanting from different faith traditions--whether Arabic, Tibetan, Pali, Japanese or in any language -- that although one cannot understand what's being said, one can feel the meaning or the essence of it.

More than sounds merely heard, some participants shared on words or stories they listened to. One shared about words of affirmation that seemed effective as he saw results from recent actual experiences after applying them in daily life. Another participant who had been for many years visiting women in jail recounts how she still gets emotionally affected whenever she listened to their unfortunate life stories.

It was another enriching evening of listening to hearts and minds. One innerworker who was physically absent in the circle participated virtually by sharing an SMS text of his insights on the topic:

"Most of our schooled people know the parts of the ear; the really wise and learned know when to use it-- always. They know how to use it well-- to listen even to the unsaid."


Thank you to those who shared and thank you to those who lent their ears!


For the coming week, we continue our practice of self-awareness by reflecting on the next theme, our Sense of TASTE-- our guide question is:

"What food do i particularly remember tasting recently? What did/do i like or not like tasting?"



Blessings be,

Bathala nawa!

OrlanD.

*INNERWORK is the practice of self-awareness & self-reflection, an inner-cise to cultivate the Self-- which is where any change we wish to see in the world should begin...

The TUESDAY Inner Work CIRCLE is a support group/sharing circle where ordinary people from different faith backgrounds share with one another insights, reflections, personal experiences and life challenges within the backdrop of their respective spiritual traditions as they strive to become true instruments of peace by practicing self-awareness and heart-listening.

JOIN US EVERY TUESDAY 6:00-8:00PM at The Peacemakers’ Circle (Unit 105 PhilDHRRA Partnership Center, 59 Salvador St., Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights, QC. – 2 blocks from McDonald’s/Shakey’s parallel Katipunan Ave. across Ateneo gate 2). Please let us know when your dropping by – tel. 920-7622 or 0918-7822605 (smart) / 0906-3286441 (globe)

IF YOU CANNOT JOIN US for any reason--- why not create your own Inner Work Circle in your area? Think about it!

What are objects, colors, shapes, images that caught my eye?"

Peace to all!

Our Sense of Sight was the theme taken up last Tuesday, the first day of the month, at the Inner Work sharing circle...

We were glad to have been joined by one of the new board members of The Peacemakers' Circle who attended for the first time...

After the preliminaries of body stretching & relaxation, entering into silence, and kamustahan, the group proceeded with sharing on what objects, colors, forms and images they have seen with their eyes that have caught their attention lately...

The red color that enlivened the auspicious gatherings of her faith tradition stood up for one sharer. The whiteness of a blank page was for another participant who is a writer. The dark gray color of the changing weather, the gray & white fur of a precocious kitten... the fresh greens of pine sprouts & pine trees backdroped by the golden rays of Sagada sunrise...

Aside from colors, the forms that came to mind were: circles and spectacles; rectangular & square boxes (from a household clean-up); daggers & swords, sandstorms and green ogres (scenes from the movie screen); picturesque nature scenes with inspirational quotes (viewed from a meditation slide show).. and the images of reality-- dark city streets, and poor families living under bridges...

These were the myriad of visual experiences shared that brought about to each his/her own feelings and thoughts. For one participant, the image of crowds reappearing in the wet streets reminded him to let go of the years of his life that have past when he still taught in the university.

Another shared her insight that sometimes we begin to appreciate the beauty of nature-- a flower for example-- only when it is artificially captured or "arranged" on digital cameras or films. We oftentimes tend not to appreciate the flower when we pass by it in our everyday life...

Another participant shared an experience-- not about visual images he has seen-- but about how he almost could not open his eyes to see anything. Whether due to the weather or some form of stress, this experience prevented him from attending an important event and so it led him to realize that he should take care of his eyesight (and probably visit the newly opened Eye Lounge that was mentioned!).

Just to share with you also some inner work responses on the topic (colors, shapes, images, forms that caught your eye) via facebook :

"The crescent moon, and the star, black and white. Sign of wisdom that call humanity twice.. a cosmic sign.. an alarming feeling.."

"the moon dancing under venus..grey skies..dark circles..splashes of brightness when i try to see clearly..for me it's the other way around..how i feel influences the way i see..and even when something catches my attention, how i process what i see is influenced by my present state..the grace is when i intuit that my inner sight has gone awry.. :)"

For the coming week, we reflect on our Sense of Hearing-- our guide question is:
" What sounds, words, music caught my attention lately? How did these affect me inside?"

*The TUESDAY Inner Work CIRCLE is a support group/sharing circle where ordinary people from different faith backgrounds share with one another insights, reflections, personal experiences and life challenges within the backdrop of their respective spiritual traditions as they strive to become true instruments of peace by cultivating self-awareness and individual transformation.

JOIN US EVERY TUESDAY 6:00-8:00PM at The Peacemakers’ Circle (Unit 105 PhilDHRRA Partnership Center, 59 Salvador St., Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights, QC. – 2 blocks from McDonald’s/Shakey’s parallel Katipunan Ave. across Ateneo gate 2)

Please let us know when your dropping by – tel. 920-7622 or 0918-7822605 (smart) / 0906-3286441 (globe)

"Which part/s of my body do i like most? Which don't i like?"

Last May 25th at the Tuesday Inner Work Circle the sharing centered around the questions:
"Which part/s of my body do I like the most? Which don't I like? Why?

Most of the participants said that it was a difficult question and that it is something that we don't ask ourselves often. In fact, we usually take for granted our bodies that we never appreciate each part until they start to show signs of fading...

The fingers, hands, and feet are some of the favorites because of their usefulness. Others cannot identify a particular body part but have determined what they appreciate about their physiology: one's immune system, or one's fast metabolism that accounts for an overall fit and almost youthful physique...

"Most often, when we look at old photos of ourselves when we were younger, we never thought we could look that great!," one participant reflected.

But the body part that seemed to be most loved by everyone would be none other than-- the eyes. The so-called window between the soul and the outer world is also often taken for granted in our everyday life. We wake up each morning and enter the world by opening them and we never usually say "Thank you, God, for these pair of eyes!" That is, until, our perfect 20/20 vision lenses start to retire as time passes by...

This goes for all parts of the body-- and for anything or anyone, for that matter-- that/whom we often fail to appreciate until we begin to lose them.

It is good to always be reminded of these blessings, big or small, that we have (which others might even not have-- fortunately for us). May we be constantly grateful for these earthly vessels of the divine sparks!

For the week ahead we try to reflect further on the sense of sight with this guide question:

What are objects, colors, shapes, images i have seen with my eyes these days that caught my attention?" What thoughts/feelings were provoked in me when i saw them?

See you then!

"What are my personal capacities/ my unique gifts? What am I good at?"

Peace to all!

It been a while since we last posted a reflection report on the happenings at the Tuesday Inner Work Circle. Well, we sort of got side-tracked when a whole lot of involvements kept us busy...

Anyhow, here we are again! Hope we get to engage you somehow in to your own self-reflection and/or get to be inspired enough to share your own insights and opinion...

We are starting an e-group for an intimate support circle of serious "inner workers" who are really into the practice of self-awareness, reflection and heart-listening. If you are interested, you are most welcome!

Meanwhile, on with our recent discussions... Last Tuesday (May 11th)-- day after the historic first-ever automated national elections in Southeast Asia-- a small intimate circle gathered for the Innerwork sharing as the self-reflection guide topic for the week was discussed:

"What are my personal capacities / my unique gifts? What am I good at?"

It was surprising to hear that although the group was small, the unique gifts and capacities of the participants were quite diverse.

One participant shared that it was his first time to reflect on his personal capacities and looking through his achievements and the path he has been leading through the years, he truly realized that his gift to the world is his passion for service and development work.

Another shared that his unique gift was his knack for languages. Throw him anywhere around the country and he can easily learn to communicate in the vernacular of the locality. This guy cannot be sold in any foreign land! Haha. This is of course, just one of his many talents.

One young participant humbly shared about his passion for writing. Diligently keeping a journal, he would write down at the beginning of the day what he wants to achieve or what he chooses to be within the day. One time he wrote: "i will make someone happy today!"And true enough, he found someone who was down-trodden whom he was able to help-- in his own way-- by cheering the person up. That's what I call the "power of affirmation" in practice for the service of others!

Speaking of making people happy, another participant shared about his gift of bringing joy to others through his sense of humor. He recalled how he was able to loosen up even the most serious person (in his case, a teacher) and tickle her bones so that she re-learns the value of sharing fun and laughter with other people.

Whether its a gift of clarity & purposeful action, or kinesthetic talent and peaceful presence, or as simple as having the pure intention of making someone else smile-- each and every one of us has been endowed with unique capacities which can be our own contribution in creating a better world. We just need to be aware of, nurture, and do something with these for the greater good.


For next week, the theme will be:
What capacities do i still need to work on /improve in me?"


Hope you can practice your Inner Work with us!

URI 9th Anniversary of its Charter-signing

On June 30th, 2009 the TIWC held an Open Evening program on the 9th Anniversary of the Charter-Signing of the United Religions Initiative (URI) -- of which The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) is a founding Cooperation Circle (CC) member organization.

Ms. Marites Africa (PCFI founder/executive director & founding regional coordinator of the URI in Southeast Asia Pacific) & Dr. Shakun Vaswani (PCFI VP & current regional coordinator of URI-SEAP) shared on the brief history and their involvement in the global interfaith network of URI in the Southeast Asia-Pacific region.

After some introductory URI videos were shown, the program concluded with the reading of the URI Preamble, Purpose and Principles.

We share with you once again the URI PPP:

URI Preamble:

We, people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions throughout the world,

hereby establish the

United Religions Initiative

to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation,

to end religiously motivated violence and

to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

We respect the uniqueness of each tradition, and differences of practice or belief.

We value voices that respect others,

and believe that sharing our values and wisdom can lead us to act for the good of all.

We believe that

our religious, spiritual lives, rather than dividing us,

guide us to build community and respect for one another.

Therefore, as interdependent people rooted in our traditions,

we now unite for the benefit of our Earth community.

We unite to build cultures of peace and justice.

We unite to heal and protect the Earth.

We unite to build safe places for conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation.

We unite to support freedom of religion and spiritual expression, and the rights of all individuals and peoples as set forth in international law.

We unite in responsible cooperative action

to bring the wisdom and values of our religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions

to bear on the economic, environmental, political and social challenges facing our Earth community.

We unite to provide a global opportunity

for participation by all people, especially by those whose voices are not often heard.

We unite to celebrate the joy of blessings

and the light of wisdom in both movement and stillness.

We unite to use our combined resources only for nonviolent, compassionate action,

to awaken to our deepest truths,

and to manifest love and justice

among all life in our Earth community.

URI Purpose:

To promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation,

to end religiously motivated violence, and

to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.