August 1, 2013: Bake Off

          We started our session with a new procedure. that is a check in, so to speak by all attendees. As we go around the circle each attendee may bring up a single item or person or idea that needs to be "held in the light." This procedure ensures that each member of the group can seek any help that they may need from the group and can bring up their immediate concerns. Sometimes these check ins may also point out needs for future discussions or presentations. Today several attendees has significant issues to present in check-in. Therefore we elected to do some Loving Kindness Meditation for these people and their issues. Paul N. led us and instructed us in the traditional way of doing Loving Kindness Meditation.

     Traditional sequence in Loving Kindness Meditation.
          1.  Think of 5 people: a. self; b. a benefactor; c. friend or relative; d. neutral; e. a difficult person.
          2. Meditate on each of these five people reciting the following phrases either out loud or to one self.
               May (I, name) be filled with loving kindness
               May ( ) be well
               May ( ) be peaceful and at ease
               May ( ) be happy.

     Heidi presented a couple clippings, one that had to do with eating right, in a followup to last week's presentation by Jean H.

     Sharleen brought The Twelve Symptom of Inner Peace.  Written by Saskia Davis. We read through these.
          1. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
          2.  Loss of interest in judging self.
          3.  Loss of interest in judging other people.
          4.  Loss of interest in conflict.
          5.  Loss of interest in interpreting the action of others.
          6.  Loss of ability to worry. (this is a serious symptom).
          7.  Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
          8.  Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
          9.  Frequent attacks of smiling through the eyes of the heart.
        10.  Increasing tendency to let things happen rather than to make them happen.

     Saskia Davis is a nurse who wrote this in 1983. She still has a website with this list on it.

     https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1403d01aab81ca99&mt=application/msword&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Dcc2d2977d4%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1403d01aab81ca99%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSjANMSm9fJxvsLlLfwFvpFrkuN0Q

     Another way is to use this list of Twelve and Fake It. Fake it and it will become real. As one attendee put it: "To be good in business you have to be sincere. After you have learned to fake this you've got it made.

     The second half of the session was used to discuss one of the issues brought up in Check-IN:
Young people who can't keep their hands off of each other. It was stated that now in college, you g people do not date. They just "hook up." That is they just have casual sex and strive to have no committed relationships. Everyone agreed that in these situations there are are all kinds of denied emotions here. And at some point, these young people will pay for this toying with the emotions. There was some discussion of what types of advice to give these young couples.