The more uncertain the world seems, the more valuable a sense of Inner Peace becomes, both to the individual and to the whole. Profound calm amidst the storms of life can be developed through meditation. The physical, psychological and spiritual benefits of gently focusing the mind are well-known... and today this road to inner riches is open to all. -Werner J.
What is Meditation?
The origins of meditation are hidden in deep time. We can imagine our hunter-gatherer forebears during long dark winter nights. Not needing twelve hours of sleep, they spent hours each night in wakeful silence. Perhaps this was when humans found an opportunity to explore the inner landscape. What we know is that by the 5th century BC many ritualized forms of meditative practice had developed in Hindu and Buddhist India, Taoist China, and later in other regions and religions including Christianity. Putting aside the particulars of various practices we find a common core: Meditation means purposefully focusing the mind. It's that simple. The meditator develops the ability to bring focus to just one thing, whether an object or an idea or a process like one's breathing, and this over time leads the myriad activities of mind back to their origin in a point of stillness. The various schools have come up with hundreds of specific things to focus on... deities, words, symbols, truths, beads, God... a corpse... our waking life moment by moment. But the specific object of focus is quite secondary to the main point. The central truth of meditation is that developing the ability to hold one thing in steady awareness mysteriously opens new worlds to human experience. Even the beginning stages of this seemingly simple practice have been shown to produce many benefits in life. How can this be? Perhaps it's that we humans really do think too much. Meditation gives the mind a welcome break, quieting the constant chatter and allowing our thoughts to settle down into something deeper. Vast experience over time has shown that this process is safe, healthy and spiritually uplifting. And eventually we may discover the miracle waiting at the very center of a meditation practice... when simple sustained attention opens a door to the infinite. Meditation Support Circles: Beginner Intermediate Advanced |
The Call to Meditate
It used to be that learning to meditate meant joining a religion and finding a guru. Times changed when organizations like TM™ brought simple meditation techniques to the masses. Today meditation is even more widely accepted and considered one of the most valuable tools for fulfilling human potential. What's now making its way into collective awareness is how easily modern communications can further spiritual connection around the world. It's possible to build a group energy in phone circles that enhances the whole meditative experience. So those who desire to learn meditation and keep connected to others in support of their practice can now effectively do so from the comfort of home.
The delightful work I've embarked on is to help others gain the inner calm, good health, and enjoyment of life I've been blessed with through a regular meditation practice. Are you someone who can benefit from a meditation support group in the form of a simple phone call each week? Perhaps you...
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Werner's Spiritual Journey
I consider myself a traveler on a path toward full-spectrum human life. I began meditating in 1973 with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation™ program. My eclectic pathway from there has been illuminated by the Eastern wisdom of Paul Brunton and Ramana Maharshi; the Effective Prayer teachings of Christian mystic James V. Goure; and in recent years, the profound insights of spiritual mentor and futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard. This varied experience has given me a strong sense that human spirituality is one universal phenomenon. Aldous Huxley writes about this in The Perennial Philosophy. The documentary With One Voice also speaks of this unity at the root of the world's religious diversity. I believe we all embody the creative spirit, and we have it in us to co-create not only solutions to humanity’s crises, but a state of the world that might be called heaven on earth… where love is valued above all and we take care of each other and our planet. This is actually possible in our time. It begins with more and more individuals living life as their true Self. I would be honored to accompany you on your sacred inner journey to the source of all you are. Meditation Support Circles: Beginner Intermediate Advanced "Werner's ability to listen reflectively, hearing and drawing out tones naturally from what people share, helps everyone feel deeply welcomed and appreciated. Perhaps because he is a musician, this quality translates organically to his leadership in the meditation circle." -L. Perry
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