how may we bring mysticism back into the catholic ceremony, on a personal, private, and experiential level? let's integrate ideas from eastern traditions, that focus our awareness on our energy self and allow us to peak into the church union with divine christ, on our own, while sitting in our pew, enjoying mass.
"Claude Darras, a French medical doctor, has conducted interesting experiments in an attempt to trace the physical effects of acupuncture. When a radioactive isotope is injected into an acupuncture point, it moves away from the point in a predictable path, following no known anatomical pathways but rather specific acupuncture meridians. Isotopes injected into nonacupuncture point sites do not reproduce this specific motion. Also, when the isotopes cease to move, its movement can be restimulated by needling the point directly beneath the injection." (from Bioenergetic Medicines East and West by Manning and Vanrenen, as referenced in Acu-Cat by Zidonis and Snow)
sitting in pain, uncomfortable, inattentive
unfocused
http://sandra.stahlman.com/integration.html
"Many of us go into meditation with preconceived notions about sitting and posture. "Good posture" is not the military tightening of the shoulders with an erect back. That takes effort and unbalanced muscular activity. In fact, 'posture' isn't even the word to describe the activity of meditation. Meditation is an activity, not some static 'holding' of the body. In fact, holding the body is akin to 'body armor', which is just what we are trying to dissolve with meditation. Meditation is a 'neutral' state, it is a state of repose, looseness, relaxation, melting, zero, reset. It is sitting with a relaxed body without pain, struggle or difficulty. That is: the physical body is trying to find a place where it can "let go", so the mind, spirit, or emotions can work on whatever they have to, without being hindered or blocked by the body. There is a koan or dichotomy in this 'meditation posture'. By settling down the body in this consciously controlled way, the mind is freed from its constant distractedness. It is now has to face itself. By stopping the body's outward movement, the mind is now able to find new levels of awareness, which is a form of movement."
Meditation Basics: The Art of Natural Sitting, by Carolina Morning
http://www.zafu.net
http://www.wildmind.org/posture/chair
Meditating sitting in a chair
(get quotes from)
http://www.wildmind.org/posture/hands
Meditation Posture: Hands
The importance of meditation posture
http://www.wildmind.org/posture/intro
Meditation Posture: Head
http://www.wildmind.org/posture/head
Meditation Posture: Shoulders
http://www.wildmind.org/posture/shoulders
"Strange but true: somehow, being on the floor gives a more "grounded" feeling that makes it easier to calm the mind."
Meditating While Kneeling, by Wildmind buddhist meditation
(end first stanza)
"In center of your palm there's an acupuncture point called Lao Gong. The name doesn't matter, but this point is the center of the energy of your upper limb, and when the two points are facing each other, they are communicating. And then it grows energy. Well, it's a good way to think about it. So with Sun style, one of the characteristics is very often the two palms are facing each other. So keep that in mind, and let's do that one more time. Hands up and breathe in..."
Dr. Paul Lamb (taichiproductions.com)
prayer position hands
touching others' hands - communicating
open upward - commune with the divine (dervish hand position up/out)
The right hand receives Grace (a specific kind of energy) and sends it through the heart and then down to Earth from the left palm." Khadija Radin, Whirling Dervish Retreat Center (Mevlevi Order of America)
"Opening their folded arms, the dervishes hold their right hands palm-up to receive the blessings of heaven. They hold their left hands palm-down to transfer the blessings to earth."
http://www.shira.net/dervturk.htm
Scenes From Turkey:
Whirling Dervishes
by Shira
put the M(ysticism) back to Mass.
*tips may be used to optimize all Christian denomination services.
peace, always,
Sandy
