Let’s Talk About…

When:

Every 3rd Sunday of the month

15:00-17:00

(if desired 15 minute break 16:00-16:15)

About the Event:

Let’s talk about things we don’t often talk about and share what we think.

Certainly some of the things each of us practices to develop ourselves, to find God, to find the meaning of life or to become a better human being, I rarely talk about and I rarely hear other people talk about.

However I think (hope) that we can learn from each other by sharing what is going on inside ourselves.

Discussion groups like this can get bogged down by (dis)agreements or by people exclusively wanting to talk about what they believe in (as if they are trying to convince others that they should believe the same).

I would like us to be disciplined in our talking AND listening. A few guidelines might help to create a respectful, open and relaxed space.

Suggested guidelines and practicalities:

At the start of each meeting the guidelines are to be considered, modified (if desired) and adopted for the meeting.

Confidentiality: Whatever is talked about in the meeting is totally confidential and will not be discussed outside the meeting (also not in the break), not even with people who were present at the time. Confidentiality gives me the freedom to talk about things that I may not want to talk about outside this kind of meetings.

Only one person speaks at a time: Optional: the person who is speaking can invite brief comments or answer short questions.

Silence between speakers (1-5 minutes). Optional: silence during the 15 minute break.

Agree a maximum time that one person can speak (5 minutes?)

If a speaker goes on too long or goes off-topic, anyone can gently ring the bell. (Only ring the bell gently; it is up to the speaker to change/stop/come to the point; this should not be used to discourage people from speaking what is on their mind, even if you disagree or do not understand).

We share our OWN experiences/opinions/ideas. We do not give each other advice or criticise each other. I suggest using the word “I” instead of “you” or “we”, in this context.

We do not ‘jump in’ to comment on what someone else has just said. We do not present other people’s teachings/wisdoms except if it is needed to give context to the subject and our own experience.

Subjects: at the end of each meeting the participants set the subject for the next meeting.

Example Subjects of exploration

“Meditation” can cover a whole range of techniques and traditions (separate subjects?):

◦ Why meditate?

◦ What is your experience when you meditate?

◦ How do you meditate?

◦ Is Mindfulness different from meditation?

What have you tried that did not work or did not work the way you expected?

◦ techniques, rituals, therapies, religious practices

Emotions

◦ Are emotions useful or a hindrance in personal or spiritual development?

God

◦ Words: e.g. Source, Goddess, (named) Deity , Life Force, Creator, etc.

◦ Is it useful to use the word [God] and what do you mean by it?

◦ Do