Taking a Lesson from the Girls, the Men's Spiritual Group of South Orange County is Here!

Dave Friedman - Practitioner and Facilitator
of the Spiritual Men's Group of South
Orange County

I find myself involved in a Men’s Group. What is a men’s group? A group of men, for starters. And what do we do? Why even have one? Allow me to share with a few random thoughts about this.

Women talk to women all the time. About what? Stuff. Guys don’t know what girls talk about, or even how they have so much to say. I got to thinking, who do we talk to about stuff? And what kind of stuff? Well, it did take a couple years to fully percolate, but I finally decided it would be fun to talk with other guys about stuff, too. Like who are we, Where are we. Why are we here. How ‘bout them Seahawks? How did we get here. Are we happy? What's next? How do we get there? How do I feel about this? Why do you say that? You know, just stuff. 

And what might be different about this? First, it's just guys. We are (more or less) officially the Men’s Spiritual Group of South Orange County. We've been meeting for about 3 months now. We have a very strong dedicated core group of guys. And a few guests who wander in and out every once in a while. The conversations can get very spirited. But we always end up with smiles and hugs and a see you next time.

The nature of guys is to do! And we’re trying to spend some time just Being. So that is a little different for us. I find, though, that it causes me to go through my days looking at things a little differently, paying attention in a different way, as anything out there could and does spark a debate/discussion. That’s where the learning and growing happens.

It’s fun to go to a meeting with a half an idea of what we may discuss, then have someone present a thought that has been bouncing around in their head, and realize two hours just passed in a moment. The connection is real, heartfelt and lasting. Ahh, maybe that’s what the girls have always known. Now, the secret is out. Thanks Girls. And Thanks to the guys who are making this something special. We are by no means a closed group. We invite men of all kinds to come and spend an evening with us. 

Please contact, me, Dave, with any questions or to inquire about the next men's group.  daveamon (at)yahoo(dot)com.

A Dizzy Path to Consciousness Connection

"The children are acting like a bunch of whirling dervishes!!" I would tell my husband amid screaming and wild energy, thinking in my mind of the Tasmanian devil from Looney Tunes fame.

Well, this weekend I was schooled! During the after-Sunday-service Conscious Connection, September Warren, Conscious Connection leader and practioner, revealed that a whirling dervish is actually a sacred order of the Islamic Sufi tradition and was created by the centered, wise Rumi. And they still exist! The whirling dervishes' Sema Ritual dance, a seven-centuries-old tradition, is a sacred event.

September shared the science behind this traditional dance:
It is scientifically recognized that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no being or object which does not revolve, because all beings are comprised of revolving electrons, protons and neutrons in atoms.  All of these revolutions are natural and unconscious. But the human being possesses a mind and an intelligence which distinguishes him from other beings. Thus, the whirling dervish or samazen, intentionally and consciously participates in the shared revolution of other beings. (sourced from http://www.whirlingdervishes.org/whirlingdervishes.htm)

During Conscious Connection, September explained how to whirl and we did!

Left foot remains connected to the ground and the right foot facilitates the spin. 

The right arm reaches up to the heavens and the left palm points down to the Earth. 

Then you move counter-clockwise. 

Now, the true whirling dervishes also rotate around each other. So, imagine that you are planet Earth spinning on it's axis and rotating around the sun. That's exactly what the whirling dervishes look like. It's an amazing feat.

I will say, I found a true respect for these individuals who spin for more than a few seconds and at an amazing rate. After about 5 or 6 revolutions, I was feeling extremely dizzy. But, I did notice, in less than 30 seconds, an energy or vibration coming from the heavens, through me, down to the Earth. My fellow participant suggested the feeling of centrifugal force and maybe that's what it was or maybe it was a new realization of the sacredness of whirling. Either way, I felt something and it was really cool.

And that's exactly what Conscious Connection is all about. It's an opportunity to notice and touch the sacred and spiritual being within, using an experiential exercise. For me, Conscious Connection moves the spiritual ideas from my mind into my body, grounding me in the spiritual energy of life. Conscious Connection takes place after Sunday service at noon in the sanctuary and everyone is welcome to attend.

In life, there are no accidents. After contemplating the truth of the whirling dervishes, I now realize that maybe calling my children a sacred order of Rumi followers was more correct than incorrect. Maybe simply affirming their divinity in a moment of wild energy was absolutely perfect, a recognition of oneness with all life.

The Secret Turning

A secret turning in us

makes the universe turn.

Head unaware of feet,

and feet head. Neither cares.

They keep turning.

Rumi

Compiled by Coleman Barks, i.b.i.d

You Will Do Amazing Things

Good morning!  It's a brand new baby day!  A brand new opportunity to do amazing things!

Don't think you can?  I know we all have our ups and downs, and sometimes we need a little help remembering who we are and what we are capable of.  So this morning I am going to share with you an AMAZING person, singer and musician, who is here to remind you exactly who we are and what we can do.

I invite you to close your eyes as you listen to this song.  Really LISTEN to it.  Hear the lyrics, what they mean and what they are saying.  He is singing to YOU!  He is singing about YOU!

Take it in... let the words wash over you.  Allow your heart to open up a little more to the amazing possibilities of Life...

I hope you started singing along with him around 3:20,  I can't help myself.  It opens my heart, fills it with love and brings tears to my eyes.  I realize, despite the way things in this world may appear, it's all good.  We've got this.

Think of what we are doing collectively... God is all there is, in each and every one of us.  More and more people are waking up to the Love that God is.  With God, all things are possible.  God is in us, as us and through us... We will do amazing things!

This song is filled with spiritual principle and fabulous reminders.  Really listen to the lyrics... he is singing your Truth!  Let this be a theme song for your day.  :-)

If you enjoyed the video, know he is even more amazing live!!  We are blessed to have Michael Gott performing at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley in April - more details to come!!

In the mean time, you can visit his website: www.michaelgott.com or find more videos available on YouTube.

Now go forth this day, your heart filled with Love, and remember, you are capable of and will do amazing things!  Right here right now!  And so it is!

Musical Message of Love

Wednesday Wisdom February 12th at 7:00 p.m.

Whenever two or more are gathered in the name of the Infinite, there is Love. And so, Karyn Allen and Rick Dale have come together for this Wednesday's Wisdom with the divine offering entitled "Musical Messages of Love."

While words of Love are important, they need a vehicle to take them from the realm of ideas into the kingdom of heartfelt emotion, and that vehicle is music.

Through songs of Love, Karyn and Rick reach into the Deep to bring eternal truths to all who are open to the Love of the Divine.

With a little help from their friends Wade Wooldridge and Hans Smith, Karyn and Rick bestow their gift of music and wisdom in the form that is accessible to young and old, from all walks of life.