BEYOND FEAR BY AWAKENING LOVING-KINDNESS (an
Introduction)
Ron
Alexander
“Not until we are ready to move BEYOND
FEAR will we be able to heal one of the most devastating illnesses of this
century’—racial hatred and separation. The Clotteys have placed the keys in our
hands. The door that leads to healing is now opened. What a blessing.” --Iylana Vanzant author of ONE DAY MY SOUL JUST OPENED UP.
BEYOND
FEAR by Aeeshah and Kokomon Clottey and AWAKENING LOVING-KINDNESS by Pema
Chodron are two books with the same purpose - to move beyond fear starting with
the process of self-acceptance.
In
BEYOND FEAR, “…as we work with each principle of Attitudinal Healing and make
it our own, we will truly experience that the essence of our being is love. This
is what the work of racial healing brings to us—the center and core of our
being.”(p.170) In AWAKENING, Chodron writes “In meditation”…”you would probably
see that you do all those things for which you criticize all those people you
don’t like in your life, all those people you judge. Basically, making friends
with yourself is making friends with all those people too, because they come to
have this kind of honesty, gentleness and goodheartedness, combined with
clarity about yourself, there is no obstacle to feeling loving-kindness for
others as well.”(p.5, 6)
BEYOND
FEAR is more of an intellectual, conceptual approach, while AWAKENING… is more
of a m non-conceptual meditative approach. Just as the Clottey’s later brought
drumming to their healing circles (“We begin each healing racism circle with group
drumming to help us come together in unity on the deepest level.” p. 202).
Bringing in meditation from Chodron’s AWAKENING… can add a mindful dimension to
our book group.
To begin each group, we will meditate
after reading some of AWAKENING, that can bring us to a feeling of unity/oneness
in the present moment. We can then start reading the book BEYOND FEAR more
mindfully. Mindfulness is all about being aware in the moment. (To be mindful is to be fully alive
in the present moment, one with those around you and with what you are doing. Life can only take place in
the present moment. But we have the habit to run away from it. This is due to
our own anxiousness and fear of our loneliness. Thich Nhat Hanh). We can get beyond beliefs (thoughts)
and learn the very valuable principles from BEYOND FEAR by experiencing them. (Two principles of Attitudinal Healing emphasize being in the present: “we
can let go of the past and the future.” (#4). “Now is the only time there is and
each instant is for giving.” (#5)
Mindfully
experiencing the sacred wisdom of BEYOND FEAR helps bring about the deep
healing that we all want. For that end, we will end the two hour group with
another 5 min. meditation, and then holding hands in a circle with Unity song
or chant One Race, The Human Race, We are
all One People.
For the introduction, we will have the
soothing flute-playing and the reading of her magnificent poem The Nine by Cerantha. We may have more of
these spiritually uplifting interludes during the meetings.
There will be a ten minute break after
first hour. Please bring snacks to share and your own drinks.
“The holiest spot on earth is where an
ancient hatred has become a sacred love.” ACIM
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