From the loving kindness exercise I am able to witness our capacity of universal loving kindness and how powerful of a tool this can be. This practice (while hard to memorize at first) can quickly become a driver toward interpersonal development. Through this practice we are able to not only share this gift with ourselves but with the world. While my first experience was not as open as I wanted to be my second experience allowed me to release more love, through an open heart, sensitivity, generosity, and emotional intimacy.
Through a formal assessment we are all able to take a real look at who we are and where we would like to end up as an individual. One must first quiet and still the mind and then focus attention on the four quadrants of the integral map before taking inventory. One will find that maybe one or all areas need more focus and development. There is no right or wrong only awareness and understanding, love and forgiveness.
One should focus on each of the four quadrants individually and identify specific areas that need more development. From this exercise I have determined the following: psychospiritually I would like to further develop the calm-abiding mind. Biologically I would like to further develop my anatomical body in a more active way, and make time for more development in the spiritual/body. Interpersonally, I feel I have a good understanding of I, you, and all of us but would like to look more closely at the concept of us. In the final worldly view I would like to learn more about true survival not city survival, and creative expression through a art of some sort.
I feel that by developing each of these areas more fully I will be able to reach a new level of mind/body/spirit. Once obtained more can be uncovered. Through more meditation I will be able to work on my development of a calm-abiding mind. I will be able also more toward a mental and physical fitness level that can enhance the calm-abiding and the anatomical body. Both will help to further develop the spiritual/body. From this standpoint I can see how the interpersonal development will follow in my expansion of "us" as a whole with no one left in a void. From such development I may find that I take more time for worldly development of which has always been an interest. I would love to make time for outdoor survival, and further understanding of creative expression along with my own development of that expression.
Just being able to verbally express these needs for more development will help to create the motivation necessary for the start of this development.
Hi Danielle, really interesting post. I think that one of the most important aspects of spiritual advancement is finding something that works for you and doing it on a regular basis.The calm-abiding mind is a difficult one for me also but I am working on it. And I will have to say, it does really come in handy when sitting in bumper to bumper traffic (lol). See you in class.
ReplyDelete