"Vision of A New
Culture"
The
Great Learning
HOME MEETINGS
Practice of he World
MatriCommunity
Having worked with people for so many years, I have come to the conclusion, that "being thrown upon oneself", self-addiction e.g. addiction to the current materialistic society is the key problem. It is the root of greed, egoism, jealousy, hatred, stress, burn-out, accumulation and exploitation. To heal ourselves we have to go back to the Source in order to become renewed. Once the New Self is born we have to once again become part of he Whole: "Heaven, earth and the community".
The "Maternal Dimension of God" is the bottomless Abbyss of the universe. It is the "Womb" aspect of the Divine. Everything is born out of it, while continuously returning. In former times this was called the "Cauldron of Regeneration". Our accumulations have caused disbalance of the Law of the Universe - death, permanence and rebirth. Hence, the decay and degeneration of today. What is broken down, though, is the ego and its achievements. Wisdom is to cooperate with the cosmic forces...
To die to the old is the answer to the existential problem of today. This isn't always easy though. Hence, our Home Meetings in which we support each other. The purpose is A Joyous Life! Our initiative includes bringing people together in regular (weekly, with a minimum of two times a month) self-help meetings. The groups consist of a maximum of 16 people. They are open to everyone, which means, that every time there may be new people participating.*
* If the group becomes too large, then one person leaves the group, while founding a new one. Our basic principle is autonomy of every group. The program consists of the following Seven Steps:
1. To truly (painfully) acknowledge your alienation from Reality
Create an atmosphere of trust. Besides anonymity some other "methods" could be very helpful here, like sitting on the floor, mixing, closing the eyes and touching each other. You may then find a partner. The aim is to sharing your feelings of alienation, isolation, self-addiction, pain and frustration. You acknowledge the cause: being cut off from the Ultimate. The partners help each other through an emphatic attitude ("co-counseling"). You may also prefer not to "work" with a partner. In that case you do the self-investigation yourself. Duration: 10 minutes for one session.
2. The sincere resolve to become reborn
You may come forward, taking a seat in front of the group. The aim is to share with the group an important episode of your life, in which the longing for wholeness e.g. rebirth became apparent. Especially the ups and downs, the alternating periods of doubt, desperation etc. and those of trust and resolve would be very instructive to the other participants. In one evening some two or three people may choose to do the sharing. Duration: 20 minutes.
3. Seeing that you are neither your thinking, nor your problems
The leader of the group - preferably a different person every week - tells the group about how the mind works. Emphasis is laid on the mechanism of self-addiction as the cause of suffering and its consequences in daily life, with the birth of the inner observer - awareness - as your new identity. Information can be obtained from the websites (See: The Universal Way). Duration: 10 minutes.
4. Awakening (Meditation)
This consists of fifteen minutes of relaxation (in the chair or on the floor) and silence, in which you watch the inner side of your eyelids. Very soon you will discover that "you are here, while your eyelids are there". Taking this seriously is the essence of awakening.....By doing this exercise regularly (at home every day, at least one time), the inner observer will become more stable, clear, empty etc., while at the same time watching your thoughts, emotions and desires in front of you. There appears to be a inner distance between the two. (See: The Universal Way). Duration: 15 minutes.
5. Re-integration of your rejected parts through Emotional self-integration (ESI)
The text of the emotional self-integration (eight steps) can be found in above mentioned website (See: The Universal Way, Step 2). It may be printed out and distributed among the members of the group. This text is a manual for everyday life. In the weekly meeting participants will share their experiences, successes and difficulties with each other. The aim is to restore personal wholeness and integrity. Extension of "personal integration" is to (once again) fitting in in "Heaven, earth and the community". For additional methods, see: "Heaven and Earth Exercises". and "Purification/Catharsis"*. Duration: 10 minutes or longer.
* See a.o. Mother Stone Therapy (Chinese Guasha Therapy): www.guasha.8m.com
6. Taking Refuge in the "Maternal Dimension of God"
It starts with (again) acknowledging one's helplessness towards one's self-addiction with subsequent surrender to the Mother, as the only dimension which could save you. This is a moment of silence (f.e. ten minutes) in which the members contemplate their personal relationship with the "Maternal Dimension of God", realizing Her saving activity through Her Law of the Universe. An inner whispering (mantra) may come up. One example is "Praising the Mother". While breathing in, you whisper "Praising", while in the lowest point of exhalation you repeat - with clear awareness - "the Mother", feeling Her quality of Nothingness. Others may surrender to the Cosmic Womb, while repeating "death" while breathing out and "rebirth" while breating in. Or you simply repeat OM (The original meaning is "Womb"). (See: The Universal Way). Duration: 10 minutes.
* Home Meetings are interreligious and multicultural. There is all the space for personal experience according to your own tradition. With "Mother" a Christan will understand Sophia or the Madonna, a Muslim the Merciful aspect of Allah, a Jew Hohkmah, a Buddhist Kuan Yin, a Hindu MatriDevi etc.
7. Celebration
This is the concluding part of the session, which is entirely up to the members how to fill it in. This may vary from chanting OM, music and dancing to sharing drinks and food (some of which may be offered to the Mother), to mutual healing in case of minor disorders to mutual exchange of experience with regard to the free Personal Health Plan* or to organizing a monthly "Full Moon Celebration". The latter could be an additionally organized Home Meeting at Full Moon (or in the weekend before). Duration: 15-50 minutes.
TOTAL DURATION: AN AVERAGE OF 90 MINUTES.
* See: www.vitalworld.org
As said above, Home Meetings are the core practice of the World MatriCommunity. They are based on self-rule. Inspiration a.o. were the respectable AA (Alcohol Anonymus) groups. All groups are autonomous without any steering body above them. The only thing everybody is committed to are the Seven Steps. Local groups can ask for assistance, though. This may consist of e-mail contact about certain problems or personal help. Home Meetings usually do not exceed some twelve to twenty participants. If more people want to attend (making reservations by telephone because of limited space is always a good idea) the groups will split into two. After having attended weekly meetings during at least half a year, you may set up a new group. Participating in a Home Meeting is entirely free of engagement. You are not supposed to take any further commitment whatsoever, if it doesn't feel like. It will be appreciated, if a local group lets us know about their existence. Potential participants who ask us about where to go, may then become referred to you.
Books, a.o.:
Gerald G.May "Addiction & Grace", 1991 HarperCollins
Christina Grof "The
Thirst for Wholeness, Attachment, Addiction, and the Spiritual Path", 1993
HarperCollins
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Last revising: 09/19/07