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What is the Evolution Spirituality Relationship Meditation?
Our Integrative Relationship Meditation is a new, sequenced form of very short integral meditations, derived from the core of eastern and western spiritual and mystical traditions. These meditation sessions integrate various meditation styles, including Zen, Christian, Sufi, Buddhist, and mystical, along with creative, modern forms of meditation that use guided visualization, affirmations, and even inspirational ideals or quotes.
Integrative Relationship Meditation is easy enough for individuals who have never meditated before. It is also exciting and effective enough to demonstrate a positive new surge in the meditation experience and growth of long-term meditators.
Each meditation session begins with 2-3 minutes of simple instructions from an individual familiar with the procedures. This brief instruction is intended to help everyone feel comfortable with any new meditation practices they may not already know.
Each relationship meditation session usually consists of five sequenced 5-8-minute mini-meditations. The five integrative relationship meditation styles are performed in a specific sequence because each prior meditation builds toward a unique relationship-focused, meta-spiritual experience.
In most of these relationship-focused meditation experiences, the individual first connects with their own highest and most authentic self, and then simultaneously connects, in their favorite way, to the Great Unity and Great Mystery that includes and interconnects us all. Then, finally, the individual connects with others at deep, authentic levels of pure Essence.
This deep connection naturally facilitates a unique, mystical-like, and empowered relationship experience in individual, group, and Consciousness/Ultimate Reality intimacy and interconnection. Many individuals who experience this new form of meditation for the first time want it to last far longer than the times allocated below.
At the end of all five sequenced mini-meditations, there is a period of open socialization. This open socialization time is vital for individuals to debrief about their new meditation experiences. The socialization time also helps leverage the heightened relationship awareness, openness, and powerful intimate connections created in the earlier, sequenced meditations.
General Tips on the Evolution Spirituality Integrative Relationship Meditation Process
The following Integrative Relationship Meditations steps are best done in the given sequence, but you can also do any one of the 5 meditation steps by itself, any time you wish, as a powerful 3-5 minute mini-meditation to re-focus or re-center upon your highest intentions and your best resources for managing life's challenges. For example, members of our organization often just step 4 below for about 4 minutes before beginning a work project together. Doing so appears to have increased creativity, productivity, and the connection/fun factor in doing our work.
These meditations and meditation steps work best when you apply and adapt them from your own highest spiritual wisdom and favorite spiritual experiences. Most of our Integrative Relationship Meditations contain a mixed group of individuals from many denominations. Each denomination has wording, metaphors, images, icons, and processes that can and should be either adapted or used directly when doing the steps below. We encourage all meditation attendees to use what they already know, or that has worked well for them (wording, metaphors, images, icons, and processes) in the past, while doing our new relationship meditations.
Integrative Relationship Meditation has been intentionally designed to be short, so you can get in, get out, and waste little time or fool around “in your head.” Many people have no problem completing the meditations on their first try. Some require a few passes to complete all parts of the longer steps below.
Do not worry if you do not get all the way through any of the parts of the steps below. Meditation is not a competitive sport. You will get as far as you get, and that distance is exactly what is perfect for you.
Many amazing thoughts feeling and sensations are possible while you are doing these steps. We recommend that you do not discuss them with others while following the steps. At the end of the full process, you will have a few minutes of silence to recall and hold all of the positive things that you have experienced. You also have an important socialization time at the end of the full meditation steps to debrief and share anything you like with anyone or everyone.
You will need a timekeeper and a facilitator for the group who explains the steps of each meditation at the beginning of each session for both new people and regulars. They also start each meditation and gently bring the group back to the next one when the previous one ends.
Bringing people back gently, not suddenly, is vital, as these are powerful, connected relationship experiences. You do not want to jar anyone too abruptly into the next meditation. Allow mediators to finish off just where they are, slowly open their eyes, and then wiggle a bit into alertness for the next step.
The Five Steps of the Evolution Spirituality Integrative Relationship Meditation Process
Step 1: Centering in Highest Self and the Present. Time 4-6 minutes
This is a passive or “quality of being” meditation. It has two parts.
In part one, you first experience yourself and drop into your sense of your most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul. Part two entails that, while holding your most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul, you come to the fullest possible awareness of your present environment that you are capable of. Be aware of the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, sensations, etc. of the present moment without any judgment or evaluative thoughts about what you are experiencing. Just be there in your highest sense of essential self. Continue to be present and aware until the 4-6 minutes are over.
Step 2: Active Connection of Highest Self to the Great Unity and Mystery that interconnects us all. Time 5-8 Minutes
This is an active relationship connection meditation. It has 5 parts.
In part 1 of step 2, you first experience yourself and drop into your sense of your most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul. You connect with yourself!
Part 2 of step 2 requires that while holding your most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul, you simultaneously connect to your favorite or best sense or understanding of an aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality that interconnects us all. No matter what your denomination or spiritual background, just connect to that state, aspect, or totality in your own words, icons, and images that most resonates with you.
In the beginning, for your ease and success in learning this new form of meditation, it is very important to pick your favorite or best sense and understanding of an aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery. After you have done this a few times, you will find you can apply this step to any aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery.
Remember, you may also use any term, image, or concept that especially speaks to you, even if it is not on the list below. Here are just a few of the terms in both eastern and western spiritual traditions used for the impersonal, personal, evolutionary, and consciousness names of the Great Unity and Ultimate Reality that unites all:
Absolute Spirit or Absolute Consciousness
Absolute Inclusiveness
Allah
Atman
Brahma
Causal
Christ
Cosmic Christ
Consciousness
Divine
Divine Feminine, Kali, Oya, Pele, Mary, Shakti, Black Madonna, or any of the other many names for the Goddess embodying Absolute Divinity in a female manifestation.)
Divine Mother
Divine Mystery
Divine Presence
Ein Sof
Ever Present Origin
God
Godde
Goddess
God/Buddha
Great Interconnectedness
Great Mother
Great Mystery
Great Spirit
Great Union
Great Radiance
Great Relationship
Great Unity
Higher Power
Highest Essence
Highest Self
Holy Spirit
I am Who am (a non-qualitative personal Divinity)
Infinite Consciousness
Infinite Essence
Infinite Mystery
Infinite one
Infinite oneness
Infinite Source
Infinite Spirit
Infinite Wholeness
Integrative Consciousness
Integrative Spirit
Jehovah
Kosmos
Krishna
Larger Self
Nondual Awareness
Original Essence
Original Organizing Principle
Pre Big Bang Reality
Post Big Bang Reality
Shakti
Shiva
The Cosmos
The Source
The Evolutionary Absolute
The Infinite
The Great Oneness
The Great Radiance
The Great Spirit
The Tao
The Great Unified Field
The Great Unity
The Force
The Tripartite Absolute (a term Universe Spirit uses for the combined Personal, Evolutionary, and Impersonal absolutes of God)
The Absolute Trinity or TriUnity
The Supreme
The Ultimate
The Universe
Total Reality
Total Pre and Post Big Bang Reality
Ultimate Concern
Ultimate Reality
Ultimate Truth
Ultimate Unity or Oneness
Ultimate Wholeness
Universal One
Yahweh
Wakan Taka
Connection has many levels. The simplest initial way that you can connect to the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality is through your attention. Start by just putting your attention on your favorite or best sense and understanding of an aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality, and you are in the first level of mystical connection.
Part 3 of step 2 is where you connect by actively thinking about what you know about your favorite/best sense and understanding of an aspect or state of that Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality. No matter what your denomination or spiritual background, it is likely a lot has been written about your favorite/best sense and understanding of an aspect or state of that Great Unity and Mystery. Actively reflect on that descriptive material and deepen the mystical connection.
Part 4 of step 2 is where you open your heart and connect, in your own favorite ways, to your favorite/best sense and understanding of an aspect or state, or even the totality, of that Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate reality. The heart has many ways to connect. Expressing respect, admiration, love, gratitude, and even adoration or worship, in some denominations, is a great way to connect through your heart. Always first select the heart connection styles and ways that most resonate with your spiritual wisdom, experience, or current denomination when beginning this part.
Part 5 of step 2 is where you are already connected through your mind’s attention and thought, as well as your heart, to the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality. Now you be, or imagine being, that particular favorite, best aspect, or state of the Great Unity and Mystery. Actually feel what it feels like in that state as best as you can or can imagine. Actually, see with and from the eye of the mind or imagination --- that particular aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality. From that state, look at yourself, others, and/or the physical universe, or anything you would like from that unique and broad perspective and experience.
Step 3: Passive Connection of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality that interconnects us all with the Highest Self. Time 2-4 Minutes
This is a passive meditation allowing the “flow” to be reversed. In different traditions, this meditation has been called waiting upon grace, waiting for inspiration, or waiting for guidance in one’s life.
You have just spent the last active meditation in Step 2 connecting and flowing out attention and heart feelings to the Great Unity and Mystery. Now you will help create an opportunity and space for the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality to connect and flow out to you.
This is a paradoxical meditation: all you need to do is be open and receptive, and do nothing else. It is a meditation where doing nothing and all will be done is best. Something will flow out to you and happen if it is supposed to. If you have abundant expectancy, but no expectations, you will have the right attitude of receptivity.
Remember, whatever happens, happens. Nothing may happen, or something amazing may happen, as this is not fully under your control. Just quietly let go, be receptive, and be open in your posture, mind, and heart, and whatever will emerge, guidance, intuition, feelings, new realizations, etc., will emerge.
Step 4: The Active Meditation of Connection of the Highest Self to the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality, and then to the Highest Self of each other person in the Meditation. Time 6-8 Minutes.
(Do not worry if you do not get through all of the steps in the time allotted.)
Part 1 of step 4 requires that while first holding your most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul, you once again simultaneously connect to your favorite or best sense and understanding of an aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality that interconnects us all.
Part 2 of step 4 still holds both things that you are doing in part 1 of step 4, and then adds connecting to the most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul of each person in the meditation group, one person at a time. This can be done in many ways.
You can imagine or just “connect” mentally and/or with your heart to whatever you experience as the most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul of that individual. Keep in your awareness and heart, as you connect with them, that they are simultaneously holding their own highest essence while connecting to their favorite aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality, and that they are also connecting to the Highest self of someone else in the group.
When you “meet” each person in this profound and deep way, many positive and unique experiences can emerge. Some individuals experience others as a single word, an ideal, or a phrase. Some individuals experience others as images or metaphors. Some individuals experience each other as unique and/or similar to their own highest concepts of the most essential, authentic, and highest self, spirit, or soul. Each of us is different, so those experiences of meeting another at essence will be different as well.
We recommend that you do this by connecting to another initially without touching. You can do it with your eyes slightly open as you move from person to person. You can also do it with your eyes closed, depending on what works best for you.
Part 3 of step 4, the final step, occurs when you have connected to and “met” one by one the highest self of everyone else in the group. In this step, if you still have time left, reach out mentally and/or with your heart to connect with and meet everyone simultaneously at their highest self level, while they also hold their favorite aspect or state of the Great Unity and Mystery.
Let yourself do or imagine this final step with whatever interconnecting and flowing images or metaphors are most comfortable to you. In our meditations in San Francisco, the image of an umbrella of energy connecting all of us and the Great Mystery/Ultimate Reality is often used.
Parts 1 and 2 of the above meditation are very powerful. They can be done very quickly when you have practiced them a bit. Some people, after practice, can enter this relationship-holding, connecting triune Essence-awareness state in considerably less than 1 minute.
This triune, integral Essence-awareness holding meditation is an amazing way to make almost any situation involving creativity or conflict work better. In fact, this is probably the most powerful one-minute meditation available once you get it down to a minute or less with practice and use it regularly in your daily life.
When encountering difficult situations involving other people (or even things), we recommend that you practice parts 1 and 2 of this meditation and see for yourself what happens. For many, holding this triune awareness, especially in conflicts, has opened up completely new solutions that were either impossible or invisible until this practical spiritualized awareness was activated. (If the "other" is a thing or circumstance and not a person, imagine or feel the embodied presence of the highest possible or potential Essence of the Great Unity that interconnects us all in that thing or circumstance.)
This triune perspective of the highest Essences (subjective, objective, and inter-subjective) serves to desensitize and dissolve dualities and dichotomies from the perspective of a more inclusive, transcendent higher union. Living from and within this higher union of spiritualized perspectives has the potential to improve everything --- in part because it facilitates at-One-ment, or oneness!
You may also find that once you use this 1-minute mega-meditation, your very best and others' very best will more easily surface for use. This is in part because its triune perspective honors all highest Essences. You may also find that you are better able to look and listen peacefully, be receptive to and accepting of the real "isness" or facts of the situation, and bring an initial neutral, non-judgmental perspective to the evaluation phase of any situation.
With practice, the triune perspective and the quality of being it creates can often instantly and dramatically empower and improve any doing-or-having issue in which you are involved. It appears that the quality and state of one’s “being” conditions and qualifies the quantity and quality of what you do and what you have.
The more that one’s being is at its optimal state, the better one's life will become. Therefore, the more you do this 1-minute mega-meditation, the more it becomes a natural, day-to-day awareness and habit that brings greater success to every area of your life.
Step 5: Gazing into the Eyes of One Other Person. Time 4-5 Minutes
In this meditation, you will first connect to your highest Self, then connect to the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality, and then to the Highest Self of one other person while gazing directly into their eyes. This can be quite powerful. If you like, blink as needed and close your eyes for a bit, if that helps for a while.
Ending the Meditation
When you have completed the last meditation step, it is time for the group meditation facilitator to call everyone for several minutes of silent reflection on what each participant liked or experienced. This is an important review step, as many unique changes and new experiences are possible during this meditation sequence.
After this, the facilitator can allow another minute or so for prayers or positive thoughts for individuals who need them and are not there. This extra time can also be used to allow the participants to make new decisions or renew old decisions that are important to them. The sequenced meditations have gradually created a powerful, positive state of awareness, where positive thoughts for others and decision-making are significantly empowered beyond our day-to-day average awareness.
Once these activities are complete, the facilitator opens the socialization time. At our center, we serve tea and crackers and allow individuals to congregate and connect as they so wish. Sometimes one large group forms, and there is group sharing of experiences and even questions. Sometimes, small groups debrief and share with each other in any way they so desire. Sometimes, attendees communicate about everything but the meditations with a wonderful glow, the result of such intimate, soulful sharing and connection during the meditation steps. It does not matter where people go. Just socializing after these meditations facilitates new ways of being with each other that most people love.
Why these Meditations Work: Connection and Transformation
Mystics and saints from both eastern and western traditions have said that when one makes and holds the triune and integral connection to the highest essence of themselves, the highest essence of another, and the Highest Essence that which interconnects all things (the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality), either separately or together, good things usually happen. Because of this integral and practical spiritual connectedness, transformation of a situation or individual is possible at a significantly greater rate than is common in normal day-to-day awareness. In fact, just one level by itself (of the three named levels of triune relationship connection) is capable of producing great transformation!
Of all the connections, the connection between the individual or individuals and the Great Unity and Mystery/Ultimate Reality has the greatest potential for individual transformation. This is because the individual is open and, by their free will, has decided to “ask for” or allow transformation to grace them. When a transformational connection (grace, chi, prana, etc. ) flows from the Great Unity and Mystery to the individual or individuals, what things are not improved and possible?
Another reason these relationship meditations can work so effectively for improving one's life and relationships (especially Step four parts 1 and 2,) is because, unlike many other types of meditations that focus on being aware of the ego, fears or other negatives, these meditations focus on the highest "rightness" within the individual and others as well as in relation to the Great Unity that connects us all. There is ample research that focusing on "rightness" creates more "rightness" more effectively than focusing on the negatives. If this research is correct, focusing on the highest or most essential "rightness" that exists spiritually cannot fail to be significant!
The Integral Nature of the Process Used in Integrative Relationship Meditation
Our Integrative Relationship Meditations were designed to incorporate integral philosophy and integral spirituality principles in practical ways. Some of those integral principles that we incorporate in our work are:
- Providing a deeper and broader map of the evolution of known spiritual reality that embraces an inclusive, multiple-perspective way of looking at and understanding the evolution of spiritual development and its processes.
- Excluding nothing essential needed for balanced understanding and/or growth and wholeness in the area of spirituality.
- Including, transcending, and synthesizing. We strive to include the most useful perspectives and values from all previous spiritual traditions where contextually appropriate, while simultaneously pruning away those that are not.
- Uniting all things in a coherent and structured matrix of relationships. We strive to have our meditations and spiritual processes combine inner (subjective), outer (objective), and the inter-subjective (relational) perspectives on any phenomena, whether singular or collective.
- Embracing new forms of non-pathological, integral personal spirituality that is congenial to science, philosophy, and art, and more spiritually universal in its perspectives.
- Anticipating what more appropriate spiritual solution or process comes next in the unfolding of evolution. These new spiritual processes and solutions shift away from polarizing and marginalizing, right-or-wrong, either-or, left-or-right partial systems or choices toward more inclusive, comprehensive both/and systems and solutions. That’s because integral solutions embrace the entire evolutionary developmental spectrum of the spiritual life of all humanity, allowing the lessons of previously exclusive and competitive spiritual traditions to be systematically meshed, layered, and harmoniously integrated to serve the spiritual well-being of the whole evolutionary spiral of life at this time.
Why are these New Integral and Integrative Relationship Meditations Important to your Daily Life?
(This is in addition to what has been said above.)
- They help renew and release vast untapped personal growth and transformational potentials by dramatically expanding who or what you conceive of self, other, nature, culture, relationship, and the ALL to be.
- They help heal and re-balance the fragmentation, isolation, and subtle cynicism that frequently result from 21st-century living by creating a new, practical spiritualized holism as well as a revitalized sense of meaning and achievable purpose.
- They help you create and find more effective and life-affirming perspectives and solutions for every challenge or dream you have. Equipped with these new perspectives and spiritualized information, you can now more wisely participate in co-evolving any area of your own life and future toward more truth, beauty, and goodness, reflecting the Great Unity that interconnects us all...
Help Us distribute This Meditation Breakthrough!
Please feel free to share this (r)evolutionary Integrative Relationship Meditation description with anyone you like under the Creative Commons copyright principles for noncommercial free sharing. If you do share this with others for non-commercial purposes, under the Creative Commons copyright principles, always mention our name, Universe Spirit (integrativespirituality.org), as the originator of the work. (For more about the Creative Commons, go to http://creativecommons.org .)
Please also feel free to send us your comments, experiments, and suggestions for improvements or additions to these Integrative Relationship Meditation processes to manage@universespirit.org. We are a co-creative, open-source, integral spirituality and believe that great wisdom and balance are achievable through an engaged community. We will regularly update this IRM meditation description and process, and release more integral and integrative relationship meditations as we synthesize them from the great spiritual wisdom traditions of the East and West.
Sincerely,
Lawrence Wollersheim
Executive Director Universe Spirit
universespirit.org
PS If you liked this article, please check out How Complete, Integral, and Effective are Your Current Spiritual Practices? This article will provide new information on what makes an effective, healthy, and balanced spiritual practice. It will help you know how much of your current spiritual practice incorporates the 18 most recognized and effective (classic through postmodern) methods for building a congruent and authentic spiritual lifestyle. You might just find out that you are doing a lot better than you ever dreamed! We invite you to review the 18 key methods of spiritual practice above and compare them for yourself.