Practice | Bonnie Barnard - Part 16

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The Impact of Trauma on the Emotions with Kim Lipsman

“Trauma, I would define, is the inability to stay in the present.” Kim Lipsman Emotions are wonderful nuggets of energy which rise up in response to an idea, thought, perception, or reaction. If, however, you are traumatized, these nuggets may proceed thought and/or direct it. Even more likely, is the chance you are separated from thought. During my two years of solitude I worked with Kim, above, to restore my emotional self to a place of balance and trustworthiness. I relearned the nuances of emotion and came to fall in love, once again, with the miracle of self expression through emoting. I allowed myself to write poetry, paint and wallow in emotional states not from a place of judgment, but from a place of gratitude. When is the last time you gave thanks for your ability to become angry, disgruntled, happy, frustrated or giddy? It is a wonderful practice. Catch an emotion rising up from within, name it and then with delight say “I love this feeling.” This freedom...

My First Tweet

Two weeks ago I was sitting in a sea of laptop computers and men on a college campus. I was attending Word Camp. Word Camp is an all day training session to assist individuals in learning WordPress, the format I use for my blog. Sitting next to me was Rhonda, a woman about my age, unemployed, and wanting to work her way into the technical field. She asked me what I did for a living and I told her I was a minister. Her face shifted the way many people’s do when they are uncomfortable with the answer. “I am so sorry I said F**K,” she says sheepishly. I reassure her it is a handy word and I don’t hold it against her in any way. As the talk begins the speaker encourages everyone to tweet about their experience. I am not a tweeter. I lean into Rhonda saying “what would a minister tweet about anyway?” Her answer was “I’d tell people to Love Themselves. We all forget.” Brilliant!...

How Did You Commemorate 9/11?

I had grand plans for commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 which became obsolete after eating some food last night which resulted in extreme belly bloating. I experienced pain akin to childbirth. At one point, I managed to roll from the bed to the floor, crawl to the bathroom four feet away and roll around on the bathroom floor so I could feel the cold tile against my belly. Falling asleep at 6:15 am in a guest room, I awoke groggy to see the DVD player flashing 11:47 am. Between the time I went to bed and fell asleep at 6:15 a.m. I honored 9/11 in the perfect way. I prayed. With each rising pain twisting some internal organ I prayed for others in the world who lived chronically in pain. With each belabored breath and tear I prayed for my fellow humans who suffer from lack and sadness. I would rub my belly and tell it how much I love it and then I would extend the love...

Affirming Spiritual Reality as a True Reality

I promised on my last posting to bring you an interview regarding affirmative prayer. This interview is with Angela C. Montano, a Licensed Prayer Practitioner, whose work it is to pray with individuals using this technology. She describes clearly the experience of entering into the spiritual field behind and within circumstances in order to call forth the spiritual reality not recognized until the moment of affirmative prayer. Enjoy!...

A Soulful Resource: Affirmative Prayer

Affirmative Prayer is praying from an internal state of Oneness with The Great Love and praying from the State which is desired, instead praying about the something desired. It is embodying the end result energetically and then knowing it for yourself or another. The philosopher and spiritual teacher Ernest Holmes created an easy five step process for praying affirmatively. 1. Recognizing The Creator. Sitting quiet in a contemplative space of knowing there is One Energy from which all Life and forms flow. Connect with that Energy field with an open, grateful heart. The basking in this dimension is often enough. 2. Unifying with The Creator. Once the contemplation is set, then allow yourself to realize It lives within YOU. The State is coming forth through communion within your very being. 3. Claim what it is your heart desires. This is done “affirmatively” meaning in the present tense as though it is so. If the prayer is for health it is speaking the words of well-being for yourself. 4. Give...

Raw Art Journaling: Interview with Quinn McDonald

BB How does your book support individual inquiry into one’s deepest Self? QMc Raw art journaling is the deep-rooted, authentic heart work you bring to your journal. Raw art is what heals and restores, and requires only an open mind and heart, not a pile of equipment or years of talent. Raw art is the GPS system for your journey, and like the GPS you use in your car, it is intensely personal to your journey. How you create art is up to you–from drawing to painting, singing, dancing, writing or performing music or parenting, comforting people or leading a team–and putting your talent to practice is always deeply, richly, personal. BB Tell me more about making through making art. QMc My life changed entirely when I realized that we don’t find meaning in life, we make meaning from life. We don’t pursue meaning, we develop it over time, each of us in our own journey. Creativity is what makes meaning in our complex lives. The act of discovery...