Practice | Bonnie Barnard - Part 4

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What Question Are You Living Into?

The Buddhists have a meditative practice where they sit and ask the question, “who am I?” Once an individual has gone through their list of labels — mom, daughter, teacher, friend, woman, etc. what remains is that which is beyond definition; The ISNESS that IS. It is a great question to live into. Once beyond the form of life, we can access a Life Force and realize it is THAT which is alive. The Buddhists also have an inquiry process when it comes to emotions. It is called Taking the Seat. It is a practice I did for ten years anytime an emotional arose from within me. I would become an interviewer and question the emotion until I knew it so well that I had befriended it. The questions I asked included: “what is your color?” “what is your texture?” “where are you located in my body?” “what is my first memory of you?” “what is your temperature?” and after a series of questions I always ended with, “and...

Honoring 9/11 through Spiritual Practice

Seventeen years have passed since 9/11. There is an entire generation that doesn’t know what it was like to bring a diet coke on the airplane and walk through a metal detector with their shoes on. Terrorism is part of the new generation’s vocabulary; which wasn’t part of mine as a kid. According to 247wallst.com there are 15 ways that our country has changed since 9/11: 1. tightened security at the airport, 2. increased national security measures (Patriot Act, Department of Homeland Security formed), 3. increased government surveillance, 4. the perception of public gatherings shifting into “hot spots” of concern, 5. America entered a constant state of war, 6. US immigration policies changed, 7. hate crimes increased against Muslims, 8. building codes shifted toward community safety, 9. US military strategies shifted from fighting countries to groups, 10. cybersecurity became a priority, 11. politics have become polarized, 12. conspiracy theories increased, 13. treatment of prisoners has been scrutinized and debated, 14. money tracking systems changed, and 15. efforts to keep...

Designing Your Own Memorial Service

I was 19, maybe 20 years old sitting in my college classroom following the instructions of my professor. “Write down the names of the three people you love the most on the three slips of paper in front of you.” I write down “dad,” “sister,” and “best friend.” Then we are to pass the paper to the front of the room. The teacher proceeds to burn the papers and tell us that our most beloved have died. I couldn’t and wouldn’t let go. I was angry. I hated this exercise. I was only 19 and hadn’t yet experienced the death of my beloved grandmother, let alone two generations younger. I wasn’t prepared for this exercise. This was part of my intense class on Death and Dying. Fifty hours in the study of death, grief, and cultural services to honor those who pass. Our next exercise would be to plan our own memorial service. We were to chart it out. Where would we hold it? I decided on the Episcopal...

Who Am I Becoming?

I walked through hell for two months. Okay, I don’t really believe in hell, but if I did, I was walking through it. As an emotional empath, I was experiencing in my body the impact of shifts in the cosmos, country, and casa. And the shifts in my home were enough to take a weaker person down. Through the hellacious stroll, I continued to be grateful that I believed in a God of Good, not punishment. This meant while taking each deliberate step forward I knew I was surrounded by The Presence of Peace, Love, Joy, and Prosperity that regardless of my perception, I was completely and totally held. I also knew that this Presence was within me and would sync up to the outer Presence girding me with a promise of something new transforming and emerging from within me. I cannot imagine how anyone could walk through this physical, mental, and spiritual life without being aware of their connection to the Source of All of It. So I start...

Endings … Sweet Endings

Today, the first Momentum and Miracles group ended. We met for the month of July with each of us focused on “One Thing” to accomplish or move forward. As this particular group is coming to an end, it got me thinking about endings. As Infinite, multi-dimensional Beings, one of our primary forms of currency is energy. It is the Quantum realization that we are more formless than form and all of Life is a spectrum of light to dense energy. We are always circulating energy, and as Einstein said, “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” And how does this change or circulation happen? Through our attention and intention. Many clients I have worked with over the years have a hard time with endings. They desire to keep things the way that they are and hold tight to what feels, or felt good. My observation is that this is related to an abandonment wound of some sort, and acknowledging...

Off to the Pharmacy

My right eye is swollen shut dripping with an infection that I continue to blot on and off and I’ve lost my voice. Six days ago I woke up with a sore throat. I began my regular treatment of homeopathic pearls, throat lozenges, local honey with lemon, lots of rest and lots of prayer. My sore throat continued. My routine continued. In the midst of this flair up, I was visiting family and friends who reinforced my well being as I did not have a fever, I had a lot of energy and I felt REAL good. Then last night in the middle of dinner with my writing partner, my right eye turned bright red, ached and itched and yellow discharge started puddling in my eye. I had to admit to myself that my body clearly required my attention. I am a prayer warrior. And, today I sit with my writing partner in a rented house out of town hearing words scratch forth from my throat when...