Spiritual Growth Network of Kentucky

SGN Process and Seasons of the Soul

The SGN Process and Seasons of the Soul.

Visitors can find the SGN process jarring and even discomforting upon the first visit. We aim to incorporate the best of all Wisdom traditions in a way that helps each person with the basic questions: Who Am I? Why Am I Here? and What is the Meaning of My Experience? Our exercises are aimed to help the individual come to new realizations concerning their own unique journeys. We have no doctrine to teach, except that each of us has direct access to Mystery, the Mystery of our own lives. We are present to assist each other and ourselves in this process.

If we consulted the wisdom keepers of all cultures over the millennia of human existence, we would learn there is no one recipe for spiritual growth. Nor could there be found a specific ritual for spiritual development. The paths of human spirituality are as varied as the people on them. But what we can find in search the wisdom of the ages are four processes, like seasons of the earth, which nurture the health of the human spirit.
• Centering: a time of solitude to quiet the heart, separate from distractions, and tune in to the voice of the higher Self.
• Emptying: Cleansing the mind and heart of releasing pre-occupations, old thoughts, habitual distractions, toxic attitudes, ego-perceptions, undue stress, etc. that occupies and obstructs one’s focus of attention, thus becoming a roadblock to one’s human potential.
• Grounding: Accessing one’s deeper self, feelings, intuitions, the particular wisdom of one’s own heart, in owning all of one’s parts and one’s history and temperament.
• Connecting: Two parts: Listening to others deep sharing without judgment, and sharing one’s own insight, passions, disappointments, and dreams: what moves our hearts.

These four processes done in community enrich the lives of all members of our collective community, offer grounding, hope and renewal for others. Like the seasons of our planet, these processes are both subtle and dynamic, comforting and challenging, and provide a sense of balance between the three sources of spiritual well being: relationships, values and a sense of meaningful purpose in life. Our weekly meetings and other regular activities are aimed at supporting and enhancing these exercises for all members. We take a closer look at each:

Seasons of the Soul
Autumn: Centering, Soul Searching
Winter: Emptying, Cleansing
Spring: Grounding, Intuition
Summer: Connecting, Sharing



Centering: We become still, quiet the mind, and enter the heart, by sitting calmly in quiet concentration. We unplug from the external world, becoming aware of our "monkey mind" jumping all over our internal world. We begin to explore the vast landscape of the human soul. Many wisdom traditions teach this process: Be still and know that I am God. (Psalms 46:10). The shorter days of autumn gently usher us into a more interior state of awareness of transitions.

Emptying: We house-clean our inner home of non-essentials, detaching, letting go, releasing everything which does not serve the ongoing growth of our souls. We can become aware of habitual distractions, even personal addictions and attachments. The emptying process, paralleling winter is the most difficult: a winter of discontent, a dark night of the senses or of soul. We become aware of and release our ego-attachments to make room for new ideas, insights, and enlightenment. Awareness arrives only from a deep internal quieting.

Grounding: A deep receptiveness follows the emptying process. This may be just a very deep quiet and peace, or a time of revelation and resolution with regard to relationships, experience, values or direction of one’s life. It is better not to expect anything to happen at this point, but to cultivate the deep awareness and receptiveness during one’s daily life and routine, what Buddhists call mindfulness, or intentionality, in all one’s doings. Journaling is sometimes used.

Connecting: We usually emerge from the three previous states in a new openness for listening and relationship. We have come to realize that we are constantly in relationship with everything and everybody, a deep association with people and nature: earth, trees, animals, and our environment. An acceptance of our inter-dependence on all of humanity and the natural world is embraced. We are invited to understand, to love and to share our own individuality and gifts.

In reconnecting with our deeper selves and with one another, we are invited to dissolve ego boundaries, avoid "turf" issues, and to build bridges. We can experience a new summons to become instruments of peace and caring for others. We accept and own the connection that already exists between all peoples and all the wisdom traditions. We are ready to discover and embrace that which is common to all the teachers of the wisdom tradition throughout the ages.

One of the distinctive features of our SGN process is that we believe and practice a discipleship of equals: all are learners and all are teachers. Paschal has named this Equalog, that is, a discussion between equals, not simply a back and forth exchange, which is the root meaning of the word dialogue. All decisions arise from a shared circle of leadership, appreciating the diversity of gifts among us. We believe that this is the grounding and the strength of our SGN process that has given us ongoing energy to provide our weekly support groups, our monthly days of recollection (third Saturdays 10-3), our quarterly retreats, our free lending library and newsletters, and our Many Faces of Spirit community conferences in Lexington.

SGN is a nonprofit educational organization. We do not charge for any events, but all are open to all comers. We accept donations for the out of pocket expenses for printing and mailing newsletters, and other bulletins.

11/7/01 pbb, Seaward, Oates

posted by Paschal Baute @ 5:49 AM |