Two Events this Weekend: Saturday 7pm Full Moon Gathering & Sunday 10am Practice/Discussion of "Natural Awareness"

Dear Community,

Full Moon Gathering this Saturday, June 3rd, at 7pm

This Saturday, June 3rd, is our next Full Moon Gathering.  This June full moon is referred to as the Strawberry Moon by the Lakota and Dakota people, in honor of the abundance of wild strawberries that would become ripe during this time; because of this, we will take time to consider the nature of abundance in our lives.

We will gather at 7:00 PM, via Zoom for shared meditation and reflection on the values and practices that give our lives meaning and balance.  We hope you can join us to connect to our inner strengths and values, our bodies and hearts, and to each other. Registration and Zoom information available here.

“Natural Awareness” this Sunday, June 4th, at 10am with Benjamin Hohl

Last week Jean led an exploration of "knowing" and practices that are often referred to as "awareness of awareness." This week Benjamin is going to continue on this theme from the perspective of "natural awareness," a term used by Diana Winston and explored extensively in her delightful book, The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness. Below is a quote from that book:

"Natural awareness is a way of knowing and a state of being wherein our focus is on the awareness itself rather than on the things we are aware of. It is generally relaxed, effortless, and spacious. Natural awareness can subjectively feel very powerful.

It can feel like a deep sense of peace, joy, love, contentment, serenity, connection, and much more. It can be evoked through specific practices, and it is a type of meditation in and of itself. It can become a familiar state, accessible in daily life and regularly experienced as you meditate with it over time...

Natural awareness practices are not about working hard to calm our wild mind but about shifting into an already existing place of rest and freedom beneath the chatter. An analogy that’s often used is moving from the turbulence of the waves above into the deep stillness of the ocean below. As my dear friend Wim, who passed away many years ago, used to say, 'Would you rather have a mind lost in thought or resting in awareness? You decide.'”

Registration and Zoom information available here.

With metta (loving-kindness),
Minneapolis Insight

‍