The group agape meditation for the final evening session that I led at a Denver church went very well. Because of the need to squeeze the 7 steps into 5 sessions, we did steps 6 and 7.
After we did the usual concentration on our breathing to release tensions and the distractions of the previous week, we then let our awareness move deeper and deeper into the center of our being. There in our heart-center we began to gain a spiritual sense of a special presence.
And slowly we relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape. Then spreading from deep within we slowly sensed agape flowing, permeating our being, bringing an awareness of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy. And slowly we allowed ourselves to awaken to divine Presence as agape opened each of us up spiritually. We let agape draw us into the intimacy of divine Presence.
Each person in the group was invited to begin forming an understanding of what spiritual well-being is for that person’s life. Then we took a few minutes to let that sense of well-being develop.
As we moved into Step 6, each of us held in agape prayer a group who were important to us. We began by forming a visual image of that group. As we let that group’s awareness form in our meditation, also we opened up to agape flowing in that moment. We prayed for agape to work in that group’s life together.
After a few minutes of that meditation, we moved our attention back into the room and each of us held in agape prayer each of the other persons meditating in that circle. We did that for a few minutes, then we spread our attention to hold in agape prayer the whole congregation. We sensed agape flowing among the members then out into the various service projects of the church.
Finally, we moved into Step 7. We imagined the expansion of the flowing of agape. First, we prayed for agape flowing out to the neighborhood around us, praying for the well-being of that neighborhood. Then we sensed the expansion of agape, ‘following’ the flowing farther and farther — throughout the whole city — praying for the well-being of every part of the city. Slowly we sensed the flowing of agape out in ever-widening circles — expanding out to the whole State of Colorado — east throughout the farm region, south through the cities and suburbs and the church camp, down to Raton Pass, west over the mountains, north to Ft. Collins and beyond.
We prayed for the flow of agape among all of America. Then, expanded our agape awareness out farther; first, to Canada, then to Mexico, and finally beyond. We continued holding more and more people in agape prayer until we held all the people of the world in agape prayer. Then we realized that the spiritual quality of agape has no boundaries — God’s agape goes where it will, not controlled by humans and not limited to humans — and so it flows beyond humans to all beings, including animals of the ground and birds of the air. Slowly we let our attention follow God’s agape as it spread throughout all of Creation.
After we let our attention slowly come back to our normal state of wakefulness, we followed up the meditation by discussing how the design of the 7 steps is meant to be a way to help deal with the false ‘myth of separation.’ We realized that most people spend their lives trying to formulate an identity based on being separate from all that is around them — and yet the reality of Life is we are connected with all that is around us. But as most of the great spiritual giants throughout history have suggested: we need to develop a different understanding of our relationship with what is around us.
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