winter newsletter
The Glimpse
here we are, all of us
sitting at the dinner table.
food, water, and wine are being served
and passed around.
endless tastes and smells and textures.
different flavors, different measures.
some of us are eating quietly,
watching and enjoying.
some are boisterously laughing ’til they cry, telling stories.
being careful not to choke on their food.
some are fully engaged with each bite.
tasting deeply. immersed.
some are complaining.
disgruntled, unable to be with such abundance.
some are throwing their food at their neighbor.
in protest, in anger, in ignorance.
some are engaged in conversation, disagreement, banter.
some are thinking, narrating and naming.
its good, its bad, its worthy, its not.
some are over and over again asking why.
why is this being served?
why isn’t there something else?
some are taking more than their share,
some are afraid to eat,
some are giving their food to others.
some are far, far away.
trying to eat from a meal in the unreachable past or in an improved upon future.
some are experiencing the greatest meal they can imagine.
some do not even have the will to eat, let alone taste.
everyone is at the table and everything is happening.
suddenly
two eyes meet. eye contacts eye.
not one, or the other, looks away.
the meeting deepens into a
clear seeing of one another.
silent, and vast, and empty, and full, and none of these as well.
the meal has been suspended, it moves in slow motion and eventually stops as it continues.
as glance ripens into gaze,
time, speech, sensation, narration, emotion
the food, the wine
thin out and recede.
in this moment is the recognition.
someone else looks up from the meal.
and someone else stops telling a story.
and someone else stops asking why.
as if a bell has been rung
signaling the end,
the events die down.
there seems to be nothing to say.
every one finds themselves to be quiet.
with everyone else.
and there is a moment, just that moment,
before awkwardness and fidgeting,
prior to the jokes that break silence,
where there is nothing happening.
but a glimpse,
of what we all share.
Jennifer Tyler, February/2018
Come join us for an evening gathering of silent sitting, spiritual inquiry and sacred conversation.
March 6, Tuesday, 6-8pm. 60643 Sunday Drive, Cove OR
email jen@fullcirclefamily.us for more information
Full Circle Silent Retreats
April 26-30, 2018 and October 4-8, 2018
(thurs. 5pm- monday 2pm)
Cove Ascension Conference Center
Ascension camp is a quiet, peaceful facility devoted to time apart. It provides an inviting and supportive container for inquiry and contemplation. Double and single rooms are available. And fresh, home-cooked meals with dietary options.
Retreats include opportunities to explore the natural condition of Being through: silent sitting, guided meditation, direct pointers (teaching talks), heart opening guided movement, spiritual inquiry, exploratory conversation, question/response, and sacred music.
Jennifer's beloved teacher, Sharon Landrith (a teacher in the lineage of Adyashanti), has encouraged her to be a guide for those genuinely moved to remember and embody their essential nature and confirmed her as a teacher in the lineage. Jennifer's joy is to be of service in the unfoldment of spiritual awakening through: private meetings for spiritual-inquiry, group silent retreats and transformational healing sessions. Registration and information available at her website.
Bless Our Hearts.
may we be awake to our shining
