We are happy to have guest facilitator Kaira Jewel lead us Monday night.
We can see ourselves as gardeners and those we are in relationship with as our garden. Knowing that whatever we water grows, what kind of seeds do we want to water and cultivate in our dear ones? What kind of seeds do we want to avoid watering and cultivating?
The practice of Beginning Anew, developed by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village sangha helps us to take good care of our relationships by bringing the best of ourselves to the other and bringing out the best in our beloved ones. We know that we have many wholesome qualities inside of us and so do the people in our lives. If we ignore these qualities and only focus on what is not going well, we do ourselves and others a real disservice, missing many precious opportunities to enjoy and delight in each other.
Of course, we each have suffering and unwholesome qualities as well. The practice of Beginning Anew helps us to address hurts and reconcile conflict in our relationships so that they do not continue to cause suffering and wreak havoc. But this is much easier to address when we have a robust practice of appreciating each other's goodness.
We will explore together the 4 steps of Beginning Anew and some informal ways we can also practice it, like expressing our gratitude and writing love letters.
Reflection:
When you think about the people you are close to, what are the beautiful things in them? Do you appreciate these things on a regular basis? Are there wonderful qualities in them that you have yet to cultivate and water? How might you do this?