Part 8 - Lakeside Pathfinders

In Part 7 I used a three legged stool as an analogy for a stable platform for a spiritual journey. But a four legged chair is even more stable. I now realize the importance of a spiritual community. I have a strong desire to journey together with like-minded people and in 2018 I began to take action towards this goal. As captured in the emails below, I did not have a clear idea of what I was trying to do, where this initiative was headed or even what to name it. But by the end of 2019 that clarity had emerged.

I initiated additional meetings with announcements in The Guadalajara Reporter.

CHAPALAC HAPPENINGS

Spiritual Exchanges
New to Lakeside, SE will meet on Wednesday, September 5th at 5:00 at La Nueva Posada. Come and explore this intriguing initiative with others who identify as spiritual but not religious. Attendees will have an opportunity to explore the question "What is spirituality?" Stay for food and fellowship at 6:00 pm. For more information contact sp.exchanges@gmail.com. Limited seating, please RSVP.

CHAPALAC HAPPENINGS

Secular Spiritual Exchanges
New to Lakeside, SSE will meet on Tuesday, October 16th at 3:00 at La Nueva Posada. Come and explore this intriguing initiative with others who identify as spiritual but not religious. Discussion will centre around the book Aging as a Spiritual Practice by Lewis Richmond.  Stay for food and fellowship at 4:30 pm. For more information contact sp.exchanges@gmail.com. Limited seating, please RSVP.

CHAPALAC HAPPENINGS

Secular Spiritual Exchanges
SSE will meet on Friday, January 25th at 5:00 at La Nueva Posada. We are a small but growing group who identify as spiritual but not religious. Discussion will centre around the idea of "How to Pray as a Naturalist."  Stay for food and fellowship at 6:00 pm. For more information contact sp.exchanges@gmail.com. Limited seating, please RSVP.

Responses to these announcements and attendance at meetings yielded a small group of people interested in continuing this initiative. 

Greetings Everyone,

Our next meeting will be at 3:00 Tuesday, March 5th - venue to be determined.

The meeting will focus on building collegial and meaningful relationships. Please come prepared to share (within your comfort zone) the following:

• something about your life prior to moving to Lakeside
• something you find enjoyable
• something you consider important and meaningful.

ALSO

Mark your calendar for an Earth Day celebration on April 22nd. 

Please help me prepare a program, perhaps about an hour. Use your imagination. Send me your ideas and please volunteer. Here is a start:

• A short history of Earth Day
• The inspiring poetry of Mary Oliver - a good idea but not one I can take credit for
• The importance of fighting global warming.

Regards,

John

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Greetings Everyone,

Slowly I am gaining some clarity on what I would like this initiative to become. Thank you to all who have provided me with helpful feedback. Please continue to let me know what does or does not resonate with you.

Lakeside Spiritual Seekers will meet at La Nueva Posada at 3:00 on Tuesday, March 5th.

The meeting will focus on building collegial and meaningful relationships. Please come prepared to share (within your comfort zone) the following:

• something about your life prior to moving to Lakeside
• something you find enjoyable
• something you consider important and meaningful.

Lakeside Spiritual Seekers will meet at 3:00 on Monday, April 22nd.

The meeting will be a celebration  of Earth Day  and will also focus on building collegial and meaningful relationships. Please come prepared to discuss (within your comfort zone) the following:

• where on earth is the most beautiful place you have been?
• what do you think about the "nature is scared" concept?
• other suggestions???

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Greetings Everyone,

Just a reminder that Lakeside Pathfinders will meet on Wednesday, June 5th, 3:00 pm, at La Nueva Posada. Our Program Leader will be Lila Wells and the subject matter will be the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. And we will also discuss the evolution of our group and themes for future meetings.

Eckhart Tolle has some interesting things to say about beauty:

As the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the first thing they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them... Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness.

Regards,

John

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Greetings Everyone,

Lakeside Pathfinders will meet on Wednesday, July 3rd, at 3:00 at La Nueva Posada. For planning purposes, please RSVP. As a matter of interest, this email is being sent to 19 people.

Our Facebook group, the core of Lakeside Pathfinders, now has 7 members.

There is no formal agenda for our meeting but there is lots to talk about. I am expecting two new attendees and they will be invited to share some of their spiritual journey. Sharing our experiences within our individual comfort zones will hopefully be one of our regular activities.

Below is a recap of what we have been sharing on Facebook, all open for further discussion:

Spirituality & Practice

This excellent website profiles 142 Living Spiritual Teachers, including Eckhart Tolle who we discussed at our last meeting, which you can find under the EXPLORATIONS tab. To varying degrees, I am familiar with 22 of them. There is lots to explore and discuss with this as a starting point.

Brain Pickings

"There is no self, and yet without it there is nothing." 

Being “Spiritual” Is More Ordinary Than You Think

The Hidden Tribes 

Members are encouraged to take this test and share results with the intention of clarifying our values.

6 things I wish people understood about atheism in America

Lila Wells and I shared the following articles with each other.

Psychedelics: Treating Addiction, Depression and Anxiety 

Ketamine trips are uncannily like near-death experiences

Regards,

John

This is the history of Lakeside Pathfinders from inception until July, 2019. I do not know what its future holds. But the feedback from those attracted to this initiative is positive and I am motivated to continue. 

Greetings Everyone,

Lakeside Pathfinders will meet at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, August 7th at La Nueva Posada. 

FYI, our facebook group is Lakeside Pathfinders and has 8 members. However, as an observation but not a criticism, there has been little interaction amongst members so perhaps this is not meeting a need. Thank you to Rosalind who did comment on the Marianne Williamson post.

For those not part of the facebook group, below is a recap of my posts. Please feel free to raise any topic for discussion at our meeting.

The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People

Book Review: Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction by Robin Le Poidevin

Altered States of Consciousness

The problem of mindfulness

The Loneliest Society

Why Do We Look to Science As a Guide for Living?

Watkins’ Spiritual 100: Marianne Williamson

Living Spiritual Teachers Project - Marianne Williamson

Regards,

John