Contemplative Practices as Expressed by Current Students

One of the threads that repeats itself throughout our curriculum is to learn about and practice contemplative practices across religious, spiritual, secular, and ethical traditions.  Our second cohort is well underway, and one of our recent modules highlighted hundreds of practices, including why we do them, when we do them, and how we do them.  At the end of each module in our 18-month program, our students create a reflective expression, which can come in many forms, including a traditional reflection, or another format, such as a video, song, poem, art piece, dance, etc. 
 
For this module, we asked them to reflect on the state of their lives as a contemplative, to consider any new insights they have gleaned about the nature of the contemplative life and, specifically, the importance and role of spiritual practices in their lives and in the lives of those they companion.  Lastly, we asked them to explore how a contemplative life prepares us to be present and active in the world.  
 
At the SGTI we have been impressed over and over again by the beautiful and honest reflections that have been submitted to us.  We asked the permission of a couple of our current students to share their work here.  These are only portions of their completed reflections about contemplative practices across traditions.

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Student 1

Student 2

"My life as a contemplative deepened with my involvement in Druidry, The Gnostic Celtic Church, and the Dolmen Arch course and my discipline and appreciation for it expanded. Now, studying with the SGTI has solidified and focused my practice. It has given me permission to be kind and gentle with myself in my spiritual growth and it has given me a family to work and grow with as we each develop our spiritual gifts and expand into the contemplative life.
 
Without my Spiritual Practice I would be a very different person. I would suffer greatly from anxiety, depression, and insecurity and I would probably drink alcohol to escape. Fortunately my practice sustains and nourishes me. It helps me endure the travails of living and I am extremely grateful for its positive influence in my life. I am better able to deal with the people around me - family, friends and strangers alike. It enables me to see the Divine (or at least TRY to) in each person I meet…"