Aldea Spiritual Community

The Gift of RAIN | Kathleen Roberts

Check out Kathleen's talk on mindfulness & meditation as we dive into the "RAIN" method, and even try it out for ourselves! 
 
Quotes: 
Jon Kabat-Zinn: 
“The core invitation of mindfulness is for you to befriend yourself.”  
 “Mindfulness is essentially a universal approach toward suffering, especially suffering caused by our all-too-human tendency to be caught up in unhealthy mindsets as well as, often, circumstances much larger than we are which sometimes make it difficult to be fully at home in our own bodies and our own lives.”
 “Whatever it is for each of us that prevents us from recognizing and embodying our own beauty and belonging in the face of “the full catastrophe” of the human condition, mindfulness as both a formal meditation practice and as a way of being rapidly makes it evident that awareness itself is already free, both liberated and liberating from such automatic and usually unrecognized habits of mind.”
 
Rumi: 
“Don't turn away. 
Keep your gaze on the bandaged place. 
That's where the light enters you.”
 
Bapuji:
“My child, break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.
You stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.
The time has come – your time to live, to celebrate and see the goodness that you are.
Let no one, no thing, no idea or ideal obstruct you.
If one comes, even in the name of truth, forgive it for its unknowing.
Do not fight – let go and breathe into the goodness that you are.”
 
Discussion Questions:
Did the RAIN meditation bring up anything for you? 
What are some ways that we can have self-compassion in daily life? 

The Path of Paradox | Jake Haber

Tune in to our conversation about paradoxes, navigating complex emotions, the difference between orthodox & paradox, and experiencing a spirituality beyond certainty. 
Quotes: 
Roger Penrose:
"If something seems to be a paradox, it has something deeper, something worth exploring."
Kahlil Gibran:
"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding"
Carl Jung: 
“Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.” 
Peter Rollins: 
“We must question the difference between the heresy of orthodoxy, in which we dogmatically claim to have the truth, and orthodox heresy, in which we humbly admit that we are in the dark but still endeavor to live in the way of Christ as best we can.”
Brene Brown: 
“The mark of a wild heart is living out the paradox of love in our lives. It's the ability to be tough and tender, excited and scared, brave and afraid -- all in the same moment. It's showing up in our vulnerability and our courage, being both fierce and kind.” 
 
Discussion Questions:
Where in your life have you moved from orthodox to paradox?
What kinds of questions can be answered with “Both/And”

The Infinite Game | Jake Haber

Check out Jake's talk on the Infinite Game - a concept from James P. Carse and popularized by Simon Sinek - which gives us a framework to evaluate our own approach towards life. We explore everything from relationships & careers to the environment & class inequality. 
Quotes: 
Rob Bell:
“We’re all endlessly figuring it out because Spirit keeps doing something new. We can fight this, resist this, dig in our heels, wish things were the way they used to be, or we can embrace it. We can choose to see it with fear and frustration, or we can see it as thrilling and invigorating."
James P. Carse:
"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other, infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play." 
"The finite play for life is serious; the infinite play of life is joyous."
Tao Te Ching V. 38:
"The Master concerns themself with the depths and not the surface, with the fruit and not the flower… They dwell in reality, and let all illusions go."
Simon Sinek: 
“An infinite mindset embraces abundance whereas a finite mindset operates with a scarcity mentality. In the Infinite Game we accept that “being the best” is a fool’s errand and that multiple players can do well at the same time.” ....“To ask, “What’s best for me” is finite thinking. To ask, “What’s best for us” is infinite thinking.” 
Richard Rohr: 
“Love, which might be called the attraction of all things toward all things, is a universal language and underlying energy that keeps showing itself despite our best efforts to resist it. It is so simple that it is hard to teach in words, yet we all know it when we see it. After all, there is not a Native, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, or Christian way of loving. There is not a Methodist, Lutheran, or Orthodox way of running a soup kitchen. There is not a gay or straight way of being faithful, nor a Black or Caucasian way of hoping. We all know positive flow when we see it, and we all know resistance and coldness when we feel it. All the rest are mere labels.”
James P. Carse: 
"There is but one infinite game"
Discussion Questions:
What are some “rules of life” that you have played by, consciously or unconsciously?
If you are the “Perpetual Stew”, what are some ingredients that have been removed or added?
 

30 | Jake Haber

In this message, Jake shares about his disastrous 30th birthday that ended up teaching him three valuable spiritual lessons! 
 
Quotes: 
Tao Te Ching: 
34 The great Tao is like a flood It can flow to the left or to the right
78  Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.
John O' Donohue:
“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
Proverbs 16:9:
"People do their best making plans for their lives, but the Eternal guides each step”
Luke 29:25-37:
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. “A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?”“The one who treated him kindly,” the religious scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn:
“Catastrophe here does not mean disaster. Rather, it means the poignant enormity of our life experience. It includes crisis and disaster, the unthinkable and the unacceptable, but it also includes all the little things that go wrong and that add up. The phrase reminds us that life is always in flux, that everything we think is permanent is actually only temporary and constantly changing. This includes our ideas, our opinions, our relationships, our jobs, our possessions, our creations, our bodies, everything.” 
“Life only unfolds in moments. The healing power of mindfulness lies in living each of those moments as fully as we can, accepting it as it is as we open to what comes next—in the next moment of now”
Discussion Questions:
What is a lesson you learned from a plan gone wrong?
What is a “strawberry” in your life?
 

Special Guest Speaker | Kevin Skinner

Hear from the founder of Aldea, Kevin Skinner, as he shares how to incorporate the Hero's Journey into our workplaces and personal lives.

The Journey & Heroes of Aldea | Jean Gage

Join us as Jean Gage walks us through the "Hero's Journey" that Aldea has been on over the last 25 years! 
 
Quotes: 
 
Paulo Coelho:
When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back.  
 
Will Craig: 
When the hero is ready, the mentor appears.
 
Aldea's Application for Tax Exemption: 
Aldea is a progressive Christian church and we recognize that there are many ways to be Christian, and there are all kinds of churches for all kinds of people. At aldea, we affirm this truth. We also celebrate that we are progressive in our approach to faith. So the question is: What does it mean to be progressive? Here are a few things it means to us: We are passionate about living our lives in the way of Jesus, and we hold love as life’s highest value. As progressive Christians, we affirm that how we live out our faith in daily life is more important than the specific beliefs we hold. We seek to live as Jesus lived. We find beauty in his way of life. Central to that way of life is love. Jesus once summarized his way using these words: Love God with all your heart; love your neighbor as yourself. Love God; love people. Love. Period.
 
We take the Bible seriously, but we don’t always take it literally. Our reading of the Bible is most often characterized by a historical and metaphorical approach. We appreciate that the Bible tells the story of our tradition, it’s the history of our faith. It was written by people struggling to make sense of God and spiritual matters. It reflects their thinking and the evolution of that thinking from generation to generation. We also read the Bible metaphorically. Rather than taking the stories of Scripture as always factual and always literal, we appreciate the power of metaphor. From the opening words of Genesis, to the final words of Revelation, we read Scripture seeking to find meaning for the present day. We are deeply rooted in the Christian faith, but we appreciate the wisdom of other traditions. Too often, faith communities make exclusive claims on God and spiritual Truth. At aldea, we make no such claims. We practice our faith with passion but also with humility. We appreciate the wisdom of our tradition, but we also celebrate that other people and other traditions can speak into our lives. We believe that appreciating the wisdom of other faiths can actually enrich our own Christianity. Because of this approach, we look for opportunities to create dialog with others. In this way, we seek to be “evangelized” rather than evangelizing others. Even within aldea, we do not all believe exactly the same way; these internal differences are also enriching. 
 
Discussion Questions: 
 
What does Aldea mean to you?  Do you have a story about Aldea you would like to share?
 
What ideas do you have for Aldea to become sustainable?
 

The Hero’s Journey (Part 3): Becoming The Guide | Jake Haber

Tune in for Part 3 of our Hero's Journey series as we look at what some consider to be the most important step - becoming the guide for other heroes. 
 
Quotes: 
Donald Miller: 
“In a way this book has been deceptive. It has taught you to become a hero on a mission even though the hero is not the most evolved role. The most aspirational role for any of us is the role of guide. So why spend so much time teaching people to live as heroes when the goal of life is to become the guide? The reason is, of course, that we cannot become guides unless we have lived as heroes on a mission” 
 
Donald Miller:
"The world, to a guide, is larger than themselves and their personal story. Guides care……As we surface guide energy, helping others win, we find a deeper and deeper experience of meaning. It is in us all to become guides"
 
Sacred Circle Project:
"Not all older or elderly people are considered elders. An elder is a person that has accumulated a great deal of wisdom and knowledge throughout his or her lifetime, especially in the tradition and customs of the group"
 
Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 18 V. 47 (paraphrase)
"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly then to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.”
 
Kahlil Gibran: 
“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of  wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
 
Discussion Questions: 
1. Who has been a “guide” in your life? What impact did they have? 
2. Where in your life can you transition from being a “hero” to being a “guide”?
 

Guided Meditation: Grounding & Connection | Kathleen Roberts

Enjoy this guided meditation for grounding & connection led by Kathleen Roberts.

The Hero’s Journey (Part 2): Walking The Path | Jake Haber

Check out Part 2 of our Hero's Journey series as we explore the steps of Joseph Campbell's framework in more detail, seeing ourselves in the various stages of the path. 
 
To make a one time or recurring gift to Aldea, visit this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=E79XD47A5DWJ2
 
Quotes: 
 
Carlos Castaneda:
“Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path”
Thomas Moore: 
"We are on the hero's journey when we submit to the deep processes of life and allow them to affect us and bore their necessities into us. We are the hero when we take on the challenges and go through our initiations and transformations, enduring loss and gain, feeling happy and sad, making progress and falling back. The hero is engaged in life… The hero may not look heroic from the outside but may go through powerful developments in a quiet way. The difference is that the real hero engages life and reflects on it. She becomes more and more what he or she is destined to be"
 
Thomas Lloyd Qualls:
“At one time or another we are all called to leave the safety of our homes, the certainty of what we know, the illusions of who we are. Not everyone will heed this call, of course. And those who do will risk losing themselves completely. But if we choose to ignore the invitation, we risk never knowing who we might have become. We risk dying without knowing what it is to live” 
Joseph Campbell:
“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; and where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world”
 
Joseph Campbell:
"What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco. There's always the possibility of fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss"
 
Discussion Questions: 
At the current moment, is there a specific stage of the Hero’s Journey that you are most resonating with? 
Share a memory or past experience that was a crucial part of your Hero’s Journey, and what stage you think it might have been. 
 

Guided Meditation: Mindfulness & Relaxation | Kathleen Roberts

Enjoy this guided meditation for mindfulness & relaxation led by Kathleen Roberts.