Essence of the One
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Healing Racism & Bigotry
August 11, 2016 @ 12:30 am - September 8, 2016 @ 2:00 am
“Everything has to do with Loving or not Loving.”
~Jalal id-din Rumi
RACISM ~ BIGOTRY ~ HATRED ~ FEAR
It’s everywhere right now. Pretty hard to deny. Pretty hard to avoid.
In dialog of spirituality, we speak of oneness. We are all one, all brothers and sisters from one father and mother. We all carry the light of God equally in our hearts and souls.
Yet, in daily life, we’re not living it.
The incongruences that pass our consciousness barely brush the surface. Most of what separates us resides in the subconscious.
This doesn’t make us bad people. Every human being is guided by subconscious belief patterns, many of which have been taken on from upbringing, culture, environment, experiences, misunderstandings, misinterpretations and fears.
Any belief or behavior that separates us from love carries at least a kernel of falsehood.
Arun Gandhi said,
“We cannot create peace if we cannot live in harmony.
We cannot practice nonviolence
if we don’t understand the violence
we commit all the time.
It is essential that
we understand these things
and how they affect us.”
We’re coming together now in loving acceptance of our humanity to explore the pictures and beliefs we carry in the consciousness and subconscious that keep us in fear and separation from our brothers and sisters.
We want to understand how the society we live in perpetuates division and inequality, and how the roles we play support the continuance of this separation along lines of race, religion, gender, social status and financial status.
Furthermore, we want to bring healing, beginning with our own hearts.
You are invited to join us for a journey of
exploration, healing and transformation.
“YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.”
~Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi
THE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF:
3 Live Classes – Wednesdays at 5:30pm US Pacific time / 8:30pm US Eastern time:
- August 10th – Program intro & Part 1: The Tree of Violence
- August 24th – Check-in & Transition to Part 2: Healing & Transformation
- September 7th – Review & Part 3: Living in the World in Peace & Unity
All classes will be live, open for Q&A, and recorded.
Regular posts and handouts to guide and support the process in between calls.
Daily interaction and support in the private Facebook group.
Registration not required. Registered guests will receive email notifications and reminders about live events.
Your email address will be held private, never shared.
HERE ARE THE RELEVANT POSTS IN ORDER
Learn about the program: Heal Your Inner Racist
Racism and discrimination are practiced within the US and around the world. White people have been benefiting from racist systems in local, state, and federal systems for hundreds of years. As a result, white people often don’t even notice when they are participating in and profiting from systemic racism. Tonight’s Live-Stream discussion is the kick-off for the FREE month-long program to heal the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle acts and thoughts of racism. You are invited to join us for a journey of exploration and transformation.
Read more…
Arun Gandhi Speaks on Passive Violence
Each of us by nature of being human commits passive acts of violence every day. Arun Gandhi tells the story of when he was 13 years old living with his grandfather. He received a powerful teaching about passive acts of violence and active acts of violence. Learn how you can do your part to help eradicate violence in our world. Read more…
LIVESTREAM #1: Exploring Inner Beliefs of Racism
August 10th – Program intro & Part 1: The Tree of Violence
When you see a child filled with judgment of someone who appears different, where does that judgment come from? Aside from influence of parents, media or personal experience, is there a purpose? Is there a higher perspective? Read more, and join us for exploration and healing… Read more…
A Geneological Tree of Violence – Passive vs Physical
I’m not a violent person. How can I be responsible for acts of physical violence in the world? Gandhi taught that we all commit passive acts of violence every day. He taught that passive acts of violence provide the fuel that ignites and sustains the fires of physical violence around the world. Learn how you can reduce passive violence and be an agent for peace in the world. Read more…
What do your thoughts create in the world?
Many of us have been raised in an environment where racism–blatant and subtle–was acceptable. Even if you didn’t agree with it, the thoughts and underlying belief patterns still make their way into the psyche, influencing subconscious acts, what Gandhi calls the “passive acts of violence,” that we commit every day. Learn Gandhi’s process for exploration and join us for discussion and healing – to become the change we want to see in the world. Read more….
Passive and Active Violence in the Interpersonal Realms
Physical violence on the interpersonal realm is easy to identify, but what about the non-physical? Are racist thoughts and speech harmful, even if said amongst friends? Shams Tara Wesley spells out the differences between acts of physical violence, active non-physical and passive non-physical violence in interpersonal relationships. Read more to learn how you can transform subconscious racism to bring more peace to the world. Read more…
Could Recreating Trauma Be an Attempt to Heal?
You are probably familiar with the idea that victims of trauma, whether physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal, are highly likely to recreate the trauma. When people recreate trauma, we can do so in the victim or oppressor role, regardless of how we originally experienced the event. Can effects of past traumas be subconsciously affecting our inter-racial relationships? Read more…
LIVESTREAM: Healing Racism & Bigotry, Part 2 – Gandhi meets Rumi
We want to live in a fair, balanced world with no bias or prejudice, but is it possible? Integral to our human journey is a belief that we are separate from God, love and each other. This perception creates fear, which resides at the base of our innate drive for survival. How real are the fears we face? Do we allow our fears to inform us and keep us safe? Do we allow our fears to unnecessarily perpetuate a system that is divided along lines of race, culture, religion, and social and economic differences? In this week’s discussion, Gandhi meets Rumi as we use Sufi principles to be the change we wish to see in the world. Read more…
3 Steps to Return to Love in Times of Pain
With so many troubling events occurring in the world, it’s hard to write about the pure love at the heart of Sufism. However, this is the time when we need more than anything to connect with love – with a divine All-Knowing, All-Encompassing, Unconditional Love. Try these 3 simple steps to bring more love into your heart and the world… Read more…
LIVESTREAM: Healing Racism & Bigotry, Part 3 – Tools to Bring Unity
This is a world of multiplicity and diversity, not equality. We cannot claim to see each other as one, all equals. To claim sameness is to deny our humanity. We strive for equality and unity in the realms of the spirit, but can we claim to love unconditionally when we live in a conditional world? Does an attempt to see each other as one deny the struggles and triumphs of people of color who have not known the same privileges as the white men and women? As seekers on the Sufi path, our focus is… Read more…
We have concluded our LIVE discussions.
All recordings are available at posts listed above.
Look for LIVESTREAM in the title.
You’re invited to join us in the FACEBOOK GROUP for further interactions.
YOUR PROGRAM FACILITATORS
Dr. Shams Tara Wesley is a practicing Acupuncture Physician serving Florida in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Tequesta, and other Palm Beach County communities.
In 2000, Shams found the Sufi spiritual path and the spiritual teacher she was meant to work with. She continues to practice within this tradition today, and often combines Sufi Healing with acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medicine, and cupping.
Over the years, she has used her skills in different venues, including teaching acupuncture and acupressure at the GCU School of Oriental Medicine and at local colleges. Shams is an active writer and editor. She is an advocate in her local community for clean water and for people going through health crises as well. Learn more about Shams at her website.
Mastura Debra Graugnard is the host of Essence of the One, the community blog of The University of Spiritual Healing & Sufism. Mastura has been a student of Sufism since 1998, and was a spiritual seeker for many years prior. She helped establish the USHS in her roles as former Operations Manager and now University Relations Coordinator.
Mastura obtained her Masters of Divinity from USHS, and maintains a private practice offering personal healing sessions and spiritual development programs. Her main passions are helping people realize they carry the Essence of the One within, and helping to heal the planet by inspiring people to daily life changes necessary to create optimal health and a sustainable environment. Learn more about Mastura at SufiUniversity.org or JoyfullyLivingWellness.com.
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