My Deepest Desire
For the longest time, I have had this vision of being part of a loving, supportive community of spiritually aware and earnest individuals. This has been one of my deepest desires, because I have often felt like there were very few safe spaces in this society where I could freely express my non-dual way of perceiving reality without being judged or misunderstood.
Craving Genuine Connection
My heart and soul craved ways to truly connect with others on a profound level. By that, I mean having conversations and interactions that sometimes go beyond the current content of what's happening in our individual lives. I'm talking about not being afraid to dive right into the essence of our being. Who, or what are we? What are we doing here? What really matters? How do we reach our full potential as spiritual beings? What can we do to heal our hearts and our planet? What role does the ego play in our lives?
What Matters to Most...
My experience has been that for the majority of people, these topics are of little interest. What seems to be more important are things like "How can I experience more pleasure and less pain?" "What can I do to distract myself from those repressed negative thoughts and feelings I never want to face and feel?""How can I improve and reinforce this idea of a separate me by gaining more power, status, wealth, success...etc." Of course, nobody has these thoughts consciously, but these give us a glimpse into the basic survival programs that run most human behaviours on a very unconscious level.
Our Civilization Built on a False Premise
Spiritual devotees eventually discover that ultimately, there is no self, and there is no other. We don't "have a life". Life, or consciousness itself lives through us, but the ego takes credit for everything that happens and it completely distorts our perception of reality. Thanks to our neurotic and controlling egos, our entire civilization is built on a false premise of separation and individuality. This illusion is the source of the totality of our suffering!
The New Earth?
The ego was a natural part of our evolution and now we have reached a point where we are ready to transcend it. Our survival depends on it, actually. Many people nowadays are waking up from the ego trance and they understand the difference between the self and the Self. Still, it takes perseverance, willingness and courage to want to break free from the ego's old habits, thought patterns and conditioned programs -especially considering how unpopular this is in our modern narcissistic world. There are not many "I want to break free from the ego" support groups at this point in time!
We Are Stronger Together, as One
Over the years, I've had some wonderful experiences here and there that provided opportunities for genuine soul to soul connections with people who are brave enough to want to transcend the ego, however, they were not as frequent as I had hoped. The internet has allowed all kinds of spiritual groups to flourish, but let's face it, it doesn't compare to interacting face to face with another human being. We are social animals and we truly need each other. Communities have always allowed us to thrive and to survive.
A Dream Coming True
What we hold in mind tends to manifest, and so I am extremely grateful for the community that is growing and blooming at the Himalayan Meditation Centre here in Edmonton where I now work. I met Amchi Kunga -the owner of the Meditation Centre who was a monk for 15 years in Tibet- back in October 2018, and things have really been evolving since then. I teach mindfulness to kids and their parents on a weekly basis there and offer a variety of other classes / workshops / meditations. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to go to this welcoming place on a regular basis and participate in the meditations with other like-minded souls. It's so refreshing to be in a space of total acceptance and open-heartedness. I have made some wonderful friendships and I look forward to meeting other members of my extended soul family at this joyful centre.
Please Join Us!
We offer all kinds of conscious events for people of all ages (many of which are free or donation-based), so if you'd like to know more about the centre and/or be kept up to date with what's happening, please visit my website or sign up directly here.
Thanks for taking the time to read,
Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com
