Attended Quaker meeting today. The pre-revolutionary meetinghouse is a one-room, stone building. During the summer, the doors on two sides are left open for breezes and birdsong. Once a dog wandered through. I first attended a couple of times last summer and have been going regularly since this July. It is a silent meeting, that is we sit together in silence unless someone is moved to speak. Sometimes one or more will, sometimes not.
I keep hearing and reading about the value of meditation and prayer. My first interest was the value of meditation and prayer in healing myself. But the practice has become more than that for me.
My homework has been 15 minutes of meditation twice a day, given to me by Rebecca of the PD Recovery Team in Santa Cruz. She gave me specific mental and breathing exercises, and the Serenity Prayer. Lately, I have added prayers of my own.
I find it is easier to pray than meditate. I recently read Breath Sweeps Mind, a collection of Buddhists essays about meditation. When I try some of the exercises in the book, I struggle to maintain a clear and focused mind. Some days, my attention seems like that of a 3-year-old child. But some days, I get a taste of what focus can be, and I like it. With prayer, I am allowed to create thoughts and at the same time I feel my thoughts.
There is time to do both in the one-hour meeting.
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