Thank You Mike ...

Please visit Sailing Lake Calhoun to see more pictures ... and videos

Thank You Mike ...

Please visit Sailing Lake Calhoun to see more pictures ... and videos

Why Sit in a Circle?

Welcome to:

Sitting in a Circle

Bill Morton

Why sit in a circle?

Because it's cold outside - yah.

Because we can't sail - yah.


But it's for discovery.

Sharing in a circle, we can discover one another and maybe we can even discover ourselves.

What we really are is hidden; it is hidden in these wonderful bodies of ours.

We are spirits, embodied spirits, and we can choose to express them through words and gestures or keep them hidden.

Sitting in a circle we can share our spirits.

And our spirits are wonderful, maybe more wonderful than we know.

Perhaps, as in all of nature, we may see the divine in each other, and if in each other maybe also in ourselves.

Whats the purpose?

Only to experience each other, only to experience life, to enjoy each other, to appreciate each other, and maybe appreciate ourselves and find the divine within.

Let's sit in a circle, tell our stories, listen, relate, and be filled with awe.

Hope to see you in the circle,

Bill

Werner

Our summers are filled with ... joy and enthusiasm ...

Sailing Lake Calhoun

In the winter ... we are sitting in a circle ... sharing ... listening ... in a nice warm place, near Lake Calhoun ... until the ice is gone.

We meet from 9:00 am to Noon ... we take a one hour lunch break ... and continue in the afternoon from 1 pm to 4 pm ... You may come to the morning and/or to the afternoon event ... for those coming to both meetings ... please bring your own lunch.

All our activities are open to the public ... are free, we have nothing to sell.

Please email us for info where we meet.

Hope to see you soon
Sitting in a circle

signs ... telltales ... of a spiritual awakening
Autor unknown

- A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
- A loss of interest in judging people.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- A loss of interest in conflict.
- A loss of ability to worry.
- Frequent and overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
- Frequent attacks of smiling.
- An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
- An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend.

Can you listen for 17 years?

Hi;

I'm Pat

and I must say
two of my more enjoyable moments this summer
were down at the lake meeting this sailing group.

I want to share with you a video
about a man named John Francis
who chose to be quiet for seventeen years.

I thought the "We are sitting in a circle" concept would fit in nicely with John's message.

A quote of his that I especially like is

"Part of the mystery of walking

is that the destination is inside us

and we really don't know when we arrive

until we arrive."

ENJOY !!!!!

Learning the art and joy of listening

hallo,

just like we have been passing on ... our sailing skills ... on lake calhoun ... in the summer time ...

so ... we also want to pass on ... our listening skills ... sitting in a circle ... near lake calhoun ... in the winter time ...

thank you for your help, werner

Magical

One of the many magical experiences that occurred around the sailing lake calhoun is how, without pre-planning, we have all found each other. It seems that we are all pulled together without intention, agenda, or conception. In continuation of this mystic was dinner last night. Late in the afternoon, I get a call to see if I wanted to do some cooking together, and the next thing you know, there's a gathering! Thanks Lee for getting the mojo started, your fabulous cooking, and your friendship.

Bowling Night

Dear Sailing Friends

As a winter activity
there is the idea
to organize a Bowling night
before the years end
for all Lake Calhoun Sailors.

If interested
please send me an email at
cosmiclaserint@yahoo.com
to set up a date.

Have a great winter.

Henk

Indian summer days

I wanted to share with you

this beautiful Indians Summer day

at Lake Calhoun.

Bill

. . .

and some leaves
from werner

Lake Calhoun ...

We crossed over
from Lake of Isle's
to go see our good friend,
Lake Calhoun.

The sun was setting,
and the fall chill had set in,
but being with Lee, Lisa and Anya
made seeing Lake Calhoun without the dock much easier.

See ya on Nov. 13th at Cafe Agri!

Walking around Lake Calhoun

Have a great week!

Sunday, October 19, 2008
“The tree of wisdom is watered by tears.”
Swiss Proverb

Monday, October 20, 2008
“Once you say you’re going to settle for second,
that’s what happens to you.”
John F. Kennedy

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
“Write it on the heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
Ralph W. Emerson

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
English Proverb

Thursday, October 23, 2008
“Humour and knowledge are
the two great hopes of our culture.”
Konrad Lorenz

Friday, October 24, 2008
“No one knows what he can do till he tries.”
Syrus

Saturday, October 25, 2008
“Remember the more you know, the less you fear.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Sunday, October 26, 2008
“Put off for one day and ten days will pass.”
Proverb

Werner: ... I want to introduce myself ...

Werner said...

I want to introduce myself.

I am Werner.

A brief history ... how I learned the art and joy of listening ...

Some 25 years ago i was sitting in a circle ... for 17 days ... 3 hours in the morning ... 1 hour for lunch ... 3 hours in the afternoon ... learning the art and joy of listening ...

It took place at the La Jolla campus ... just north of San Diago, California ...

Since then i have been introduced to writings by ... Carl Rogers ... Spencer Johnson ... Eckhart Tolle ... learning something new ... passing on what i have learned ...

For the last three summers i have been sailing Lake Calhoun ...

My life has never been the same ...

I am thankful ... to all ... that sat with me in a circle ... that sailed with me ... that brought meaning into my life ...

Thank you.

Werner

WORDS

"Never be careless with others hearts,

and never invest in others that are careless with yours!"

Spirit of Love......

"You will find, as you look back upon your life,

that the moments that stand out, the moments

when you have really lived, are the moments

when you have done things in the spirit of love."

Henry Drummond, from Gentle Thoughts

Poem of the day

Giving Your Best

It's the hand we clasp with an honest grasp
That gives a hearty thrill;
It's the good we pour into others' lives
That comes back our own to fill.
It's the dregs we drain from another's cup
That makes our own seem sweet;
And the hours we give to another's need
That makes our life complete.

It's the burdens we help another bear
That makes our own seem light.
It's the anger seen for another's feet
That shows us the path to right.
It's the good we do each passing day,
With a heart sincere and true;
In giving the world your very best
It's best will return to you.

Thought For The Day

Age and Happiness
By Catherine Pulsifer © 2008

Age and happiness, do the two go together?

I know some very unhappy 75-year-old people, and I know some very happy ones as well. In the same vein, there are a lot of 25-year-old people who are very unhappy with their lives, and others who couldn't be happier.

The difference is not in age, but in their attitude towards life.

When I was younger, my mother had a saying she used when I was feeling disappointed, sad, or dissatisfied. She would say: "There are others who are a lot worse off than you." I can now appreciate how true that saying is.

No matter what happens in my life, and no matter how old I am, happiness in life does come down to your attitude towards it.

I recently was reading a book that reflected the thoughts of people who have achieved happiness in their life and the common theme with all of these people is their attitude. They always had a goal, they always looked for the good in every situation, and they always had more they wanted to achieve.

So no matter what your age, young or old,
remember it is not your age,
but your attitude towards life that will bring happiness.

Always remember age is only a date
and you determine your own fate.

Saying of the day...Wisdom

Wisdom is the sharing of wise experiences and knowledge, but a lot of it is common sense.

The difference is how we apply this common sense - we all have the ability to keep going even when we face challenges in our lives - basically it comes down to your attitude.

We can have a positive attitude towards life, or a negative attitude.

We can focus on the good or we can focus on the bad.

Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the keys to success.

The choice is always up to you!

An idea ...

Alberto said...

Hello sailors, Alberto here - I just want to thank you all for your friendship and generosity for letting me use your boats this summer. I learned a lot from you all!
I also thought I should leave my contacts here, in case you want to get a hold of me:

612 801 0813
albforte@yahoo.com

An idea: I think we should use the winter months to increase our sailing knowledge (at least to some extent!) Let me know if anyone is interested in organizing/attending sailing classes, I think that we collectively know a lot of 'good stuff' and maybe we can find a way to share that knowledge and try to make everyone a better sailor next year!

Happy sailing to you all.
Alberto

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

My name is Anastasia ...

Anastasia M said...

Hi my name is Anastasia.

I would like to join the circle too.

This Saturday (Oct 11) I have met really wonderful people on the lake Calhoun, who were kind enough to invite a stranger (like me) on board (of their boats).

I had a wonderful time and it was life's surprise to me on that day.

I am very grateful and hope I can join you guys!!

Looking forward to hear from you soon. ;)

Don Miguel Ruiz -The Four Agreements:

Be impeccable with your word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering

Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Signs of a Spiritual Awakening:

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

An unmistakeable ability to enjoy each moment.

A loss of interest in judging people.

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

A loss of interest in conflict.

A loss of ability to worry (this is a serious symptom).

Frequent and oerwhelming episodes of appreciation.

Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

Frequent attacks of smiling.

An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend.

"Your words can either affect or infect, choose them with care and intention"

Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths you take ...

"Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away" -author unknown

"Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom " -Lao Tse

"Love is not an emotion, Love is an ability" -Quote from Dan in Real Life

"The lake is out there" -Werner Meybaum

People Helping People

On Becoming A Person

By Carl Rogers

• In my relationships with persons I have found that it does not help, in the long run, to act as though I were something that I am not.

• I find I am more effective when I can listen acceptantly to myself, and can be myself.

• I have found it of enormous value when I can permit myself to understand another person.

• I have found it enriching to open channels whereby others can communicate their feelings, their private perceptual worlds, to me.

• I have found it highly rewarding when I can accept another person.

• The more I am open to the realities in me and in the other person, the less do I find myself wishing to rush in to “fix things.”

• I can trust my own experience.

• Evaluation by others is not a guide for me.

• Experience is, for me, the highest authority.

• I enjoy discovering the order in experience.

• The facts are friendly.

• What is most personal is most general.

• It has been my experience that persons have a basically positive direction.

• Life, at its best, is a flowing, changing process in which nothing is fixed.

Carl Rogers On Empathy

From Carl Rogers’ book “A Way of Being”

“An empathic way of being with another person has several facets.

It means entering the private perceptual world of the other and becoming thoroughly at home in it. It involves being sensitive, moment to moment, to the changing felt meanings which flow in this other person, to the fear or rage or tenderness or confusion or whatever he or she is experiencing. It means temporarily living in the other’s life, moving about in it delicately without making judgments; it means sensing meanings of which he or she is scarcely aware, but not trying to uncover totally unconscious feelings, since this would be too threatening. It includes communicating your sensings of the persons world as you look with fresh and unfrightened eyes at elements of which he or she is fearful. It means frequently checking with the person as to the accuracy of your sensings, and being guided by the responses you receive. You are a confident companion to the person in his or her inner world. By pointing to the possible meanings in the flow of another person’s experiencing, you help the other to focus on this useful type of referent, to experience the meanings more fully, and to move forward in the experiencing.”

To be with another in this way means that for the time being, you lay aside your own views and values in order to enter another’s world without prejudice. in some sens it means that you lay aside your self; this can only be done by persons who are secure enough in themselves that they know they will not get lost in what may turn out to be the strange or bizarre world of the other, and that they can comfortably return to their own world when they wish.”

The good life is a process, not a state of being.

It is a direction not a destination.

The characteristics of the process

1 - An increasing Openness to Experience

In the first place, the process seems to involve an increasing openness to experience. It is the polar opposite of defensiveness ...

The individual is becoming more able to listen to himself, to experience what is going on within himself. He is more open to his feelings of fear and discouragement and pain. He is also more open to his feelings of courage, and tenderness, and awe.

2 - Increasingly Existential Living

A second characteristic of the process which for me is the good life, is that it involves an increasingly tendency to live fully in each moment.

I believe it would be evident that for the person who was fully open to his new experience, completely without defensiveness, each moment would be new ...

It means a maximum of adaptability, a discovery of structure in experience, a flowing, changing organization of self and personality.

It involves discovering the structure of experience in the process of living the experience.

3 - An increasing Trust in His Organism

Still another characteristic of the person who is living the process of the good life appears to be an increasing trust in his organism as a means of arriving at the most satisfying behavior in each existential situation ...

The Precious Present
by Spencer Johnson, MD

The Power of Now
By Eckhart Tolle

please click here

to listen to Eckhart Tolle

read the first 3 chapters

Foreword

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION
The Origin Of This Book
The Truth That Is Within You

YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND

The Greatest Obstacle to Enlightenment

Freeing yourself from your mind

Enlightenment: Rising above Thought

Emotion: The Body's Reaction to Your Mind

CONSCIOUSNESS: THE WAY OUT OF PAIN

Past Pain: Dissolving The Pain-Body

Ego Identification With The Pain-Body

The Origin Of Fear

The Ego's Search For Wholeness

Create No More Pain In The Present

MOVING DEEPLY INTO THE NOW

Don't Seek Your Self In The Mind

End The Delusion Of Time.

Nothing Exists Outside The Now

The Key To The Spiritual Dimension

Accessing The Power Of The Now

Letting Go Of Psychological Time

The Insanity Of Psychological Time

Negativity And Suffering Have Their Roots In Time

Finding The Life Underneath Your Life Situation

All Problems Are Illusions Of The Mind

A Quantum Leap In The Evolution Of Consciousness

The Joy Of Being

MIND STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING THE NOW

Loss Of Now: The Core Delusion Ordinary Unconsciousness And Deep Unconsciousness..

What Are They Seeking?

Dissolving Ordinary Unconsciousness

Freedom From Unhappiness

Wherever You Are, Be There Totally

The Inner Purpose Of Your Life's Journey

The Past Cannot Survive In Your Presence

THE STATE OF PRESENCE

It's Not What You Think It Is

The Esoteric Meaning Of "Waiting"

Beauty Arises In The Stillness Of Your Presence

Realizing Pure Consciousness

Christ: The Reality Of Your Divine Presence

THE INNER BODY

Being Is Your Deepest Self.

Look Beyond The Words

Finding Your Invisible And Indestructible Reality

Connecting With The Inner Body

Transformation Through The Body

Sermon On The Body

Have Deep Roots Within

Before You Enter The Body, Forgive

Your Link With The Unmanifested

Slowing Down The Aging Process

Strengthening The Immune System

Let The Breath Take You Into The Body

Creative Use Of Mind

The Art Of Listening

PORTALS INTO THE UNMANIFESTED

Going Deeply Into The Body

The Source Of Chi

Dreamless Sleep

Other Portals.

silence

Space

The True Nature Of Space And Time

Conscious Death

ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHIPS

Enter The Now From Wherever You Are

Love/Hate Relationships

Addiction And The Search For Wholeness

From Addictive To Enlightened Relationships

Relationships As Spiritual Practice

Why Women Are Closer To Enlightenment

Dissolving The Collective Female Pain-Body

Give Up The Relationship With Yourself

BEYOND HAPPINESS AND UNHAPPINESS THERE IS PEACE

The Higher Good Beyond Good And Bad

The End Of Your Life Drama

Impermanence And The Cycles Of Life..

Using And Relinquishing Negativity

The Nature Of Compassion

Toward A Different Order Of Reality

THE MEANING OF SURRENDER

Acceptance Of The Now

From Mind Energy To Spiritual Energy..

Surrender In Personal Relationships

Transforming Illness Into Enlightenment.

When Disaster Strikes

Transforming Suffering Into Peace

The Way Of The Cross

The Power To Choose

A new Earth

By Eckhart Tolle

Chapter One -The Flowering of Human Consciousness

Evocation

The Purpose of This Book Our Inherited Dysfunction

The Arising
New consciousness

Spirituality and Religion

The Urgency of
Transformation

A New Heaven and a new Earth

Chapter Two - Ego: The Current State of Humanity

The Illusory Self

The Voice in the Head

Content and Structure of the Ego

Identification with Things

The Lost Ring

The Illusion of
Ownership

Wanting: The Need for More

Identification with the Body

Feeling the Inner Body

Forgetfulness of Being

From Descartes's
Error to Sartre's Insight

The Peace that Passes All Understanding

Chapter Three - The Core of Ego

Complaining and Resentment

Reactivity and Grievances

Being Right, Making Wrong

In Defense of an Illusion

Truth: Relative or Absolute?

The Ego Is Not Personal

War Is a Mind­set

Do You Want Peace or Drama? –

Beyond Ego: Your True Identity

All Structures
are Unstable

The Ego's Need to Feel Superior

Ego and Fame

Chapter Four - Role­Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego

Villain, Victim, Lover

Letting Go of Self­Definitions

Pre­established Roles

Temporary
Roles

The Monk with Sweaty Palms

Happiness as a Role Vs. True
Happiness

Parenthood: Role or Function? Conscious Suffering

Conscious Parenting

Recognizing Your Child

Giving Up Role­playing

The Pathological Ego

The Background Unhappiness

The Secret of
Happiness

Pathological Forms of Ego

Work – with and Without Ego

The Ego in Illness

The Collective Ego

Incontrovertible Proof
of Immortality

Chapter Five - The Pain­Body

The Birth of Emotion

Emotions and the Ego

The
Duck with a Human Mind

Carrying the Past

Individual and
Collective

How the Pain­Body Renews Itself

How the Pain­body
Feeds on Your Thoughts

How the pain­Body Feeds on Drama

Dense
Pain­bodies

Entertainment, the Media, and the Pain­Body

The
Collective Female Pain­body

National and Racial Pain­bodies

Chapter Six - Breaking Free

Presence

The Return of the Pain­Body

The
Pain­body in Children

Unhappiness

Breaking Identification with
the Pain­body

“Triggers”

The Pain­Body as an Awakener

Breaking Free of the Pain­Body

Chapter Seven - Finding Who You Truly Are ­

Who you Think you are

Abundance

Knowing Yourself and Knowing About Yourself

Chaos and Higher Order

Good and Bad

Not Minding What Happens

Is That So?

The Ego and the Present Moment

The Paradox of Time

Eliminating Time

The Dreamer and the Dream

Going Beyond Limitation

The Joy of Being

Allowing the Diminishment of the Ego

As Without, So Within

Chapter Eight - The Discovery of Inner Space

Object Consciousness and Space
Consciousness

Falling Below and Rising Above Thought

Television

Recognizing Inner Space

Can You Hear the Mountain Stream?

Right Action

Perceiving Without Naming

Who Is the Experiencer?

The Breath

Addictions

Inner Body Awareness

Inner and Outer Space

Noticing the Gaps

Lose yourself to Find Yourself

Stillness

Chapter Nine - Your Inner Purpose

Awakening

A Dialogue on Inner Purpose

Chapter Ten - A New Earth

A Brief History of Your Life

Awakening and the Return Movement

Awakening and the Outgoing Movement

Consciousness

Awakened Doing

The Three Modalities of Awakened Doing

Acceptance

Enjoyment

Enthusiasm

The Frequency­holders

The New Earth Is No Utopia

Notes

About the Author

here are some 9 videos
on the power of now

Download webcast videos

Here are some YouTube videos by Eckhart Tolle

Greetings from Bill

W e l c o m e

W e l c o m e

Sitting in a circle

Please write your comments here

Thank you

Hope to see you soon

Sailing Lake Calhoun

Sitting in a circle