Workshop 5: Mind Practices Part of Spirit in Practice In This Section Introduction From Spirit in Practice I call that mind free, which escapes the bondage of matter, which, instead of stopping at the material universe and making it a prison wall, passes beyond it to its Author, and finds in the radiant signatures which everywhere bears of the Infinite Spirit, helps to its own spiritual enlightenment.... Workshop-at-a-Glance From Spirit in Practice Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 5 Activity 1: Sharing Names 5 Activity 2: The Story of the Mystic and the Scientist 10 Activity 3: What Fascinates You? 20 Activity 4: The Mind and the Religious Journey 15 Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1: Where Are We Now? 30... Spiritual Preparation From Spirit in Practice Leaders are encouraged to prepare for the workshop not only by gathering supplies and reviewing the workshop's activities, but also by completing the reflection and sharing from Activity 3, and possibly also from Activity 4, with one another or with a friend or colleague. You may wish to journal... Welcoming and Entering From Spirit in Practice Materials for Activity Sign-in sheet (see Preparation) Pen or pencil Name tags Bold markers Copies of Spirit in Practice Series Schedule (see Preparation) Group guidelines listed on newsprint or a digital slide (see Preparation) Workshop agenda listed on newsprint or a digital slide (see... Opening for Workshop 5: Mind Practices From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Altar or centering table Cloth for covering altar or centering table Chalice and candle Matches or lighter Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook (one per person) Optional: A piano, guitar, or other form of accompaniment Optional:... Activity 1: Sharing Names From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Optional: Microphone (preferably cordless) Preparation for Activity Be sure that participants have made name tags. If they have not, you may pass around name tag materials while participants introduce themselves. Description of Activity Introduce... Activity 2: The Story Of The Mystic And The Scientist From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Review the story in advance so that you can present it effectively. Description of Activity Read the story "The Mystic and the Scientist" aloud. Provide copies of the story to people who prefer to read along. After sharing the story, invite... Activity 3: What Fascinates You? From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Review the handout in advance so that you can present it effectively.... Activity 4: The Mind And The Religious Journey From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of Handout 2: Stages of Spiritual Growth (one per participant) Optional: Microphone (preferably cordless) Preparation for Activity Read Handout 2: Stages of Spiritual Growth.... Closing From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Altar or centering table Cloth for covering altar or centering table Chalice and candle Chalice extinguisher Copies of the customized Taking It Home handout (see Preparation) Optional: Microphone Preparation for Activity Review the Taking It Home... Leader Reflection and Planning From Spirit in Practice After the workshop, co-leaders should make a time to get together to evaluate this workshop and plan future workshops. Use these questions to guide your shared reflection and planning: What were some of our favorite moments of the workshop? What were some of our most challenging moments?... Alternate Activity 1: Where Are We Now? From Spirit in Practice Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Questions listed on newsprint or a digital slide (see Preparation) Clock, watch, or timer Bell Optional: Computer, digital projector, and screen Optional: Microphone (preferably cordless) Preparation for Activity List the following questions on... Taking It Home From Spirit in Practice Use your responses on Handout 1: Identifying a Mind Practice to engage with something that fascinates you. If you journal, take some time afterward to write about the experience and its relationship to your spirituality.... The Mystic and the Scientist From Spirit in Practice One day a Religious Man approached a Mystic and asked, “Does God exist?” “Allow me to go within for an answer,” the Mystic replied. Handout 1: Identifying a Mind Practice From Spirit in Practice This exercise is designed to help you develop and nurture spiritual practices of the mind. Respond to the following questions: 1. What fascinates me? 2. What is it about those things I named that fascinates me? 3. What else do I think might fascinate me if I heard more about it? 4. Which of these... Handout 2: Stages of Spiritual Growth From Spirit in Practice WHAT STAGE ARE YOU IN? A Faith Stage Checklist from Finding Your Religion by Scotty McLennan (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999) Reprinted with permission. Stage One (Magic) Is your world full of spirits and demons? Are fairy tales your favorite kind of literature?... Find Out More From Spirit in Practice McLennan, Scotty. Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning. HarperSanFrancisco, 1999. Murry, William. Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the 21st Century. Skinner House Books, 2006. Rasor, Paul. Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st... PREVIOUS: Find Out More UP: Spirit in Practice NEXT: Introduction Download all of Spirit in Practice (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.