Alternate Activity 1: The Presence Of Spirit
Activity time: 30 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Questions listed on newsprint or a digital slide (see Preparation)
- Clock, watch, or timer
- Bell
- Optional: Microphone (preferably cordless)
- Optional: Computer, digital projector, and screen
Preparation for Activity
- List the following questions on a newsprint sheet or digital slide: What way of thinking about "spirit" do you find meaningful? Where in your everyday life do you find the presence of spirit?
Description of Activity
Invite participants to reflect on the ways that they find spiritual connection in their everyday lives. Explain that people think of "spirit" in different ways: as a feeling of peace and connection, the human spirit, a unifying force, the force of life, the Holy Spirit, God or Goddess, or the ground of being.
Display the newsprint or digital slide with these questions for reflection:
- What way of thinking about "spirit" do you find meaningful?
- Where in your everyday life do you find the presence of spirit?
Invite participants to spend about one minute silently reflecting on these questions.
After about a minute, ring the bell. Invite participants to form pairs for speaking and listening. Explain that each partner will have three minutes to speak while the other person listens. They might tell stories of times when the daily and the divine intersected in a particularly clear way, or they might talk about the kinds of activities in which they find meaning and spiritual sustenance.
After three minutes, ring the bell to invite the pairs to switch speakers.
After another three minutes, ring the bell and bring everyone back into one group for discussion. Ask:
- What was that experience like for you?
- What attitudes and mindsets have helped you be open to and connect with spirit in your everyday life?
- What practices have helped you make the connection?
- What general conclusions can you draw about how to make everyday life a more consciously spiritual experience?
Including All Participants
If you notice participants struggling to hear one another in their pairs, allow some pairs to leave the room and find a quieter space. If two participants require American Sign Language interpretation and you have only one interpreter, pair up those participants. If you have more than two participants needing ASL interpretation, find a second interpreter to help.
You may wish to pass a cordless microphone during the whole-group discussion so that participants can hear one another better.