Greg Walkerden: “Focusing, vastness and union” Monday July 29, 2024

Greg Walkerden: “Focusing, vastness and union” Monday July 29, 2024

☆DESCRIPTION:  We will explore a variation to Focusing practice that carries it in the direction of mystical experience … in ways that are resonant of what in the Christian tradition might be called ‘Resting in the presence of God’, and in Buddhism ‘relaxing into Presence’ … The practice we will be discussing is described in a handout that goes with this talk. You might like to experiment with it, gently, tenderly, curiously, before we meet. The research the talk is based on is described more fully here: Walkerden, G. (2021). ‘Focusing, vastness and union: Elaborating the Focusing practice tradition and the Philosophy of the Implicit to describe an additional kind of space’, In N. Kypriotakis, J. Moore (eds.), Senses of Focusing v2, Eurasia Publications, Athens, p.127-147. FYI the Abstract  and this chapter.

☆ BIO: Generally I am a practice researcher – developing practices that help in professional practice (esp. environmental management and teaching felt sensing skills to professionals) and in ways that extend Gendlin’s work (e.g. re felt sensing in conversation, in the direction of mystical experience, and variations to focusing). By way of illustration: a felt sensing x environment management piece is here:   and some of my conversation work is here:  an example focusing variation is here:

☆ POEMS for July 29, 2024 Greg Walkerden

MY HUT lies in the middle of a dense forest;
Every year the green ivy grows longer.
No news of the affairs of men,
Only the occasional song of a woodcutter.
The sun shines and I mend my robe;
When the moon comes out I read Buddhist poems.
I have nothing to report, my friends.
If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing after so many things.

A COLD night—sitting alone in my empty room
Filled only with incense smoke.
Outside, a bamboo grove of a hundred trees;
On the bed, several volumes of poetry.
The moon shines through the top of the window,
And the entire neighborhood is still except for the cry of insects.
Looking at this scene, limitless emotion,
But not one word.

ONE ROBE, ONE BOWL: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan.
Translated and introduced by John Stevens.
Weatherhill, London, 2014.
loc. 565 of 1262.

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PDF REFERENCES

☆Walkerden – Holding and Letting within Focusing practice – The practice that is the focus of the talk (Help for Helpers July 29, 2024)
☆Walkerden – Letting felt meaning function richly in conversation – a conversational practice experiment you might like to use in the breakout rooms (Help for Helpers July 29, 2024)

LARGE FONT
☆Walkerden – [[ Holding and Letting within Focusing practice – The practice that is the focus of the talk]] (Help for Helpers July 29, 2024) Large font legal size
☆ …

SPANISH REFERENCES
☆ Walkerden – Holding and Letting within Focusing practice – The practice that is the focus of the talk (Help for Helpers July 29, 2024) (En Español : Google)
☆ Walkerden – Letting felt meaning function richly in conversation – a conversational practice experiment you might like to use in the breakout rooms (Help for Helpers July 29, 2024) (En Español : Google)

PDF POEMS
☆ MY HUT & A COLD night Poems from ONE ROBE, ONE BOWL, The Zen Poetry of Ryoka ©2006 (Greg Walkerden Help for Helpers July 29, 2024)
☆ MY HUT & A COLD night Poems from ONE ROBE, ONE BOWL, The Zen Poetry of Ryoka (Greg Walkerden Help for Helpers July 29, 2024) Large font legal size

SPANISH POEMS
MY HUT & A COLD night Poems from ONE ROBE, ONE BOWL, The Zen Poetry of Ryoka ©2006 (Greg Walkerden Help for Helpers July 29, 2024) (En Español : Google)

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MORE ABOUT HELP FOR HELPERS

Help for Helper’s YouTube channel with recordings of the meetings:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRc14k8fFbFCdrbrPzjLwOg

Playlist  
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIFGjfFRNXb_6Uj8UHeRq1azCjvffW-nw

Lynn Preston’s YouTube channel, where recordings continue to be published:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FocusingRelationalPsychotherapy

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HELP FOR HELPERS is an online weekly gathering that was originally created as a response to the overwhelming stresses of pandemic life, especially for those in the helping professions. It developed into a flourishing, ever-growing wellspring of learning and connectedness.

WE ARE:

1.       INTERNATIONAL, INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING 

We prize the contributions of all those who attend.

2.       FREE! 

All the organizing and facilitating is donated.

3.       COMMUNITY-ORIENTED

We are developing and expanding our project together.

4.       DIVERSE

We encourage varied points of view and approaches woven together with respect, openness, and embodied listening.

5.       ENRICHING

Each week, we have a reflection drawn from a wide variety of speakers and a broad spectrum of approaches (meditative, academic, personal, social/political, therapeutic) given by experienced teachers and those presenting their ideas for the first time.

6.       PARTICIPATORY 

‘The group focuses on and responds spontaneously to what is offered in the reflection. Focusing conversations are facilitated by the large group discussion and small breakout-room sharing.’

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