New World Dharma Talks with Grace

New World Dharma Talks with Grace

Hosted by Grace Bryant

5:15-6:15pm

*Free weekly event, Donations welcome

Due to the Covid 19 and our desire to center connection and safety, SEC is now 100% virtual!

Join us on Zoom only –https://zoom.us/j/6143346038

Password – 193027

We’re in a precious moment of pause.

For those of us on the journey of awakening and dismantling, it’s an incredibly powerful time to re-ignite spiritual teachings and intentionally lay the foundation of the New World that has been thrust upon us. Instead of waiting for things to “return to normal,” let’s get courageous and co-create the world emerging around us with the wisdom of the sages. 

Join Grace (and guest speakers) for an hour of weekly dharma talk and practice – exploring spiritual teachings and applying them to right now. Connecting to our kula, spiritual family, during this time is so crucial to the new collective shift we so deeply want. 

 

-All level of physical abilities welcome

-Kid and family friendly

-No maximum participants

 

Donations and payments can be sent to:

– Venmo:  @Melissa-SEC

– Paypal: [email protected] (via friends & family)

– Website: www.sacred-embodiment.org/donate

*Please memo the name and date of your event!

About the Host:

Grace Bryant

Grace (they/them, she/her) has been a whole-life educator since 2005, integrating drama, music, movement, meditation and yoga, mindful living, creative play, authentic relating, conscious collaboration, tantra and leadership. Grace is beyond grateful to have received the teachings of Nondual Tantra and the Spiritual Heart. They believe these teachings can transform the consciousness of anyone who practices them sincerely.

Currently, Grace is merging anti-oppression work with the vision of Advaita Tantra and the Spiritual Heart. They are committed to shifting the global culture of Tantra and Yoga teachings and helping end white supremacy culture and colonialist appropriation of these beautiful traditions. Grace draws inspiration from the original Tantra concept of kula (spiritual family) which was open to everyone and where castes, and genders could practice side-by-side. They deeply believe that Tantra is for all bodies, ethnicities, backgrounds, orientations, genders and humans which is reflected in the mission of Sacred Embodiment Community Seattle.

[email protected]

https://bewholebehappy.com

New to SEC? Please sign our Community Policies before attending this event. https://forms.gle/zos9MWF2wdJv9tTe9

 

About SEC:  

– FINDING US: Join us on Zoom:

https://zoom.us/j/6143346038

Password – 193027

Zoom now requires a password on all meetings to help keep our events safe. For this week, we’ll be using our room password, 193027. Please watch for more updated security features next week. Thank you for your continued adaptability. 

– SECURITY & EVENT ARRIVAL: We’re working on the balance between making our events convenient to access and also as secure and safe as possible. As such, we are asking participants to arrive on time, and no later than 15 minutes after their start time. Unless previously arranged with the facilitator, we will not let people in after that time.

Please know we are working on ways to have more safeguards in place for our facilitators and participants which might mean changing how you access online events in the weeks to come. We encourage you to stay up to date with our communications (via email, meetup and FB) so you are familiar with how to access your events before they begin. Join our mailing list (www.sacred-embodiment.org) for the latest updates

– SECURITY & EVENT ARRIVAL – We’re working on the balance between making our events convenient to access and also as secure and safe as possible. As such, we are asking participants to be in meetings by 15 minutes after their start time. Unless previously arranged with the facilitator, we will not let people into the Zoom Room after that time.

Please know we are working on ways to have more safeguards in place for our facilitators and participants which might mean changing how you access online events in the weeks to come. We encourage you to stay up to date with our communications (via email, meetup and FB) so you are familiar with how to access your events before they begin. Join our mailing list (www.sacred-embodiment.org) for the latest updates. 

– ACCESSIBILITY: Accessibility is important to Sacred Embodiment Community. We strive to be as accessible as possible. As we shift into the virtual world, we will continue updating our accessibility information and how we create inclusivity to different needs and bodies via our online platforms. If we can support your accessibility, please email us at [email protected].

– DONATIONS: SEC is a No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds Community. We endeavor to be transparent, open and inclusive around money. Many of our events have suggested donation amounts and we encourage you to give what you can. We are a not-for-profit incorporated organization and currently all of our donations go towards our operating costs, to your facilitators or to Real Rent Duwamish as reparations for living and working on native lands of the Duwamish Tribe. Some events are free and some have fixed registration costs. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have questions about donations.

 

Donations and payments can be sent to:

– Venmo:  @Melissa-SEC

– Paypal: [email protected] (via friends & family)

– Website: www.sacred-embodiment.org/donate

*Please memo the name and date of your event!

– PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY: Everyone participating must agree to 1) confidentiality of identity of community members, 2) privacy regarding participation in events, 3) release SEC from liability. New to SEC? Please sign our Community Policies before attending or when you arrive. https://forms.gle/zos9MWF2wdJv9tTe9

– SUBSTANCES: Please don’t consume alcohol or other substances that would hinder your natural state before attending SEC events.

Satsang – Truthfulness: when to say something and when to say nothing

truthfulness

One of the cornerstone Tantric virtues is satya, truthfulness. Truthfulness in the Tantric tradition means much more than just not telling a lie. It asks the question of when it’s beneficial to talk and when it’s beneficial to maintain silence; when engaging in socialness serves our highest evolution and when abstaining from speech might be a better option. Come ask the questions you’ve been curious about…including what Tantra says about gossip, being social and the practice of mauna, sacred silence.

Each week we hold Satsang – “gathering together to share truth” – at the Seattle Tantra Community in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle. We’ll begin with some personal practice (movement, meditation, mantra), share a teaching and discussion on a topic of Tantra, and conclude with a circle connecting with other community members celebrating the divine within each other.

10:00 – Brief intro to tantra for newcomers; introductions.

10:10 – Asana, pranayama, mantra, meditation

10:50 – Teaching & Discussion

11:30 – Puja

What is a “Satsang”?

In tantra, a satsang is a gathering of spiritual people for the purpose of sharing practice and wisdom. And this is exactly what we do. Each satsang brings different themes and topics, usually presented by Grace, with all discussion welcome and invited. The themes and topics generally touch on aspects of sacred sexuality and the embodied spirituality of classical and neo-tantra. Sometimes we branch into relevant teachings from other traditions, as well as the nuances of non-dual spiritual experience.

How much does this cost?

Satsang is offered on a donation basis. Your gift of any amount to help sustain the instructor and cover costs of the event is welcome. We offer the guidance of $20-$30 to help sustain the community. You can pay by cash, check or card. No one turned away for lack of funds! If you can’t contribute financially, please ask about how else you can support us by volunteering.

Who is this for?

Our satsang is suitable for beginning and experienced tantric practitioners interested in the full range of tantric teaching, including meditation, breath, visualization, yoga, diet, philosophy, and sexuality.

Satsang is open to absolutely all genders, ethnic backgrounds, levels of fitness, sexual orientation, religious or spiritual framework. No experience is assumed. Drop in visits are welcome.

Questions?

Contact Grace at [email protected] or [email protected]

So What the Heck is Unconditional Love?

woman smiling while being kissed on the forehead by a man

I was raised saying, “I love you” to my friends, family, and intimate partners. And while this phrase was freely given as a child, as I grew up I developed a need to know I was going to hear it back before I said it.

Only in the last few years did I learn that this kind of love is conditional. As you may have already realized in your life, this can create a lot of suffering.

In my current partnership, we have agreed to return to unconditional love no matter what. For us, this means regardless of what happens, who hurts who, where trust has been breached, or how much we want to hold a grudge or not forgive each other, we choose to love. We choose to peel back what’s in the way and remember that we are love without needing to do anything.

But, What is Unconditional Love?

Is it really possible to love no matter what? What might it mean to love without any conditions? Without concern, if that love is reciprocated or received? Regardless of how we are treated?

Would it look something like Jesus saying of his crucifiers, “Forgive them, Lord. They know not what they do”? Thinking about the people who have figuratively crucified me, my response is usually quite different. It’s more like, “You’re such a $@%*(%#.”

It makes sense that most of us have no idea what unconditional love is.

Read the full article at Beducated.

Mindful (S)expectations

legs of a couple

Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we pretend to not have expectations. Talk about setting yourself up for failure.

It’s a funny thing, really, to walk into a long-anticipated connection with an intimate partner and think that you’re both coming in with the same intentions and emotions. Last September, my lover Lila and I met in Mexico, after 2 months of being apart.

Instead of talking about our expectations and where we currently were, we just showed up, without too much communication over the previous month.

We tried to believe that all would go swimmingly, while secretly asking ourselves:

Would we love each other the same?
Would we still see the Goddess in one another?
Would we be as hungry for each other as we were the last time?
Would the changes in our other lovers change how we related? For better or worse?

We didn’t actually ask any of these questions aloud.

What we did do was show up with a whole truckload of unspoken expectations and fears. Seven days later, we parted ways again – me to Mexico for the fall and Lila back home to Sydney – having returned to the bliss of remembering our deep love for one another and the recognition of the Divine in our connection.

But it wasn’t fucking easy. Shit came up. Again and again.

And what did we do?

We remembered that conflict is actually part of a relationship. And we didn’t let each other walk away.

Read the full article on Omooni.