On Earth As It Is In Heaven
TOWARD A DAILY PRACTICE OF PRAYER-IN-THE-BODY
“Earth is crammed with heaven.”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
A SEMINAR WITH KENT HOFFMAN
A day designed to provide encouragement and support to those who already
have a spiritual practice and inspiration to those who may be seeking to begin
one.
WHEN: Saturday 11th March 2017 9.00am-4.00pm 2017
WHERE: Sophia Centre, 225 Cross Road, Cumberland Park, SA
SUGGESTED DONATION: $70 (All proceeds, after expenses, will go to
support orphanages Kent is associated with in Romania and Uganda.)
Light refreshments will be provided for morning and afternoon tea.
Please bring lunch to share
There is an African proverb that describes birth on planet earth as
“the great separation.” This phrase, similar to those found in many
spiritual traditions, articulates how our entry onto this planet
represents a wrenching from our original dwelling, a dimension
outside of time. It speaks to our separation from a sense of full
belonging, one that many of us intuit was—and still could be—our
home.
At the mystical heart of every spiritual tradition is the realization
that we exist both within exile and within divine connection.
Struggle and suffering coexist alongside flow and grace. The human
journey, within these traditions, has to do with finding ways to bring our difficulty (disconnection) into relationship (re-connection) with the larger truth of who we are and what
life is.
Getting bigger,
the hole
in my story
-Ben Moeller-Gaa
Current research in developmental psychology has outlined simple, common patterns of
insecurity shared by many of us, each of which carry an underlying message of unresolved
separation and feeling alone within our personal stories. Being human might then be seen
as a precious opportunity to practice dropping below whatever negative story we may have
learned within this state of feeling separate.
Meditation practice offers the option of claiming dual citizenship (something Buddhists
describe as “being at home in the muddy water" and Christians recognize as living "on earth
as it is in heaven"), the gift of recognizing hidden resource within whatever pain and
separation we might be experiencing.
This daylong seminar will be an exploration of the dynamic interface between heaven and
earth as prayer-in-the-body. Utilizing equal parts presentation and guided body-centered
meditation, we will spend the day meeting our shared struggle with tools of the Sacred.
Included will be an introduction to a simple practice of whole-body breathingutilizing
themes from The Cloud of Unknowing (Christianity), The Heart Sutra (Buddhism), and Qi
Gong (Taoism). This practice will include sitting meditation and standing/gentle movement
meditation.
“There is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of spirit on the body.” –
Rumi
Kent Hoffman has been a psychotherapist since 1972. He earned a doctorate in religion and
psychology from the Claremont Graduate School of Theology in 1975, and received post-doctoral
certification in psychoanalysis in 1991. Throughout his career, Kent has had a particular interest in
working with marginalized/homeless adults, teen parents, and those who struggle with anxiety and
depression.
He is an originator of the Circle of Security Program, a research-based intervention designed to
support secure attachment between parents and children. Kent currently writes, consults, and
teaches clinicians and educators internationally in the area of attachment research, personality
development, and spirituality.
Kent has been a practitioner of Christian contemplative prayer and Buddhist meditation for the past
forty-five years. In the past ten years he has also become a student of Qi Gong. He considers his daily
practice to be the heartbeat of his life.
He recently summarized his 2015 TEDx talk on Infinite Worth into a brief version
of less than 4 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1e2T0mxmCY
For Registrations Please Contact Thomas Luke on 0430 647 840 or by email
[email protected]
For General Enquiries relating to the workshop Please contact Sally Watson 0411377347 or
[email protected]