You Are Invited to a Party!
A Coffee and Tea Contemplation Party!
By the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue.
Just as we have Red States and Blue States we have coffee drinkers and tea drinkers.
As we know there are a great variety of teas to choose from and a good number of different coffees as well.
Whatever our choice – and some of us drink both – we all drink to quench our thirst, to wake us up, to soothe and calm our nerves, or to provide an opportunity to gather with friends.
Maybe it is time to come together around our favorite beverage and get to know each other in a new way!
We know that the future of our country depends on our bridging the gap between the opposing polarities that have been created among us. Most of us do not like the growing animosity and nay saying that has permeated our public square. We realize that in this environment we are not going to be able to move forward to really address the kinds of things most of us desire and hope for:
…to live in peace, nonviolently….to have our basic human needs met…to live where we and our children and our children’s children experience the beauty of a healthy Earth.
Yet we know that we differ as to how to make this happen.
Perhaps we need to try a new way to come together.
That is why the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue (ICCD) is inviting you to a different kind of party. Not just a tea party or a coffee klatch but A Coffee and Tea Contemplation Party.
Essential Elements for A COFFEE AND TEA CONTEMPLATION PARTY
Who: Anyone who believes that the future of our country is calling us to come together across our differences.
Why: To experience the power of being in contemplative silence with each other.
Where: Around kitchen tables, living rooms or any comfortable space where 2 or 5 or 10 people can gather.
When: Any date you choose for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the group.If possible plan 3 more parties over a period of 2-3 months.
For information as to how to organize the first party as well as the additional parties with their specific focus question go to click here to read “How to Throw a Coffee and Tea Contemplation Party”
What to Bring: An open heart and a willingness to respect those with whom you differ.
It is a party that honors and respects differences and believes that we are more alike than different and that we share a common dream for our future. It is a party simply to celebrate that in silence with each other. It is a party to help dissolve the barriers that keep us apart and open up some space where perhaps we can walk together into the future. It is a party that is rooted in the deep spiritual practice of contemplation.
Contemplation is a way of quieting oneself to see differently and to be aware of the stories that have shaped who we are and what we believe which often keep us from imagining something different. It is a spiritual practice that invites us to access the Divine within and among us. ICCD invites you to hold a party—and ideally to hold 4 parties over a period of time—with people who think differently about things. We believe that by coming together in this way something powerful happens to how we relate to each other. Like all parties this is not goal oriented nor does it have any specific outcome other than being with each other in a new way.
© 2011-2015 Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue
Reprint with permission iccdinstitute@aol.com