AMDG
RS 447 - Mr. Haardt
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY PROJECT - Due: Monday, April 27th
Worth: 100 Points
You are required to do 1 outside Spiritual Activity this semester,
and present for a few minutes to the class on what you did and experienced.
Some possibilities are listed here. You are to submit a 700-1000 word , 1 1/2 spaced, typed reflection
on your event/activity within 7 days of your attendance. You should start by walking around your neighborhood and finding a place of worship that you have never been into and explore accordingly. Ideally, you attend a service of some kind. As a minimum, you must engage the sacred space by spending 30 minutes to 1 hour there, exploring and asking any questions of those in charge or part of the tradition. If you know someone who attends
these services...Russian Orthodox, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Buddhist,
Hindu... please make an effort to go with them as you will be hosted by someone who can answer your questions. In your reflection you need to:
1. Describe the experience, what did it look & feel like? Describe the physcial
space. Was it distracting or comforting? What was your sense of the people there,
how was the service, prayer, meditation conducted? Be specific and simply describe
the tangibles of the experience and how you felt being there.
2. Reflect on your experience, what did you gain out of it? What insights, questions,
concerns did you leave with? Do you want to go back? Did you have an experience
of what the various traditions call the "Sacred"? How is that different/similar
to your day to day life? How is that similar/different to your own tradition/experience? Feel free to add anything that describes your overall
experience of the place and service.
Feel free to CLEAR WITH ME any possibilities. You are to explore other traditions
and the questions we discuss in class in the world outside SI. The BAY AREA
is a great and easy place to do that.
GOOD LUCK and enjoy this opportunity to explore and expand your horizons.
See below for some options...
1. Labryinth - Walking Meditation. Grace Cathedral is one option for your Spiritual Activity. Look at the website and find a time to visit when there is a service or an introduction to the labryinth. Also, the labryinth at Lands End and Mercy Center in Burlingame are good choices. If you go to these, please read up on labryinths. This link from Wikipedia is actually pretty good - Intro to Labryinths
www.gracecathedral.org - Episcopalian
Labyrinth at Lands End - To visit, park at Fort Miley. Follow the Coastal Trail going east, until you get to the offshoot trail to Mile Rock. You'll hit a set of stairs that takes you down to the beach. Where the steps take a sharp left, continue on a path that continues straight up a rise and through some trees. This path will take you to the Land's End Point. Go all the way around the point, because you won't see the labyrinth until you're right there. To get a really great photo of the labyrinth, stand up on the point and shoot downwards.
2.
Here are a few web-sites of some Buddhist and Hindu centers around the Bay Area,
check them out and see what interests you. A great idea for your Spiritual Activity!!!
The web-site has times and place for your attendance. It's usually free, with
request for donation for the spiritual teachers.
www.sfzc.org - San Francisco Zen Center
- Buddhist
www.spiritrock.org - Spirit Rock Meditation
Center - Buddhist
www.sfvedanta.org - Vedanta Society of
San Francisco - Hindu
3.
Mercy Center in Burlingame!!!
Taize Service, 1st Friday of each month. See Ms. Ahlbach, as she usually takes
a van down. Also see this web-site. Mercy Center has some really cool stuff going on. Though it is a Catholic retreat center, you are encouraged to go to some of the offerings that are different from what you have experienced. Zen Meditation, Taize Prayer, Centering Prayer are examples.
I know there is Zen Meditation every Wed. night from 7-9pm. See website for more details. Though
this is Christian/Catholic meditation, it is worth checking out as it shows
how meditation has deep roots in our own tradition.
www.mercy-center.org - Catholic Retreat
Center
4. Yoga Tree Center or another Yoga Center that emphasizes the spiritual and the physical - (Recommended by SI students)
5. Any Synagogue in the Bay Area
6. Any Mosque in the Bay Area
7. Your
choice, just clear with me....
