No. 23 How Can I Help

Facilitator______________
Date___________________

Group Session Plan from FUSN (developed by Bob Zeeb)

Chalice/Candle Lighting

Opening Words:

A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and
space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Albert Einstein

Check-in/Sharing

Topic:
This session focuses on our experiences as helpers. First, we bring with us our experiences from our families of origin. Here we have not only learned ways of helping and become accustomed to taking on certain roles as helpers, but we have formed our attitudes towards helping. Second, we bring with us our current relationships to spouses, friends, siblings, and children. We also bring what we have learned about the act of helping, what it means for us to help, and what consequences it has for us and for others. Most important, of course, we bring our stories.

Share your stories and your perspectives in relation to the following questions: How does who we think we are affect what we have to give? How do we widen the range of our compassion? What different understandings of our beings might nourish and deepen what we have to offer one another?

Select the topic and location for the next meeting

Check-out / Likes and Wishes

Closing Words:

It is to ourselves, then, that we must first look in our effort to see what limits the spontaneous expression of helping instincts. How does who we think we are affect what we have to give? How does this "delusion of consciousness" which "separates us from the rest," narrow the range of our compassion? What different understanding of our being might nourish and deepen what we have to offer one another?
Ram Dass & Paul Gorman