Dancing in the Shadows by Laura Bryannan

Chapter 18

IDENTIFYING THE GOOD

This exercise works best if you do it toward the end of your group's time together. It can be a nice thing to do for your last session if you don't want to do an elaborate ritual like the one in this book. It sounds very simple, but it provokes strong emotion. Most of us are not used to having nice things said about us, especially when they're true...

Have the group sit comfortably.
Close eyes.
Take three deep breaths.
Tell the group to imagine their favorite environment of beauty and peace as completely as possible.
Now ask the group to ask their Highest Self to come to them and sit nearby.
Name a woman in the group and ask each member to invite her Highest Self into their private place.
Tell the group to tune into this woman's Highest Self and get a sense of what she is like, what she's about. Ask them to get their own Highest Self's impressions of the woman.
After a minute, tell everyone to say goodby to that woman's Highest Self.
Name another woman. Again, ask each member to invite this woman's Highest Self into their private environment and get to know her a bit.
Continue this process until each woman in the group has been named, giving everyone at least a minute to get to know each woman's Highest Self.
Now have everyone thank and say goodby to their own Highest Self, and come back into the room, into their body.
Open eyes when ready.
Begin with the first woman you named. Ask the group to share with her the impressions they received about her Highest Self.
Remind each woman to write down these impressions into their notebooks as each participant shares her ideas about her. Since most survivors have a hard time staying in touch with the good things that come their way, if notes aren't taken until the end of the session, much will be forgotten.
Continue naming each woman, until the group's impressions are given for everyone.

You'll be surprised at the consistency of the reports! Most women will see each Highest Self in a similar way. Thus, this can be a good way for everyone to experience the validity of the information they receive in meditation.
This exercise is very moving because it may be the first time a woman has had anyone else "see" her as she truly is. Since survivors are usually convinced that deep down there is something seriously wrong or evil about them, it sometimes takes an exercise such as this to change their minds (at least a little bit). It is very powerful to have eight women face you and tell you, "No, we didn't see a black widow spider in you at all, we saw you as wise, loving and shining with blue light."
There is a tendency to get into an "aw shucks" mode when receiving information about your Highest Self--it's quite embarrassing to say the least--but try to stay open and receive it. Let it in. It will warm your heart and thaw barriers to intimacy like nothing else.
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Last Updated: 1 feb 99
Laura Bryannan
LauraBryannan@hotmail.com