Center for Inner Peace CenterPeace
July August 20010
Neema's Reflections
It is July, midsummer, and we have already been inundated with summer heat and wilting garden plants. I will be taking off soon on my summer trips, but Sunday services will continue in my absence. Because I will miss two Sundays this month I am not setting a theme. That way those who take my place will have more flexibility.
I will be going on retreat first, out of Santa Fe. I am feeling in dire need of a retreat just now; so I am looking forward to mid-July. But then things get hectic again almost right away as I will leave in mid August for my Goddard College residency. That is always a very packed, whirlwind, enthusiastic, thoughtful journey with over 100 passionate college students ranging in age from 18 to well, almost 80 sometimes. All of them are buzzing with ideas about what they will study this semester, as they are encouraged to study what they are passionate about and be inter-disciplinary. Add to that mix a faculty of about fourteen or fifteen who are also 
passionate about learning and who comprise a kind of intellectual "family" with all the implications of togetherness and dysfunction that family implies.
Back in September I will be physically exhausted and intellectually and spiritually charged. By then we will want a theme and I propose that it be "nothingness". I am learning more and more about this mystical concept found in all of the world's wisdom traditions. It is about the breaking down and 
breaking up of our cultural induced beliefs about the Divine. These limit both us and the Divine. We cannot know what God "is" or "is not." All of our thoughts and images are of human origin. We must let go of them to grow spiritually. We "think" we know lots of things. That too must be given up. But it is rather a joyful process, truly!
Have a lovely summer!
In the fall look for new book groups, presentations, meditation clinic, and more.
Peace and many Blessings,Neema
From the Board
Greetings from your Board President.
As I was reflecting on the suggestions in the accompanying article about tips for a spiritual summer, I was struck with the realization that doing most of these suggestions used to be a fairly common occurrence. When did we shift to lifestyles that are too busy to include these activities? Well….I think I'm ready to make some "adjustments". For some reason, several of these suggestions appeal to me, and I want to make them part of my life again. I invite you to consider if doing something similar is a choice you would like to make, too.
May the Blessings be,
Richard
Ten Tips for a Sprirtual Summer
It's summer. It's hot. If you feel overwhelmed or stuck, it may seem like there's nowhere to turn. ……. But remember, in the heat, you can expand. These are spiritual months. You can tune into yourself as a living organism, absorbing the rain and sun. You can tune into your senses. And you can completely enjoy yourself in the process.
Unplug the TV
Make the break. Turn it off. Enjoy the extra psychic space and time. ….. within a week, you'll see behavior changes that will surprise you. Check out LimiTV.org for further fodder on how television distorts our world view.
Swim in Real Water
A spiritual summer calls for as much contact with a lake, river, or ocean as possible. Life begins in water. Our bodies are mostly made up of water. And relating to real water is to connect with the larger world. One of life's great pleasures is the experience of skinny-dipping with family or friends after dark in the moonlight and feeling the silky, black water caress your skin. ...
Gaze at the Night Sky 
Create an unforgettable evening for your family simply by taking an old quilt to a hill on a clear night and looking up into the summer sky. There it is in all its glory, the sky that unites you to the most ancient of peoples in faraway times.
Make Flying Friends 
Plant a butterfly garden or set up a hummingbird feeder. Butterfly spirits will come to your garden in larger numbers if you plant a few herbs and flowering bushes that appeal to them. Feeding migrating hummingbirds when they buzz through your town ... can be one of the world's most thrilling activities.
Take a Meaningful Workshop
We've found a terrific site called Find the Divine where you can locate virtually every religious and spiritual retreat center in existence. Or check out Beliefnet's review of some happy settings for transformational seminars featuring nationally known people teaching everything from meditation to ecstatic dance to whole foods cooking.
Walk Barefoot 
Summer is a time to be more conscious of the sanctity of the earth. Going barefoot is good for you in several ways. "Your feet walk upon the Earth and through this your spirit is connected to the universe," says Cherokee "Moonmaiden" Jenny Wallace. ……
Make or Buy Presents for Loved Ones
If you are a person of the spirit, you know that now is the time to holiday shop or create. You can think. You can select, not grab, the right gift. But making your own gift might be even better. The Church of Craft is a national community of individuals who gather to learn and create …..
Sit Under a Great Tree 
You don't need to hug the tree--just sit and relate to it. Climb it. Meet someone you love under it. Eat a ripe fruit grown from it …. Suspend a hammock between two trees and climb in. Also consult the ...website called Spiritoftrees.org to see how trees guard the truth, console us, and dispense wisdom. Consider Where You Are Burning Out Light a torch in the yard or start a bonfire on the beach, and acknowledge how far you've come. Then face where you are flaming out like a flamboyant, crazy maniac. Perhaps, as Arthur Waskow suggests in "Seasons of Our Joy," the dog days provide a chance to examine where we need to regroup and gather our resources. …..
Read Eternally Beautiful Things 
"Read a book of spiritual depth," says Rabbi David Wolpe, "and do it before a mountain, a sea, a forest, a cave, a flower, a star strewn sky." Some of the greatest, most sacred of all summer poems is William Butler Yeats' "The Song of Wandering Aengus," a poem filled with desire and knowledge of life's poignancy and expanse. Just drink it in and enjoy. For more ideas,
Newsletter Options
Would you like to receive the newsletter in color and save the Center the cost of paper and mailing? We are now sending the newsletter and bulletin via email in Adobe or PDF format. If you do not have Adobe you can download it for free from http://www.adobe.com/. (You want just the Reader) If you would like to receive Newsletter and/or the weekly bulletin via email (in case you don’t make it to Sunday meeting) send your email address to Ann Ladd anladd@aol.com You may not receive a paper copy of the newsletter every month as we try to cut back on expenses.
Chris Davis would like to remind everyone to bring food to donate to the Co-operative Care group on Grand. So. Check your shelves, buy that “2 for the price of 1” to share with Pueblo’s hungry people.
Treasurer's Report 
| April | |
| Income | $2992.777 |
| Expenses | $2805.40 |
| Difference | $ 187.37 |
| May | |
| Income | $2258.75 |
| Expenses | $2953.63 |
| Difference | $ 629.88 |
The 2010 Budget requires $3.350 per month to be balanced. Complete financial reports are kept in the church office and are available to all members. Due to large building repair expenses, we need to replenish our Building Fund and Contingency Funds.
Ann Ladd, Treasurer 251-4006Groups & Classes
Sunday Meetings: 9:30-10:30 am Quiet meditation; Those not desiring this much quiet time should arrive by 10:25
Gratitude Group: A workshop/support group on living in gratitude led by Marie Montiel and Julie Nemick. The Gratitude Group is now meeting on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. Newcomers are always welcome! Contact Marie (544-7182) or Julie (545-5416) for more information. 
Book Group: Mondays 1:30- 3:00 The Other Side of Nothingness by Beverly Lanzetta - Held at Shirley Brinkshouse.Call for directions - 565-0134 ( Rev Neema 406-0985).
Multi-Faith prayer and meditation service for World Peace: The Center for Inner Peace invites people of all faiths to join us on the first Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm.
Prayer Ministry: 10:45 am on Tuesdays. Anyone is invited to add names to our prayer list and /or join us in silent mediation/prayer. Put names in Prayer request box or call Barbara Garber at 584-2754.
A Course in Miracles discussion group meets from 1:30-3:00 on Wednesday’s (Anne 547-7774, Carolyn 671-6340. )
Zen Meditation: Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, third Wednesday Dharma Talk, and second and fourth Saturdays at 8:00 am with the Wet Mountain Sangha Buddhist Group. Intervals (25 minute sitting & 5 minute walking meditations) begin on the half-hour. (Tracy 547-7655)
Yang Style Tai Chi: Fridays 8:00 –9:00 am. Slow graceful movements of an ancient wellness practice and martial art promoting better health and longevity through "chi" circulation. (Debbie 948-2798.)
Nia: Every Wednesday 4 pm and Friday, 9:30. Nia in Swahili means “with purpose.” Holistic exercise movements provide a spirit of “dancing through life with a purpose.” (Donna 547-2241.)
Yoga Classes: Monday’s, 4:30-5:30 Amrit Yoga Fundamentals and Conditioning, 5:30-6:30 Amrit Yoga Sequence, 6:30 -7:30 Integrative Relaxation. Tuesday’s, Amrit Yoga Sequence 9:30 to 10:30 am, Thursday’s Amrit Yoga Sequence 5:30-6:30 (Alice 251-9396)
Ongoing Groups
Meeting at Different Locatons
Fellowship Luncheon: First Sunday’s after Sunday meeting.
Urantia Book. 6:00-8:00 pm, Sundays. Contact the Chapman’s for location & information (546-3295).
Transmission Meditation: Tuesday evenings at 7 pm. (Shirley Brinks, 565-0134 )
Course in Miracles group: Thursday mornings at 10 am. Meeting at the Brinks’ home, 530 Cherry Lane, (Shirley Brinks 565-0134 brinks.shirley@q.com)
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Wish List
* Someone to "resurrect" and coordinate the former Tuesday Book Group.
* We are in need of new windows for the library, foyer, and front of the sanctuary. They are not insulated and some are rotted.
