HomeVolume 1Issue 9 Integral communion

CHRISTOPHER MACMANUS shares his experience of communicating with students in his role as a teacher.


For the past four years I have worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In education, or any creative endeavor, we are always learning to expand upon our initial thought, in order to convey our feelings. This is so that others can pick up on them with ease, so that we are able to derive the most from our communication.

I have been meditating for five years now, and the purpose of my practice has evolved since I first started back. It used to be about calming myself down so that I wouldn’t blow a fuse whenever things did not go the way I hoped or expected. Since then I have been able to ease the grip on the way in which my thoughts manifest around me, by connecting with the integral communion my body and mind share with the world.


When we experience that connection,
the works we create become
an awe-inspiring declaration of our inner feelings
and love for our world.

This integral communion expresses itself through the collective consciousness we experience when sharing what we have come to know with those around us: as we collaborate in order to bring an idea to life. When we experience that connection, the works we create become an awe-inspiring declaration of our inner feelings and love for our world.

Working in the schools system, I have found that meditation has taken on a new meaning, as the state of awareness developed every morning in meditation expresses itself in the classroom and in the schoolyard. When working with children we find that the way in which the basic needs of a human being are understood and expressed can be surprisingly spontaneous and often times a difficult challenge for us as adults.

Whether it’s a kid shouting for attention because they are tired from sitting through a lesson, or one of those kids who cannot seem to keep their hands to themselves, the way in which children express their needs poses both a challenge and an opportunity to go beyond what we have prepared. How do we meet the needs of these children in a way that is adapted to their capabilities? These capabilities are both physical and cognitive, and when either is out of balance we generally move into the emotional sphere of communication.

One of the largest hurdles we face at any age is understanding that the same needs we share with the rest of humanity have innumerable ways of being expressed and met. We may be completely unaware of some of these expressions. How does meditation help with this? In Heartfulness meditation, we focus on the source of light in our heart, which in my experience has helped me develop a keen sense of intuitive awareness when it comes to my basic needs, as well as the needs of others on multiple levels.

When applying this awareness to other human beings, the way in which I approach each one must be dynamic in order to establish an integral communion with them as individuals, with the different array of experiences that have moulded their awareness. I am able to transcend the construct of my own personality and the way I learn, in order to meet the needs of another person, by moving towards the underlying character beneath every act expressed by them.


The world will tell you what it sees,
your students will tell you what they see,
and you will feel the integral communion
of your inner and outer experience.

As an educator, I have found that I often get caught in the belief that, having expressed something in words, those words are understood and absorbed into the experience of my students. This does not take into account, however, the fact that we all view the world differently. The language I have found to be the most effective in conveying my feelings and expressing the highest ideals is the silent language of my actions. If we want things to be understood by others, we must learn to love the knowledge we have acquired. One can only begin to develop love through constant association. When we establish ourselves within this knowledge, there is very little need for words in order to express ourselves.

In the course of a few years I have found that the simple practice of meditation is the most intimate moment I have with myself, in which I can connect within and develop my depth of awareness. And this is the fundamental basis of all communication with the outside world. As with any foundation, the deeper you dig, the greater the possibility of building a lasting edifice above. Just be certain that what you use to fill the depth is viable material to support that which you construct above.

The world will tell you what it sees, your students will tell you what they see, and you will feel the integral communion of your inner and outer experience.



Article by CHRISTOPHER MACMANUS



Comments

LEAVE A REPLY