Gunilla Norris

In scary times, there is a deep need to have a sanctuary, a place for rest, renewal, and comfort. We have such a place inside, but, when we’re afraid, it’s hard to know it and feel it. If we dare to trust what has already been given to us by Spirit, we will discover an inner place of grace to return to again and again. In it we can find a connection with Spirit, hope, each other, and life itself. To cultivate such a sanctuary we need to honor our essence and be in solidarity with it. And we need to share that common depth with one another in our Quaker meeting houses and places of worship. This pamphlet is offered in the hope it can be of use in helping us become sanctuaries for each other and for our aching world.… (more)

In scary times, there is a deep need to have a sanctuary, a place for rest, renewal, and comfort. We have such a place inside, but, when we’re afraid, it’s hard to know it and feel it. If we dare to trust what has already been given to us by Spirit, we will discover an inner place of grace to return to again and again. In it we can find a connection with Spirit, hope, each other, and life itself. To cultivate such a sanctuary we need to honor our essence and be in solidarity with it. And we need to share that common depth with one another in our Quaker meeting houses and places of worship. This pamphlet is offered in the hope it can be of use in helping us become sanctuaries for each other and for our aching world. (Pendle Hill website).… (more)

from cover This special QPB edition collects in one volume three of Gunilla Norris's mdditative classics. In Sharing Silence, Norris lays out in simple yet profound terms the universal princoples of mindfulness practice. Becoming Bread explores the time-honored connection between baking bread and sacred ritual. And in Journeying in Place she reflects on the passage of the seasons as observed in her Connecticut garden. Throughout, Norris demonstrates the life-transforming powers of celebrating the beauty of everyday life. As the celebrated Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has said, 'Norris's simpel precepts for meditating and living have a transcedent quality. We can all benefit greatly by observing them.' Gunilla Norris is a psychotherapist in provate practice. Besides the books in this volume, she is the author of Being Home: A Book of Meditations, eleven children's books, and a book of poems, Learning from the Angel. She lives in Mystic, Connecticut. Contents Sharing Silence Foreword Room Peparation Time Presence Bearing Relationship Practice Mutualitiy Methods Rhythm Suffering Tendencies Paradox Steadfastness Phienomena Individuality Passion Peace Afterword Acknowledgments Becoming Bread Acknowledgments Preface Beginning Place-The Kitchen; At the Threshold Willingness-Water; The Mixing Bowl; Hunger; Seeing Gifts-Spring; Earth; Measuring; Salt; Summer; Yeast; Autumn Living-Mixing Dough; On the Counter Discipline-Punching Down; On the Counter Again; Shaping; Limits; The Second Rising Pain-Fire; Waiting; Standing Free Sharing-Cooling; Texture; Breaking Bread; Crumbs; Plenty Savoring-Beginning Again Journeying in Place-Reflections from a Country Garden All Saints' Day Fall-Leaves; The Feral Cat; Mice; Bulldog Winter-White Ash; Tracks on New Snow; Thaw; Geese Spring-Peepers; Skunk Cabbage; Wildflowers; Purple Finches; Dahlias; Poison Ivy; The Quince Tree; Turning Soil; Impatiens; Peonies Summer-The Pond; Day Lilies; Black Snake; Yellow Jackets; Vines; Cicadas; Honeybells; Harvest Fall Again-Compost… (more)

In scary times, there is a deep need to have a sanctuary, a place of rest, renewal, and comfort. We have such a place inside, but, when we're afraid, it's hard to know it and feel it. If we dare to trust what has already been given to us by Spirit, we will discover an inner place of grace to return to again and again. In it we can find a connection with Spirit, hope, each other, and life itself. To cultivate such a sanctuary we need to honor our essence and be in solidarity with it. And we need to share that common depth with one another in our Quaker meeting houses and places of worship. This pamphlet is offered in the hope it can be of use in helping us become sanctuaries for each other and for our aching world.… (more)