Spiritual Spa

Spiritual Not Religious

These days we hear how people are "Spiritual Not Religious", and that is why they don't go to Church. We at MCC Brighton feel that the spirit is a part of our everyday lives and we don't let religion get in the way of that.

So we hold regular "Time to Rest and Pray" afternoons. The Spiritual Spa is open to everyone and you are welcome to drop out at whatever point, or spend the entire time with us.

Here is what one of our attendees who came to our first event, wrote about the experience: 

Time to Rest and Pray Event for those who could not make it or are curious:

It was very well thought out and managed, and a proper safe space of spiritual refreshment. Quick description which can only sketch it:

A short 3pm welcome with expanations of the zones, then free to do as you pleased till 6pm. Downstairs, (talking and interacting zone if you wanted) there were art and craft materials / space to sit and listen to music / pray together or alone / read or do your choice of stuff, plus zone of serve-yourself snacks and drinks. In another room downstairs, there were candles, sensory meditation aids like bowls of lavender, rosemary and something we all seemed drawn to - the infinity candle. Could stare at that thing for hours.

Upstairs were two silent zones labelled 'water' and 'fire' on the doors. I chose what turned out to be exactly right for myself, and went to water first. Here was light, fresh with a loop video / music of waves on rocks, islands and beaches. Hypnotically attractive and relaxing. I lay on the floor (there was sofa, chair and floor cushions, so you could choose your own arrangment) and watched those waves slowly (must have taken a good hour). My mind stopped chattering about what I was cooking tomorrow, whether my kids were okay, what I needed to do this week for work, financial, practical and familial anxieties and blah de blah blah. (That's the famous 'monkey mind' we all suffer from, which does not want to sit quiet and shut up, as the buddhists well know.)

Eventually I began to let go and shut my eyes to listen to the water. I felt it was washing me, carrying away all the crap-ola of daily life, the mind-noise, the world's frantic and distracting rythyms. At some point, I may have dropped off for half a minute or two. That's okay, as meditation teachers tell us: it's all good, whatever happens is okay. In the calmer state I was now in, I prayed to hear a voice, in connection to feel myself again in the source, where I used to spend so much time, but lately have been to occupied to give space for. All I heard was my mind slowly slowing down. That was okay. I felt 'All who are thirsty' ** singing in my head and thanked the stream of life. All good.

I got up and went next door to find 'fire' thinking that as I'd begun to wash away the worry and mind-noise, I felt ready for some good old fire energy / holy spirit / sakti / (call it what you will it's just our presumptious human labels. God knows what it is. We recognize it when we get touched by it, but honestly, only God knows.) In 'fire', I found a dimly lit room with purple and orange at the windows, a whole bunch of candles flickering and a mesmerising screen loop of one single large candle burning. There I again lay on the floor, and stared, drifted, listened to my heart, and at last, felt peace and joy and all the stuff that I had for sure hoped I'd fine. As in 'water', others came and went, we just smiled, acknowledgement of the other person there but kept our holy silence. 'Be still and know that I am God', I remembered. In the quiet and the stillness, I found that re-connection that I needed. No songs banging around in my head now, all was peace, all was simple, confident, restful joy and a profound sense of love for everyone and everything in that room, that house, my world, the whole world.

When a small door knock and voice told us it was 6pm and we were invited to come and eat if we wished, or leave or stay for a while longer, it felt like I had only just begun and could have stayed another few hours there.

To anyone curious - hope this gives a sense of the event and the kinds of events we offer anyone wanting to step out of the world / their busy life / their own busy head; anyone needed to re-connect to the source of peace, joy, love; anyone ready to let go of directed spiritual practice for an afternoon and trust the walk into their own heartspace.

Caroline Osella.