About Us
Mission Statement
We are an interfaith community dedicated to celebrating diversity and honoring the spirit that connects all things. We respect the truth in the world’s religions and the path of each individual. The Circle affirms that the Spirit of Love is the Source of life, and that we are meant to co-create as loving participants in the world in which we live. The Circle’s teachings demonstrate the way for individuals to heal and awaken through the power of prayer, meditation, and self-less service. At the Circle we subscribe to the ancient wisdom of the world’s sages in ways that supports contemporary living. We are designated as a circle because it best describes the infinite and all inclusive community in which we exist. Our Sunday gatherings are created to provide you with the deepest spiritual experience.
Ceremonies
Rites of Passage provide the threshold for honoring the significant turning points of your life. An appreciative gift for you and/or a loved one is the ceremonious gathering of family and friends intent on celebrating life, or honoring a loved one that we have lost. For this occasion, we provide ceremonies that bring a balance of compassion and love to family and guests. Our interfaith services include: Wedding, Memorial and Pet Loss Ceremonies. Please contact Laura V. Grace, Spiritual Leader to inquire about the appropriate ceremony for you or a loved one.
Daily Spiritual Practices
Buddhist teachers Lama Surya Das once said: “Your innate goodness needs tending. When we build and maintain a spiritual practice, we are acknowledging that we take our spiritual lives seriously. Every time we meditate, pray, or engage in spiritual reading we are honoring the Light within, honoring our best selves and our highest potential.” The following daily spiritual practices are some of the methods we encourage at the Circle to support you in staying on your highest path:
GENEROSITY/GIVING—W hen people would go to the Buddha for instruction his first teaching was always that of “Dana,” the cultivation of generosity and giving. The Buddha believed that through generosity we learn to let go of our attachments and through giving we overcome our sense of Separation.
MEDITATION—The 2nd foundation that the Buddha taught was “Sila” or meditation. Using a mantra, this second instruction was geared solely toward quieting the inner chatter and “monkey mind” thinking that all of us must deal with. PRAYER—There are different kinds of prayer: contemplative prayer, prayer of gratitude, affirmative prayer, centering prayer, prayers for healing. The purpose of prayer is to commune with the Divine.
CHANTING—Chanting can carry us to states of not only communing with the Divine but to states of ecstatic silence. Musician Robert Gass once said that “Chant is “Discovering” Spirit in Sound.”
MINDFUL PRACTICES—These practices entail being as fully present as possible, and include JOURNAL WRITING, KEEPING A SABBATH (setting time aside to nourish and pamper our souls, to replenish ourselves), MANTRAM PRACTICE (repeating a word or affirmation not just during meditation, but throughout the entire day), GRATITUDE PRACTICE and OFFERING BLESSINGS. Offering Blessings is related to gratitude practice. Buddhist Meditation Teacher Sharon Salzburg calls this practice “Guerilla Compassion” which entails silently blessing everyone and everything—people in line at the bank, at the supermarket, on the bus, on the freeway, everywhere you are. In addition to these are the invaluable practices of FORGIVENESS, PURIFICATION (of the body through fasting and the mind through meditation and chanting), VISUALIZATION, DREAM WORK, BREATH WORK, LIVING SIMPLY, SILENCE and SMILING.
10am SPIRITUAL SERVICE
We invite you to join us for our Spiritual Service at 10am.SPIRITUAL YOUTH PROGRAM
A Spritual Youth Program is provided for your children.It's fun and educational.
LOCATION
The Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment is located at:
1500 Lizzie Street
Adult School
Multi-purpose Room, J-2
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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