Sacred Community Invocation
This video and audio of Sitaram Dass was recorded during SCP's first Sacred Community Retreat in the summer of 2023 on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. In this talk, Sitaram recites a variation of the SCP invocation that opens every single SCP "Satsang Hang," and he discusses the importance of the invocation and how Sacred Community is "Loving-Awareness practiced together."
In the introduction for this episode, zander, one of SCP's group facilitators and host of baby teeth podcast, speaks on their experience with the online Satsang Hangs and how the invocation creates a container to "enter into this practice of Sacred Community" through authenticity, presence, compassion, and a group intention to "nurture our souls."
SCP will be hosting two retreats this year, and registration is now live for the 2024 Spring Retreat at Just Love Forest outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more and register for the retreat here: https://www.justloveforest.com/lovingawareness
To learn more and join one of SCP's online "Satsang Hangs," check out the SCP Discord and event schedule here: https://sacredcommunityproject.org/discord
The SCP Satsang Hang Invocation:
We have come together to invoke the Sacred through our shared humanity. For the next hour we each agree to attend to five things: ourselves, each other, the group, the world, and the shared Presence unifying it all. We do this as an act of devotion, knowing that God is manifest in all five.
We tend to ourselves by being mindful of our thoughts, feelings, triggers, and motivations and by leaning into authenticity, vulnerability, and courage. We tend to each other through attentive, compassionate, non-judgmental listening, by letting go of the desire to fix others or give unsolicited advice, and by leading with appreciation and curiosity. We tend to the group by ensuring that space is evenly shared and that everyone has an opportunity to offer their voice. We tend to the world by acknowledging we are not separate from collective sorrow, collective aid, or systemic influences associated with race, class, gender, sexuality, or ability. We tend to communal Presence by actively cultivating sacred silence and by holding our identities, roles, and ideologies lightly, so the soul can shine through.
With this invocation, we ask that the Universal Guru guide us as we enter into this Sacred Space together. We now invite in silence and encourage anyone who feels called to share, to share.
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Sitaram Dass (K. Sandin, LCSW) (he/him) spent several years serving his beloved teacher Ram Dass on Maui, where he was shown the path of Bhakti, the yoga of service and devotion to God. He is an experienced kirtan leader, social worker, author, and spiritual counselor. His book, From and for God, is an intimate and contemplative collection of writings on the spiritual path. Learn more about Sitaram Dass at: sitaramdass.com
The Sacred Community Podcast is an inter-spiritual hub of the universal teachings, “Love, Service, Remembrance, and Truth.” Home to Sacred Community Project interviews, live workshop recordings, dharma talks, and meditations, each episode is carefully curated to ensure its alignment with SCP values.
SCP Logo: Beverly Hsu
Music: Carl Golembeski
